Specifications Pro

Specifications Pro publishes original long-form guides on optics, reference displays, microphones, loudspeakers, workstations, archives, illumination, colorimetry, clean power, and production timing. We are not a dealer, lab, or insurer. 10 desks, with exclusive features on each.

Optics

Resolving power is a chart, not a feeling

Displays

A nit is not a room

Microphones

Self-noise in the room you have

Loudspeakers

The response window

Workstations

Sustained clock, not boost

Archives

LTO generation and the drive you can read

Optics

Charts, mounts, and the footnote under a resolving-power claim.

• Resolving power is a chart, not a feeling
• Flange distance before the look
• The codec is not the sensor
• Rolling shutter when the camera moves
• The ND stack and the color you were promised
• Lens breathing on a dialogue shot
• Dual native ISO and the footnote
• Media rate versus record time
• What weather sealing was actually tested
• The service jig for the mount

Displays

Nits, delta E, and the room the panel will actually sit in.

• A nit is not a room
• Delta E after warmup
• Viewing angle at the desk you have
• HDR metadata versus the panel
• The uniformity map
• Input lag for a grade, not a game
• The probe has to match the panel
• The hood and the window
• Refresh and image retention
• Panel hours and the warranty

Microphones

Self-noise, pattern, and the room you already have.

• Self-noise in the room you have
• The pattern at the frequency that matters
• Max SPL versus the preamp
• Phantom power and a vintage ribbon
• Proximity on a voice
• The shockmount is part of the spec
• Wireless latency and the compander
• A capsule swap and the warranty
• Outdoor wind
• Matched pair tolerance

Loudspeakers

Response windows, distance, and the crossover you will hear.

• The response window
• Listening distance on the sheet
• Amplifier power is not headroom
• Room gain and the anechoic plot
• Phase at the crossover
• Mounting and the port
• Distortion at the level you mix
• Delay for the surrounds
• Burn-in is not a specification
• Driver lead time

Workstations

Sustained clocks, memory, and the chassis you must live beside.

• Sustained clock, not boost
• Memory bandwidth for the timeline
• GPU memory and the cache
• The Thunderbolt lane budget
• The noise of the chassis
• ECC when the render is overnight
• Power-supply headroom
• The operating system and the certified build
• Onsite hours
• A quiet BIOS versus the bench

Archives

Tape, checksums, and the hour a restore actually takes.

• LTO generation and the drive you can read
• The checksum is the archive
• RAID is not a backup
• Restore time, not capacity
• Catalog lock-in
• Offsite cadence
• Failure during the copy
• Path length and the filesystem
• Key custody
• Migration before the format dies

Illumination

TLCI, flicker, and the file a lighting plot can use.

• CRI is not TLCI
• Flicker at the shutter you use
• A photometric file for a room
• The dimming curve
• Heat at the subject
• Battery versus mains color
• Modifier light loss
• The IP rating on a wet set
• Gel and the emitter
• Spare emitter lead time

Colorimetry

Illuminants, patches, and the booth the client will stand in.

• The illuminant on the sheet
• Patch count is not accuracy
• The display profile and the print
• Metamerism in the client room
• Proofing tolerance
• Instrument agreement
• Optical brighteners in the substrate
• The viewing booth specification
• The soft-proof gamut warning
• An archive of the profile

Mains

THD, transfer time, and the outlet the rack actually uses.

• THD at the outlet you will use
• UPS runtime versus transfer
• A ground lift is not a fix
• Inrush and the breaker
• Generator frequency wander
• Balanced power claims
• Surge let-through
• The dedicated circuit
• Battery chemistry and heat
• The date on the test report

Timing

PTP, word clock, and who owns the grandmaster.

• The PTP profile on the switch
• Word-clock termination
• Jitter at the converter
• The hop budget
• DHCP versus static addresses on a set
• Multicast and IGMP
• Audio-over-IP latency
• Redundancy that was tested
• Cable category and the length
• Who owns the grandmaster