chris bangma

Yes, the level sensor will mount on the sled, and can be mounted in almost any orientation, since you can configure its sensing direction.

The new Cinetronic monitor will have framelines and bubble level. Many of the guys here have already seen the software for the new monitor with the new features. As to a standalone level, these can be very difficult, since you you need to buffer the video signal to add the level and framelines. Doing this adds a 1-2 frame delay. The Red cameras and Alexa already have a 2-3 frame delay coming out of the camera, and most lcds have a minimum of 1 frame delay as well. This is why we chose to add the framelines and bubble level in the final processing of the monitor, so no additional delay is added.

You would need an HD frameline and level generator. The SD one will not work. You could downconvert the HD signal if you still want to use it. Kind of deafeats the purpose of an HD monitor though.

Robert, You will have to check out our 12.1" monitor next time you are in our shop.

We could argue that we give you an inch more for $2000 less :-) But all kidding aside, one of the advantages of the Cinetronic monitor is that we use a hardened glass front on it, which is bonded to the LCD panel. The bonding greatly strengthens the glass and the LCD, since it eliminates the air space between the LCD and glass. This makes the whole assembly much stronger, and prevents dust and moisture between the two. Since it is bonded, the viewing angle is greater, and contrast is also improved, since internal reflections are eliminated. These are some of the many reasons why Apple chose to bond the screens on the iPhone.

Currently the Cinetronic monitors are not an "off the shelf" product. As with most professional equipment, the monitors are built to order. This allows us to put the necessary time into each monitor, and to customize it to the customers order. All monitors are hand built by Mike and I, and we hope that the quality shows through our design and attention to detail. As many current owners know, we are very open to questions, suggestions and working with you both before and after the sale. Hopefully this outweighs the lead times we currently have.

Just a reminder that there are only a few weeks left for the discounted price. January 1st, 2012 the price will return to $4800. Anyone who buys the current generation of monitor will also be able to upgrade to the new monitor when available.

The monitor yoke is $265, and fits Pro, XCS and Mk-V. The current monitor does have zoom function.

The new monitor may be about a pound lighter. We will know more once it is finished.

The price is for the current monitors in the larger housing. The new monitors will be announced the beginning of next year.

Year end special on Cinetronic 7" and 6.5" monitors. Normally priced $4800, now $4300 through the end of the year.

The new monitor will be a completely new design, with new housing and new controller.

The new monitor has just one bubble level style for now, but you can change the size, placement and color of it. We will look into the battery level display. Since the monitor will take such a wide range of power, this may take some work. The new monitor will be software upgradable via USB.

Alec had the demo for a while, then decided he couldnt live without one, and bought the 7".

Here are some lousy iphone pics of the new controller board, showing the size comparison between the old controller, and the 7" lcd

If you send me some pictures of the screen, I could let you know what would be involved in fixing it.

Things have progressed slowly, as they always do. We have the software for the new controller pretty much finished. The framelines and bubble level are done, just tidying up some other features. The controller boards have arrived, and are having the components soldered. Hopefully if testing goes well, we will have the first prototypes in October. The new housing has been drawn up, and looks very good so far. We will have some more info for everyone soon.

We have 2 12" monitors available, either 4:3 or 16:9 aspects ratio. Bother monitors will take almost any format and fit it to the screen. You can also choose custom aspect ratios for either screen. The 12" monitors have a 4 pin XLR for power input. We can also build the monitors with a battery plate as a secondary power input. At the moment, we do not have frame lines or focus assist with the current controller. These features will come when we switch to the new controller.

We currently have a 4:3 12" monitor available, 1500 nits brightness. We have a 16:9 version in the works, and should be finished with that in a couple weeks. Currently the inputs are HD-SDI, Composite, VGA, and DVI/HDMI. We could possibly add component as well.

A little monitor education for everyone, and why things cost what they do. People wonder why a steadicam monitor costs so much, when you can buy an LCD TV for a $300. Here is the reasoning behind this, and why the Cinetronic monitors cost what they do. LCD Screen Brightness - First off, nobody is really making high bright screens. Any high bright screen that you see over 1000 nits is a conversion. To do the conversion, several things have to happen. First the backlight films have to be changed. This is what directs the light, and focuses it forward. Most screens use cheap films, to save cost. This also wastes a lot of brightness potential. A good set of films can run $50-100 per screen, and have to be changed by a technician in a clean room. When the screens are being sold for cheap dvd players or consumer goods, they do not spend the money for good films. Second the backlight needs to be changed to a higher brightness backlight. Several things have to be done here... First the backlight needs to be removed, and a new backlight board designed with more LED's. This involves cost in engineering the backlight, manufacturing the backlight, testing the backlight etc. Also the leds in the backlight cost more, than the standard ones. This is because we are using the highest brightness leds available, and because we have to pay a premium for the correct color LED's. White LEDS always vary in color, and usually you just get a mix of what the manufacture sends. But, if you pay a premium, they will test every one, and match the colors for you. This way we can ensure that you get accurate color from screen to screen. Once all of this is done, then we need to design a new LED drive to supply the power to the higher brightness leds, since the stock one will no longer work. LCD Resolution- Contrary to what people think, smaller is not cheaper. Small high resolution LCD screens cost more than their larger counterparts. Often times, a 12" screen will be half the cost of the same resolution 6.5" screen. This is due to the manufacturing, since as the pixel size gets smaller, so do the tolerances. Which means that of the smaller screens, the manufacturer has a lower yield. Since there are less screens to sell out of every batch, the price goes up. Our monitors use the highest resolution screens available in their sizes, which means we also have to pay the highest prices for those screens. LCD Controller- A controller is needed to interpret the video signal, and scale it to fit the LCD screen. There are only 2 controller manufacturers that sell just bare controllers that support HD-SDI signals. If you want to do composite, then there a plenty, but HD-SDI is a very limited market, so the prices are very high. You are also at the mercy of the asian companies that make these and have to pay what they demand. This is one of the reasons we have embarked on building our own LCD controller,but building one from scratch is prohibitively expensive! Even if we sell 1 Cinetronic monitor to every Steadicam operator worldwide, we still would not profit by having our own controller. This is why we are hoping to have a bigger market as well, which then justifies building our own controller. It also allows us to have full control over its design, and features. And most importantly allows us to build the controller in USA. Housing- As many have seen our housing is pretty beefy and rugged. Our housings start off as a 20 pound block of aluminum and gets CNC machined down to a couple pounds. First off, the aluminum costs a fair amount, and second the many hours on the cnc machine cost as well. But in the end you have a very rugged and strong housing, which is sealed against the elements, and designed for the type of business we work in. Apple computer CNC machines all of their new computers, since it is the best way to make a product that is small and light. We also could have made the housing out of stamped metal, or plastic, but this would require vent holes for cooling or fans. The housings for the Cinetronic monitors are designed to be the heatsink for all the components inside. Why add vents of fans, when the whole housing can do it for you? Lastly, our goal is to eventually proudly design and manufacture as much of the monitor in USA as possible. This means paying for US labor rates, and hiring Americans to do the work. Our current controller is made in China, which is one of the reasons why we are designing our own. With the new controller the following will be done in the US. -Convert the screens to high bright (unfortunately the US does not make any actual screens) -Bond optical anti reflective glass -Design, program, manufacture and assemble the controller boards. -Design, manufacture and assemble the housings. -Proudly print "Designed and Manufactured in USA" Hopefully this gives an insight into the LCD business, and why the prices are what they are. We encourage people to ask other companies where they monitors and components are made. We also hope to offer everyone the best support possible, and invite you to come by any time, and see how we make the monitors.

We did a side by side comparison of the TB6 and the Cinetronic 6.5" and 7" at the stabilizer gear expo. Maybe some of the operators who saw it will chime in with their opinions.

We have some pictures of the 12.1" high bright screen on the Cinetronic facebook page.

Funny, some of the old farts asked about a larger one, to save the embarassment of having to wear glasses to see the smaller ones while operating B)

Checking to see if there is any interest in a 9" widescreen Steadicam monitor. We have found an outstanding 9" LCD panel, which is probably the best LCD we have ever seen. The viewing angle on the 9" is 88 degrees all the way around, and has incredible color. The monitor would probably be pretty close to the same dimension as the monitors we currently have, possibly 1/4" wider. It would be a little shorter than the Transvideo 8" monitor. Let me know what your opinions are, and if this is of interest to anyone.

Facebook page added with more pictures of the monitor for those who are interested. Search for Cinetronic