by Stuart Pointon, Lemac Business Development Manager, Brisbane.

We’re hugely fussy and passionate about the camera we shoot on, the editing or grading program we use to put the production together but when it comes to the humble monitor a lot of people are not so driven. Yet it is the monitor that we use to make critical judgments. The monitor is the final tool used in the decision making process. The temptation of the low cost monitor is too great for many. When there is only so much budget the monitor is one area that is first to go in the chain. But you do get what you pay for as always and having a known reference monitor can provide the reassurance that your work is OK.

The introduction of the Sony OLED has brought some sparkle back into the monitor area. We are now seeing productions aimed at digital cinema and while the best way to grade or edit would be with a DCI projector, the cost and space required is too prohibitive for many. The Sony OLEDs have a range of monitors as usual and one of the key aspects of the BVM series is the digital cinema capabilities.

Many think that DCI P3 specs differ from Rec 709 with just a wider gamut. But, the white point and gamma are different for P3 as against Rec 709. The white point for Rec 709 is x=0.3127; y=0.3290; Y=1.00 and for P3 x=0.314; y=0.3510; Y=1.000. This puts the white point for P3 slightly towards green. Also, and very importantly, the gamma for Rec 709 is 2.2 whereas the gamma for DCI P3 is 2.6.

As you can see from the above, there is a reasonable difference between Rec 709 and DCI P3, you must have a calibrated path for the format of choice. The BVM series features DCI capability and this can make life easier in this world of LUTs and calibrated workflows. Also, to further enhance the reference grade features, the BVM series monitor features a 14 bit internal engine. When you apply transforms to digital colour the result is a larger digital word and it is better to round these down at the very end of the algorithm for the final 10 bit panel.

For example, if you multiply 8.5 three times you would get 25.5, and then if you rounded this to a whole number you would get 26 (if you rounded up). If you round each 8.5 to 9 at the beginning you would end up with 27, quite a bit out from the correct number of 25.5. This very simple analogy for colour monitors means greater colour accuracy. This is the same reason that the digital pipe in camera increase with processing. You may start with a 14bit A/D but the matrix processing will be 20 bits wide such as the Panasonic cameras. If your business is critical grading at the mid to high end, then you really should consider the investment in a grade 1 reference monitor.

To see our range of Sony OLED Monitors and learn more about their advantages, click here