Canon introduces a 4K reference display

Canon now makes 4K monitors

One of the more critical aspects of 4K production is having a reliable Reference Monitor to assess images during production and post, and the latest serious entrant in the field, the DP-V3010, comes from Canon

Not many people realise that Canon is active in this market, but there is a bit of a history of left-field entrants when it comes to Reference Monitors (Dolby made one of the best-regarded workhorses for the HD era) and Canon certainly has the imaging heritage to back up its technological expertise.

The 30in unit is 7.4in deep, making it eminently suitable for deployment in areas where space is at a premium, and provides a 2000:1 DCI-compliant contrast ratio, uniform brightness, wide viewing angles in all four directions, internal colour calibration and a range of other advanced features, which is exactly what tends to elevate these specialised units above the run of the mill, both in terms of quality and price (in this case $40,000). Resolution is, of course, full-screen 10-bit 4096 x 2560.

Boasting a tightly packed “pixel pitch” of 157.5μm, the display provides accurate tonal gradations between darkest and brightest areas, with 1024 shades in each colour channel, all powered by a new (and proprietary) display engine developed by Canon that the company says helps maximise colour accuracy and brightness uniformity.

Compatibility

The monitor is compatible with the five major colour gamut standards – SMPTE-C, EBU, ITU-R BT.709, DCI, and AdobeRGB. The ASC CDL (American Society of Cinematographers Color Decision List) format is also supported. This means that colour settings made at the shooting location can be stored on a USB flash drive and imported into the user’s colour-grading system, which can then relay colour correction parameters directly to the monitor in the ASC CDL format.

It's a neat trick and, what's more, the importing of LUT (Look Up Table) data created by third-party colour-grading systems is also supported. This enables accurate colour matching between displays and the ability to import customised looks created in third-party applications.

The unit is expected to ship in the first quarter of next year.

Press release in full after the break

The DP-V3010 4K Reference Display features a 16:10 aspect ratio for the display of video signal information essential to VFX creation. With a tightly packed "pixel pitch" of 157.5æm, the Canon DP-V3010 4K Display provides high-accuracy tonal gradations between darkest and brightest areas, with 1024 shades in each color channel. The technology enabling such performance is a new and proprietary display engine developed by Canon that helps maximize color accuracy and brightness uniformity. The actual panel employed by the DP-V3010 4K Display is an IPS (in-plane switching) LCD with full array RGB LED scanning backlight technology that delivers excellent color accuracy, and crisp video imagery without the perception of motion blurring between frames. By featuring an IPS LCD panel with polarizing and filtering film layers to prevent changes in color and contrast, the DP-V3010 4K Reference Display enables image viewing within a wide viewing angle, top to bottom and left to right.

The Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display is compatible with the five major color gamut standards - SMPTE-C, EBU, ITU-R BT.709, DCI, and AdobeRGB - as well as conforming to DCI standards for 4K display. These DCI standards include a 2000:1 contrast ratio, which the DP-V3010 4K Reference Display evidences in its faithful reproduction of detail in the shadows and accurate highlights. This high contrast accuracy is essential for critical assessment and mastering of high dynamic range cinematic imagery.

Also supported by the Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display is the ASC CDL (American Society of Cinematographers Color Decision List) format. The display controller provided with the DP-V3010 4K Display includes a dedicated CDL button. Color settings made at the shooting location can be stored on a USB flash drive and imported into the user's color-grading system, which can then relay color correction parameters directly to the DP-V3010 4K Display in the ASC CDL format using slope, offset, power, and saturation parameter adjustments to the overall RGB image and/or separately to the individual R, G, and B channels.

The importation of LUT (Look Up Table) data created by third-party color-grading systems is also supported by the DP-V3010 4K Reference Display. The Display allows both 1D and 3D LUTs to be easily imported by operating the menus of the unit itself. This enables accurate color matching between displays and the ability to import customized "looks" created in third-party applications. In this way, the unique colors and gradations intended by producers can be easily reproduced.

Ready to support the wide dynamic range of Canon Log gamma video data recorded by the popular Canon EOS C500 and EOS C300 Cinema cameras, the Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display also comes pre-installed with the Cinema EOS Canon Log viewing LUT allowing those cameras to be integrated with the DP-V3010 4K Display for linear conversion and display in real time. Furthermore, using 1D/3D-LUT data, the display will be able to provide support for ACESproxy output from Canon's EOS C500 digital cinema camera.

A wide variety of the full HD video production format resolutions, typically used for TV dramas, commercials and other TV content, can also easily be displayed by the new Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display. To accommodate HD formats, the DP-V3010 Display offers upscaling modes offering smooth and accurate rendering up to 4K resolution of DCI 4K (in up to 12 bit 4:4:4 color), 2K, 1080p, 1080i and 720p. Inputs include 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and DisplayPort connectors for compatibility within many different production, post and VFX workflow environments.

Each Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display undergoes high-precision calibration before shipment to help ensure high color uniformity between all units. Color accuracy is further improved by the Canon DP-V3010 4K Display's control system, which continuously monitors internal conditions of the display which might affect color, uniformity and performance accuracy, like heat or aging of internal components and make corrections to help ensure long-term image stability and exceptional color consistency.

External calibration of the Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display can be performed without the need for a dedicated PC application through the use of a third-party spectroradiometer. Use of such an external sensor allows users of the DP-V3010 Display to maintain factory calibration settings as well as help adjustment for specific display applications or account for variations in ambient lighting.

The DP-V3010 Display features an easy-to-navigate on-screen display that can be controlled using the included display controller. Built-in carrying handles allow the display to be easily transported and positioned on top of a desk or a counter, or attached to a VESA-compliant bracket for easy wall or rack mounting. The accompanying display controller is designed to be used as both a desktop control device or to be rack-mounted for easy integration into suites, control rooms or mobile vehicle applications, such as HD sports production trucks.

Markers, time code display and test patterns are provided within the Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display. A variety of markers (aspect, safety zone, grid, and center) and test patterns (pluge, grayscale [20%], white, five-step, ramp, color bars, and black) are also built into the DP-V3010 Display.

The Canon DP-V3010 4K Reference Display is scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2014 for a suggested list price of $40,000.