Monitor or TV for color correction/grading?

[anax276]

Hi,

I noticed significant differences in colors/contrast when viewing my videos on computer monitor(s) and on TV sets.

People use various equipment for viewing videos (online or not): mobile phones, (Smart) TVs, computers... How do I avoid such (sometimes annoying) differences? Using a TV set as a reference monitor for grading? Calibrating the computer monitor to match TVs (but how)? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Policar]

We use a Flanders Scientific monitor when I work on footage for broadcast. I think there are about $2k+.

I use an HP Dream Color calibrated for rec709 at home. It's about $500 and just okay. Some issues, but calibration and gamut are nice.

Where I work that does web content (high end web content, too), they use the regular display (I think on an iMac) and calibrate it using a probe, because most of their work is for web.

There will always be major differences. For tv you can hire out a colorist, buy a generation 9 Panasonic panel and have it calibrated (these are still used on major network tv series), buy a cheaper/smaller Flanders panel, etc. For web just get a good screen and calibrate it and you should be fine. Also avoid grading too aggressively, rarely a good idea, it looks coked out.

[Vesku]

If TV has VA-type panel it is difficult to use as a monitor because of viewing angles. Only the center part of VA-panel TV has right color and contrast. Edges has washed out colors. The edge LED system may also cause color errors in screen edges. TVs in general has poor screen uniformity.

[Phil A]

22 hours ago, anax276 said:

Hi,

I noticed significant differences in colors/contrast when viewing my videos on computer monitor(s) and on TV sets.

People use various equipment for viewing videos (online or not): mobile phones, (Smart) TVs, computers... How do I avoid such (sometimes annoying) differences? Using a TV set as a reference monitor for grading? Calibrating the computer monitor to match TVs (but how)? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Answer for bold part: You can't.

Computer monitors, laptop displays and mobile phone displays are all over the place so you have no idea what it will look like for your viewers.

Best thing would be a calibratable grading monitor but those are $$$. If this is your actual job, get those. If it's a hobby, you probably can do with a calibratable screen with a wide color gamut (at least 100% Rec709/sRGB) and even brightness.

I'm just doing stuff for the internet as a hobby so I use a Panasonic Viera Plasma TV that is configured as close as possible to the colors & contrast of the iPad Pro. After rendering I check how it looks on my calibrated Dell U2711 at home and my horrific Dell P2210 at work. That gives me a rough idea of the ballpark of how it will look.