Why buy a BT-LH80W Monitor?

[Indyreel]

I saw the price of the BT-LH80W and thought, "Wow, $2K+ for that thing! I could buy an HD screen with a beautiful picture at BestBuy for $400"

So why would I spend that much money for the BT-LH80W? I know I must be missing something, so I'm ready to be schooled.

[Erik Olson]

Really? You won't find the BTLH80w feature-set on any consumer monitor in any size, let alone a camera-mountable 7.9" one. Focus-in-red, blue only, waveform, markers (for just about everything imaginable), industry-standard battery power built-in, fastest refresh rate in the market.

What else do you need to know?

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[Indyreel]

It all sounds good, but (bear with me) will all those features (i.e. blue only, waveform, markers) enable me to get a substantially better picture?

[mcgeedigital]

Yes.

[walnutcrunch]

Size matters. Can you put that $400 dollar jobby in a pelican case and haul it all around easily. So easily that you take it instead of leaving it at home? 1:1 zoom is pretty good for critical focus. SDI option pretty nice. Battery power is essential. Ability to pro calibrate it is pretty nice.

[Erik Olson]

Don't forget, if you buy from Panasonic dealers, you are likely to now get the SDI option as standard at the same price as the non-SDI optioned version.

Sexy.

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[Kwan]

BTLH is one of the best monitor...
I use all the time. I am currently setup to receive a my Redone within two weeks.
let me know if anyone would be interested. I will probably sell it.
about 100- 120 Hours used (non-SDI), with Dolgin (HVX) battery converter and portabrace bag.
Send me reasonable offer...

[wgzn]

YES - trust me.
YES. there are SEVERAL - VERY GOOD reasons that the BT-LH80W is 7x the price of a "best buy" monitor.

not to say that a best buy "consumer" HD monitor cant do a number of jobs and doesn't have it's place - but youre not comparing apples to apples for the point of winning an apple pie contest...

the BT-LH80W will kick the LIVING SNOT out of ANYTHING a big-box store could hope to provide. at ANY PRICE. ive done the comparisons and there is a very good reason that pro gear costs what pro gear does...

can you satisfy "joe average" customer with best buy gear? - YEP! can do. have done and will do again. but do not for a second, think that best buy TV is going to come ANYWHERE near a true professional tool.

[wgzn]

KWAN - dont use this guys thread to sell your camera. thats just rude.

[Kwan]

AAAAA.... Still Undecided...

[wgzn]

show the video out of your camera to a client on a BT and then on some consumer lcd. they WILL notice a HUGE diff. ive done it. now they request the BT on every shoot

[markyf]

This is pretty rudimentary. Would you mix a cd with a pair of earbuds? You need to see all the things that are present. If you're asking this question in the first place, you definitely don't need one. And using a 8" monitor as a reference monitor when editing makes no sense.

[jrmiller_entertainment]

you're not getting it dan. It has tools a consumer tv does not. If you need those tools, you buy it. It's expensive for a reason.

[markyf]

You clearly don't need one. I think we can wrap this thread.

[Jeff Anderson]

Aside from the featyures of the LH80 (focus in red, and the waveform monitor both of which are priceless) it comes down to accuracy. Put three consumer plasmas or lcd's side by side and they will all look different and be most likely impossible to nail calibration or make them look the same. Now a broadcast monitor like the LH80 I can do this with. Its a reference. I always know that its colors and levels are accurate. This makes my life so much easier when shooting and lighting and I dont have to fiddle around with it. A client I used to shoot alot of interviews for has their own consumer monitors (insignias I think). They're cheap 15" LCD's. Fine for watching TV or something. When shooting for them they use it as their monitor and I use the LH80 for mine. They are constantly coming over to mine to see what it actually looks like even though its the same signal.

Now for editing I use two monitors - a large consumer model most of the time just so I can see it and to gauge the actual editing. I go back to the LH80 for any color correction/grading though. It will always look different on the consumer TV. And that different is different than other consumer TV's. So the broadcast monitor always brings you back to a reference point that is absolute and not "a little dark" or "a little red". And find me a consumer TV that can stand up to a production environment. Unless its permanently mounted in the studio I wouldnt bother with it. In the edit suite I dont see too much of a problem though.

All that said, it doesnt mean you HAVE to have a broadcast monitor like the LH80 though. Of course once you use one I guarantee you wont go back :) Professional tools are just nice to use.

[thisiswells]

I could buy an HD screen with a beautiful picture at BestBuy for $400"

I thought the same thing. So, in the last year, I went through 3 different consumer LCD's in the 300 - 600 price range. On the lowest end, they aren't even 16x9 (think Polaroid brand), so that's a big issue. One step up from there they ARE 16x9 (Samsung, Sony, etc). but the color is not accurate at all. Or, more importantly, it changes throughout the day. The colors are way too contrasty and the image becomes progressively more magenta the longer you use it. After only 3-4 hours of use, the picture looks VERY magenta tinted. Even producers notice.

One more thing, consumer LCD's are hard to power "out in the field" as they are AC power only. You will lose a TON of power going from 12v DC batteries, through an inverter, out to 120v AC, to a consumer monitor. In other words, a 17" broadcast monitor will operate on a 1lb battery for over 2 hours. But, a consumer monitor will drain a 15lb battery in under two hours.

That's a big difference!!!

Worse still, because consumer models use TN LCD panels (vs higher end IPS panel) they have terrible off axis viewing. You literally have to be looking straight at them to see what you're shooting. The high end Panasonic's (BT-LH1760) solve this issue.


So why would I spend that much money for the BT-LH80W? I know I must be missing something, so I'm ready to be schooled.

In addition to other benefits, some broadcast LCD's accept video, audio, and timecode on a single cable called an HD-SDI. This is HUGE. The monitors can read the time code on the video cable and display it using a menu setting on the monitor. Great for tape logging in the field. And, for playback on the monitor, again, it's just one cable and you get video and audio. Plus, the menu settings on broadcast monitors are actual buttons, not cheesy touchscreen or touch sensitive like consumer LCD's. If consumer is all you can afford, then it's better than nothing. But, once you experience the luxury of top notch gear, it's hard to go back.

[wgzn]

i used to think like Dan, and hes not totally off the mark - you CAN get pretty decent ballpark accuracy on a good consumer LCD. it gets better once you get used to it and know what it does well and what it does less well. but like jeff says, there is just SOOO much more confidence when using pro gear on the level of the BT. ive side by sided the BT and various levels of cheaper HD LCDs and the BT is the hands-down winner every time. and the shoot goes better because of it.

it also comes down to how savvy/picky your client is. i have one client where i always used a cheapy consumer LCD for a comfort monitor and they were fine with it. then they hired an experienced producer and he asked if my monitor was correct - i said no, its just for focus /framing. and now the client demands the BT every time and they understand the additional cost

just a matter of what you want, what you need and what your pockets can justify. its been said before that a good shooter can get great results from a VHS camera a shoplight and no monitor. that logic applies here as well

[Jeff Anderson]

No, VHS cameras sucked then too. This isnt about new technology, this is about professional tools. VHS camera = consumer, BetaCamSP = Pro. May be a bit off on that analogy as I'm not that familiar with the older technology, but you get the point.

[wgzn]

well "back then" there was a MUCH greater divide between PRO and CONSUMER. now that field is much blurrier. but no. thats not true. there were plenty of folks making money with the higher end VHS, 8mm, and hi-8 formats.

man, i must be the oldest guy in this room ; (

[Jeff Anderson]

Well then I stand corrected and yield to the old dude :) Didnt realize VHS was used much in the pro arena.

[Erik Olson]

It wasn't.

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[adolgin]

SVHS was the king for over 10 years.

[Erik Olson]

For weddings. Numerically, it never made it into the consumer market in numbers to surpass VHS. Also, it didn't successfully bridge from U-Matic 3/4" to BetaSP in broadcast. I guess King is subjective, but I've been in the business since 1988 and I never shot S-VHS for anything you saw on television.

Just because someone made a camera with the S-VHS Reporter badge, didn't make it so.

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