More of us have greater access to professional tools than ever before. This is in itself not a new trend, but what has changed rapidly is the notion that affordability must mean significant compromise.
Cameras and monitors are just two of many areas where it has become increasingly clear that truly affordable first-rate professional equipment is now not only available, but has also become largely expected. This wide access to no-compromises professional equipment benefits content creators at all levels by allowing them to easily and more reliably bring their vision to life.
On-set or near-set colour-critical evaluation has become an integral part of many workflows and post production grade monitoring for the production environment has become a crucial part of such workflows. Advances in display technology mean that a true reference grade post production monitor can now be made light enough, durable enough, and affordable enough to also be used in even the most dynamic production environments.
This often means that the same exact monitoring solution used in the colour correction suite is now used in the field. This trend in monitor technology has become one of the key ingredients in further narrowing the gap between production and post ensuring better and clearer collaboration.
As the reference monitor no longer lives in just the post environment, customer expectations for what a reference grade monitor is and should be have also evolved rapidly. Integrated monitoring toolsets like scopes and audio level meters have become almost ubiquitous throughout professional video displays, but users continue to expect more and broadcast monitor manufacturers will continue to respond as professional video monitors evolve into largely all-in-one solutions offering much more than just a picture.
At IBC we will rightfully see a continued focus on 4K technologies, but what I see as an even more significant undercurrent is the continued evolution of workflows. In-monitor look management and other advanced in-monitor toolsets show us that customers want more control than ever early on in the process.
Monitors do more now because customers need them to do more. Just a picture is rarely good enough these days as DITs, camera operators, directors, and producers seek to eliminate much of the guesswork between production and post. The broadcast monitor, in the past often an afterthought for content creators, is now perhaps one of the single best indicators of how workflows are changing and IBC is a great showcase for evolving monitoring solutions.
