LCD monitor

Graham Hickling · September 4th, 2004, 09:01 AM

It can be a struggle to focus accurately with the HD1's viewfinder and/or LCD screen, but I'm worried about losing portability if I try to lug around a CRT monitor when I'm filming single-handed.

Does anyone have any experiences/recommendations regarding using an external LCD monitor for focusing - preferably one small enough that it could be clipped to a tripod or monopod, to that it and the camera can be carried as a single unit?

Giroud Francois · September 4th, 2004, 05:46 PM

the only nice screen i have found is the very professional SONY LMD-650 with a true resolution of 640x480.
http://www.expandore.com/product/Son...tor/LMD650.htm
You can still look at some 7" models that are build for video and PC (o they can offers real good resolution).
like this one http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/lilliput/index.php
and costing only a fraction of the very professional price of sony.

Ben Buie · September 6th, 2004, 12:39 AM

I know this is not exactly what you were looking for, but just my 2 cents . . .

We have found that when shooting with the HD10 an accurate depiction of the actual look and color of the scene is very important. In other words, you want to see what it will look like on an actual TV. The main reason for this is that the HD10 is not near as forgiving in low light (as say a PD150), and you can come away with material that looks great on an LCD but ends up looking terrible on a TV. LCD's (even the 7" ones) tend to give very innacurate pictures, especially when even slightly off axis.

Anyway, we use a Toshiba 13" CRT. It is the smallest 13" CRT we could find, and has been great for a field monitor. True, it doesn't have the resolution of a pro monitor or even those LCD's, but it provides us with a very accurate depiction of what the picture will look like on our production monitor when we get back to the studio. There are other similar monitors, but again the Toshiba was the smallest and lightest, and also gave the best picture.

Not the highest tech solution, but it works really well (and it is only $80 at Best Buy). Obviously it would only work for tripod shots, if you are doing run-n-gun shooting this wouldn't be an option.

Another thought; even if you do decide to get a larger LCD for an on-camera monitor, it might be useful to have this 13" CRT in your kit for quick playback monitoring on-site.

Ben Buie · September 6th, 2004, 12:44 AM

One more note . . . if the monitor you choose doesn't have a 16:9 aspect ratio switch, then you will get a "stretched" look on your monitor when recording.

I assume on a 4:3 monitor that has a "16:9" mode, you would not have this problem, although I cannot confirm this.

On playback it will be letterboxed, but for some reason it will not show it letterboxed while recording.

I don't know if it does the same thing through the component or s-video, but it does it through the composite for sure.

Ben Buie · September 6th, 2004, 01:40 AM

Giroud, thanks for that link to the Lilliput 7".

I read the review, almost seems too good to be true. I've never seen physical 800x600 resolution in that small a monitor. Sounds very cool. And less than $300!

Has anyone actually seen this thing in action?

Anyway, thanks again Giroud!

Ben

<<<-- Originally posted by Giroud Francois : the only nice screen i have found is the very professional SONY LMD-650 with a true resolution of 640x480.
http://www.expandore.com/product/Son...tor/LMD650.htm
You can still look at some 7" models that are build for video and PC (o they can offers real good resolution).
like this one http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/lilliput/index.php
and costing only a fraction of the very professional price of sony. -->>>

Steven Fokkinga · September 7th, 2004, 01:03 PM

Hi all,

Does anyone know if and where you can buy this: http://www.lilliput.cn/207.htm
seperately? I've seen tons of the 7" versions around on ebay and other retailers but i can't find the 5" versions...

Thanks a lot.

Ben Buie · September 7th, 2004, 02:27 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Steven Fokkinga : Hi all,

Does anyone know if and where you can buy this: http://www.lilliput.cn/207.htm
seperately? I've seen tons of the 7" versions around on ebay and other retailers but i can't find the 5" versions...

Thanks a lot. -->>>

I'm not sure, but keep in mind the resolution of this display (960x234) is no where near the 7" SVGA version we were talking about earlier (800x600). Also, it is 4:3, which means the 16:9 will appear letterboxed, so your effective resolution will be even lower. So, besides gaining 2", you also get over 2x the resolution with the 7".

In other words, the model you are talking about will be roughly equivalent to the built-in LCD on the HD10, whereas the 7" LCD mentioned earlier would be a huge step up. For focus, the resolution is very important.

Giroud Francois · September 7th, 2004, 04:23 PM

I just order one few days ago, i will keep you posted.
I already got several 7 low res screen and i should say that despite an uggly picture, i still have a good use for them.
(one mounted on my glidecam, allowing to keep the subject correctly framed, no need for hires or even good colors) and the second one for monitoring what is going in and out from my D-VHS while transferring from or to the PC.
I will probably use this later one for focusing my HD1 and using it as light prompter connected to a laptop or even a cheap pocket pc with VGA interface. (that makes a pretty cheap prompter.)
I use home-made refurbished li-ion cells taken from old laptop (usually 8 elements of 3.6V 1800mA) soldered together to build a 14.4V power supply regulated with a low-drop regulator chip that gives me a steady 12V for about 40-60 minutes.

September 4th, 2004, 09:01 AM	#1
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	LCD monitor - options? It can be a struggle to focus accurately with the HD1's viewfinder and/or LCD screen, but I'm worried about losing portability if I try to lug around a CRT monitor when I'm filming single-handed. Does anyone have any experiences/recommendations regarding using an external LCD monitor for focusing - preferably one small enough that it could be clipped to a tripod or monopod, to that it and the camera can be carried as a single unit?

September 6th, 2004, 12:39 AM	#3
Ben Buie Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	I know this is not exactly what you were looking for, but just my 2 cents . . . We have found that when shooting with the HD10 an accurate depiction of the actual look and color of the scene is very important. In other words, you want to see what it will look like on an actual TV. The main reason for this is that the HD10 is not near as forgiving in low light (as say a PD150), and you can come away with material that looks great on an LCD but ends up looking terrible on a TV. LCD's (even the 7" ones) tend to give very innacurate pictures, especially when even slightly off axis. Anyway, we use a Toshiba 13" CRT. It is the smallest 13" CRT we could find, and has been great for a field monitor. True, it doesn't have the resolution of a pro monitor or even those LCD's, but it provides us with a very accurate depiction of what the picture will look like on our production monitor when we get back to the studio. There are other similar monitors, but again the Toshiba was the smallest and lightest, and also gave the best picture. Not the highest tech solution, but it works really well (and it is only $80 at Best Buy). Obviously it would only work for tripod shots, if you are doing run-n-gun shooting this wouldn't be an option. Another thought; even if you do decide to get a larger LCD for an on-camera monitor, it might be useful to have this 13" CRT in your kit for quick playback monitoring on-site. __________________ Ben Buie, Producer "On Our Way Up" - Shot Completely in HDV http://www.onourwayup.com HD Articles and Reviews at HDSource! http://hdsource.highlydef.com

September 6th, 2004, 12:44 AM	#4
Ben Buie Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	One more note . . . if the monitor you choose doesn't have a 16:9 aspect ratio switch, then you will get a "stretched" look on your monitor when recording. I assume on a 4:3 monitor that has a "16:9" mode, you would not have this problem, although I cannot confirm this. On playback it will be letterboxed, but for some reason it will not show it letterboxed while recording. I don't know if it does the same thing through the component or s-video, but it does it through the composite for sure. __________________ Ben Buie, Producer "On Our Way Up" - Shot Completely in HDV http://www.onourwayup.com HD Articles and Reviews at HDSource! http://hdsource.highlydef.com

September 6th, 2004, 01:40 AM	#5
Ben Buie Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	Giroud, thanks for that link to the Lilliput 7". I read the review, almost seems too good to be true. I've never seen physical 800x600 resolution in that small a monitor. Sounds very cool. And less than $300! Has anyone actually seen this thing in action? Anyway, thanks again Giroud! Ben <<<-- Originally posted by Giroud Francois : the only nice screen i have found is the very professional SONY LMD-650 with a true resolution of 640x480. http://www.expandore.com/product/Son...tor/LMD650.htm You can still look at some 7" models that are build for video and PC (o they can offers real good resolution). like this one http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/lilliput/index.php and costing only a fraction of the very professional price of sony. -->>> __________________ Ben Buie, Producer "On Our Way Up" - Shot Completely in HDV http://www.onourwayup.com HD Articles and Reviews at HDSource! http://hdsource.highlydef.com

September 7th, 2004, 01:03 PM	#6
Steven Fokkinga Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 204	5" lilliput lcd Hi all, Does anyone know if and where you can buy this: http://www.lilliput.cn/207.htm seperately? I've seen tons of the 7" versions around on ebay and other retailers but i can't find the 5" versions... Thanks a lot.

September 4th, 2004, 05:46 PM	#2
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	the only nice screen i have found is the very professional SONY LMD-650 with a true resolution of 640x480. http://www.expandore.com/product/Son...tor/LMD650.htm You can still look at some 7" models that are build for video and PC (o they can offers real good resolution). like this one http://www.bigbruin.com/reviews/lilliput/index.php and costing only a fraction of the very professional price of sony.

September 7th, 2004, 02:27 PM	#7
Ben Buie Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	Re: 5" lilliput lcd <<<-- Originally posted by Steven Fokkinga : Hi all, Does anyone know if and where you can buy this: http://www.lilliput.cn/207.htm seperately? I've seen tons of the 7" versions around on ebay and other retailers but i can't find the 5" versions... Thanks a lot. -->>> I'm not sure, but keep in mind the resolution of this display (960x234) is no where near the 7" SVGA version we were talking about earlier (800x600). Also, it is 4:3, which means the 16:9 will appear letterboxed, so your effective resolution will be even lower. So, besides gaining 2", you also get over 2x the resolution with the 7". In other words, the model you are talking about will be roughly equivalent to the built-in LCD on the HD10, whereas the 7" LCD mentioned earlier would be a huge step up. For focus, the resolution is very important. __________________ Ben Buie, Producer "On Our Way Up" - Shot Completely in HDV http://www.onourwayup.com HD Articles and Reviews at HDSource! http://hdsource.highlydef.com

September 7th, 2004, 04:23 PM	#8
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	I just order one few days ago, i will keep you posted. I already got several 7 low res screen and i should say that despite an uggly picture, i still have a good use for them. (one mounted on my glidecam, allowing to keep the subject correctly framed, no need for hires or even good colors) and the second one for monitoring what is going in and out from my D-VHS while transferring from or to the PC. I will probably use this later one for focusing my HD1 and using it as light prompter connected to a laptop or even a cheap pocket pc with VGA interface. (that makes a pretty cheap prompter.) I use home-made refurbished li-ion cells taken from old laptop (usually 8 elements of 3.6V 1800mA) soldered together to build a 14.4V power supply regulated with a low-drop regulator chip that gives me a steady 12V for about 40-60 minutes.