HD Monitor for 500

[Ed Waters]

I recently got the 500 and I'm trying to decide on a HD monitor. The choices seem limited and expensive. I have not found reviews for any of them.
Any feedback on the Panaasonic 900 or 80 HD LCD's?
Why are the 8 inch HD's less then the 17 inch models?

Are the Marshalls any good?

Seems to me if you shoot HD you need to monitor HD. Where are the choices?

Thanks,

Ed Waters

[Barry_Green]

Do you want an on-camera monitor? If so, the Panasonic 8" is the top dog out there. Great picture, yes, but it also has other features that are killer: it has a built-in waveform monitor, and it has a pixel-for-pixel extraction for pixel-accurate monitoring, and it has the focus-in-red feature for extreme precise focusing. Paired with an HPX500 it makes a good match because the 500 has a DC OUT jack that can power the monitor, so you don't need a separate battery on the monitor.

I've used the Marshall a lot, I think the Panasonic leaves it in the weeds. It's a lot more expensive though; I think MSRP is around $2700 and street price is around $2100.

[Arrik]

Has the btlh80w been released? I know it was scheduled to be available already, but every retailer i've checked did not have any in stock. B&H says accepting orders. Maybe panny is just delayed with the release or not fulfilling enough quantity? Sounds vaguely familiar :)

Any info would be appreciated.

[Barry_Green]

I thought it was out... I've only used it at shows, but yeah, B&H just says "accepting orders".

[metrospace]

The lh80 was released in June. The first shipment came here from japan then, and was quickly gone. the next shipment is supposed to arrive (via boat) end of July. These are supposed to go fast as well. Next shipment in August. At least this is what the Panny rep told me at the beginning of June. And I know that the NJ warehouse had some end of June, but didn't last long, because of all the "orders accepted".

[Ed Waters]

Do you want an on-camera monitor? If so, the Panasonic 8" is the top dog out there. Great picture, yes, but it also has other features that are killer: it has a built-in waveform monitor, and it has a pixel-for-pixel extraction for pixel-accurate monitoring, and it has the focus-in-red feature for extreme precise focusing. Paired with an HPX500 it makes a good match because the 500 has a DC OUT jack that can power the monitor, so you don't need a separate battery on the monitor.

I've used the Marshall a lot, I think the Panasonic leaves it in the weeds. It's a lot more expensive though; I think MSRP is around $2700 and street price is around $2100.
Thanks for your reply Barry,
I met you at the Panasonic Demo at Lerro Corp back in May. I ended up getting a 500 in July. I also got the dual adapter you recommended but my MAc pro isn't seeing the device on the desktop. Any suggestions?

I also got the FS-100 which records from camera well, but when I try to transfer the P2 cards the camera doesn't light up the transfer menu. Have you been able to transfer the cards directly to the FS-100?


Thanks for your help,

Ed Waters

[Barry_Green]

I don't use the Duel Adapter or the Mac; I recommend searching here for lots of people's experiences with that combo. Seems like they're getting it to work, depending on what drivers are installed etc.

For the FS-100, you wouldn't want to use it to transfer P2 cards; that's not what it's made for. It could probably do it, but it'd involve formatting the FS-100's drive, and that might mean that it wouldn't function as a live recorder anymore.

[raphavf]

The BT-LH80W is in stock in the B&H right now.

[keep it moving Jay]

some one help me out with the math

btlh80w

is 800x450pixels

how is this HD? shooting 720p, sometimes 1080

plus it's 4:3, guess it will lettterbox?

[Barry_Green]

The BT-LH80W is not 4:3, it's 16:9.

How is it HD? Because you can put it in pixel-for-pixel mode and see an 800x450 extraction of your 720p or 1080p frame. When on a 1080p frame, it's kind of equivalent to looking at 1080p being displayed on a 19" monitor, but you're only seeing 800x450 of it at a time.

You put it on full-frame mode for framing, and you pop it into pixel-to-pixel mode for focusing.

[Arrik]

The BT-LH80W is in stock in the B&H right now.

......hopefully my piggybank will yield $2200 at the local coinstar. :)

[keep it moving Jay]

Got it. thanks. never knew it was an extraction on the actual HD output when in pixel for pixel

now the quesion is could I choose which part of the picture i want extracted on the pixel for pixel mode?

[Barry_Green]

Yes, it lets you choose from something like 5 or 9 positions (like center, upper left, upper right, etc).

[EditingFX]

Has anyone seen the Ikan V-8000HD on-camera monitor firsthand?

[Arrik]

There are a couple of threads with reviews on the Ikan, accompanied with screen grabs. From what I gather, it ain't a Marshall, but it's good for the price.

I didn't know about the pixel for pixel extraction of a portion of the image either. The only thing I wasn't sold on regarding the btlh80w was the 800x450 res. But the pixel for pixel feature is assuring.

B&H is already out of stock.... snooze you lose :(

[ez_dbc]

I'm liking the btlh80w (I've rented it a few times) and I'm thinking about buying it. The rental included some Anton Bauer trimpac batteries and a dual charger. I've priced the batteries at $199 at B+H and a used charger for $375. I have the HVX so I don't believe this camera powers the monitor. Is that correct? Anyone else have a good mobile power solution?

[Barry_Green]

You can power it from any 4-pin XLR connection too. The HVX itself won't power it, but if you had some sort of 12V XLR battery source (like a battery belt for an on-camera light or something) that would work. The AB is the most elegant solution, but a $90 12AH battery belt would probably drive that monitor for a solid 8-hour day. It'd be heavy though; a 12 amp-hour belt weights about 8 pounds.

[soren k jensen]

The 80w has RS-232C/GPI remote control terminals. Does anyone know of a small, (and cheap) remote unit? -I'd like to be able to flip the focus assist function(s) on and off while run and gunning in documentaries.:shocked:

[Sidarth]

Hi guys, Im student trying to devise an HVX camera setup for my film group at GaTech. We have an Redrock M2 35mm adapter that we use and i was wondering if, were we to purchase a BT-LH80W, is there any function in the monitor that would allow me to flip the image?

[smelni]

no it doesnt but it ha mounts on both sides so you can mount it upside down

[TimurCivan]

the 8" panasonic monitor is to DIE for. It is slightly more expensive than the Marshall with nebtek upgrade, but OH SO WORTH the money.....

visually its better, its features are LIFESAVERS. I a counting my pennies for one.

[k2director]

the 8" panasonic monitor is to DIE for. It is slightly more expensive than the Marshall with nebtek upgrade, but OH SO WORTH the money.....

visually its better, its features are LIFESAVERS. I a counting my pennies for one.

Timur,

I've been thinking about the Panasonic 8" as well...I'm just curious, what are the lifesaver features in your mind?

[TimurCivan]

PIxel accurate focus assist over The ENTIRE screen of the 8" monitor. Red peaking, built in Waveform, build quality like a tank takes Anton bauer batteries and can run for HOURS off it, overall awesomeness. not to mention the circuitry represents the image the way it actually looks. its just a small Full on production monitor. Worth every penny in my book.

[coralseatv]

The LH80W does not display every HD mode that the HXP500 is capable of. I think it does not do the 1080p modes. Does anyone know.

I suppose you would have to monitor these modes in the field via the HPX500s downconverted composite video signal.

Thanks

George

[smelni]

that is not true - the hpx500 does not have 1080P modes directly - it records 1080 24P in a 1080i stream with pulldown - since the monitor displays 1080i it can display that mode - this would be the same with any monitor - to display true 1080P you would need to remove the pulldown

[Icarus2005]

I just used that monitor on a shoot to be honest I was dissapointed with th elimited connections on the back for in & out and the image didn't feel worth the extra expense. I own the Marshall, and though I'm not thrilled with either, I just don't see the need for the extra expense in most situations. Granted I also have the 17" with waveform and use it whenever I can.

maybe when the price comes down I'll consider trading up

[Tim Naylor]

What are the connections?

[cocoa_magazin]

I work with a 9'' Monitor (800x480), who costs 250,00 Euro. This thing is perfekt! It works with 12V, 20W. The HPX500 gives 12V/1.5A. Problem is, i didnt know, what output-chack the HPX has! http://www.cocoa.de/news2/2007/09/17/stecker.jpg did anyboldy knows it?

[monkeyking]

Your diagram looks like it is for the lens power zoom/aperture control on the front of the camera. Hirose connection?

[EditingFX]

That's the Hirose 4-pin 12V out on the back of the 500, but I'm not sure what the question is. Note that you're right on the edge with that power... 12V 1.5A = 18W. I'm using the Anton Bauer Powertap for my Marshall LCD, and using the 500 DC output for a wireless reciever. The Powertap goes all the way to 10A.

[Jay Nemeth]

I just used that monitor on a shoot to be honest I was dissapointed with th elimited connections on the back for in & out and the image didn't feel worth the extra expense. I own the Marshall, and though I'm not thrilled with either, I just don't see the need for the extra expense in most situations. Granted I also have the 17" with waveform and use it whenever I can.

maybe when the price comes down I'll consider trading up

There's no comparison between the Marshall and the Panasonic. The Marshall never displays the image correctly, the contrast is never right and it puts blue lines around high contrast edges for no reason. Marshall acknowledges this, and says there's nothing they can do about it. There are no DITs that will even look at the thing. It can only be used for framing.

The new Panasonic 7.9" is truly a reference grade monitor, in as much as an LCD is capable of. I can now run thru setups without having to drag the 17" with me. The client can look at it and see almost exactly what the image will look like. The pixel to pixel focus aid is fantastic, and having the waveform right there saves me from having to look over at the 17". It's one of the most underpriced things Panasonic makes. The Marshall is a gaslight hand puppet show next to the Panny.

[monkeyking]

"The Marshall is a gaslight hand puppet show next to the Panny."

Sprayed my coffee on the laptop reading that one!


Good one.

[Brad Neal]

Has anyone seen the Ikan V-8000HD on-camera monitor firsthand?


So I take it the Ikan is really not an option? Anyone ever try it?

-Brad

[Noel Evans]

Thats a big recommendation Jay. Im leaning toward going to a panasonic.

[Jay Nemeth]

Yea, I got a little colorful when I wrote that. That monitor is a "must have", however.

[cocoa_magazin]

Look at this: iTV 7" Monitor mit VGA. I have them: 800x480 Pix = 160,00 Euro!!! www.itvmedia.de (http://www.itvmedia.de)

[Rob DuBree]

Hi Everyone,

I apologize for not being as active as I have been in months past, but all of my time has been spent perfecting our new HD monitor. It is here, it is available for sale and it is everything we promised it would be. I just shipped the last monitor to all the customers I had on our waiting list, and we are now building monitors for stock. We can now deliver units without fear of long lead times.

I am not putting the monitor up on our website until we have stocked at least 20 units, but right now I am selling as fast as my techs can build. If you need any information or pricing I can be reached at rob@nebtek.com

In the meantime we already have a thread up with almost all the information you need. You can find it here...

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=110926

Please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions... my door is always open.

All the Best!
Rob DuBree

[bena]

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to let you know about HD Monitor Pro software for the Mac. Our software will allow you to turn your Mac into a production machine. A quick run down of our features:

Direct to Disk recording HD and SD
Clip logging with notes, ratings, shot type
Instant Export to FCP with all logging info
1:1 Pixel perfect Focus ( zoom up to 400%)
High and Low Zebras
Shot and continuity checking
4 Channel Audio Metering
And Much More.

Pleas feel free to check out our demo and ask questions

www.hdmonitorpro.com

Thanks

[eureka]

JUst read most of the threads here, and you.ve sold me getting mine
BT-LH80WE this week.

How does the SDI option work??

[Barry_Green]

You have to actually open the monitor up and install a small circuit board and a couple of miniature coaxial cables. Took about 10 minutes.