Field monitor for Canon XH A1
 

Hey guys I'm new and I'm sure you have heard it before but...please go easy. Anyhow I was wondering what field monitors you guys are using with the A1 to get the best possible idea of what your composition will look like using the component out cables supplied with the A1, also is there a specific way to extend the length of the component cable while maintaing data integrity. If you could let me know I would be grateful.

I jam going to order the Verizoom VZS1080BSV to give it a try with my A1, primarily for use with my Kessler Crane setup. Below is information on the monitor. Has anyone had luck using this? I don't work for Varizoom, or have anything to do with company.

"Varizoom announces the all-new SWIT series Broadcast Hi-Res monitor. This compact unit is ideal for monitoring high-definition content in the field, in the studio, or on the go."

http://www.varizoom.com/monitorsindex.html

My thoughts...
 

I've been trying to research monitors and I came across one I think will work.

Xenarc 700YV 7" TFT LCD Monitor with VGA $345

http://www.logicsupply.com/product_i...roducts_id/274

This LCD monitor has the same native resolution, brightness and power consumption of the Varizoom. It also has VGA and RCA connections and a whole slew of accessories.

Unless there is something I'm clearly missing, it's basically the same monitor for about 1/3 of the price of the Varizoom and other name brand video camera monitors.

If I am missing something, then please let me know, otherwise I'm most likely going to buy it.

Yes, but this doesn't seem to be an HD monitor. Seems like it's just a high res SD monitor. It looks intriguing and I really want it to work but I don't think it's going to show an accurate HD picture.

Not sure how you would power up this puppy in the field.

Varizoom Customer Support
 

One thing to consider. Support doesn't exist. On two occassions I have written to them and no replies.

On powering
I have a Lilliput similar to the Xenarc, although I have not used it with HD yet. I made a simple battery pack of 8AAs in two holders from radio shack. Attached it to the back of the monitors and plugged it in to the 12v jack on the monitor. It provides about 4 hours of runtime on a set of AAs. It's a bit heavy to mount on a camera with the batteries, but it can be done. If the monitor proves useful with the Canon A1 I have ordered I will probably use it with a bigger 12v battery on the bottom of a mic stand and the monitor on top. Powering these things in the field is a snap.

it runs off a 12v external power source like the marshall and all the other lcd monitors in it's class. another option: you could attach/velcro one of the nebtek battery adapters that can convert your existing camcorder li-ion battery power to 12v. won't post the link to it here as they're not a site sponsor, but it's easy enough to find on their site.

Although a larger unit at 13", the Sharp LC13S1US does component and is 12v. Not sure how component would downscale to the screen but anything is better than composite and I like the 430cd brighness spec. Cheap at $250 or less for those critical shots or studio use.

Edit: Just shopped the Sharp 13" Aquos units at a BB - Lots of case varieties, nothing less than a 13" - All have an ultrabright picture and are marked 480P / EDTV. Obviously too big for on-camera use but definately good for composition and focus checks. Nothing in a 16x9 format, they're all 4x3 screens. Will take camera in to see if autoscaling works on component.

field montors questions
 

I have never used a field monitor with a HD cam so please excuse the noob questions.

At these prices these are EDTV monitors correct?

So just how does this work with input from the HD cameras?
Does it autoscale in some way and also give the correct aspect but in ED res??

But is the quality sufficient for the purpose?

I mean at these prices you cant rely on color/contrast being actual right? What about other defects in image?

So are these mainly just to check focus and if so how does the scaling impact this?

Just got a Sharp LC-13AV6u for a demo.

http://www.sharpusa.com/products/Mod...,1681,00.html#

It's bright, really BRIGHT. So bright you can easily see it with a 500w light shining directly on the screen from 3 feet. The good: It supports 16x9 letterboxed and has a super sharp (no pun) picture with component (or composite in) from the A1. Mirrors and flips. Feels solid and portable. All for $249.

The not-so-good? It's AC only, no brick. Might be able to mod it for DC internally.

The odd: If you feed it 1080i, it pops up a text message of 'incompatible format' but works just fine with 480i while recording in HD at any frame rate.

Overall? Nice compact unit for studio setups or anywhere with AC. Lots of detail and picture control. Way more than you'd ever want for focus and composition.

Xenarc monitor
 

If you search this forum for Xenarc or even the specific model you are looking at you'll find my full analysis and detailed description of how I'm using this monitor. Suffice to say that if you want near HD quality then you have to feed it a signal from a VGA source in order for the monitor to do the scaling. It's native resolution (480X800) is exactly the same as the varizoom and the Marshall selling for $1300 or so. The RCA inputs will only take in standard def composite (not component) so you gain nothing unless you use a component to VGA conversion box. A unit can be built with a battery plate attachment (I use a V-mount) for about $550

Field monitor for the A1? Not too expensive
 

Hi guys,

After spending an afternoon shooting with the A1 and the letus35 under intense sun light I've come to the conclusion that a field monitor is simply crucial. So, I'm looking for something that can be mounted into the A1's hotshoe (not too heavy), that can eb powered by batteries (or a battery pack), that is PAL compatible...and most importantly, that will allow me to flip the image horizontally and vertically at MY will (most monitors simply flip the image automatically when you turn the monitor upside down...which would do me no go because I would end up with the reversed image from the letus). And now, here comes the big catch...I wanted to keep it at 200$

Any thoughts, boys and girls?

edtv for focus on A1?
 

Hi, I was told that the A1 can record HD to tape while simultaneously feeding/down converting to SD over composite to a separate monitor. Just for clarification then, does that then mean you can use say 13" Sharp 480p EDTV as a field monitor for achieving/monitoring live critical focus, particularly for motion shots? I know HDV Rack has a bit of a lag right now and many have said it's great for SD monitoring but HDV is a bit much for it right now if you're talking about monitoring focus for motion shots, anything that's not too static.

Thanks for any info.

I tried to post these elsewhere & got little response. I hope that someone can help . . .

I am trying to connect my xenarc to HVX via component out > Mayflash VGA transcoder > Xenarc. I can get a decent image when I connect the av cables and select av1 on the monitor; However, when I try to run the comp>vga adapter>monitor set up I don't get a picture on av1,av2, or PC (or anywhere). What am I missing? Is there a setup menu issue here to get the component out to work or should it work as soon as the cable is plugged in? Would appreciate some help.

Yes, I plugged in the power.
Do I need to be in P2 mode with a p2 plugged in (or firestore) in order for the camera to be sending out an HD signal through the component out? It seems as though I should get a signal just with power on in standby.

I thought that I would try to troubleshoot by bypassing the mayflash. Is there a way to do this? Perhaps a cable (D4 or something) that will get me from comp out to the 20-pin VGA plug that goes into the xenarc?

here's a good thread on this topic.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...=swit+marshall

there just don't seem to be many good, cheap solutions....some good tips in this thread, though.

I'm thinking of getting the Xenarc/Mayflash set up too.

Type mayflash marshall in google...or check this on hooking up other LCDs to XH-A1:

http://www.cinevate.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=246

Also more details on Mayflash transcoding:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archi.../t-683835.html

Interesting read on the avsforum. It seems to be the consensus that the mayflash vga001 does a much better job at active transcoding the signal than the Vdigi VD-Z3 and the X2VGA2, because it uses the LMH1251 chip.

Granville: maybe your mayflash is broken. It's also a possibility that either the component output of your camera is malfunctioning (less likely) or the vga-input of your xenarc. You can test any of them by connecting them to other devices, so you can rule out options.

XH-A1 BNC to RF on a laptop - possible?
 

Hi,
Would it be possible to get an image from a XH-A1, via the BNC terminal (SD) to the screen of a laptop with a digital TV card via its RF jack (DVB-T)?

You would be better off resolution-wise getting a laptop with a Firewire port - or a Firewire port on a PCMCIA card adaptor if it's an older laptop. They're cheap and available.

The BNC out is just composite video and would need to be run through a modulator to provide channel assignment before your digital tuner could use the signal which will simulate the lowest resolution possible.

If you own the digital tuner already, consider a cheap wireless transmitter for your camera. That has merit.

Thanks Jay,

The laptop is new, it just happened to come with a digital TV card. It has firewire but to display with that option requires the Canon Console Software 1.1 or some other software solution at $500 or more.

What is a cheap wireless transmitter and what port would it connect to??

Isn't there a program for Windows laptops that allows simple firewire monitoring like i-movie for the mac which is free? Hmmmm....

With RF transmitters the quality corresponds to the price. Most of them are composite video in, RF out. Google something like Nippon WV-300 for an example of a cheap one.

Are you sure your laptop doesn't have a video in port? That's the simple solution, just video out to video in.

If you're attempting to use SD composite video for focus assist on a laptop, don't waste your time (and forget anything with an RF link!). The picture from firewire is useful as it's higher resolution but delayed a second or so depending on the chipset used. Best solution is a dedicated component monitor like a Marshall for on-camera use or an inexpensive EDTV type TV with component inputs for studio use.

9" CRT as Field Monitor for the XH-A1
 

Just about to take the plunge with a Canon XH-A1 as I have a number of doc. type projects lining up that need 16:9 and my VX2100 is not ideal..
I use my Ikegami 9" CRT field monitor with the VX and I'm very pleased with its performance..
Question is: for the time being, would this monitor - using SD/Composite out of the XH-A1 - be an adequate way of field monitoring until budget allows for a true HD monitor?
Anyone using a similar set-up..?
Thanks, Rgds, Ross.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This still should answer that question, at least from me!

Certainly you won't be experiencing the resolution of the HD image but as far as I could tell, the critical factors that one looks for in a monitored image (exposure, color value, gray scale) were all in place and accurate with the 8044Q Sony broadcast monitor I've been using for years. In fact, with this size monitor there is much less difference in the HD version due to its small size. Obviously when one steps up to a larger display the resolution makes a big difference.

CRT field monitor
 

That is music to my ears....
Thanks Charles..

Rgds, Ross.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDTV for HD on an XH-A1?
 

Anyone know if you can use one of those med-sized, EDTV LCDs to monitor and focus tack sharp using a Canon XH-A1 shooting in HD mode?

The A1 has a menu-setting that basically downconverts footage over a component connection to SD live...which is where I imagine the EDTV coming in and being handy.

Is there any lag in doing this, any other problems I don't know about?

I ask now, because I've found a great, portable way to lug around one of these 13-15 inchish LCD monitors. Amvona sells an awesome, double pole clamp. It's tiny, but hold 30lbs. and clamps securely to my old, beat-up but heavy-duty, tripod sticks (albeit I wouldn't want to try it on my carbon fibre ones). This means that if you've got the right kind of tripod sticks and a tripod dolly as I do, then you could then attach a short metal pipe from Home Depot to the free pole clamp. Then, epoxy a WESA LCD monitor mount to this pipe (PC-17 is much stronger than JB Weld from my experience, but more expensive and harder to find), and wala, now you've got a detachable, 15" LCD monitor on a stick basically that'll attach to your tripod and move uber conveniently and securely with you (assuming you've got a tripod dolly as well).

The benefit of the EDTV, assuming you can use it to focus in real-time with no problems using the downconvert through component option in the A1 menu, is, of course, that now you've got a fairly portable and convenient field monitor that looks good for shooting and focusing BOTH high-def and SD.

It would be an all-in-one solution I would think, to go along with a toteable jump pack power source.

Any input? Someone's practically begging me to take her 13.4" Sharp Aquos EDTV off her hands, and I'd like oblige if someone could answer this for me.

Thanks.

Hi Eugene.....
 

You might want to try this out with your wide screen telly at home before jumping into this big time. I've fed my A1 into a low/ medium def widescreen using the SD composite feed and certainly wouldn't want to be making focus decisions based on what I can see on that.

As far as I can see, if you're going to lug a biggish SD/ MD screen around, you might as well go the whole hog and get a HD screen with component I/P's so you at least get everything on the screen the camera can O/P.

Of course, you're up there with a 24"er and the problems of powering it away from a wall socket, but untill some kind manufacturer comes out with a 12" - 15" portable, battery powered HD 1080 screen, there ain't too many other options.

Cheers


Chris

On camera monitor suggestion for XH A1
 

I was looking for suggestions for a HD monitor that I would be able to possibly mount on the camera.
Thanks
Brandon Potthoff

There are many threads on this subject...please read them first.

Brandon,

There is a lot of info in this thread, so check it out. Don't know if an HD on camera monitor exists at this time, at least one you and I can afford.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=94936

Mike

Need Advice for Field Monitor for XH-A1
 

Hello,
I am currently shooting with 2 XH-A1 cameras, and am looking for a field monitor to better setup shots and to eventually use with a crane. I shoot mostly in SD, but occasionally shoot a project in HD so I would like to have a monitor capable of an HD signal if possible. Here is what I have been looking at:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...D_Monitor.html

I am wondering if I am even on the right track. I've tried to do some research, and it looks like there are a lot of alternatives as far as features go. I would prefer to stay in the 'under $1100' range if possible, but from what I have seen, HD might not be possible for a good monitor in this price range.

As far as standard definition -- I saw this:
http://www.varizoom.com/products/monitors/vztft7u.html

I guess it comes down to me not really knowing much about these monitors and what features I should be looking for. I could really use some help. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks!!

Truth is, it seems as though you get what you pay for with these things. In all my experience with VariZoom monitors (which admittedly is fairly limited) they don't appear to be very reliable or have that great of a picture.

Marshalls, on the other hand, have been around for a long time, have great quality and are very well made.

So there. You have my two cents! ;-)

Thanks Timothy for the input! Marshalls seems to be the best in the Field Monitor category but they are definitely expensive! (I wish BHPHOTOVIDEO did after Thanksgiving sales!!) If I was to decide on a Marshalls screen, I would have to wait a couple more months because of the price.

Do you have any suggestions for something within my price range that doesn't have a bad picture or anything? Thank you for your help!

Field monitor for xha1
 

i have looked through this forum for the info on ikan lcd monitors but couldnt find much so am posting this new thread if someone finds some info on what am looking for please guide me on the right path
i would like to know

ikan 9.2" LCD Monitor Wide 16:9 Format $639
- Diagonal 9.2 " TFT - LCD
- LCD Brightness: 300cd/m2
- Resolution: 800 x 480
- Contrast Ratio: 250:1
- Viewing angles: 65/65(R/L)
- Operating Volts: DC 11-13V
- Power Consumption: <9W
- Operating Temp.: 0-65C
- Storage Temp: -25-70C
- Dimension: 9.6"x6.7"x1.5"
- Weight (lbs) 1.2


Ikan 8" LCD Monitor Wide 16:9 Format $729
Specifications
-Diagonal 8" TFT - LCD
- LCD Brightness: 400cd/m2- - Contrast Ratio: 200:1
- Resolution: 800 x 480
- Up to 1024 x 768
- Viewing angles: 65/65(R/L)
- Operating Volts: DC 11-13V
- Power Consumption: = 10W
- Operating Temp.: 0-65C
- Storage Temp: -25-70C
- Dimension: 8.1"x5.7"x1.2"
- Weight (lbs) 1.05

ikan V8000HD 8" TFT LCD Monitor $1149
Application Video and Computer Monitoring
LCD Size 8"
Video System NTSC/PAL
Picture Elements 800 x 480
Input and Output
Connectors Component Video: BNC (x1)
Composite Video: BNC (x1 Input, x1 Output)
S-Video: Mini DIN (x1)
Analog Audio: RCA Stereo (x2 Inputs)
Picture Controls Brightness, Contrast, RGB Value
Remote Control Yes
Power Requirements Not Specified By Manufacturer
Power Consumption Not Specified By Manufacturer
Dimensions (WxHxD) 8 x 5.5 x 1.5" (20.3 x 14 x 3.8 cm)
Weight 1.2 lb (0.5 kg)


all of this has a resolution of 800x400 how come the price difference ?
(prices are in australian dollars) which one is good ?
i understand that the v8000hd is the only one for high defination but the rest has the same resolution so am a bit confused. please ignore my ignorance as am just learning.
thanks for all the help.

Please list the model numbers you are looking at.

The V8000HD is 800x480
The V9000 is 1440x234 (480x234 actual)
The V8000W is 800x480 BUT only has composite & VGA, not component like the HD

Thanks Brain
so v8000hd and v8000w has both same resolution and the only difference is that v8000W does not have a component like hd. but there is a big price difference between these two precisely $420.
so if am not after component output like hd the v8000w should be fine for color and focus issues rite ??
thanks for all the help..

mick

yes & no
if you are happy with a standard definition image for color and focus, you should be fine. If however you are shooting HD, it will be more difficult to judge focus. You color space will also be different from HD to NTSC.

sorry to bother you again but they both have the same resolution so why would it be different ??

In my opinion the scalers are better quality in the HD monitors. If you let the camera down-rez to NTSC you may get a somewhat fuzzy image as compared to HD going into the monitor and the monitor doing the scaling.

Others may want to argue that opinion, but its what I have experienced.

Mickey, for what it's worth we just purchased a bit of gear from John Barry (Panavision, Artarmon) and they recommended the ikan V8000HD 8"--unfortunately we haven't connected it yet (to our Canon XH G1s) so can't tell you anything about it.