New to grading, looking for monitor recommendations

Dell monitors are ok to start, even HP have monitors not dreamcolor or dreamcast are ok too.
Are you check the Nec monitors? Not bad for started either.

http://www.nec-display.com/ap/en_display/p221w/index.html

I worked with that once and for the price he have is good (400 dolars)

But the problem is only have DVI and its not Full HD.

In the multisync gama lf nec you hace interesting choices for a good price, the one you said i never use it so i can help you with that.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions regarding color grading - "What's the minimum I can get away with?"

The truthful answer is that color grading is all about color accuracy and working with known values. A key part of this is optimisation, profiling and calibration/emulation for monitoring. This is where Steve Shaw might be useful to contribute.

Accuracy is important for many reasons, the simplest being that everyone is working to the same standard and you know for certain that what you are doing is right. Further down the line you need to have these known quantities so that you can transform between colorspaces such as Rec 709 and XYZ.

Correct monitoring also has a need for Video I/O - Such as a Blackmagic, Matrox, AJA etc. I/O card. These boxes are designed to correctly monitor video signal.

Despite all of this, one of the best ways of learning is actively using and learning the theory, tools, color pipelines and workflows. If you're still at learning stages I wouldn't worry yourself about equipment so much. If the job is low budget try asking the client, University etc. if they could cover the cost of monitor hire.

In the meanwhile get learning hard! Learn to use more than one piece of software - Color, DaVinci Lite and Baselight Editions Trial are good places to start - and check out some of Warren Eagles or the Tao of Color training options (don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter!). The ICA are also a great option for training and the Colorist Introduction classes or the Colorist Strategies courses are great learning experiences. Alexis Van Hurkman's Color Correction Handbook is essential reading. I also would recommend a Color Management course either through THX or the ICA as additional bonus learning.

Hi Ben, Just to relent a little and answer your question, here are some good monitors you can afford on your budget:

HP ZR2440w
HP ZR24w
Dell U2410
NEC EA241WM

Any of these displays would make a great first investment to get you started. For grading, these are excellent GUI monitors, but like others have mentioned, real color accuracy comes at a premium and is achieved with the addition of a dedicated Grade 1 ($5000+) reference monitor connected to an SDI video I/O card, like an AJA Kona 3G ($2000) or Blackmagic Decklink Extreme 3D+ ($1000).

But, you are just starting out, so even if you had the money, those are unnecessary investments for you at this point anyway. Start out with a good GUI monitor, and it will carry you through as you build your suite. Without a reference monitor, your results may vary out in the world, but that's often still a problem even when you have the right gear. What counts right now is time in the saddle, and as a colorist you will find limitless amounts of pro bono work you can do for people. So use this time to grade everything you can, learn your software, and follow good practices for workflow and controlling your grading environment outlined in Alexis' book.

Once you have more money, your next investments should be in...

1) Hardware requirements for your grading software (RAM, GPU)
2) HDMI Video I/O (i.e.,Intensity Pro) with a calibrated Panasonic Plasma (ST, GT, or VT series)

These would be good hardware goals to reach during your first year or so. While not totally up to spec from a pro perspective, a basic grading suite will allow you to learn a lot, while making a nice dent in the free/student/micro-budget grading market in your area.

You're right, the U2410 is the one you want. I thought the 2412 was a newer version, but it looks like its actually a less expensive, LED-backlit, 6-bit version of the 2410, with a cheaper case. I've updated the post.

The Intensity Pro and a graphics card are not interchangeable. You need both. Connect your graphics card to your GUI monitor (Ikegami, Dell, HP, etc), and the Intensity Pro to your grading monitor when the day comes that you have one. A Panasonic Plasma with calibration can work as an affordable alternative to a true reference monitor, and works well with the Intensity Pro over HDMI.

Calibrating your computer display on your own is reasonable, so take a look at the X-Rite i1 Display Pro: http://www.xrite.com/product_overview.aspx?ID=1454

If you get a plasma however, you really need to have it calibrated by a professional. One day if you have your own shop, and the budget to afford it, you can drop several thousand on calibration and color management equipment, but for now just have a professional do it.

Worth noting that many people don't own their own systems and freelance from facility to facility (like me!)

Learning the tools and the trade and then getting yourself out there is also a very strong business model.

I recomend you the Handbook of Color Correction book, its a fantastic book who explains everything about how start working in cc including calibration.

THX Calibration Disc - I think it might come with the Star Wars Blu-rays... Or you can buy it... Or you get it free with one of their color science courses!

Just like the Intensity Pro Vs a graphics card, your GUI and Grading monitors have very different requirements. Your GUI monitor is really only responsible for letting you drive your software. You generally don't make color decisions based on your GUI display. However, if you'd like to calibrate it to neutralize the image, or help match it to your grading display so differences in the two images are less noticeable (i.e., distracting), you can. For the money, any calibration system based around the i1 Display Pro 3 will be hard to beat.

If you do decide to buy a system to calibrate your GUI display, remember that the calibration probes are licensed only for the software you purchase them with. So, if you buy the standard, off the shelf, i1 DP3, it will only work with the supplied X-Rite calibration utility. If you decide you want to upgrade to a 3rd party calibration system, you must buy the i1 DP3 from them, as it will need to be licensed for their software. You cannot use an off-the-shelf probe (from say B&H, or eBay) with a 3rd party software calibration solution.

As for your grading monitor, whether it's a true reference monitor, or even just a plasma, basic calibration tools are really not effective enough to rely on for professional work. Many of the affordable solutions state that they will calibrate both plasmas and LCD/LED displays, and they could possibly improve the image. But, if you don't really know what you are doing, you could also make the image much worse. The real challenge with display calibration is knowing when you're right. And generally speaking, that only comes with a very good calibration probe, highly specialized software, and a whole lot of experience in order to navigate all of the intangibles. Spending $300 or so, to have a professional equipped with all of the above, is a much better use of your time and money at this point than chasing it down on your own.

When people discuss a "plasma for grading," they are really only talking about certain models of Panasonic Plasmas. It started with the older Panasonic Pro PF series models, but then really took off with the introduction of the VT25, and later the VT30. To save money, people have also used the GT/ST series plasmas, but they have less control over color adjustments which makes them more difficult to accurately calibrate. The VT series has 11-point grey scale adjustment, whereas the GT & ST only have 2-points (white & black level). Most of these models, except for the pro units, have a have a "THX mode". Aside from some optimal basic settings, this turns off all of the image enhancement features so you can, as it says in the manual "view a program as the original creators intended it."

I think this is what Jack's talking about. http://www.amazon.com/Disney-WOW-World-Wonder-Blu-ray/dp/B0045ASBLG/

It's not a joke, but sometimes you'd think so. Believe it or not this is one of the highest-rated calibration DVDs you can buy. Calibration DVDs are cheap, but they are more intended for televisions, not computer monitors. You also have to do the calibration by eye, as the DVD is just giving you test patterns that you look at while you adjust your TV by hand, which can take some practice to get right.