New NAB monitors?
 

Has anyone seen any new Video assist monitor news/releases at NAB? Especially something for HD work.

Is it just me or is there no product out there that really seems to fit that price/quality/function sweet spot?

Hate to say this, but, it might be you. There's just a million possibilities for HD viewing when it comes to LCD screens. If you look at what TV sales are like, these days, you will notice that LCD and plasma screen set-tops are what's selling. So, realistically, isn't an LCD screen representative of what people are watching content on?

Sorry, I didn't really specify enough what I was refering to.

I realize there are tons of HD monitors out there, my concern is more with a camera mounted capable LCD such as a Marshall or the Swit. I've just read a lot of mixed feedback on these and feel like there could be a better option, but aside from something like a $3kish panasonic monitor, these seem to be the only two ways to go without having to frankenstein something together.

I was keeping my eyes open for one of these also, and here's a brief review of what I found. Click on the attached thumbnails for higher res photos which will give you some rough idea of the screens' resolution.

Here are my very subjective comments, to be taken with your chosen sized grain of salt. It was hard to be scientific in comparing these monitors on the show floor since they were being fed a variety of signals.

ikan V8000HD:
I suppose if I needed a little monitor today, this would be my choice. ikan makes a variety of little screens, but this is the only one with component inputs. 480x800 resolution. Also compatible with L-series batteries (I assume this means Sony InfoLithium L series, although the literature isn't specific and you couldn't see the back of the demo model). I thought the image looked very nice.

Delvcam 7":
Had a nice bright image, but only composite input which looked very soft. This one wouldn't interest me.

Nebtek Daydream-HD:
This was a nice looking little monitor with component input and full controls, 480x800 resolution. (I think it's actually a Marshall screen?) Accepts a variety of batteries. They also have the "Sunshine Daydream-HD" which is similar but brighter. I liked this one a lot too. It was hooked up to a Z1, and when I looked closer I was a bit dismayed however. Although the screen is big, bright and looks great, quite honestly I don't know that it would make focusing any easier than the built-in LCD screen. I kept looking back and forth between the camera LCD and the Nebtek and I just couldn't see any more detail on the Nebtek than I could on the camera. That sort of discouraged me in my search since this was certainly one of the nicest screens I saw. Your mileage may vary...

Transvideo 6.5" Rainbow 2:
This one was OK, but definitely less sharp than the Nebtek and ikan (234x400). Only has composite input so I wouldn't want it for HD. Minor nitpick: if you want to show off your widescreen monitor to pro's, you should send it real anamorphic video instead of a letterboxed DVD stretched out of proportion... :-)

Transvideo 5.8":
Ditto for above, also 234x400 composite only. They had other models but they were all 4:3 native.

Varizoom SWIT:
Looked well made and had a nice bright image with component inputs. But it also looked rather soft. Their specs say 1440x234, but I really think that translates into 480x234 (divide by 3 to combine the RGB pixels). I don't think I would be happy with this since it's not very different from the LCD panel on my Z1.

Panasonic BT-LH80W (not shown):
Saving the best for last :-) This was a really nice looking small screen with all the pro features, including waveform monitor and grid. Interestingly, the resolution (450x800) is about the same as the ikan and Nebtek, but it looked nicer. However it was shown in optimal conditions, inside a darkened area and was being fed some very nice looking video. But perhaps it has a better quality scaler also? The image seemed to rival their much larger LCD monitors. But at $2,700 I don't know if it would be worth the $2,000 difference from the ikan and it uses Anton Bauer batteries. More info here: http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp...Model=BT-LH80W

So in summary, I think the ikan would probably be my choice at the moment, based on what I saw. Regular price is $800, NAB price was $750. Being able to use my Sony batteries would be a big plus for me, and the resolution seems to be on par with all the other affordable small screens.

I also saw a few very high end small LCD's which looked fantastic, but I didn't even bother to get the details because I'm sure they were WAY beyond what I could afford.

I'd also be interested in everyone else's impressions and experiences.

One other company I forgot to mention, Astro Design. I don't see the resolution listed on their site, but this looked like a nice screen (and also looked expensive :-)

http://www.astrodesign.co.jp/english...3&code=DM-3011

Looking at the Ikan, one wonders if the 300 bucks is worth the extra 50 in contrast ratio between the V7000 and the V8000hd. I suppose it would be. Either way, I didn't know little flats had gotten this cheap in price.

The V7000 is a whole different ballgame... the specs don't indicate the inputs, but I looked at all their models and the V8000HD is the only one that had component. Since the 7000 specs indicate an "AV cable," I'm sure this screen only has composite input, which really isn't going to be acceptable for HD monitoring. The V7000 also only has a power brick, with an adaptor for AA batteries as an accessory. And the resolution is only 234x480. The price is also $450 less than the V8000HD, not $300.

Are you perhaps thinking of the V8000W instead? It's $300 less than the V8000HD. Again, no component input, just VGA and composite.

More info on these here:

http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monitors/v7000/index.htm
http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monitors/v8000w/index.htm
http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monito...00hd/index.htm

Thanks for the excellent information and clarification Boyd. You always provide good stuff.

The more I think about this, there are a few other factors which might influence my decision. Ikan doesn't have the full manual online yet for the V8000HD since it's a new product. But I'm guessing that it doesn't have an underscan mode or a blue only mode. Those features, which I would like, might justify the higher price for the Nebtek...

I have that same monitor (unless they've repackaged it with a different LCD) and specs on the back of mine read 800x480

I found a US site with a bit more info
http://astro-systems.com/

Bill

I talked to the President of Varizoom about their small HD LCD monitor.

He voiced some frustrations with the model and said that they were ready to drop it from their product line. I guess that they have had some bugs with it.

I also looked at the Ikan HD monitor and was impressed with it's quality.

What I want to know is can I get a cable to run it off the power tap on my IDX battery?

The Ikan people said that it would be shipping in a couple of weeks.

Dan Weber

Another model to look at (in the $2500.00 range) is the ERG-Ventures HDM-EV85. http://www.erg-ventures.com/products/85/index.htm

I own one (for use with the Redrock Micro M2) and I love it. I had tried the Marshall, and was not satisfied (due to the way the overscan worked, plus no flip/rotate feature, and over all picture quality).

The EV-85 also has a built-in line generator for different aspect ratios as well.

This seems to be a little know unit, but worth the cost when monitoring HD material.

Todd

Just looked on their site and you're correct - sorry!

http://www.varizoom.com/products/mon...BC_BJ_BSM.html

Odd - I took those specs from a printed brochure I got at NAB, but I don't have it here at home. So maybe I was looking at the wrong monitor or just misread the specs, will have to check tomorrow.

Thanks for pointing that out!

Thanks for all the input and pics Boyd, very helpful indeed.

Do you know if any of those monitors have a flip function (I need one for my RedRock M2). I know the swit does but if they say they are going to perhaps drop it, it really makes me not want to buy one.

I'm leaning towards the Ikan right now. There is just something that seems off about paying over $1k for a 800x480 LCD. A 1280 x 1024 computer monitor can easily be found for $150, I'm sure there's market demand and science things that all contribute to this, I guess I just don't understand ;)

That ERG has nice specs.