The first thing to decide when you need a video monitor is what is the display to be used for? Just because a display costs a lot does not mean it is the best product for the job. Monitors are put into three categories, Grades 1, 2 or 3 where Grade 1 type is still the domain of the CRT type, CRT monitors are more or less history as flat panels have substituted them but they do still have their place.

First of all you need to decide what Grade is most suitable. Do you need to see any artefacts present in the picture? Do you need it just to give confidence that a picture is actually present? In what environment is it being used? Indoors, outdoors, in an OB Van, machine Control room, etc. The type used in Telecine, Camera Control or Graphics would differ to a display for Data or in an Edit Suite.

For general viewing a grade 3 monitor will suffice; a monitor wall in a news room, for example. It is quite likely you will have multiple sources of different signal types in your facility, so would a multi viewer product be the best way to go rather than a monitor wall? In OB Vans where space is premium this may be the answer, news rooms are also a favoured location for multi viewers so technicians can see at a glance if all stations are present and correct. There also may be a need to show audio metres, timers, camera idents and other metadata.

When evaluating a video monitors you should view different types of images (static, fast moving, rolling and crawling graphics at different speeds and directions) and artefacts like blurring, soft images, ghosting and suchlike. There are published standards which set out the guidelines for manufacturers to comply with; this helps to ensure it is possible to match colourimetry, for example. If you have a stack of displays there will be a need to make sure they all look similar when fed the same signal. Other considerations, such as do they have the right type and mix of input connector, are they rack mountable? If you have computers in the mix with the need to display data and video are there Ethernet connections? How easy is it to set up the display? Does it need to integrate with other products, such as broadcast encoders? Where are the input connectors? They could be on the front, back, underneath? Hopefully this article has provided you with some things to consider when buying or renting a video monitor. Sam Qam specialises in providing audio visual equipment (such as video monitors and broadcast encoders)

Keywords: Video Monitor, Broadcast Encoders

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