Anyone using the Totevision HD LCD yet?

I purchased the monitor in Canada from a friend who owns the particular store that carries them. Originally we planned to purchase the Ikan, but were recommended we try the Tote first. We needed something for a Cross-Canada shoot coming up, while not breaking the bank- When we worked out the numbers, the Tote was actually cheaper than the Ikan- while still being superior in design/ construction. The Marshall would of been ideal, but at twice the price of the Tote it was hard jump on the idea.

No problems with the component cables. I took some shrink-wrap and lined the joining of the component wire to RCA jack- this gives it the needed strength for field shooting. This may be why ive never had issues.

We powered it via 12v battery belts. This was our make-do solution at the time; i was going to post in the general forum area asking anyone if they know how to rig up the standard panasonic batteries for such a task- if anyone knows the procedure/parts, please let me know.

There was 1 problem with cabling, and it was the 12v power cable going from the monitor to the belts- it never maintained a 'good' connection, once wiggled the power would drop. Again i didnt mind this since we plan on hardwiring a battery solution.
 
For power I use solutions: first I ordered the Kit with the varizoom screw-on battery, it holds 3 hours at 100% brightness and 4 at around 50%, this works for most of my shoots...
If I should need extra power I just power them with my VidLed Panasonic battery adapter, the plug is the same;o)
The monitor takes different voltages so no problem so far...
I´m not sure I understood how you modified the cable?
Do you maybe have a picture of it?
 
I have the ToteVision but it had a dead pixel in the middle, so I sent it back. The customer service is not very good and it is taking forever to get my new one. The monitor was decent, especially for the money, but they just dont seem to have it together. As soon as I finally get it back, I'll post a full review ith pics. They tell me I'll have a new one on Monday.
Spartacus- so the VIDled battery works for you, that would be great if true.
 
Sunstream said:
I have the ToteVision but it had a dead pixel in the middle, so I sent it back. The customer service is not very good and it is taking forever to get my new one. The monitor was decent, especially for the money, but they just dont seem to have it together. As soon as I finally get it back, I'll post a full review ith pics. They tell me I'll have a new one on Monday.
Spartacus- so the VIDled battery works for you, that would be great if true.
Click to expand...

It´s not the VidLed Battery, but the HVX battery adapter from the VidLeds that I use...
But only if the Totevision/Varizoom battery runs out, that is after 4 hours on 75% brightness...
 
Here the Totevision is sold as a Kit with a battery (from Varizoom) that screws under the LCD, I got this kit and the battery lasts for 4 hours (tested it...)
If I still need longer running times, I connect the Totevision with a HVX battery adapter for the Vidleds, running time probably 7 hours...
The Totevision site also listd a kit w/ a battery, check it out...
The HVX battery adapter can be found on the vidled homepage...
 
Do you still need to zoom in for focusing wide shots of is the totevision enough for accurate focus. Focusing is the only reason i would get it......its for run and gun travel documentary....
 
Now I see, thats great! VidLED didnt have all those cool acessories back when I bought mine. They didnt even include the gels back then. I love my VidLED and I'll be getting that adapter today. Great suggestion Spartacus! Thanks!
 
To go faster. If i need to zoom in, might as well use focus assist. I'm just trying to figure if its worth it for me. First the price. Then the added hassle(second battery, not using the cam out of the bag....)What i mean to ask is. Does it really help a lot for focus or just a little.
Sorry about the insecurity, i just broke the bank with a 16g p2 card.
 
Compared to the ultra low rez monitor on the side of the cam and the less than desirable viewfinder, yes it is very capable for run and gun focus on the fly, but of course you should always zoom in if you can.
 
i have also bought the totevision lcd now...1000 euro....ouch... could have bought the marshall for less if i would live in the usa...

marshall, here = 1900 euro = 2700 $... :furious3:
 
@ totevision users:
which gamma setting are you using?
movie, game or pc?

movie is imo too bright (shows no real black).
btw: i'm very happy with this lcd... :thumbsup:
 
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If Im outside I use movie, I need the brightness, if Im inside I use game. I have no use for PC in component mode, it doesn't look right to me. Im quite satisfied with the monitor as well. It was a great value.
 
Spartacus said:
For power I use solutions: first I ordered the Kit with the varizoom screw-on battery, it holds 3 hours at 100% brightness and 4 at around 50%, this works for most of my shoots...
If I should need extra power I just power them with my VidLed Panasonic battery adapter, the plug is the same;o)
The monitor takes different voltages so no problem so far...
I´m not sure I understood how you modified the cable?
Do you maybe have a picture of it?
Click to expand...


I ordered a Totevision but didn't order the kit. Does the kit include a sunshade and camera shoe mount (as well as a battery)? Where did you purchase from? I'm curious about using my Panasonic batteries to power it. Do you use the Vidled adapter with the mounting screws or not? I'm curious as to whether I could mount that adapter to the Totevision monitor.
thanks!
 
I got the kit from CVC (cvc.de) in Germany, but everything besides the LCD is from Varizoom, so there should be many suppliers...
When using the Vidled adapter I did two thing so far: I velcroed them to the back of my multirig when using the shoulder mount, when using the hvx handheld I put the battery in a belt bag just like in the old days but much lighter:D
Since (like probably most here) I only got the big size HVX/DVX batterys I really don´t want to put them on the back of the Totevision, although this setup will still be ligter than the Marshal one...
The 100 bucks for the Varizoom battery was a great investment and makes the whole combo one of the best values around IMHO
I´m sure with some little DIYing you could find an even cheaper battery solution (the Varizoom battery has sth like 2300 mA/h and powers the Totevision for 3 - 4 hours...)

(BTW I had a vid shoot two days ago and everyone prefered the Totevision´s image over the Marshal, which was also on set...)
 
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thanks a lot!
So is it true that the kit comes with a bag that also turns into a sunshade? After just doing a shoot outside I've been thinking about how important a sunshade is for me.
And what is the correct varizoom battery to buy? Is this it?: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/304949-REG/Varizoom_VZ702M_VA_VZ702M_Battery_with_Charger.html
Is there any reason using the Vidled adapter might be dangerous or bad for the monitor. If you say the HVX battery will power the monitor for 7 hours, why not just use that?
thanks!!!
sns
 
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