Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 222)

Chapter 16 External Video Monitoring 221
III
About the Display Quality of External Video
The display quality of your video depends on several factors:
 Whether you have effects applied to your clips.
 Whether your clip or sequence settings match the video output device.
 The video and frame rate options selected in the Real-Time Effects (RT) pop-up menu
in the Timeline or in the Playback Control tab of the System Settings window. The
status of the Scrub High Quality option also affects playback quality when your video
is paused or when you are scrubbing.
The external video signal is displayed at the quality selected in the RT pop-up menu
and Playback Control tab of the System Settings window. For more information, see
Volume III, Chapter 23, “Using RT Extreme.”
Troubleshooting External Video Monitoring Problems
If you experience problems while viewing your sequence, there are a few things you
can try.
To quickly choose a different video interface for external monitoring, do one of
the following:
m Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings. In the Summary tab, choose a video
interface (or none) from the External Video pop-up menu, then click OK.
m Choose View > Video Playback, then choose a video interface.
If you cannot see external video on your monitor, try the following:
m Choose View > Refresh A/V Devices to update the list of connected devices.
Note: This is especially useful if you just connected an audio or video device without
quitting Final Cut Pro.
m Choose View > External Video > All Frames (or press Command-F12).
m If you are using a third-party video interface, check the cable connections between the
video interface, breakout box (if applicable), and video monitor.
m If you are using FireWire and DV, check the FireWire connection between your
computer and VTR (or other FireWire DV device) and the cables between the DV device
and the external monitor.
m Make sure output connectors are always connected to inputs, and vice versa.
m If your monitor has multiple inputs, make sure the proper input is selected on the front
panel of the monitor or in the monitor’s onscreen menu.
m Make sure the signal formats of your output device match the signal format of your
monitor. For example, both SDI and composite analog video can use a BNC connector,
but the signal formats are incompatible.