You can use a DV device like a camcorder to do this.

Ulf / Glenn.

Will the pyro have better circuits to make the conversion?

Usually they stuff any "tourist" camcorder with the cheapest possible items they can find.

Perhaps stupid question: Will it work with HD also?

Regards
Per

Not stupid question(s) - there's apparently no such thing - but basic and very important questions which I've not seen addressed very often. I'll be following with great interest.

I don't know enough about the Pyro to say.

IMO a DV camera will do the job fine. Feeding that into a CRT broadcast monitor will do the job well (though it's hard to find good, new CRTs nowadays). Getting the CRT broadcast monitor is the most important part.

If you get the Canopus devices, they will output a correct 7.5 IRE black level. With DV cameras, they tend to output 0 IRE and you would need to calibrate your monitor to that. If you do so, then the calibration is incorrect for other sources. Which is fine if you watch out for it. The Canopus might be slightly more convenient??? It's not a huge advantage at all.

2- Resolution-wise, what you see on a computer monitor tends to be excellent resolution. Going DV out through a camera to a broadcast monitor delivers comparable resolution. The chroma might be off... saturated colors may be slightly shifted to the left and blurry. But this shouldn't be an issue in practice.

--It won't work for HD. For HD, your options are:
-Aja Xena (or Blackmagic) to HD-SDI out to a broadcast monitor with HD-SDI in.
-Aja Xena (or Blackmagic) to HD-SDI out to a Decklink (converts HD-SDI to DVI or HDMI) to (preferably) a 1920x1080 computer monitor.
-Windows secondary display.

Glenn,

>IMO a DV camera will do the job fine. Feeding that into a CRT broadcast monitor will do the job well (though it's hard to find good, new CRTs nowadays). Getting the CRT broadcast monitor is the most important part.

I tested with a JVC 15" (old one...) with composite BNC in to the monitor via the Canon XH A1. It was a "forgiven" image - soft, a bit dark, adn "rich" but nice IMHO, a bit brown-ish though. Took the same clip and same camera but now with Component RGB to a Panasonic Plasma 42" and the image was bright and more readish. On the Vegas 24" monitor it was brown-grey-ish, a bit "flat" but acceptable. It seems like each screen has it's "signum" and it will be hard to predict what the outcome really will be for the viewer. The JVC monitor would be hard to trust in this little un-scientific test. I was looking at the 750 lines 15" JVC for some 450 USD - but now I'm not sure what to think of it as reference monitor.

>If you get the Canopus devices, they will output a correct 7.5 IRE black level.

-- Which model do you recommend?
-- Is RGB component a "must" - is that not the very best technology for correct image and colour?
-- Is the Canopus connected to the FW on my Vegas PC?

-- 7.5 IRE - is that NTSC standard? Valid for PAL also or is there PAL Canopus models?

> 2- Resolution-wise, what you see on a computer monitor tends to be excellent resolution. Going DV out through a camera to a broadcast monitor delivers comparable resolution. The chroma might be off... saturated colors may be slightly shifted to the left and blurry. But this shouldn't be an issue in practice.

Prob. that I saw on the JVC monitor - the difference was very noticable compared with my 24" screen. When it looked OK on the 24" it was very ugly on the 42" plasma - glowing red-ish...

>-Aja Xena (or Blackmagic) to HD-SDI out to a Decklink (converts HD-SDI to DVI or HDMI) to (preferably) a 1920x1080 computer monitor.

Don't know either of these - any link?

> -Windows secondary display.

OK, reasonable option.

This topic has been discussed a number of times over the past few years. I personally use a generic CRT-based TV set to do my final color corrections. The set is fed by one of my camcorders which in turn is fed via Firewire.

I think there are several advantages to working this way:

(1) the TV set is very similar to those sets used to view the final product.

(2) Since I use that TV set often to watch regular cable programming, I'm "dialed in" to what normal (professional) programming looks like on that set. All I need to do is to match that look with my own efforts.

(3) It's simple and inexpensive to set up.

I was looking at the 750 lines 15" JVC for some 450 USD - but now I'm not sure what to think of it as reference monitor.

3 years ago, I bought 4 of them for student edit suites at the college I work for.
I've also recommended them here numerous times and have had a lot of folks end up buying them.
I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about them.
Getting them properly calibrated is the key.
The Color Bars and How To Use 'em tutorial is an excellent tutorial to learn how to do this.

Mike