Monitor for editing

Hello,

Does anyone have any recommendations or preferences for monitors for editing?
What do you high-end people use?

What are the high-end models and then what are the next level down models?

Ahh but of course, you can't judge video from a computer monitor so I guess a computer monitor plus a monitor to check the video is the proper solution? So, does that mean that what computer monitor is used doesn't matter?

Are you looking for external HD / SD monitoring recommendations (eg FSI, Panasonic Pro Plasma etc) or are you looking for computer monitor recommendations for your FCP workstation (eg Apple, Dell etc)?

Actually both.

At work, I have a dual monitor setup (20" Apple & 23" apple) with no external monitoring setup.
With an Apple Mac Pro.

At home, I only have a MacBookPro.
So at home, I'd like to eventually build a monitor solution to go with the Macbook Pro or if I add a Mac Pro.

At work, I guess I'd like to have a monitoring solution? Would that be correct?
At work, the monitoring solution I use is an old CRT TV connected via RCA's to a MiniDV player connected via firewire to the Mac Pro.

Okey dokey, well its ceratinly a wide open question but I'll I have a bash at offering some options for you to follow up on.

First up, for your main work setup, yes, you'd want not just an external video monitor but also some form of I/O device (assuming you want to expand your work beyond the basic DV format) .

For I/O there are a good selection of options open to you from AJA, Blackmagic, Matrox and Motu and the right choice depends largely on your budget, your acquisition, intermediate and target formats and any other specific needs you may have. Blackmagic and AJA both offer some excellent I/O cards that can be installed into a Mac Pro tower ... check out the Blackmagic's Decklink and Intensity cards and AJA's line of Kona cards. If you prefer something more mobile that might be used equally across multiple Mac Pro machines and/or suitably equipped MacBook Pro laptops at home, at work, or in the field, then check out Matrox's MXO2 line, the new Motu HDX SDI and/or the more expensive AJA IoHD or Motu V4HD options.

For the monitoring, if you're working (or intending to work) in HD and if you're going to use a popular budget HDMI I/O card like the Blackmagic Intensity, then you'll need a suitable HDMI equipped display ... at this end of the scale then you might take a look at the Dell U2410, it's not perfect perhaps, but it offers a lot of bang for the buck. If you are planning on just such a budget set up then you might be better off considering a Matrox MXO2 Mini as the I/O device as it offers a color calibrated HDMI output which would help you make the most of whichever HDMI monitor you attached to it. If your wants or needs are higher end or more critical then you might want to look at some of the higher end monitoring solutions: if a larger monitor is acceptable then Panasonic's Pro Plasma displays are comparatively affordable and very well regarded for their color accuracy, check out their TH-42PF11UK ... would work well with an HDMI input; if a plasma is too large then Flanders Scientific Inc's (FSI) professional reference LCD's are winning rave reviews ... not cheap of course, but in the area of reference monitoring you generally get what you pay for. Another alternative you might want to consider tho, if you're working with suitable sources and/or a suitable I/O device, is the HP DreamColor LP2480zx display which is said to offer very accurate critical monitoring when using its built in DreamColor display engine.
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As you can see, there are lots of options and variables which can and should affect your decision making, and you really have to nail down exactly what you want, need and expect before you can hope to choose wisely ... but that said, no one else will ever see your edit on a reference monitor and no matter how good your monitor, it won't make your edit any "better" so don't sweat the choice too much, just get whatever you can reasonably afford to suit your needs and remember to keep an eye on your scopes :-).

Best
Andy

Cool! Now I have someplace to start.

Thanks for the information!