Have I struck gold? Cheap HD monitor solution...

N

nitrofour

Well-known member
Okay before you check out the link I'm about to post, take a second and consider the steep price of a Marshall 7" HD monitor. Focus on the steep $1000+ price and slowly become furious.

Now, I want you to double that 7" to 14".

Next, let's cut the price by a factor of 12 (if you use eBay, that is).

Now, for the crappy part, let's quintuple the weight....

And you get this:
http://www.amazon.com/Magnavox-15MF605T-LCD-Flat-Panel/dp/B000AB2ZDE

It's HD with support up to 1080p. I'm thinking of hammer-smashing the side speakers off and using it a solution for my XHA1 + Letus35 Extreme field focusing issues. The only problem is that I have no idea how I'd mount that to... well... anything... but right now I'm refusing to pay for a Marshall, and I'm refusing to settle for a crappy 480x SD res 7". So unless DVX users come up with a solution for this monitor, I'll have to continue with my viewfinder focusing!

Alright cowboys & cowgirls... thoughts? lol
 
Awesome, I could totally use that, it's so inexpensive too! Thanks a lot. Tell us how the image looks once (if) you get it.
 
Hmm, it's 1024x768 in 4:3 mode.

So that's 1024x576 in 16:9 (letterbox) mode. It would be fine for SD, but that's well short of 720, let alone 1080.

I'm sure the "HD Ready" simply means that it can down-convert from HD inputs. But the screen certainly isn't HD. It's only certified as an EDTV monitor, not a HDTV monitor.


Better than an on-board LCD? Probably. Good enough for critical HD monitoring? Hardly.

- Mikko
 
Also that is a freaking huge ass monitor. You would have actually have to mount the monitor on someone's back...something like this
11.lg.jpg
 
You might want to take a look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-MFM-HT75W-...ryZ99226QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Current price is $229 with no bids, 5 days to go. There's another for $350 buy it now.

It's a Sony MFM-HT75W. It's a discontinued model, but it's a 17" 720x1280 LCD HDTV with component, DVI and VGA inputs (as well as SD), and decent built in stereo speakers.

I have one, and it's a great low cost solution for a portable field monitor, especially since it fits *perfectly* in a Pelican 1550 case. I actually found out about it here some time ago. I've been very happy with it.

I also have a Marshall btw, and it's great, but the Sony's larger image is much better for really seeing what you've got. Being basically a consumer HDTV, it lacks broadcast monitor features, but I've managed to calibrate it reasonably well anyway. It also has 4 screw holes in the back, forming a 100mm x 100mm square, that will evidently work with a C-stand mounting plate like this one:

http://www.vfgadgets.com/LCDmount-20.htm.
 
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Hey ted thats a Vesa 100 mount - lots of options there including some that attach to c-stands I think. I've got a 24" Dell that I redrilled a baby plate for and occasionally put it on a c-stand when doing studioish work.
 
nitrofour said:
mikkowilson, what is your technical take on Ted's http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-MFM-HT75W-1...QQcmdZViewItem ?

If you sound off on that, then that monitor plus his c-mount suggestion (http://www.vfgadgets.com/LCDmount-20.htm) may just be a godsend after all. I'm getting a bit tingly inside...
Click to expand...

I own two of the Ted monitors, bought them right as Sony discontinued them. It's the expected story, they are fine for using in the field. They are also relatively big and clunky as far as run and gun and of course, they are AC powered. I use one for shooting and one in my edit bay. The edit bay one, I bought a Blackmagic Design HD Link so the HD Link gets the SDI output of my Kona card, then feeds it into the Sony via DVI, staying all digital keeps the picture looking much better than the analog component from my HVX.

They are good little monitors but no substitute for a real monitor. Good enough to focus with and you can get "in the neighborhood" as far as color and contrast accuracy. I am still saving my pennies to buy a Nebtek 7" HD monitor that I can put on my rails to use with my Letus.

Best,

Dan
 
Ted Spencer said:
You might want to take a look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-MFM-HT75W-...ryZ99226QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Current price is $229 with no bids, 5 days to go. There's another for $350 buy it now.

It's a Sony MFM-HT75W. It's a discontinued model, but it's a 17" 720x1280 LCD HDTV with component, DVI and VGA inputs (as well as SD), and decent built in stereo speakers.

I have one, and it's a great low cost solution for a portable field monitor, especially since it fits *perfectly* in a Pelican 1550 case. I actually found out about it here some time ago. I've been very happy with it.

I also have a Marshall btw, and it's great, but the Sony's larger image is much better for really seeing what you've got. Being basically a consumer HDTV, it lacks broadcast monitor features, but I've managed to calibrate it reasonably well anyway. It also has 4 screw holes in the back, forming a 100mm x 100mm square, that will evidently work with a C-stand mounting plate like this one:

http://www.vfgadgets.com/LCDmount-20.htm.
Click to expand...

Hi Ted:

Will you post your color and brightness and tint settings, I would like to compare to mine. I have just eyeballed bars next to my broadcast Sony 14" SD CRT and the LCD is pretty close. How have you calibrated yours, blue gel or ??

Dan
 
I'd say the Marshall is "sufficient". It's not cheap, and it's not altogether great, but it does get the job done...sufficiently. Quality monitoring on a budget still makes for some tough choices.

Back at my studio I have a Matrox MXO attached to a 23" ACD as a second display for broadcast quality monitoring with FCP. Yet another decent, affordable solution IMO...
 
Nice housing and connections but they have the same 800 x 480 pixel 300:1 display as the $60 car headrest/backseat monitors.

There are only a view manufacturs of those 7" displays and you find them everywhere.

Maybe the electronics make some difference - the housing and connectors make a big difference also does the price.

LCD/TFT are not for checking the colors and exposure anyways, most of them display under 32000 colors so forget about that. 800 x 480 for focusing can work if you take your time. So for that and framing my $60 car monitor is as good as the expensive ones.

If I would have the cash I would buy the Carrion since it may be the best LCD/TFT you can get for the money.

I worked with those super expensive Sony LCD Field Monitors and I hated it.

Frank



Frank
 
Isn't the Carrion the only small LCD with a 1024 x 768 screen? I think that the Panasonic BT-LH80 and the Nebtek are both 800 x 480 but they both do have the focus in red/white feature that the Carrion lacks. I am having a hard time deciding which of the three to buy.

Panasonic - upside - built in waveform, probably best build quality, focus in red
downside - gotta sink a lot of $$ into a new battery system, no loop through?
only 800 x 480 res.

Nebtek - upside - good build quality, focus in white, button controls look nice, can run on a single HVX battery for up to 3-4 hours
downside - loop through is not usable with Panasonic battery plate, only 800 x 480 res.

Carrion - upside - seems like great build quality, runs on two HVX batteries, 1024 x 768 res. cheap price ($450.00 less than Nebtek, $700.00 less than Panny) supposedly very good looking screen in daylight
downside - no focus on red or white, zoom function is clunky, uses two HVX batteries instead of one like the Nebtek, warranty issues may or may not be supported as well as Nebtek or Panasonic.

Tough choice. I wish I could compare all three side by side, that would be the way to do it. Since the Carrion has a 1024 x 768 screen, is it possible to achieve really sharp focus when shooting in 720P without the screen having a focus in red/white function and the zoom being a pain to use?

I have rented the Panny and it is great but with adding another $400.00 to $600.00 for a new battery/charger system means I am approaching $3,000.00 when all is said and done.

The Nebtek is a well reviewed monitor and the customer support has been great as far as their policies and just speaking them. I like that it can run off of one HVX battery too, that sounds like a winner. I am probably leaning towards this one the most but I am not sure if they ever implemented the 1:1 zoom function. Last year they said it would be implemented early this year.

Oh well, gotta save some more money anyway to buy one so I have some time to mull it over.

Dan
 
Well, I only have firsthand experience with the Panasonic, but it is a brilliant little monitor. Regarding batteries, I'm using a D-tap-to-XLR cable, $50; using that I can power it directly from the Red or from the HPX500. For the HVX200 I'm currently limping along on an old leftover battery belt from my Frezzi Mini-Fill light; an 8-lb $90 battery belt drives the monitor for something like 8 hours (connected through the XLR port). Not the utmost ideal solution, but it's a cheap solution that works.

No loop-through on the Panasonic.

I wonder if Dolgin or someone could work up an inexpensive Panasonic battery->XLR or panasonic battery->Anton Bauer device, which would let you drive the monitor from camcorder batteries? Or if such a device already exists? It'd have to step up the voltage from 7.2 to 12... if my math is right, a 5600mah battery @ 7.2v should drive the BT-LH80 for three and a half hours. At that rate the battery belt is still a cheaper option (per hour) and is readily available, plus it keeps the weight off the camera, putting it on your hips instead. For set stuff I just loop it on the monitor light stand.

If you were ever planning on going Red, the Carrion has a massive advantage over everything else on the market, which is that (since it's primarily a computer monitor) it can take the HDMI feed from the Red, which shows you all the menus and settings and graphs and stuff. You can't get those on an HD-SDI monitor, and the only portable monitors that support that (AFAIK) are Red's own LCD, and the Carrion.
 
The Carrion rocks harder than belief on all fronts. It's a little LARGE but considering that the resolution is eye popping and the image reproduction is spot, it's a nice trade-off.

It'll be the perfect companion for RED ONE and EX-1's. Love lookin' at the screen! Luis has a winning monitor. The two battery deal isn't as bad as it sounds, although I would simply use a Tekkeon battery to power the unit and drop it into the RED CAGE or attach it to rails. This makes everything much lighter to begin with and the Tekkeon Batteries charge very fast.
 
I got a change to use the Carrion for a shoot a couple weeks ago and I have to say I really loved it. It is very bright and you can see the image clearly even in daylight. I didn't have a Noga arm to mount it to my camera so I just left it on a chair in front of me. Usually you can't really do this because if you are not looking straight into the monitor it just turns black. No so the Carrion, you can still see the image from quite narrow viewing angles. This was especially great because we didn't have another monitor for the director. The director was just standing beside me and could still see the image. I think the Carrion is by far superior to the Marshal. I liked it a lot and it will also be the one I will buy as soon as I have the money.... two thumbs up.
 
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