Makeshift production monitor from a computer LCD?

February 21, 2008 10:12 AM

Can I use my computer monitor as an HD production monitor?

I'm putting together a camera package with a Sony PMW-EX1 camera and a 35mm lens adapter. My budget, however, cannot support a decent professional production monitor (yet). My interim solution (which will be used for focusing, not color/exposure evaluation) is to use my LCD computer monitor instead. Obviously not an ideal solution, but could this possibly work?

It's an older model with only VGA inputs, and I'm using a DVI-to-VGA adapter on it now, as I'm using a newer video card.
The camera (which has yet to arrive) has analog component outputs. The most detailed information I've found states the following:

The EX1 uses the same micro-D-shell connector used by most Sony HDV cameras for analog component outputs, and another micro connector carries stereo analog audio and composite video. Y/C is not provided.

The camera also has an HD-SDI output. My background is in film, so I don't have a good enough handle on video signals to figure this out. Can I convert an HD analog component signal to DVI somehow (which would then be adapted to VGA)? My fear is that this will take an expensive converter box that costs just as much as a real production monitor. Does anyone know if this is true?
Thanks so much, in advance.

posted by UnnotciedTypo to media & arts (5 comments total)

Markertek, my go-to source for converters, lists a SDI-to-DVI converter box for $1995. So it appears your fears are well-founded.

On the other hand, if you're willing to wait a while, there's this from Asus, rumored to be priced $2-300.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:21 AM on February 21, 2008

Hmm. Agreed, converting the HD-SDI to DVI doesn't look like the way to go. But what about the component output? It seem like you can go the other way...
posted by UnnotciedTypo at 10:38 AM on February 21, 2008

A bit more about the monitor -- what resolution is it?

The EX1 is a 1080p camera. You will not be able to output 1080p with component no matter what you do.

If your monitor is anything but 1920x1080, which I doubt it is if it only has VGA input, I don't think this will be worthwhile.
posted by neustile at 10:59 AM on February 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

(Post-post correction after some research: You may be able to do 1080p over component with some setups, but I wouldn't count on it)

Another thing you should be careful about is the 2 different kinds of DVI. If your monitor only has VGA ins, the DVI adapter you're using is really just pulling the analog signal out of the DVI port, which on your video card is DVI-I (integrated, analog+digital). HDMI is digital out only, you can't do HDMI->DVI-D (digital only)->VGA without other conversion hardware.
posted by neustile at 11:03 AM on February 21, 2008

Gotcha. Well, crap.
posted by UnnotciedTypo at 11:20 AM on February 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]