HD monitor for FX1

[Carlos E. Martinez]

<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Tiffee : I don't see the advantage of using a HD field monitor. First of all, I wouldn't trust anything other than a CRT to use for quality monitoring. A HD CRT is heavy - 40-50lbs for a small one and I don't want to lug that around. The only real field monitor I know about that is portable/battery powered and HD capable is only 450 lines of resolution and costs $5000 and is only like 9". I would much rather have a nice 13" SD monitor with 16:9. And save the HD monitor for post. -->>>

Agreed on both questions. CRTs are better, but are also heavy and drain a lot of battery power, so you also have to carry batteries around. Carrying a car battery around on a common baggage carriage may provide power for camera and monitor on many situations.

The HD capable monitor you refer to is the Pana BT-LH900? It's really very expensive ($ 5,599.95 from B&H).

Options we have are the Pana TC-7WMS1 (no underscan or blue-only; but affordable and has 16:9) and some Boland monitors (they seem to be interesting for field use and reasonably priced).

What's the 13" SD you were thinking of?


Carlos

[Dave Elston]

Guys,

I have had a reply from the German suppliers of the 'Spatz' YUV-to-RGB(VGA) converter (see previous post above)...

Good news if you're on a tight budget ...

(quote from email reply)...

"Just to confirm - this will allow me to display a YUV 1080i signal (from Sony FX1) on a high-res PC CRT monitor (eg; Samsung 957P) with good results?

-yep,very good

I need to be sure it will work - has this been tested on any particular models of PC crt monitors ? Any recommendations ?
(as I have not bought the CRT monitor yet !)

- Will work with any PC monitor as the scan frequency is quite low"


I think I may take one of these little gizmos and have me a low-cost native 1080i CRT (probably 19") for close-field editing preview and colour-correction...this could also work for locations where a PC monitor is nearby (they're lighter than most HDTVs atleast) !

US folks can probably use the Key Designs device as it looks near-identical (all links are in above post).

seeya.. (time to do some shopping!)

[Jeff Kilgroe]

<<<-- Originally posted by Dave Elston : Jeff,

Did you have a chance yet to test your Samsung LCD (243T) with the FX1 ? -->>>

Well, I haven't got my hands on an FX1 yet as I'm not really interested in buying anything just yet. However, I did attempt to connect the 243T to an HD set-top box with component output running at 1080i (Samsung SIRTS160). And it did not work... The monitor doesn't support the proper sync for component input and lacks R and B color info. So we need a component to RGBHV or component to VGA converter. A really good one is available from RAM Electronics (www.ramelectronics.net) for a couple hundred $. That would still make this LCD or other similar LCDs a viable option I would think. I have one of the Audio-Authority component to VGA converters and I tried that with the 243T and it works great. However, the Audio-Authority one only supports 480i/480p, but it worked at 480p out of both a Toshiba progressive DVD player and that Samsung HDTV receiver.

The Key Digital converter from Ram Electronics plus the 243T LCD can be had together for about $1900 if you do some shopping around. Not bad for a 24" display that can support the full 1920x1080 resolution. One issue I did run across is the control for the image scaling can't be set manually, but only in software via the monitor driver. What this means is that when you plug the display into a source other than a DVI connection that can send instructions to the monitor, it will scale the image vertically to fill all 1200 lines rather than letterboxing it at the exact 1920x1080. So in that respect, this isn't the best monitor choice.

IMO, for a field monitor, I think the best choice would be a 13" to 17" LCD TV with component input. You will sacrifice the full resolution, but it's still far superior to the viewfinder or flip-out LCD on the camera. In studio or on locations where you can wheel a monitor around on a cart, then the best bet is a CRT either a nice consumer model ($750 to $950 for a 30" 16:9) or if the budget allows, try a studio grade monitor. However, for a consumer camera I would have a hard time justifying a full studio monitor at studio prices.

[Dave Elston]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the reply and useful insight.

Here in the UK, options are still VERY limited for HDTVs :0(
I have done some more research today and have found a dealer in Germany that can supply a YUV-to-RGBHV converter (at 1080i)- I believe it is the same as the Key Digital device you mentioned.

I have now ordered this and a reasonable quality (& very cheap)
19" Viewsonic CRT PC monitor. This is only 4:3 but I am willing to live with either a 'stretched' or 'letterboxed' image, as long as ALL pixels are there! The main purpose is to give me a true 1080i viewport while editing / previewing, etc...

Total cost is...
£285 (Converter)
+ £165 (19"CRT)

£450 !!

I hope it will work - but I have been given the option to return the converter if it doesn't. Then my next option would be a 1920 native LCD (eg, HP L2335) ...that's nearer £1500 though ! :0(

I think it will be a good 6-12 months (atleast) before the HD consumer choice improves here in the UK (ie, low-cost CRT HDTVs)

Thanks again,
Dave.