jib monitor stream of thoughts

[Andrew Dean]

So i've explored every option out there for what I consider a reasonable price and the choice comes down to super bright or high rez.. Nothing has both.

My initial leanings was to super bright. But the more i think about it, a a high rez monitor would prove useful on every shoot, and could be made to work on the jibib.

So, i've tracked down two last monitors, and I think i've made a decision.

The first is the HD monitor from manhattanlcd.com. It has the mst ccontroller board in it, so it has composite, s-video, vga, component (sd and hd) and an hdmc compatible hdmi port! The monitor is a whopping 1366x768 and can display a full rez 720p image. golly!

The monitor is only 250 nits, which is abuout the same as a nice laptop. On the other hand, the monitor is a mere $559. wow. Its an ABS case and weighs only 1.5lbs.

The second monitor i'm considering is the XII from smallhd.com. They have a new version coming out on september 15th, so i look forward to seeing what that brings. As it stands, the monitor is 1280x768, and since it uses the same controller board as manhattanlcd, it has the same ports and menu, but there are a few things that differentiate the two. 1. the XII has a number of mounting points including some on the back to hold a tekkeon battery. 2. the XII comes with a clever sunshade solution. (bit unweildy, but it seems to work.) and 3. the XII is an aluminum case and weighs 2.5lbs. 4. the XII is only $450!

While the XII is a 12" monitor and the manhattalnLCD is 10.9", the XII is actually smaller overall, due to a much smaller, tighter case. Interesting.

$450 for a FULL 720P HD monitor. zoinks!

Both monitors are shipping on the 15th, so we'll hear reviews soon enough. (i tried preordering an XII but fthey wont take preorders. doh)

Anyways, thought you might wanna hear about these two. cheers!