The different answers here seem to underscore the fundamental difference between switching in controlled (news, for example) (and I use the word "controlled" loosely) and uncontrolled (sports, talk, unscripted entertainment) circumstances. As a director of the latter, I generally accept that the preview monitor is TD real estate, but I also reserve the right to preview things as needed. That said, as JonP mentions above, it doesn't really happen that often. The problem is mostly eliminated with big flat-panel monitor walls. Make a preview monitor wherever you want it. mg

Maybe I'm too old and slow but I almost never preview anything - it just slows me down too much. And I have honestly never run into a director who wants stuff previewed more than occasionally. I don't do a lot of sports so maybe that makes a difference. If I'm doing a show with heavy camera cutting (talk show, concert), I will look at nothing but the camera repeats. If there is a lot of keying, I will have engineering give me some key preview monitors so I can always see if a key signal is good. -Jon

For safety, I preset most everything. I do however, give the director (behind me) a thumbs up, which means, "It's OK if you don't see it anywhere, I got it, and we're good to go." We do not have a preview monitor, just a Preset monitor. Helping out where I can, Don Bailey TD/Director KXTV-Sacramento P.S. Shoot me an email Mike, I'd be glad to show you how we've got things set up, if you want. If nothing else, just to catch up.

We have PST and a PVW monitor ( in addtion to PGM) . Usually they are the same feed...however sometimes I use preview for an M/E pvw that I am using to feed to a crosstalk box ( ex..."Big-Little " box...big box is gettting M/E 3 PGM...I change PVW to be M/E 3 PVW..so I can see what is next when I dissolve in the box) Also..we use a delay unit for delaying certain remotes, like a car chase. So we take the delay to air, and I can put the pre delayed source in PVW. We still have PST to see what is coming up next. I generally preset everything before air... I usually have time to do so...but when the cutting is quick, I just punch on the PGM bus. We also use a TON of DDR transitions, so we have to PST the next source anyway. When inserting a key ( like a station ID bug, Latest Video, etc...) I usually preset my key to make sure nothing wacky is going on w/ the keyer, and that it will look good...rather than just hitting the DSK Mix key On button blindly. I work in cable news. -Curt

Like J.J. I am of the opinion that every monitor outside of my dedicated area belongs to the Director EXCEPT the Preview Monitor - that's mine. Unfortunately my Director doesn't always agree. For the most part I keep the main blowout effect or a contestant close-up in PVW, but I occassionally have to put something else there if the Director needs to see it, if I am trying to sell the Director on an effect that I am building during the show, or if I want to see a specific effect on a larger screen than the dedicated M/E PVW's. I watched the cutting of the Tonight Show a few years back - at NBC it is apparently the policy to preview EVERYTHING before taking it to air...the PVW bus is set for green tallies, and so a camera gets a "ready" tally every time before going to air. At many of the stations where I teach, I find that the policy for news is to preview a remote, VTPB, or effect before taking it to air, and hot-cut everything else.

I see over 300 views with four replies. Are there that many people with no opinion on this subject?

A TD in my facility finds very useful a multiviewer (an Evertz VIP4) where I put the preview buses of all four MEs. The monitor just sits aside of the real preview monitor. Actually, it displays four aux buses from the Kahuna, for more flexibility. She can have a look to any output of any ME this way, including utilities and anything that can be routed to an aux. From some reason I have yet to understand, no one here looks at the PGM, save for the TD herself: everybody looks at the on air signal that comes back from the playout (we have double inputs monitors for this).

When doing some of the FSN shows, or other regionals it is impossible to preview certain graphics because they are blind reveals. How do you preview that? Add to the problem is that many Duet pages are database linked or tied to the FSN plug in so the operator may thing they are typing a page but when they run the animation the real data is being pulled from an Excel sheet. Another issue is that in some trucks, preview is a rack or two away from the program monitor.

Thanks for the rapid response, I generally try to preview most things, but not the lower third, or sometimes there will be a key in preview. But it seems like I get a lot of late calls so I use the key drop feature of the Kalypso and try to take advantage of the macros to reduce button presses, so the preview isn't exactly what will go to air next, but it is what I want to see. Thanks again, Mike

Screw the Director. That's my monitor! If it's an issue, I'll give them a router for the pvw monitor, and put my pvw somewhere else. Damn Directors!

When possible I try to make it a habit to preview everything. It's basically my last chance to catch and correct mistakes before they make the air. If I fat finger something or screw up some other way, no damage is done if it happens in preview instead of hot punching in program. It's for my own confidence as well as that of the director. Of course if you're cutting around on the different M/Es there's no real practical way to make sure the preview monitor follows where you're actually going next. If the switcher has switchable preview and I'll be staying in, say, M/E3 most of the time I'll punch that into the switchable preview monitor, but otherwise the director just has to trust me. As for there being a "standard," I doubt it. As long as program looks good it couldn't matter less how you actually accomplish that. Cut the show in the way that is most comfortable for you.