Budget HDR Monitoring with the BMD UltraStudio Monitor 3G
While most program interfaces adequately render SDR content for grading, none of them (as of 2021) will accurately render an HDR image, even when your program, operating system, and display all work with HDR. Using an external I/O card or box with HDR support is ESSENTIAL, and there is none cheaper than the Blackmagic UltraStudio Monitor 3G. I picked one up to give it a quick test, and to see where I could use it in my HDR setups.
1 - Requires the latest version of all supported browsers. Playback support may be limited by the capabilities of the playback device, though the video stream matches streaming standards available on most desktop, smartphone, and tablet devices manufactured within the last eight years. 2 - Requires the latest version of all supported browsers. Playback support may be limited by capabilities of the device and the screen used. Tested using streaming standards available on most devices within the last 3-5 years. Automatic quality switching may trigger a slight pause in playback in some browsers or on some devices. Some methods of casting using WebVideoCaster, DLNA, Chromecast or AirPlay may cause reduced playback quality & compression artifacting on a Roku or AppleTV device. Using the WebVideoCaster app enables full quality access to HDR streams, but at reduced player functionality. 3 - Requires a television capable of HDR playback using broadcast title streams (m2ts) served using HTTP Live Streaming. May not work on all HDRTVs or all devices. 4 - Most televisions cap SDR brightness at 400 nits peak; AndroidTV and FireTV quality selections default to a 400 nits peak gamma mapping for this reason. Subtitles & chapter selection may not be available on all device platforms. LEGAL - Use of this video player is "as-is," and Bilodeau Services, LLC makes no guarantees of compatibility with any device, either express or implied. Streaming quality may vary, and network conditions may prohibit playback. It is the responsibility of the viewer to ensure sufficient bandwidth for smooth playback. MasterHDRVideo is a trademark of Bilodeau Services, LLC. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective trademark owners.