Use "second display" as "AV" ?

Question

Use "second display" as "AV" ?

I have a lovely NEC monitor (PA272w) which has 2K+ resolution, color calibration, etc.

I can use it as "second display" but there is no way to make the image dot for dot as I would need for this display to be the final color calibration / look.

I would like to get FCPX to think of this as the AV display, but because the monitor many ways, including Displayport, it does not show up.

Is there any way to get FCPX to treat a "second computer display" as an AV device for proofing the look of what I am working on?

Mac Pro (Late 2013), Mac OS X (10.4.10), FCPX 10.2.3 64gb RAM

Posted on Feb 23, 2016 12:00 PM

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Answer 1

fox_m

Level 6

13,396 points

Feb 23, 2016 2:57 PM in response to Jim_TurnipVideo

If your monitor is connected via HDMI (displayPort or Thundebolt adapters included, if necessary) then FCPX should use that monitor as a full screen external display of the viewer. To turn that feature on, go to Window > A/V Output to toggle it on (or off). If you have more than one output device connected to your system, then you should go into FCPX Preferences > Playback > A/V Output and select the display from the dropdown list.

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Answer 2

Feb 23, 2016 4:38 PM in response to fox_m

Unfortunately, it does not work that way, hence my post. My second monitor is NOT considered a "AV" device for some reason. It does not appear in the list of "AV" devices (nothing does). And, as I mentioned, I can send the viewer or viewer + event view to the second display, but the setup I had (alas in FCP 7) was that my external monitor was used strictly as an output display, and all the canvas / event viewers remained on the main screen, which would be ideal. (I have plenty of room on the main display).

So the question is: what tactic will cause FCP X to be convinced that I want to treat this monitor as an AV device?

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,825 points

Feb 23, 2016 4:42 PM in response to Jim_TurnipVideo

AV hardware like an AJA or BlackMagic box.

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Answer 4

fox_m

Level 6

13,396 points

Feb 23, 2016 5:02 PM in response to Jim_TurnipVideo

Does the second monitor show up in About This Mac > Displays? How is it connected to your computer? TB or HDMI? [It is impossible to run FCPX on OSX 10.4.10 a.k.a. Tiger - what OS are you using? and are we still talking about a Late 2013 Mac Pro?] Assuming a late 2013 Mac Pro, have you tried using just the HDMI port?

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Answer 5

Feb 24, 2016 10:42 AM in response to fox_m

Sorry about the OS confusion. I have no idea where this board got the "10.4.10" OS spec from. I'm running Yosemite: 10.10.5 I believe, on a cylinder Mac Pro. The display appears as a simple second monitor for the computer.

I have NOT tried using the HDMI port - as my question says, I'm using thunderbolt / displayport to connect. Tom W's reply suggests that this will fail unless there is custom hardware to drive the external display, which would be a shame.

I did connect the display once for a test using HDMI and my recollection is that it was not full res in that configuration, but I will see if connecting as HDMI causes FCPX-Mac to see it as an "AV" device.

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Answer 6

Feb 25, 2016 12:10 AM in response to Jim_TurnipVideo

Two things need to be done for this to work:

1) Connect through HDMI

2) Make sure the display resolution is appropriate - e.g. 1080p, or 4K, not some nonstandard resolution for video output.

Change it in System Preferences->Displays, if needed.

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