The Baselight plugin is a very powerful tool -- especially compared to the antediluvian color corrector in MC/Symphony. The plugin offers a workflow that avoids the perils of round-tripping (Resolve), and it works quite well with the Artist Color. However, it is impossible to play the shots being graded on a calibrated external monitor, at running speed, while the Baselight plugin is open.
Of course, you can always just close the plugin and watch the graded image on an external monitor, at running speed, by simply playing the Avid timeline (frequently without the necessity of rendering) – but then your color correction workflow requires repeatedly opening and closing the plugin, which is far from optimal.
You CAN view any still frame of the shots being graded on an external monitor while the plugin is open – and changes you make using the plugin will be updated in real time on the external monitor. You also CAN watch those same shots, at running speed, in a small inset window within the plugin, however, unless your clients are literally sitting in your lap, they won't see that inset window. Alternatively, you can hit F8 and the inset image will fill the entire Baselight UI – but that's at the cost of losing access to the Baselight controls.
Martin has recently indicated that when the current releases are done Filmlight will likely add the ability to have separate UI and image display windows that will allow the image to be dragged to a second monitor. That would allow for a larger image, at running speed, while still being able to access the plugin controls. You could then feed that signal to a separate computer display, to a calibrated monitor via HDMI or DVI – or to an HD-SDI monitor via a converter.
However, unless you use Truelight, the images in the Baselight UI will be displayed using a graphics card and/or monitor that are likely operating in a RGB color space. As a workaround experiment, I `extended' my Windows computer desktop to include a calibrated 709 display (via HDMI) – and then dragged the Baselight UI to that monitor in an effort to get the inset image onto a screen with the correct color space. Unfortunately, there are still color space issues which became evident when I put the Belle Nuit test chart on that monitor and used nVidia's Control Panel to switch between 0-255 and 16-235, with no perceived display difference. So, short of other calibration solutions, having a computer graphics card in video pipeline seems less-than-ideal for achieving a dependable 709 color correction environment.
The irony of this story is that Martin believes this problem is likely caused by a bug that has yet to be fixed by Avid. As he points out in a recent email: "The hardware+BL are clearly capable of doing this, as we do it together on the Avid timeline. The difference when we're popped us is that we are using AVX to give images to Avid to display on the client monitor. I have no idea what they are doing that can make this so slow. The best way to get this fixed is to apply pressure on Avid by raising this directly with Avid. We have a good relationship with them, but clearly they are pulled in a lot of different directions, so this hasn't come to the top of their list yet."
Look, I get it, I'm running a business too. Avid obviously has limited resources and they have prioritized them to address product development and marketing goals. However, year after year, users complain about tools that have not been upgraded for over a decade. At this point, it's a joke that's simply not funny.
I am begrudgingly willing to accept that Avid does not have the resources to upgrade these antiquated tools -- however, I don't understand why they have to cripple 3rd party plugins like Baselight by not addressing a bug. As Martin said: "The best way to get this fixed is to apply pressure on Avid by raising this directly with Avid."
Frankly, the correct path for Avid really seems quite obvious. Addressing this bug would at least allow us to continue buying Avid products, in spite of their glaring shortcomings. Sure, it will cost us money in order to achieve functionality that should, arguably, be `baked' into the NLE software. I'm perfectly willing to shoulder that burden, but I don't think I'll continue buying Avid products if they don't at least allow 3rd party plugins to effectively fill the void caused by their resource limitations.
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