Reference Monitor

Hello everyone

I have been producing and editing, as well as color correcting & grading commercial video projects for 8 years now, and have been just fine with using good consumer monitors as well as the internal Macbook Pro Displays for "color critical" work. However, my production company took on a TV show and we decided to do the entire process in-house, including the Color correction & Grading.

Now it feels like i need a trustworthy reference monitor which i can feed my signal to through an ultra studio, especially also since i will now not be working in my macbooks native 2.2 gamma, but mastering for rec709 with gamma 2.4.

I am considering following options:
- Asus ProArt OLED PA27DCE-K (new at 2200$)
- Asus Pro Art PA27UCX-K (used for 1400$)
- Ipad Pro 12.9 (12th Generation)

Any recommendations what to go for? Is the Ipad even an option to consider? I heard it has great accuracy when used with the factory calibration and in reference mode.

I have a very light-controlled Office and normally grade in dim light.

Thanks for any help!

The iPad is good for client viewing, just like a current MBP is. But you can’t calibrate the iPad.
The Asus are pretty much the cheapest screens for critical viewing. But they have quite a few flaws, like inconsistent luminance, and their longevity is debatable.
Flanders are a safe bet, EIZO and BenQ aren’t bad either. But you may also need to consider if HDR will matter for your work in the foreseeable future.

Thank you for your thoughts Uli.
HDR won't be a necessity for the foreseeable future. You mentioned Benq; I could get a SW271 for only 500$. Would you consider that over the 2200$ Asus ProArt OLED PA27DCE-K?

Totally different technology.
That Asus would be fit for HDR by the specs, but I don't comment on displays I have not seen for myself or which have been rated by my colleague Michael Radeck.
That price for the BenQ is excellent and I'd take it any day over the cheaper Asus.

I have the BenQ (paid a lot more than 500$) and a LG 32EP950. The latter is also in your price range and at least for my purposes the superior monitor. They are different technologies of course.
However, if you deliver to a TV station it might be safer to invest in a certified reference monitor and have it calibrated. If only to avoid discussions and possible conflicts.

IF ... you run both a calibration of the monitor, AND do a profile pass with Colourspace or Calman, with probably Resolve as the TPG ... AND get a real good set of charts from the profile pass ... you *might* get by with a BenQ or Asus. For broadcast intended use.

Used Flanders DM240 on Ebay run about $3500. For comparison.

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I generally tell people, "there's nothing cheaper or better than an LG C2 or C3 OLED, provided you get a decent panel [not always guaranteed], it's calibrated to Rec709/BT1886, and it's fed by a Blackmagic UltraStudio or Decklink display adapter." Those start at about US$1200 (as little as $800 for the 42"). You can't trust what you see on most computer displays, and I wouldn't believe the Clean Feed for final color. The Sony OLED's are also very highly regarded, but are more costly. If you try to use a computer screen, you're going to be disappointed by the results. (There are a handful of high-end computer displays that can at least be calibrated.)

True color mastering displays are 10 times more expensive ($10,000+). The prosumer displays are the next best thing, provided they're calibrated and color-managed. The Flanders displays come pre-calibrated, and the ones in the $2000 & up range are generally terrific.

In general, the C- & G-series LG OLEDs have extra features, particularly the ability to store a 3D Viewing LUT. (My memory is that the cheaper models do not have this feature). Ideally, you need the internal viewing LUT for proper calibration. My recommendation is to go with the C series. We do provide clients with loaner iPads if they have nothing better in their office, but it's not good enough to use for color reference -- it's more like a "real world" display that is barely in the ballpark (in the Rec709/BT1886 mode).