2 low cost HD field monitors

[Gints Klimanis]

manhattanlcd provides an A/C adapter power supply with plug and a separate plug+unterminated wire for those needing a connection to a battery. So, they're done their job. The Tekkeon kit provides a number of plugs (all of which connect to the same generic Tekkeon plug) for connection to their battery. The trouble in this case is that the closest fit isn't close enough, and the Tekkeon battery-to-device cable is on the short side for my use. I hope that's clear. My plan is to cutoff the Tekkeon generic plug end and splice in that provided by manhattanlcd.

[Matt Mullins]

Quite clear Gints, thanks for the explanation.

[Eugene Kim]

Is there an underscan function? I've always felt this to be a pretty critical feature for monitoring in the field.

[M. Paul El-Darwish]

I've been building a couple of these kits from Manhattan LCD . Just finished the 7.2" Sharp with Pixelworks display controller. It does map 1:1. The Pixelworks board is the one to get, allows for full color control (H,S,B) too.
Here's my work on the 10.9" kit
Imago Metrics:Toshiba 10.9" DIY Enclosure
The MST board is much more basic and neither allows 1:1 mapping or color control/

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by M. Paul El-Darwish

I've been building a couple of these kits from Manhattan LCD . Just finished the 7.2" Sharp with Pixelworks display controller. It does map 1:1. The Pixelworks board is the one to get, allows for full color control (H,S,B) too.
Here's my work on the 10.9" kit
Imago Metrics:Toshiba 10.9" DIY Enclosure
The MST board is much more basic and neither allows 1:1 mapping or color control/

I have the Manhattan LCD HD monitor product. How do I tell which board I have? Great review and DIY tutorial. Very impressive work.

[Michael Ray]

Originally Posted by Shawn Kessler

Wow just what i'm looking for guy's, here the question I have is there a tap wire so I can plug in to my anton bauer brick? and is the 1to1 ratio in all modes.

shawn

caution on the AB bricks ... most bricks fully charged are actually more than 12v ... unless the monitor is rated for a range up to, say 15v, a fully charged brick could cause troubles or failures.

[M. Paul El-Darwish]

Thanks for the recognition.
Oh gosh! Turn them on. The MST board does not allow color calibration- just some simple color presets. The Pixelworks display just rocks! You can color calibrate RGB, HSB and Contrast and save them as a custom preset, to match BROADCAST standards!!! This is key in accurate monitoring of your video, something Directors appreciate.
The Pixelworks board also has 2 sets of inputs- HDMI & Component, for PIP display. Nice in a two camera situation! In fact a Director would benefit from such a board in field shoots.

Originally Posted by Gints Klimanis

I have the Manhattan LCD HD monitor product. How do I tell which board I have? Great review and DIY tutorial. Very impressive work.

[Andrew Dean]

I had assumed the manhattanlcd and smallhd both used the mst controller based on the configuration (and tuner).

It sounds like Gints is happy, so he probably wouldnt mess with it, but the mst board has a hidden menu which allows you to adjust rgb, as well as a bunch of stuff that you'd probably be better off not adjusting. If you type "2008" into the remote, it supposedly shows you the hidden menu.

If you try this and it works and the menu is useful at all, let us know.

cheers,
-a

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by Andrew Dean

... but the mst board has a hidden menu which allows you to adjust rgb, as well as a bunch of stuff that you'd probably be better off not adjusting. If you type "2008" into the remote, it supposedly shows you the hidden menu.

I tried the hidden menu with the "2008" sequence, and it works. There are some RGB settings [0..127] for each component in a Color Temperature menu.

My troubles with the Tekkeon connector are over. There was another plug (yellow band, others have a black band) that fit better than the black-banded one. Initially, I just rifled through the connectors and took the first that fit.

There are some scaling options that show up when the input is 480i but not 1080i. Since my warranty is voided if I break the seals, I'd prefer not to open the manhattanlcd. Would any of your DIYers know the model#? I'd like to download a manual somewhere. The manhattanlcd package did not include a manual, and I haven't received a reply to this question from tech support.

I used this monitor for a couple of hours yesterday. There seems to be a significant red color shift, which is typical for LCD panels. I attached the monitor using a sturdy Delvcam swivel mount and the camcorder handle clamp from the GlideCam LowMode FX kit. It was great to swivel the LCD forward while the operator (my brother) used the monitor facing backward. Still, such a tall monitor will wiggle on the mounting screw. I think two mount points are needed. Where would I begin to look for such a u-shaped clamp? What is that category called?

Focusing was much easier on this monitor than on Sony EX1's viewfinder or LCD, but I still found myself relying on the blue-colored "peaking" function. After reviewing my footage on a big TV, I was happy with the focusing. Still, it is guesswork while shooting. The Expanded View mode would really help by saving the trouble to zoom in, focus, then zoom out and pray that the camera is truly zoom-through.

Here are a few features I'd like to see from camcorder makes:
1) Peaking function that works regardless of signal level. If your sharpes edges are not at maximum brightness, they don't register as well or as all.
2) Picture-in-Picture. Large picture would be ExpandedView mode while small corner picture would full view. Either that or programmable video routing of either view to LCD and/or video output.
3) Pannable ExpandedView mode.

I'm still thinking that a 720p or 1080i 15" monitor is what you need, though that isn't a mobile solution.

[Tim Polster]

Thanks for posting the information about the "secret" menu for the RGB adjustments.

This really helped dial in the color on the SmallHD monitor.

[M. Paul El-Darwish]

Originally Posted by Gints Klimanis

I tried the hidden menu with the "2008" sequence, and it works.

Please tell us more. what buttons did you punch and in which sequence? What menus showed up on screen and when?
Thanks!

[Bill Busby]

post #38 above

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by M. Paul El-Darwish

Please tell us more. what buttons did you punch and in which sequence? What menus showed up on screen and when?
Thanks!

I pressed "2008" on the remote to get the "secret" menu as Andrew suggested. Pardon the heavy JPG artifacting due to major compression. Just grab the larger DSC_XXXX files for the real picture, though the moire was inevitable.

All ScreenShots here:
Index of /Images/Gear/ManhattanLCD_HD109A

Main menu:


Secret menu (press "2008" on remote control):

[Andrew Dean]

Glad this thread has been useful to people.

Gints & Tim,

I'm torn between buying a manhattan monitor, waiting for smallhd's next offering and buying a 1000nit xenarc then worrying later about focus/resolution.

Either of you have any anecdotal info about either monitor outside? I think i may need to lean more towards outside viewability than rez/color, at least for the advantajib. .

cheers,
-a

[Martin Mayer]

deleted - posted in error