CS4 Premire Pro - Connecting an NTSC Monitor on the cheap.

When we had Premier Pro version 2, setting up a connection to our NTSC monitor was easy ... Use the Matrox Parhilia card. Errr, no longer valid for CS4 Premier Pro. BUT reading through the Adobe forums, and doing some experimentation, I have found a solution ... and for the nominal charge of nothing, I share the hard earned secrets of Al the tinkerer.

As you can see in the photo below (CS4 Production Premium - Part 1) we have two monitors, and until now, an unused TV monitor. We are using the nVidia GeForce 9800 GT card (Not even sure they still make this one).

Buried away in the bowels of Premier Pros menuing system is a place to change/set up playback settings. Yikes, I can connect an external TV ... and best of all, once you set things up with the nVidia control panel, Premier Pro is aware of your changes ... will miracles never cease to happen.

Until I get a second nVidia card specifically for the TV, I have to share my second monitor with the TV when I want to do color corrections.

Start by opening the nVidia control panel. Navigate to [Set up Multiple Displays]. You want to configure the two displays as independent. In my case I select [Display 1 of 2 + TV] and then select the primary display as [Display 1 of 2]. If you only have one display and a TV I don't suspect you will see these options ... but something similar.

Next, the secret ingredient (Kung Fu Panda). Navigate to the [Manage Custom Resolutions] selection in the nVidia control panel. Select the TV and create a custom resolution. Select the [Create] option and enter the TV resolution. I use 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high - standard definition. Yours may be different.

You can also change the resolution of your second display if it is a computer monitor by using the [Change Resolution] option in the nVidia control panel. In fact, the choice you make here will be read by Premier Pro and reflected in one of the choices for an external monitor. In using a TV, as we are, this will have no effect since we have specified the custom resolution of the TV in the previous step.

Now we can start up Premier Pro. Highlight the Time Line panel. In the top menu select [Sequence], then [Sequence Settings], then [Playback Setting]. Under [External Device] you will probably have 2 or more selections. One of them should say "Monitor 1024 x 768" or something like that. This is the monitor selection you may have made in the nVidia control panel under the [Change Resolution] menu selection. Other wise you have some default value.

Next set the [Aspect Ratio] to Software. This should pick up the custom resolution you set under the [Manage Custom Resolutions] selection in the nVidia control panel.

If all goes well, when you click [OK] to all the changes, your TV monitor should show you the contents of the Premier Pro video monitor. If you get half an image on your TV, then reboot your system. That clears it in my system.

In all the literature, that I have read from Adobe, this marvelous little nugget of connecting an external TV via an inexpensive video card has gone unnoticed. Or am I just dense? Don't answer that!