Monitoring HDR post production.. let's talk monitors.

Is something like this Atomos Shogun 7 acceptable (while also having versatility) for monitoring HDR?
https://www.motionmedia.com/atomos-shog ... -switcher/

I would assume:
A- it's at least better than my Samsung 8000 series "HDR" tv.
B- it's not really intended for post production reference monitoring.
C- It can more effectively get a guy by until he has a bigger budget .

I ask you to keep in mind that I am an independent multimedia creator.
I initially got started editing just so I can make music videos for my own music.
I've recently become more interested in vlogging and documenting Michigan wilderness.
I'm not grading for anyone except for myself and to post on YouTube.

Considering I'm currently grading HDR with my Samsung ru8000 and no deck Link, would this be an upgrade or a distraction?

I am a big fan of buying multi-use items that can get me by for right now and will still have a use in my production workflow when I upgrade to a better $5k-$10k monitor.

I am also open to hearing your other suggestions for monitors that will help me with my grading process and get me fewer laughs from pros than my tv gets.. so long as they are UNDER $1,500.

Much obliged.

(Until I can afford a new desktop computer and professional grading monitor, I am unfortunately unable to utilize a deck Link card at all.. if that factor makes a better monitor useless for now, I'm open to hearing that as well.)

Read page 2515 of the Resolve 17 manual, "Limitations When Grading With the Viewer on a Computer Display." This explains why it's unwise to try to use a computer display for final color correction. The same problem exists with the "Clean Feed" output, since it's not color managed.

Don't try to make judgements on uncalibrated GUI displays. That will lead down a perilous road of pain and suffering. And if you do look at anything in the GUI display, don't compare it to what you see in Resolve. The problem only gets worse with HDR.

The Clean Feed can be perfectly adequate if you're only editing in Resolve and don't need to make any precise color judgements on the fullscreen preview display. If you do need to see accurate color, you really need a color-managed output with a Blackmagic display device, plus a calibrated display.

Some HDR-approved displays:

The Sony BVM-X310 (approved for Dolby Vision and a newer model than the industry-reference X300):
https://pro.sony/en_GB/products/broadca ... /bvm-hx310

Other HDR displays include:

Canon DP-V3120
https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/port ... s/dp-v3120

Eizo CG3146
https://www.eizoglobal.com/products/col ... index.html

Flanders XM310K
Flanders XM311K
https://www.flandersscientific.com/XM310K/

TV Logic LUM-310
http://www.tvlogic.tv/new/M_Spec.asp?sidx=89

The Dolby Pulsar, Eclipse, and Maui Dolby Vision displays are also (of course) certified, but I believe those are leased/loaned per project.

I don't know if the Eizo Prominence CG3145 is approved or not for HDR grading:
https://www.eizo.com/products/coloredge/cg3145/

There's a Boland HDR display as well, the 4K31-HDR-1000, but I don't know a lot about it:
http://www.bolandcom.com/product/4k31-hdr-1000/

Also the Postium OBM-X310:
https://www.postium.com/obm-x-series/

Just about all of these are US$30K and up. Two additional lower-cost HDR displays have been announced this year:

Asus PA32UCG
https://www.asus.com/Displays-Desktops/ ... y-PA32UCG/

LG 32EP950-B
https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-32ep9 ... ed-monitor

The Asus and the LG are roughly $4000-$5000, and the jury is out as to "how HDR" they are, and whether they can work as an affordable HDR display. Note that both are 31" displays, again pointing to the problem of making large HDR monitors that actually work.

You are not obviously looking at 1000 nit mastering monitor.

Best to shoot for 600 nit. You can use consumer OLEDs from LG and Sony. We have made them match Sony X300 and X310s quite successfully even at around 700 nits light level.

Second and as important, calibrate your displays. This is more important how much you spend IMHO. I have seen $32K monitor poorly calibrated thus less useful than a calibrated $1500 consumer TV.

Thanks Gents..

If this Atomos Shogun 7 7in HDR Pro/Cinema Monitor-Recorder-Switcher is 3000 nit (firmware upgrade), what specifically prevents it from being a better option than my Samsung TV?

https://www.atomos.com/products/shogun-7

I would not color correct HDR using LED with backlight. And it is only an 8+2 bit display.
An LG or Sony OLED would still be superior for color correction.

I would not color correct HDR using LED with backlight. And it is only an 8+2 bit display.
An LG or Sony OLED would still be superior for color correction.

Thanks. I missed the "8+2"

I've looked at these as TVs for the time being
https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-usage/pc-monitor

And this Eizo is especially appealing as it can be upgraded to support HDR at 350nits
https://www.eizo.com/products/coloredge/cs2740/

While not "cheap", as it costs $6500US, the Atomos Neon 24 is a pretty good reference monitor for both SDR and HDR applications. There's a few caveats that come with my opinion. At 512 brightness zones, it's not going to give you the brightness variation of a Sony BVM. The color space is limited to P3-D65. The HDR mode NEEDS to be calibrated with something like Spectracal's Calman.

Build quality is pretty good. Not as good as a $30k monitor, but, you get what you pay for.

While I, certainly, can understand the professional need for as close to a perfect reference monitor as one can get, many of us are constrained by budget. The Neon 17 and 24 come close to solving the cost issue. There's a number of independent reviewers (e.g.Sam Bilodeau) that have good things to say about this monitor with the caveat that it needs HDR calibration.

As a final note, it's arguable how much real accuracy is needed for reference monitoring HDR content when there is so much voodoo going on with consumer tv displays. Not only does the viewer have no control over the tone mapping automatically applied, but, we have no idea of what that mapping does.

I was actually shocked to discover so many things I had control over in my Samsung ru8000 TV.

I'm getting an RGB 4:4:4 signal to my television now.
While it was registering HDR before I found these settings, it was doing so in a 4:2:0 space. (I would not be able to explain those numbers to anyone yet. I just know 444 is where it's at.)

The adapter refresh rate is working wonderfully so when I move from 30fps to 24fps, I just make the switch in my GPU and the TV does what it says.


While I am curious and thirsty for knowledge, I am not a professional color grader. Nor is that my aim.
I bought DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio because I can apply dummy Luts and render a deliverable in HDR.
I just use it as a program to throw my clips together, add transitions and fades and titles, and mi my original music into the audio.

It's fun to play with the color.
I was turned onto it though because it's a complete editing solution of a more professional caliber than the video editing software I was using priorly. That it also happens to offer a lot of control in the color space ought to be a bonus to me rather than a hindrance.

Since I only work for myself, I will get in zero trouble for having inconsistent color.


I have finally decided I don't need anything other than what I have.
If anything, I will add some more RAM to my current setup.
And then, once I'm earning an income again through contract work or the like, I will throw down on a better processor and GPU..


So what I still have to figure out is how to get the HDR10+ panel activated in a project, because the program currently treats my HDR10+ footage like it's trash.
And I have to figure out how to get the correct metadata into my rendered deliverable, so it is recognized as HDR by YouTube.

Today I am working largely with HLG footage.
So far, the program is treating it better than my HDR10+ footage.
Perhaps even before completion I should render a sample out and upload it to YouTube to see if it gets the tag.

Thanks again to everyone for their support on the monitors.
It's turned out to not be a concern for me right now.