Can I use just a little t.v. for a monitor while I shoot my film? And what things do I need to do for it?

I wanted to do the same thing and I had a small b/w battery operated tv, but it only would receive a ?coaxil? signal and the type coming from my camcorder was a the basic 3 RCA plugs.
Only way I could have it work was to use a VCR as a middle man, but that became a hassle.

Well, as long as this topic exists, anyone know where I could find a 13" monitor? I don't even know how expensive they start at, but I'm sure it's crucial for an editing bay.

-Elliott

around here any plase that sells televisions still sell small ones (small apartments and such), but if not, online at bestbuy.com, circuitcity.com, you should be able to get one.

and monitor isn't absolutely necessary for an at home editing bay if you're just doing your own stuff, but it's good. any television will do fine for that kind of work, do you really want/need a playback monitor or can you just use a television?

Well, school kinda spoiled me to playback monitors, so I'd really like to find one of those. The only place I could find that I trusted what they they had were playback monitors was JVC.com. The only problem is they had a "professional" monitor for a grand but it was only 9". They had fifteen inch monitor for $700 but it wasn't labeled as "professional." I'm convinced that a playback monitor would be a needed addition to my editing suite.

-Elliott

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MeGrimlock,

A nice broadcast monitor is really nice and has features that I would actually use. Unfortunately, they are a whole lot more expensive and until I'm having clients at my home editing suite, I just can't justify the 1000 bucks. I don't know if you all have Fry's electronics in TX, but they always have a huge assortment of 13 and 19" TVs for 80-150 bucks. If you can find one with S-video that's the best, then RCA.

I'm still using an old 13" commodore monitor from the 1980s. Even editing off that old monitor is so much better because the video is truly WYSIWYG.

So Joren, and everyone else for that matter, you're saying that I'll get decent results hooking up any ol' thirteen incher to my computer as a monitor? I mean if that'll work, why bother with a professional monitor at all?

-Elliott

IMO, a regular 13" TV hooked up inline with your output device (off your camera hooked to firewire, probably) is a good monitor. It's not comparable to a broadcast monitor, but it's also a tenth the cost.

I take the same philosophy to video monitors as I do to audio monitors. Sure it would be better to have pro equipment. But what does my intended audience have? I want to see the picture and hear the sound the way they will. Most people I know don't have calibrated TVs or Speakers. So, I decide on the micro-budget realm, pro monitors aren't a priority.

I'm sure other's will have different views on the subject, though.

pro monitors have different inputs, and you can adjust these inputs to check/adjust the signal. that's great if you're trying master something to send to a client, and you want to make sure it looks good across all the inputs/devices they might use. plus their colors stay more true to NTSC signals than regular t.v.s

but i don't think you're going to be anything that needs that kind of precision, especially if you're not going to broadcast it on television (since being off on broadcast can result in fines). if you're doing it to show people, or on your own, what's it matter.

i use a 13" Sony television with only RCA composite video input and ONE audio channel. the audio in is BROKEN though, so i can't even hear what it sounds like, i use the computer speakers. and it's worked fine.

at school, some of the edit labs have 27 inch televisions as the monitor, and that's only so you can see lips just to make sure you're in sync when you play it back.

some rooms also have pro 19" CCD monitors, but they also have pro MiniDV, Beta, SVHS, and DVCam decks because they're used for mastering, so that's the only real reason i've ever seen to justify having one of those around.

Well, soon enough I'll hopefully be shooting a spec commercial for a piece for my demo reel and I would like to make sure it's broadcast safe just in case someone actually likes the commercial for some god awful reason to promote their product. Demo piece or not, I want to go all out on this project with release forms and everything.
Also, my friend whose editing system I'll be using has audio monitors and I guess I just want to feel as little more professional as him as possible.

-Elliott