I Need A New Computer Monitor. My List Of 15 Contenders For Creators Like Myself

 OK, I am in need of new computer monitors. One of my old ViewSonic monitor had a breakdown. One of the lamps is busted, the bottom of the screen is now dark, and it's not coming back. I need a replacement.

I've been using two identical Viewsonic 24' (1920 x 1080) monitors for a while. I'm OK with the dual monitor setup. I feel that I need 27', or maybe even 32' at this point.

Resolution should be upped from full HD to QHD (2560 x 1440) for 27', or even 4K. Since I'm using Macs, 5K would be great, but the price of 5K monitors is too high.

As a film/video editor and finishing artist, I am picky in terms of uniformity, both for color and luminosity.

Finally I am a frugal guy, and I really don't want to break the bank, so I will keep the price under or near $500. Sounds impossible... We'll see.

I've gathered information on the web, and I've rounded a few suspects:

A) 27' QHD 2560 x 1440 monitors:

Asus PA278QV 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits, $294 on Amazon

Benq PD2700Q, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, DeltaE<3, 8bits+FRC, $297 on Amazon

Asus PA278CV, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, DeltaE<2, 8bits, $319 on Amazon

Dell U2722D, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $349 on Amazon

Dell U2722DE, 2021, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $405 on Amazon

B) 27' 4K 3840 x 2160 monitors:

Dell S2721QS, 2021, 99% sRGB, 8bits+FRC, $249 on Amazon.

LG 27UP650-W, 2021, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $249 on Amazon

HP U28, 2020, 100% sRGB, 90% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $324 on Amazon

LG 27UL850-W, 2019, 99% sRGB, 8bits+FRC, $376 on Amazon

LG 27BP85UN-W, 2021, DCI-P3 95%, 8bits+FRC, $447 on Amazon

Asus PA279CV, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $447 on Amazon

Dell U2720QM, 2020, 99% sRGB, 99% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $464 on Amazon.

Dell P2723QE, 2022, 99% sRGB, 99% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $525 on Amazon

C) 32' 4K Monitors:

LG 32BN67U-B, 2020, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $399 at B&H

LG 32UN880-B, 2020, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $399 on Amazon

I feel a 32' monitor has to have 4K resolution. Unfortunately this limits the number of models available under $500.

So there, that's my list of 15 monitors with decent specs, under/near $500. If you have any other ideas, please share!

I now need to select one and give it a go. I feel like it's gonna be a 27' 4K display for me, I'll keep you posted.

SDI Standards: SD, HD, 3G, 6G, 12G What Are They?

 Broadcast equipment, monitors for example, have HDMI, or SDI, or both inputs/outputs.

When they sport SDI (Serial Digital Interface) inputs, they are characterized by a specific standard, set by SMPTE, ex. "SDI 3G".

What does that mean? Well it's a combination of supported transmission bitrates and video formats.

To simplify:

8bit video signal

SD SDI supports legacy NTSC 480i and PAL 576i formats at a speed of 270Mbps max.

HD SDI supports 1080i and 720p at a speed of 1485Mbps max.

10bit video signal

3G SDI supports 1080 60p at 2970Mbps max.

6G SDI supports up to 2160p30 ("4K") at 6000Mbps max.

12G SDI supports 2160p60 at 12000Mbps max.

24G SDI supports 4320p30 ("8K") at 24000Mbps max.

Audio is always embedded, and color subsampling varies, most often is YCbCr 4:2:2 with standardized colorimetry (ex. Rec709.)

Now, practically, a 4K monitor will need a 6G+ SDI input to accept a 4K signal via SDI. Else a "lesser G" SDI input will only receive HD signals, and any 4K signal will have to be connected to the HDMI 2.0+ input.

Example:

This "BM 4KS" line of Lilliput monitors have 3G SDI, so no 4K signal via SDI, only compatible with HDMI input.

This "BM 12G" line, and this "Q 12G" line of Lilliput monitors have 12G SDI, so 4K signals can be routed to either SDI or HDMI inputs.

The main differentiation between SDI and HDMI in post being HDMI has a greater latency, which might or might not be a problem for your application.

More info about HDMI on Wikipedia.

More info about SDI on Wikipedia.

DaVinci Resolve 18.1 Continues To Have A Bug 🪲 In Video Monitor Look Up Table

 When applying a LUT to the Video Monitor, it should only affect the output, in my case the SDI out from the UltraStudio Monitor 3G.

Unfortunately it also affects the Scopes in the Edit and Cut Pages even though No LUT Selected is selected in the preferences for the Scopes Look Up Table.

Bizarrely, and thankfully, the Scopes are not affected in the Color Page, at least that's where it's most important. 

SMPTE Bars looking correct on the Scopes

When No LUT selected for Video Monitoring

SMPTE Bars displayed incorrectly on the Scopes in the Edit and Cut Pages. Why?

In the Color Page at least the Scopes look correct.

Note the LUT applied to Monitoring only, not to Scopes.

That's a BUG 🪲 that's been plaguing Resolve version after version for long time:

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=51358

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?t=69732&p=389301

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=159257&p=863595&hilit=Video+monitor+look+up+table#p863595

Why has this inconsistent behavior not been fixed by now BMD? 😡