FS5: using a iPhone or iPad as an directors monitor or waveform monitor

Vultch

Vultch

Well-known member
I recently stumbled across a iOS app by Adam Wilt thats allows your i device to be used as a monitor /waveform monitor.

https://www.adamwilt.com/wifiwfm/index.html

Currently it uses the Teradek video sender/transmission system but what a tool if it could be configured to use the streaming capabilities of the FS7 or FS5.
Handing a director or corporate communications officer and iPad to view the shoot, how cool would that be on run and gun shoots.

I hope Adam gets the time to write an app that could do this.
 
The streaming features require a wi-fi connection, so maybe useful inside, but if you're out and about then it'll probably be a non-starter. Although I don't have my FS5 at home today so I can't test, if you can stream to a tablet for monitoring in addition to the internal recording and VF/External HDMI, then it would be very useful.
 
From my understanding of the Sony video you don't, the camera will connect directly to the iPhone or iPad regardless of where you are, indeed the system uses your i device as the hub to stream the video online.

After some google fu, there are ios apps that allow wifi video streaming, 'air cam live' looks promising.
 
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Sonys "Content Browser Mobile" for iPad from the app store can stream from the camera to the iPad and control the camera. I haven't used it yet myself so that is all I know. For some reason I cannot see it in the app store from a laptop but can from the iPad.
 
So does anyone know if it'll stream in addition to the internal recording and external monitor or viewfinder.
 
wifi vs stream

wifi vs stream

mattjeh said:
So does anyone know if it'll stream in addition to the internal recording and external monitor or viewfinder.
Click to expand...

I just tested the wifi as a directors monitor to my ipad and iphone with the Content Browser Mobile app from the z150. It absolutely connects in a couple of setting clicks, but it is not smooth video, it stutters. Still, for quick reference, or if you need to make adjustments possibly to a lock down second camera on the set, kinda cool. On my FS7 there is only camera control, no picture, and it's not nearly as easy to connect. Streaming is a whole different function. Haven't tried it yet. There is a video on-line about streaming for the fs5 and z70 which is the same for the z150. Will try it next, but all of them recommend 640x360 for stability--even though they can do 1280 x 720. That should tell you something right there about what you can expect.
 
Yes, the CBK-WA100. It's $1400 retail. I don't own this particular device, but I do control the FS7 through my Android tablet by using a web browser and the IP address of the camera when it's on the WiFi network.

My understanding is that with the CBK-WA100, it is possible to stream, or at least send proxies over cellular. (I can't imagine how much that costs in cell time, given the mammoth size of 4K files--one would probably burn through the data cap sending a 10 second clip!)
 
So I tested my fs5 today using an external monitor and streaming to my iPhone and the result was surprising. It's effectively a way around the camera 2 feeds limitation. It's a third feed, taking into account a very slight delay and a drop in resolution.

So I had a feed on my phone, the VF was always off (referencing it being connected and controlled by the device), and also the external monitoring worked through SDI and it recorded internally!

last week I was on a shoot where the fs5 was on a gimbal, I was operating blind as we needed the internal recording feed and the external feed for a wireless focus operator. But from now on, I can use the stream to the phone and mount it to the gimbal and have an effective monitor for framing. Ok it's not a 1080 feed, but it doesn't need to be.

i don't know why I've not considered using this feature before!
 
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Vultch said:
I recently stumbled across a iOS app by Adam Wilt thats allows your i device to be used as a monitor /waveform monitor.

https://www.adamwilt.com/wifiwfm/index.html

Currently it uses the Teradek video sender/transmission system but what a tool if it could be configured to use the streaming capabilities of the FS7 or FS5.
Handing a director or corporate communications officer and iPad to view the shoot, how cool would that be on run and gun shoots.

I hope Adam gets the time to write an app that could do this.
Click to expand...

The Cube has turned into the wireless video monitoring device of choice on features and TV series work. Every show I've been on of late uses the system. The latency has been reduced to tolerable tolerances but the actual directors station is generally cabled because all things considered, no latency is best and cable guarantees no video quirks.
But Cube is a very good system, not cheap but not as expensive as what I used to use, which is the Transvideo system, though that was an actual microwave. Can't use it anymore because I bought the cheaper version which is SD and the FS7 has no provision for downconverting. I can't use my Glasstron video glasses either. Bummer but we move on.
 
Wi-Fi WFM for FS5?

Wi-Fi WFM for FS5?

Adam's iOS app would be an amazing tool for the FS5 for people like me who don't have scopes. I will likely get the RAW upgrade and a monitor/recorder that has scopes, but Adam's Wi-FI WFM would be a quick interim solution. I sent him an email to inquire about this and will post info if I get a reply.
 
I'd love to support the FS5 and other streaming cameras with Wi-Fi WFM. Teradek supplies a software development kit that lets me discover Teradek encoders, connect to them, display a picture, and get access to the video frame data. I'd need a similar SDK from Sony to receive and display the FS5's video.

Since Japanese camera companies are notoriously conservative and typically keep their wireless protocols under wraps, I can't promise if or when I might be able to work wth Sony streaming (or Panasonic streaming, etc.). So if you want to see this app support streaming cameras directly, please lobby your camera's product manager to have the company provide an iOS (and Android) SDK for accessing the camera's streaming video and providing decompressed frame data for processing. :-)
 
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Im doing this right now on a shoot.. Teradek to an iPad .. it works but the iPad image is not very good.. looks over exposed all the time..shooting 4K Slog with REC709 Monitor LUT.. its not my set up.. and I wouldn't go that road..your dir will not be seeing your work in a good light,literally..much better to have a proper monitor ..
 
Agreed, a proper wired monitor is always preferable, when conditions allow! :-)

But I wonder: my Cubes always pass through exactly what they get (at least at the YCbCr level. Teradek's RGB decode for display has some hue errors, especially in blue and cyan, but the brightness levels are correct). I haven't shot with the FS5 but I have with the F55 and FS7, and they have all sorts of non-obvious menu options to select whether or not an MLUT is applied to any particular output, and I've been caught out by those on a couple of occasions. Is it possible that the MLUT was disabled for the output the Teradek was using, even though the MLUT was selected?
 
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