Portable DVD player as monitor?

[Jelle Poupaert]

Originally Posted by Bryon Akerman

i used a govideo 7" on some interviews i did. Worked well, but not for focusing OR color adjustments. But it did work


Bryon <><

What could be used for focusing then ?
Isn't a 7" lcd better for focusing than the lcd of the camera itself which is usually only between 2-4"?

I'm planning to buy one of these as well.

how much power do those screens consume? Are they usable with batteries? (When shooting outside I'll use batteries...)

[Dennis Wood]

An 800x480 7" screen is almost 1:1 pixel mapping for 16:9 SD video at 876x480 (square pixels). This makes it much more suitable for focus pulling given the usual 7" screen res which is far less.

The principle is the same for example as running a computer LCD at anything lower than its native resolution. Doing this results in a decrease in sharpness as the display is scaled across the available pixels.

If I recall correctly, the HVX's focus assist works by magnifying part of the frame to a 1:1 pixel mapping on its display....which by reports sounds more effective than just a larger LCD.

[Bill Porter]

Dennis is right. Or in other words, not all 7" screens are equal. It's all about the rez.

I went from a... what was it, something like 480x234 screen, to a 800x480, and there was a clear improvement. Both were 7". I have a portable DVD player, a GoVideo 7" unit, perhaps the same model as mentioned above, and I tried that with my DVX100A and it didn't seem like a 800x480 screen to me.

The 800x480 screen I bought is discontinued for some bizarre reason or I'd have posted about it. So the community will have to keep searching for another solution. I will too, for when it breaks!

I wouldn't be concerned about finding a monitor that has image flip. I'd just flip the monitor. I've tried it both ways and I don't see a downside to either way. You can say all you want about how you think an upside down LCD is not for you, but you're only shooting yourself in the foot if you haven't seen it in person and realized it's only a matter of some tiny letters silkscreened onto the frame in Taiwan.

[Chad Terpstra]

So has a decent DVD player or other type of standalone monitor with good resolution been found? There has to be something out there with around 800x400 resolution that can be rigged to work as a field monitor (flipped or unflipped).

Any thoughts?

[Dennis Wood]

http://www.mp3playerstore.com/stuff_...l/IN-700VG.htm

16:9, 800x480.

They are cheap, a bit better than a 7" LCD, and they also have a VGA input. I have one of these and will be posting a test shortly comparing it to the Marshall HD. I'll also be piping in HD via a component HD to VGA adapter to the cheap adapter. If you're just looking for framing (and if you crank sharpness, focus assist) the cheap LCD will work. I've got it mounted upside down here.

[Chad Terpstra]

Hey, Dennis. Nice to see you over here at DVInfo. You've been very helpful to me as of late at the Cinevate forums.

That's really a nice deal! I recenlty paid $200 for a terrible 5.6" TFT display for my church. It's good for framing only.

I'd love to see the comparrison between the Marshall and this one. It should help people to know the difference between a professional display and one of these less expensive solutions. I'm not seeing the part that helped you mount it though. And how did you get it upside down?

Thanks very much.

[Dennis Wood]

Chad, the LCD has a mount plate in the back. I'm just using a small ball head similar to this : http://www.adorama.com/NVBHC5.html I re-tapped the mount nut that came with the 7" LCD to 1/4" 20 to match the ball head thread.

This part interfaces between the camera shoe, and the ball head: http://www.equipmentemporium.com/MicSupport.htm (look for Mic Mount Adapter)

Regardless of which monitor you use, Marshall or otherwise, you still need to figure out a mount. The marshall has a 1/4" 20 threaded plate that can be affixed to any side. This makes inverted mount a snap using the same mount as I'm using for the cheap LCD.

[Chad Terpstra]

Thanks Dennis. It turns out that for some reason the text on that mic adapter page is the same color as the background in Safari. All I saw were the pictures and was a little confused. I pasted it into Word and can read it now.

So you "re-tapped" to 1/4" 20? What exactly does this mean and how would I do it? I'm quite new to creating alternative solutions to camera gear like this.

Also, what component to VGA adapter did you get? Did you see a big improvement in going through component?

Thanks again.

[Henry Clayton]

Originally Posted by Marcus Marchesseault

Don't forget that the maximum resolution is not the native resolution. These LCDs max out at either 640x480 for the 4:3 models and 800X480 for 16:9. Many of these monitors are at a lesser resolution. Be careful in reading the specifications.

I've got an Audiovox D-2010 portable DVD player, 10.2" 16:9 screen. The specs in its manual say it's got a resolution of 800x480; it says nothing about its being maximum or native resolution. Would I be safe assuming that this refers to its native resolution?

And in case I am, has anybody had a good experience using this resolution for focusing in particular?

H.

[Dennis Wood]

I just posted a test of a 7" 800x480 res unit vs the Marshall "HD" monitor: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=82348