Lilliput LCD report
 

I know a number of us have been wondering about the higher resolution LCD screens from Lilliput as inexpensive field monitors.

I finally took a chance and purchased one and wanted to give my initial report.

I purchased model 619GL-70NP/C (without the touchscreen) from ex-audio.com. This is a 7" LCD monitor with 800x480 native resolution. It takes composite video as well as VGA. It cost me $248 total and the transaction and delivery went without a hitch.

I rigged up a simple battery rig with 8 AA batteries to attach to the mount in the back of the monitor. I also added a light stand adapter to the bottom of the monitor mount and I was in business. This arrangement is temporary. Once I test it some more I will build a custom protective case with power that also acts as a sunshade.

I am currently using it with a GL-2 with the Century 16:9 adapter. So this is a standard def widescreen only assessment. I dont know how it will fair with HD.

In general I am very satisfied. The unit is decently constructed--all plastic, but nothing shoddy. The screen arrived in very good shape with no dead or stuck pixels.

I get the full raster of the imager so I can avoid framing problems such as the slight vignetting the 16:9 lens creates in full wide. This and the 16:9 format alone are huge improvements over the GL-2 flip out screen.

The 800x400 resolution is pretty much full rez in DV widescreen so the monitor is excellent for focusing SD video. The 7" size (vs. 2.5" for the flip out) is also a big help in focusing. It really is sharp enough to see all the flaws in the lens :(

The one area that is a problem is color rendition. The monitor gives colors a muted cast and does not show reds well--they come out more brownish. The controls are typical for a TV--brightness, contrast, hue, saturation. I have adjusted these using the camera's color bars. Brightness and contrast work out fine but the color will never be right. I think it may be because this was primarily designed as a VGA monitor rather than a TV screen and they went for resolution over accurate color.

Of course the viewing angle for this screen needs to be straight on. It is not terribly bright but satisfactory for a LCD--will definitely need to be well shaded outside.

I've only used this thing for an hour but I think it will be a huge help in framing and focusing, very handy to put beside my flip out with the flip out displaying all the camera data and the monitor just the image, and convienent to turn around while setting lights or to show and actor.

More later after more extensive experience.......

Bill, I don't know how this escaped attention for so long, but thanks for this review. Much appreciated,

if you do not need it, remove the touch screen , it is a lot better.

In response to Giroud I should note that you can order it without a touchscreen in the first place, which is what I did.

I recently mounted on my Gl-2 with the battery pack I made. It's pretty front heavy that way--tripod use only--but it keeps everything in one package.

Also I will be posting my review of the Xenarc 800YV 8" monitor used with an FX1 as a comparison, as it is at the same price point (about $80 more). I was considering either that or the Lilliput, and after hearing some horror stories of Lilliput being on the soft side, I decided to take a chance. It's good to hear Lilliput has a useable option for us camera people after all.

Bill, it's been few weeks now You got to use it. Is there something You can add now?

I plan to use it with my jib. My first cocerne was that they got only 12 month warranty. I had a look also on some denver cheap models, but they didn't have flip option and i think they were 5" 4:3. But in other hand 2 years local warranty.

I have only used it lightly so far. My next big shoot will be in mid June. However it has worked fine in about 3 hours of use-no problems to report

I have not been counting on any warranty service. This thing was shipped directly from Hong Kong. Who knows what is on the other end.

It was the only full rez SD (800x480 native) 16:9 screen I could find & afford. Compared to what mainstream video vendors are asking for the same rez I consider it rather disposable in the long run.

I contacted the company in china and get the following information for the model ENY701-NP/C (seems it is a new one)
http://www.ecplaza.net/tradeleads/se...d_monitor.html

the price per unit is 166$ (sample price) and goes to 146$ (min order 50 items) in quantity.
you need to add shipment (china is not too expensive).
Since at this price we can consider it as "disposable" , warranty is not a problem.

I am building a marshall like setup. Lillput 800x600 screen, and a downconverter from HD 1280x720 to 800x600 both run off 12v this way i will get a good high res focus screen for hvx..if it does not letterbox I could be in trouble...not sure how it's going to handle the 1280x720 to 800x600, I hope it will just have black bars top/bottom

the unit ....
 

This unit seems interesting but it doesn't seem to flip the image.

i spent some time to find something for myself and i made conclusion that it's very rare that such displays do not have flip feature. Sometimes they forget even in usersmanual to mention it. But it's there. I found actually only one from local store, can't remember it's name but it was under $150.

Some final notes about the Lilliput 619GL-70NP/C now that I have used it in the production of a short.

First, it does not have a flip function. However mounting it upside down would take only a minute and perhaps fabrication of a small C bracket. Not a big deal if I should ever need it.

I used the monitor on camera and on a stand for a SD miniDV project. It worked well, providing accurate framing and focus and a second monitor for others to view. It washes out colors, but I was shooting in B&W in this case so that didnt matter.

I found it akward mounted on my camera with the AA battery pack I made attached to the back. Just too big and heavy for that camera, making good pans/tilts difficult. Yet it was a bit limiting at times to stick it on a stand also, especially in small rooms. So unlike my plan, I did not use it all the time--probably 50% of the time.

The temporary battery pack I made--simply 8 AAs in holders bolted to the back--worked but with limited run time. I got about 2 hours continuous use. Usable but not very conveinent with a typical shooting session is 3-4 hours.

So still happy with this monitor for SD production. I will need to come up with a different power configuation. If I were to use it on this camera again, I would think about having the monitor on the camera shoe and hanging the battery pack from the tripod.

In a few months I am switching over to a HDV camera so we will see how the monitor holds up in that environment.

Bill, thanks a lot for your hands-on review. Since reading your detailed feedback I am looking into the Lilliput myself for image flipping use with 35mm adaptors.

I know that some of the screens do automatically flip when you put them upside down, turning the image upright again. Next time you play with the screen, could you give it a brief test to see whether this one has got the annoying autoflip as well (as it would render it unusable for adaptor users like me). Lets hope the best.

I just pulled it out an checked. The image definitely does not auto flip back to normal when the unit is upside down. Of course all the camera readouts are upside down and left/right are reversed.

Bill ...
 

when you bought the monitor from Lilliput on EC Plaza how did you pay for it? In the quote to me, they said payment was T/T and I assume that means telex transfer? Also, how was the shipping done? I've got a $70 quote on shipping that sounds a bit over the top?