Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Tablet monitor?

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-27-2008, 05:37 PM:

Does anyone here have any experience with tablet monitors? I was looking at the Cintiq 20WSX and am interested in opinions from people who have experience with tablet monitors.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-28-2008, 12:49 AM:

What do you need it for? Do you know how to draw, or are you buying it for my birthday? Wait, no... let me guess: you'll use it to draw mustaches on people! If that's the case, I highly recommend it!

Posted by Jason Beard (Member # 4377) on 06-28-2008, 09:43 PM:

Hello,

I am not sure what you plan on doing with the tablet monitor, but as far as being a Tech a tablet laptop is the best thing EVER!!!!

I Have a tablet laptop, I LOVE IT!!!! I believe that tablets are the way of the future!!!! Mine is a Toshiba satellite I have had No problems with it. We currently have 20 screens and I am the tech, the tablet is great to set E.Q. levels in Auditoriums that can use a laptop to set the levels. I have a regular oscliosope and a Spectrum analyzer, I Purchased some software for my P.C. that has both the RTA and the scope, and an external sound card. I compared the software against the Real RTA in 6 Auditoriums and they are an identical match, I am using the calibrated mic that came with the RTA. I still use the regular scope to set my azimuth and a chain (P.C. software is not fast enough to handle it) but as far as setting the B chain it is a breeze, We have 7 Sdds units and having the Software based RTA and the tablet P.C. I can usually do a B Chain in 10 Min. using the pen that came with the tablet is so much easier than using the mouse.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-28-2008, 10:43 PM:

I've looked at Wacom Cintiq models from time to time, with the 21" Cintiq 21UX being the main target of interest.

The 21" model has 1600 X 1200 resolution, which makes it acceptable for a lot of graphics tasks. 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity puts it on par with Wacom's current graphic tablets.

The stumbling block for me is the color/contrast quality of the LCD monitor itself. How does it compare with higher end CRT and LCD monitors designed for photo/video editing use? The price of the 21UX is still pretty high (Wacom dropped the price from $2599 to $1999). With the high price you have to weigh what you're gaining versus using a less expensive combination of tools. I can see some advantages with being able to draw directly on a computer monitor versus having to draw on a tablet positioned below the monitor. But are those advantages worth paying a $1000 or higher premium?

If Wacom can come up with a large 30" widescreen monitor featuring great quality color control, 1024 levels or more of pressure sensitivity AND a competitive price (like $1500 or under) then I'll probably jump on that.

Tablet/notebook computers also have their problems. You have limited resolution that creates problems for graphics work. And then there's plenty of problems with Windows software trying to run on the things. Well known applications like MS Office tend to run fine. But try to use any industry-specific software on a tablet computer and you'll be asking for trouble.

In the long run I'm optimistic about where this stuff is headed. We may end up with computers that work like that cool table top gizmo the CEO guy in Tron had. There's just a big monitor and you use your fingers to type directly on it, open and close windows, drag stuff around and more. It could even get to be like Minority Report where you don't touch the monitor and instead just do gestures close to it. That way you're not smearing your oily finger prints all over the thing.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-28-2008, 10:59 PM:

Jason, I said tablet monitor, not tablet laptop. I do not want a tablet laptop.

Bobby, I wouldn't do any critical photo processing on this, so the image quality isn't that important to me. I would merely keep it on the side as a 3rd monitor that I could drag windows over onto for touch-editing. When not doing that, I would probably just let it run my email off to the side. With that sort of intended use in mind, what are your thoughts? (BTW I use two Dell 30" monitors for my critical work.)

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-28-2008, 11:35 PM:

If you have the $2000 laying around, the Cintiq monitor looks like it would probably be a lot of fun to use. 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity is as good as any graphics tablet can provide.

From my perspective, I'm mainly looking at it for graphics and photo retouching use. Many LCD monitors are not very good at reproducing subtle shades in very light or very dark tones.

Outside of that, you'll do a lot better by being able to draw where you're looking rather than look up at a monitor and draw on a tablet below it. It's just more intuitive. That's where the Cintiq has a great advantage. So if spot on color control isn't a big deal, I'd say go for it. The Cintiq has earned some pretty good reviews. I just haven't heard enough about its color quality for my own works needs.