what little portable unit do I need for in-the-field hd display playback?
 

I apologize if I'm not phrasing this question properly. But here's what I want to do (I'm sure it's been done before a hundred times before, but not by me): I want to get a few shots of my subject, on location, with my EX-1. I will then want to do a very basic edit (hotel room, at night) and the next day, get a shot of my subject holding an hd flat-screen display (that I'll bring with me on this shoot) on which I'll play the 15-second clip that I've edited.
The display has HDMI input, so I whatever piece of hardware I get to play this clip needs to have HDMI out.
Can anyone recommend the right piece of hardware for this? Ideally it will be something very portable. Ideally, battery-powered, but if that's out of the question, I could compromise and make sure to shoot these things near AC.
Thanks for any suggestions,
Malcolm

I would use a laptop.

A laptop like a MacBook Pro.

And then a Matrox MX02 for true video out SDI and HDMI. Just hooking the mini display port to a HDMI cable (I do this to teleprompt or just to play some video for clients) will not give you a true video signal. It would be OK for presentation but not grading in an accurate way.

I say a MBP because that is what I use, and it works. I am sure PC's can do this as well.

I actually have a MacBook Pro, and it never occurred to me to use it, I guess because I don't have an HDMI out (mine's the 2008 model, 2.5GHz). Is there a cable the converts from whatever the MBP has to HDMI?

I'm not sure what model you have but if you have the Unibody MBP then you'll need DisplayPort to HDMI:
Cables To Go - Video / audio adapter - Male Apple mini-DisplayPort to F 19 pin HDMI Type A

If you have the older model then you'll need DVI to HDMI:
Cables Unlimited - Video cable - Male 18 pin digital DVI (Single-Link) to M 19 pin HDMI Type A

works great with the cable. Mine's a DVI to HDMI and I run it to a 32" Sony.

O.K., so I've got the older model MBP, and would need the multi-pin DVI-HDMI cable. Thank you... it's good to know I can do this.
However, I'm going to throw this option into the mix:

Syvio M1 Review - World?s Smallest HDMI V1.3 Pocket Media Player | Create a free blog at itsworthsaying

The appeal of this thing is that it's really tiny (I've never liked the idea of bringing my MBP on location)... I can just keep it in my pocket when not using it.

What do you think?
Malcolm

Once you've edited the video, render to an MP4 or other common file and save it on a thumb drive. Get a Western Digital TV Media Player of other similar device (There are at least a half dozen other companies that make these types of devices). If you need power get a 12V battery or battery power source and if it doesn't have a built in inverter you'll need a separate inverter.

The WD TV costs about $100 and has an HDMI out.

Garrett

Thanks Garrett - - that WD unit looks good. The Syvio I mentioned is nice and small, but I don't think it's out yet... so I'm going to go with the WD.
Regards, Malcolm

Would Garrett or someone else be able to tell me something?
I went into a Best Buy today to get the WD Media Player, and when the salesman heard what I was doing with it he talked me into getting a Sony PSP, which he said would be just as good, and even better, because it can run on battery power.
I told him I'd test it out and simply return it if I'm not happy with it, and he said fine.
I've not yet, in fact, been able to test it, because he sold me the wrong kind of cable to connect the PSP to the LED display (every different model of PSP has a different connection type, I think, and he simply chose the wrong one).
I did manage to load an mp4 movie onto the PSP, at least, but once again, the PSP requires a specific type of mp4. Luckily I have Episode to encode with, and it has pre-made encoding templates for everything, including the PSP. But I noticed the size of the file it creates for the PSP is 480x272.
So now I'm thinking the PSP is absolutely not the right piece of hardware. Is this the case? I like the fact that it's battery powered, and small, but if it can't send a good HD movie file to the display, it's no good.

Anyone care to comment? Shall I return the PSP and get the WD Media Player?
thanks, Malcolm

The salesman clearly needed to shift some PSP's. And these shops wonder why they lose so much custom to online stores!

The PSP's maximum resolution is 720x480, and it can only display that resolution via an external display. The resolution of the internal LCD is far lower than that.

The PSP is abit of a lame duck anyway, but I'd take it back and get the WD Media Player. It'll do HD and will support a wide variety of formats.

Thanks Marcus. I'll return the PSP.
Malcolm