Cheap 15" HD monitor looks pretty good at DVinfo.net

Boyd Ostroff · August 1st, 2009, 08:11 PM

Was wandering through Best Buy today and after looking at their $160 Dynex 15" HD monitor, I bought one on impulse! Dynex® - 15" Class / 720p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV - DX-L15-10A

The cashier said "Wow, the 15" Dynex is actually in stock!" This thing looks pretty good to me. It overscans slightly on the component inputs (there's a preference you can set for VGA mode; not sure about HDMI) but not a big deal.

Native resolution is 1368x768 - does a great job for focus with my ex1. After tweaking the picture settings it looks nice.... very respectable next to my 46" Bravia LCD. You can also go into the service menus and have even more control over a number of parameters (press INPUT>2>5>8>0 on the remote).

I went out to the woods and played around for a bit this afternoon and used a Duracell powersource mobile 100 to power it. PowerSource Mobile 100 | Portable Battery Charger | Duracell

I had it on for almost an hour with no problems, not sure how long it would run on this battery pack... probably somewhere between one to two hours. These units are made by Xantrax for Duracell and contain a LIon battery with inverter and AC outlet. The Dynex screen is rated at 30 watts.

I have been trying to build some custom presets for outdoor scenes, and this screen is going to make the process a lot easier. I can just cram it into a 15" laptop carrying case. A case for a 17" laptop would be a better match I suspect.

I unscrewed the mounting bracket from the plastic piece which fits into the base, then drilled one of the bolt holes out with a 17/64" bit and mounted on a small tripod I had using a 1/4" nut and washer - see photo below.

Anyway, I think this one is worth a look. Certainly a lot nicer image than you will get from composite input on a DVD player!

Bill Koehler · August 1st, 2009, 08:24 PM

Boyd,

A couple weeks ago I was going through Best Buy and looked at the same thing, or an identical twin. I remember looking at the base and wondering what other mounts could be swapped in for it.

What I would like to know: What sort of mount/adapter did you use to put it on the tripod?

Thanks in advance.

Boyd Ostroff · August 1st, 2009, 08:56 PM

No adaptor or mount was needed. As I said above, I just removed the plastic column which was screwed to the monitor's mount and drilled one of the existing holes large enough for the tripod screw to pass through. Adding some kind of quick release fitting would make it even better.

A picture is worth a thousand words....

Boyd Ostroff · August 1st, 2009, 09:55 PM

This is a little better - found a threaded adaptor in my trunk of old cameras inherited from my Dad. Of course there are plenty of other ways to do this.

Tim Polster · August 2nd, 2009, 08:17 AM

Looks good.

I have done the same with some Viewsonic N1630w models and they are working out well.

The are televisions not computer monitors which makes a difference.

They only cost $189 and have component & HDMI. I have not looked for a service menu, sounds like a good thing to find.

For a mounting I purchased some 3/8" thick steel from Lowe's, cut it to the shape of where the monitor meets its stand and added 1/4-20 tapped hole.

I use a Manfrotto super clip to attach them to tripods.

Happy camper.

Boyd Ostroff · August 2nd, 2009, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

I have not looked for a service menu, sounds like a good thing to find.

For any kind of television, try googling your make and or model number along with "service menu" and you will be amazed if you've never seen something like this. But be REALLY careful because on some models there is no "restore default" command and you can mess things up.

I had hoped the service mode on this one would let me adjust the image size for underscan, but it doesn't. Gives you a lot of control over the colorimetry however, even lets you tweak the response curves of the normal menu controls.

This one is curious also because it has an RS-232 "service port". I wonder if the tv is actually running linux and if that is a tty port?

Boyd Ostroff · August 2nd, 2009, 12:04 PM

If anyone is interested, the following bag is just the right size for this monitor. Got one for $30 at Staples: 15.4" Laptop Messenger, Black, SOLO Classic Collection

The tag says "Style: NY10-4050".

Bryan Gilchrist · August 2nd, 2009, 01:22 PM

I picked up an Element FLX-1910 at Sears for around $200.

Has an HDMI input, a VGA input, an S-Video input and even a component input.

And it also doubles as my studio TV for watching TV during down times. :)

And it works great with this stand:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...bo_Stand_.html

Boyd Ostroff · August 2nd, 2009, 01:51 PM

Cool - that's a nice stand! The Dynex will also work with VESA mounts. But I am happy with my free solution for now. :-)

But you are also talking about a 19" monitor. What attracted me to this Dynex product is the small size (15" screen) which makes it very transportable and able to fit in a cheap laptop case.

Bill Koehler · August 2nd, 2009, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

But you are also talking about a 19" monitor. What attracted me to this Dynex product is the small size (15" screen) which makes it very transportable and able to fit in a cheap laptop case.

Bingo - which is precisely why I was looking at it a couple weeks ago.

I obviously didn't read your first post very well, Boyd.
Thanks for the followup and picture.

Marcus Martell · August 21st, 2009, 09:05 AM

Hi Boyd, do you know if i could find a similar Pal model(50 hz)?I live in Eu...

thx

Boyd Ostroff · August 21st, 2009, 09:23 AM

Marcus,

Dynex is a "store brand" which is sold in the Best Buy chain of electronics stores in the US. According to their site, they can only ship to addresses in the US and its possessions. Doing a quick google search I found several possibilities, but it seems likely that LG actually manufactures the Dynex televisions for Best Buy.

But if you visit LG's site, the smallest screen which they sell themselves appears to be 19": LG Televisions. So my guess is that you cannot purchase this monitor outside the US, unless LG is making a similar model which another company puts their logo on.

Marcus Martell · August 21st, 2009, 09:42 AM

Thank you my friend!
:(

Ramji Meena · September 26th, 2009, 12:17 AM

Hi Tim
I am in Pal area and i mostely shoot 25p 50hz can I use Viewsonic N1630w
Ramji

Richie Edquid · September 26th, 2009, 12:49 AM

Hey Boyd,

Any ideas on being able to power that screen with a bigger battery? A battery with some sort of charge indicator?

I think this has more juice:

XPAL Power | Products : XP18000

18,000 mah but no wall socket plug.

I'm looking for an LCD I can throw into a laptop bag at a comparable size as yours. Maybe even a little larger depending on power consumption.

If a 17in laptop screen can run on batteries I wish a TV/Monitor lcd could too =/. Thoughts anyone?

A 10inch lcd4video is $300! Is the cost high because it's self powered or because it's made for video?

August 1st, 2009, 08:11 PM	#1
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	Cheap 15" HD monitor looks pretty good Was wandering through Best Buy today and after looking at their $160 Dynex 15" HD monitor, I bought one on impulse! Dynex® - 15" Class / 720p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV - DX-L15-10A The cashier said "Wow, the 15" Dynex is actually in stock!" This thing looks pretty good to me. It overscans slightly on the component inputs (there's a preference you can set for VGA mode; not sure about HDMI) but not a big deal. Native resolution is 1368x768 - does a great job for focus with my ex1. After tweaking the picture settings it looks nice.... very respectable next to my 46" Bravia LCD. You can also go into the service menus and have even more control over a number of parameters (press INPUT>2>5>8>0 on the remote). I went out to the woods and played around for a bit this afternoon and used a Duracell powersource mobile 100 to power it. PowerSource Mobile 100 \| Portable Battery Charger \| Duracell I had it on for almost an hour with no problems, not sure how long it would run on this battery pack... probably somewhere between one to two hours. These units are made by Xantrax for Duracell and contain a LIon battery with inverter and AC outlet. The Dynex screen is rated at 30 watts. I have been trying to build some custom presets for outdoor scenes, and this screen is going to make the process a lot easier. I can just cram it into a 15" laptop carrying case. A case for a 17" laptop would be a better match I suspect. I unscrewed the mounting bracket from the plastic piece which fits into the base, then drilled one of the bolt holes out with a 17/64" bit and mounted on a small tripod I had using a 1/4" nut and washer - see photo below. Anyway, I think this one is worth a look. Certainly a lot nicer image than you will get from composite input on a DVD player! Attached Thumbnails

August 1st, 2009, 08:56 PM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	No adaptor or mount was needed. As I said above, I just removed the plastic column which was screwed to the monitor's mount and drilled one of the existing holes large enough for the tripod screw to pass through. Adding some kind of quick release fitting would make it even better. A picture is worth a thousand words.... Attached Thumbnails

August 1st, 2009, 09:55 PM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	This is a little better - found a threaded adaptor in my trunk of old cameras inherited from my Dad. Of course there are plenty of other ways to do this. Attached Thumbnails

September 26th, 2009, 12:17 AM	#14
Ramji Meena Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: MUMBAI INDIA Posts: 109	Pal and NTSC Hi Tim I am in Pal area and i mostely shoot 25p 50hz can I use Viewsonic N1630w Ramji

August 1st, 2009, 08:24 PM	#2
Bill Koehler Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Alpharetta, Georgia, USA Posts: 760	Boyd, A couple weeks ago I was going through Best Buy and looked at the same thing, or an identical twin. I remember looking at the base and wondering what other mounts could be swapped in for it. What I would like to know: What sort of mount/adapter did you use to put it on the tripod? Thanks in advance.

August 2nd, 2009, 08:17 AM	#5
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Looks good. I have done the same with some Viewsonic N1630w models and they are working out well. The are televisions not computer monitors which makes a difference. They only cost $189 and have component & HDMI. I have not looked for a service menu, sounds like a good thing to find. For a mounting I purchased some 3/8" thick steel from Lowe's, cut it to the shape of where the monitor meets its stand and added 1/4-20 tapped hole. I use a Manfrotto super clip to attach them to tripods. Happy camper.

August 2nd, 2009, 12:04 PM	#7
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	If anyone is interested, the following bag is just the right size for this monitor. Got one for $30 at Staples: 15.4" Laptop Messenger, Black, SOLO Classic Collection The tag says "Style: NY10-4050".

August 2nd, 2009, 01:22 PM	#8
Bryan Gilchrist Major Player Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 224	I picked up an Element FLX-1910 at Sears for around $200. Has an HDMI input, a VGA input, an S-Video input and even a component input. And it also doubles as my studio TV for watching TV during down times. :) And it works great with this stand: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...bo_Stand_.html

August 2nd, 2009, 01:51 PM	#9
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	Cool - that's a nice stand! The Dynex will also work with VESA mounts. But I am happy with my free solution for now. :-) But you are also talking about a 19" monitor. What attracted me to this Dynex product is the small size (15" screen) which makes it very transportable and able to fit in a cheap laptop case.

August 21st, 2009, 09:05 AM	#11
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Hi Boyd, do you know if i could find a similar Pal model(50 hz)?I live in Eu... thx

August 21st, 2009, 09:23 AM	#12
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	Marcus, Dynex is a "store brand" which is sold in the Best Buy chain of electronics stores in the US. According to their site, they can only ship to addresses in the US and its possessions. Doing a quick google search I found several possibilities, but it seems likely that LG actually manufactures the Dynex televisions for Best Buy. But if you visit LG's site, the smallest screen which they sell themselves appears to be 19": LG Televisions. So my guess is that you cannot purchase this monitor outside the US, unless LG is making a similar model which another company puts their logo on.

August 21st, 2009, 09:42 AM	#13
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Thank you my friend! :(

September 26th, 2009, 12:49 AM	#15
Richie Edquid Tourist Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Diego Posts: 1	Hey Boyd, Any ideas on being able to power that screen with a bigger battery? A battery with some sort of charge indicator? I think this has more juice: XPAL Power \| Products : XP18000 18,000 mah but no wall socket plug. I'm looking for an LCD I can throw into a laptop bag at a comparable size as yours. Maybe even a little larger depending on power consumption. If a 17in laptop screen can run on batteries I wish a TV/Monitor lcd could too =/. Thoughts anyone? A 10inch lcd4video is $300! Is the cost high because it's self powered or because it's made for video?