Anyone use TV monitors to view their pics?

[louiea]

I use a TV monitor to view my digital photos for preview when I shoot. I just plug the video out of the camera into the video rca jack of the tv.
I used it with my D30 and I noticed that horizontal shots could not be fully seen. I guess this is so since the horizontal resolution of most TV monitors is higher than their vertical resolutions.
Anyway, now that I got a 10D there is more area not seen on the TV monitor when I shoot horizontal shots.

I was wondering if anyone would know what particular TVs would be good for these cameras so that I can see the entire photo for horizontal shots.

Is there a particular brand, or type, or spec that I should look for in a TV so that I can use it for viewing?

[Andy_Burnton]

Hi,

I'd suggest that the cropping is done inside the camera. My D30 is exactly the same. I've even tried it on my 28" widescreen and it shows exactly the same bit of the picture.

Given that the TV's line and frame rates are set and all you're doing in sending it a video signal, I can't see how the TV would make any difference.

[AJSJones]

Different brands of TV will have different amounts of overscan so you'll lose different amounts of the image, whether it's a TV signal or a video in. However, that's not a published parameter so you can't go for one brand over another based on it.
More important, though, is the calibration of the TV - most are way off the recommended NTSC standards (usually way to blue and too bright). PAL may be a bit more forgiving but users tend to turn up the brightness/contrast there too! There are calibration DVDs available to set them up properly.

So what are you looking for in your "preview"? Composition, sharpness, color balance or what? The cropping/overscan messes up the first, a higher resolution set will improve the second and calibration will help the third. Bear in mind also that the colors that can be seen on a TV are in a much smaller gamut than the image actually contains (when seen on a monitor or even in a print). If all you're looking for is a bigger version of what's on the LCD on the camera then that's probably what you'll get, and not good for anything "critical", so don't put much weight on the "preview"! The link below takes you to a site where you can learn as much as you need about TVs (Display devices) and their calibration is covered in many of the Fora - much more than you need, probably, but then again, your question can be answered at many levels! Good luck
Andy

Andy

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=60e46b89c2b8a684e6428037909ccbd d&daysprune=30&forumid=9