1080 footage + final cut pro + macbook pro = which monitor questions

[robfilms]

i use final cut pro on a 15" macbook pro. i often do my own rough cut before i start to work with an editor. but for that first pass on the footage, i'm looking to move to a larger, second monitor.

i've read great reviews of the apple cinema series along with the dell ultrasharps. lately, i've been shooting with the sony ex1/ex3 which produces a 1080 image. my questions:

if the footage is 1080 but the monitor is 720p, what happens? will the image be down-sized to fit 720 or will i lose image information on the sides?

i would like the color to be very good but i am not using this monitor to color grade the final project. does that change my ultimate decision as to which monitor?

during this holiday season, i've seen several hdtv/monitor by samsung, sony, panasonic and other brands pointed towards a consumer market, not a professional video maker. does the idea of using a hdtv/monitor change my ultimate decision as to which monitor?

i apologize in advance for my newbie-type questions.

thanks to any and all who care to share.

be well

rob

[clay]

just about any relatively new LCD computer monitor will do just fine for your purposes. If you want full-res, choose one of the displays that can display the 1080 image full-res. I currently shoot with a Panasonic hvx-200 in 720p, and use a 19" DVI LCD as my canvas monitor. Looks great, and would look even better if I calibrated the color.

If you're not terribly concerned with color accuracy, than just about any will do. I'd probably go with a 20 or 24" Dell ultrasharp display. Great quality and accuracy, for a good bit less than an apple display (which are also beautiful, but more expensive).

You can setup FCP to utilize the monitor as your realtime preview in either native mode (won't zoom your image to fit the screen, but at actual pixel size) or full screen. If your screen resolution is close to full HD, it's probably going to look good no matter which setting you choose.

good luck!

[jdc]

most all 24" (and larger) monitors are 1920 X 1200 = more than 1080p

missed the dell 2408 for under $500 a month or so ago, sorry -- looks like they are back up to $700 -- watch for it, should go on sale any time... about $520

CONNECTIVITY
High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
Digital Visual Interface - Digital (DVI-D) with High Definition Content Protection (HDCP)
DisplayPort
Video Graphics Array (VGA)
Component Video
Separate Video (S-Video)
Composite Video

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/produ....aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=320-6272