If you own an MXO2, MXO2 Rack, or MXO2 Mini which you use as your input/output device for Final Cut Studio, it may give your HP DreamColor monitor a free ride. As explained in my recent article How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways!, the DreamColor monitor is quite attractive, yet quite demanding, since in order to allow use of its color engine (and therefore monitor in ITU-R BT.701 color space), the monitor demands that the incoming signal be both RGB (not component) and true progressive (not interlaced or even PsF). Since the HDMI output of your MX02, MXO2 Rack, or MXO2 Mini can be set up to be RGB, the fact that you own one of these interfaces may be (under certain circumstances) a “free ticket” for the DreamColor.
What circumstances with the MXO2 or MXO2 Rack?
At the present time, the MXO2 and MXO2 Rack can put out true progressive when editing 1080p23.976 (aka “24p”), 720p50, or 720p59.94 (aka “60p”). So if you are producing in one of those formats, your Matrox interface may indeed be a free ride for the DreamColor monitor. However, if you edit in another format, you may need to spend either US$690 or US$1299 for an external box, as explained on page 2 the article How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways!
What circumstances with the MXO2 Mini?
At the present time, the MXO2 Mini can put out true progressive when editing 720p50, or 720p59.94 (aka “60p”). (If you are editing 720p25, the MXO2 Mini puts out 720p50.) So if you are editing in one of those formats, your MXO2 Mini interface may indeed be a free ride for the DreamColor monitor. However, if you edit in another format, you may need to spend either US$690 or US$1299 for an external box, as explained on page 2 of the article How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways!
In the coming weeks, I’ll be doing a full review of the HP DreamColor 30-bit monitor (10-bit per channel) and the Hi5-3G, one of the two conversion boxes mentioned in the article. Stay tuned.