projector as HD monitor?

i saw here a year or so ago, folks talking about using a projector as a client/reference monitor.

i recently bought an optoma HD72 hd projector for the office. so i brought my edit machine out into the client area and hooked it up as a second monitor via DVI and as far as image quality goes i was pretty impressed. the image sharpness is very nearly or as good as what ive seen on an MXO - especially considering its being projected at 12 feet - and only on a white painted surface, not a proper reflective screen.



it took a little menu tweaking to get the color conversationally close to what i see on my dell, and sony pvm monitor (i still need to play with that a bit more).

i dont know that the brightness or color accuracy is ever going to compete with a dedicated, $3000+ reference monitor solution. but for my clients needs and at $1499 im pretty pleased!

i dont know if maybe a visit from a calibration professional would get it nearly as close as an MXO

I have always wanted a projector. Never trust that model for color correction (the only ones I have seen people use for that are the Christie 2Ks), but it makes for a great client monitor...or to get you close.

Can you route the MXO to that?


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anyone who can swing the dollars for a christie - is doing WAY more work than i am ; )

i suppose you could connect it to an mxo, but i dont know if the projector has the latitude that the mxo would need.?.?.? besides, i find the mxo way too flakey and convoluted - at least the few times ive seen one in action

i have no real intention of using this for color correction anyway. just a bit of "bling" to entertain clients. and to be honest - and this may sound very naive, but in the work i do (mainly industrials to tape/dvd/web/projector/etc...) ive never really required the level of color accuracy that you guys in the big movie and tv biz require. as long as things are consistent from scene to scene and not beyond the realm of reasonable expectation. my clients have never had a problem... at least that i couldnt solve with a parked still frame on my sony pvm...

I use a 720p Panasonic projector but to get the MXO into it I have to go YUV-RGB into Component. I don't see any difference than just going from the Mac, DVI-HDMI and using Cinema Desktop Preview. The projector can have nice advantages if your going to the silver screen as it shows every little freakin artifact. You also can't calibrate unless you go DVI out of the MXO and I can't get that to work with the Panny cause it ain't 1980x1200. That's one reason why Matrox recommends the 20"-23" Cinema Displays. I don't think it would even work on a 1980x1080 projector.

Projectors are common in the DI world for colour correction. At the moment, "reference" monitoring has ceased to have real meaning because:

a) proliferation of flat panel devices in the home that use radically different technologies
b) no native interlace on modern displays
c) HD, which CRTs don't really have enough resolution for, even if you can find / afford a good one
d) many homes now how projectors

At the high end, you've got the E-Cinema displays, which are LCD, but probably as close to reference as we get at the moment.... But....

Graeme