Dell 2407WFP Setup
by Michael Escher
on
Oct 26, 2007 at 9:27:22 pm
A few days ago I got the new creative cow magazine with Bob Zelin's article about monitor calibration and today I received by "Stop Staring and Start Color Grading with Apple Color" dvd.
As mentioned in Bob's article I just bought the Dell 2407WFP monitor which I use as both a computer monitor and as a HD video monitor. The rest of my system consists of another Dell monitor of the same flavor, a Power Mac with a Kona LHe video card and a ATI Radeon X1900 XT graphics card installed.
Here's the rub. I don't know how to tweak the monitors properly due to their klugey on board menu, lack of real video world adjustment values and lack of a blue only switch. I'd like to get it set up as closely to a "perfect" color balance before I really start working with Apple Color, otherwise why even try?
Bob recommends this monitor but as far as I can tell doesn't give a way to calibrate it to function as a "real HD monitor", or as close as you can get at the price point. Not that I unhappy with my monitor, but it does seem a bit odd to mention a monitor in an article on monitor calibration without specifically addressing how to set it up properly.
Re: Dell 2407WFP Setup by Bob Zelin on Oct 26, 2007 at 11:23:53 pm
Hi -
The Dell 2407WFP is the CHEAPEST monitor that you can use on a pro HD system as a display monitor for the HD-SDI video. I never said that it was a teriffic monitor, full of features. The Dell 2407WFP is a $600 monitor, with NO features, and yes, it is a pain in the a#$ to do any adjustments on it, as this is done via software, and it's a pain.
ALL the other HD-SDI display monitors (Sony LMD-2450, Panasonic BT-LH2600W, JVC DT-V24L1, etc.) all cost THOUSANDS
of dollars, and all have easy to plug in, easy to calibrate knobs and menus.
Sorry Michael, but you don't get something for nothing. A Sony HVR-15MU is not a SRW-5500, or even a "low end" HDW-1800, even though they are both HD VTR's.
As you can see, it makes a decent HD image, that you can view directly from a Blackmagic, AJA Kona, AVID Adrenaline or Sony or JVC HDV VTR that has analog HD output on it. But as for critical calibration - wrong monitor.
Re: Dell 2407WFP Setup by Michael Escher on Oct 27, 2007 at 12:50:36 am
Thanks for responding Bob. Is there a way to calibrate this monitor as close as one can via other means? Does it make sense to invest in something like a ColorVision Spyder2PRO or something like it, and if I were to do so, would it get me closer to a calibrated monitor that what I got out of the box? Or are there other ways via software or other means that you mention are "a pain"?
And thanks again for your excellent articles and posts.
Re: Dell 2407WFP Setup by Tim Kolb on Oct 27, 2007 at 4:37:21 am
There are calibration software applications that work with probes, but typically those work with the display card in the computer to make the adjustments, that calibration can't happen on the analog inputs. You'd have to probe the monitor and adjust manually, and the manual controls on these inexpensive LCD monitors are typically crude at best.
Re: Dell 2407WFP Setup by Bob Zelin on Oct 27, 2007 at 4:09:13 pm
this is the url for how you use the adjustments on this monitor. You need a probe to do it critically, in conjunction with these adjustments. It is a manual process.
