New Steadicam Monitor

[RonBaldwin]

Looks like one can put the monitor anywhere in the yoke. Plus I bet the yoke can be flipped to mount it on top if it was so desired.

[mike skipp]

Hi Richard,

The optional yoke assembly will alow mounting the monitor in various upright or tabled configurations and also give left to right balance adjustment.

 

Mike

Edited April 13, 2011 by mike skipp

[Simon Jayes]

If you aren't operating with it "tabled" it looks like the viewing angle is compromised on this design of the yolk as it seems to drop the monitor quite far down, maybe if it wast at such of an angle the yoke wouldn't get in the way

 

I've never really understood the attraction to the tabled angle approach as the picture isn't actually pointing at your face. Each to their own I guess...

 

I'll have one, but I'd really like it with a spigot mount... Thoughts?

 

Rick.

 

Dear Rick et al,

 

I've been flying this monitor for over a month now in a tabled orientation (as I did with my TB6) with a very slight tilt towards my face - the benefit of this setup is you can easily see the image no matter how much you tilt your rig up or down. If you face the monitor towards you too much (as one had to do with other LCDs with less brightness and less of a viewing angle) the more you tilt the camera up the quicker you lose sight of the image.

 

The yoke shown in these posts was the first one, but the production model is slightly different - it has curved forks instead of the 45deg straight ones. I'm sure Chris will be posting pictures soon. The 'spigot' on the crossbar slides so you can offset the monitor from side-to-side, so you can use it as an additional balancing option or to 'get around' your post a bit more. In addition the spigot can be mounted on all 4 orientations on the cross bar so you can put it in an 'upright' stance - which, I would employ for low-mode.

 

Dropping the monitor so that it is more in line with the batteries also helps with dynamic balance. Check out Fletcher's post on that one.....

 

There is also a v-lock mount (same as batteries) on the back of the monitor that could go directly to a spigot, although I believe the yoke mount is a much more versatile approach.

[Richard James Lewis]

the benefit of this setup is you can easily see the image no matter how much you tilt your rig up or down. If you face the monitor towards you too much (as one had to do with other LCDs with less brightness and less of a viewing angle) the more you tilt the camera up the quicker you lose sight of the image.

 

 

Simon, thanks for the info on the forks, but I still say with the monitor tabled if you were to tilt downwards you would loose sight of the picture almost immediately unless you are craning your neck forwards. I only see it as beneficial for an extreme tilt up, almost lens facing the ceiling, plus saying that this is beneficial for restricted viewing angles on the LCD's confuses me as to why people would want to do it with a CRT.

 

From my experience most LCD monitor panels tend to have a better viewing angle when flipped 180 degrees. This would be accentuated tabling a older style LCD panel leaving you in the dark. I can see the reasoning behind keeping things lower down if you are used to the weight distribution with a TB6.

 

If it was going on an MK-V monitor arm with a CP style spud would this all be compatible?

 

Someone said around 5K US, is this the general consensus?

 

Cheers everyone,

 

Rick.

Edited April 13, 2011 by Richard J Lewis

[chris bangma]

From my experience most LCD monitor panels tend to have a better viewing angle when flipped 180 degrees. This would be accentuated tabling a older style LCD panel leaving you in the dark. I can see the reasoning behind keeping things lower down if you are used to the weight distribution with a TB6.

 

 

 

The Screen has been flipped 180 internally, to provide the operator with the best viewing angle. The viewing angle from the top is 60 degrees, from bottom and both sides is 80 degrees. This allows the screen to be easily seen when tabled, even at fairly extreme tilt angles. The 7" screen has an 80 degree viewing angle all the way around.

[Richard James Lewis]

Cheers Chris. when will we know more about mounting options and prices etc?

 

Best,

RIck.

[chris bangma]

The price for the monitor is $4800. The yoke and mounting options will be supplied by Skipps Engineering. I believe the new mount fits Pro, XCS and MK-V.

[Robert Starling SOC]

I guess no one paid any attention when I posted that the housing, yoke and mounting bracket are not final products.

 

This is the problem with showing prototypes and why vendors hold their cards close to their vest.

 

I flew the Cinemonitor 15 hours in the last three days and never found an operational position other than the direct reflection of the sun in my eyes that I could not see a usable image; inside or outside, direct sunlight and overcast. I can say the EXACT same about my Transvideo but the Cinemonitor on my rig is definitely brighter all the way around. Just to be sure, I took my Transvideo to their booth today and had them take a look at it and the settings to make sure I had not accidentally detuned it.

 

Keep in mind again, this Cinemonitor I flew is a prototype and things change in production and over time; hopefully for the better.

 

Today I had a great hour-long conversation with Chris (our first chat) and they have a solid sounding plan for the completing development of their Steadicam line of monitors and the future versions of this product.

 

Also, the two photos posted of the monitor on my rig do not tell the whole story; in fact I was not aware these photos were taken. The rest of the story should include that I prefer a very short 17" post and that is what I had Greg make for me. I also prefer to fly my current monitor tabled or at a very very slight angle.

 

At first I didn't care for the lowered yoke system but I actually ended up liking it, albeit a prototype. The tabled monitor in a lowered position allowed me to fly the RED and compact zoom with only one battery in perfect dynamic balance. Average run times for my IDX PowerCubes and E10s batteries ranged 30-40 minutes run time per battery. I too have a 1+ minute video of a perfect flat spin dynamic balance.

 

The menu system is easy and logical, in fact Robert Orf from Tiffen who stopped by twice told me it is the same or similar menu system they use on their HD UltraBrite. I guess companies buy off the shelf controller menus or something.

 

Again, being a prototype I'm always 75% skeptical, but I'm 100% interested in seeing a product succeed. By the same token, I had a very frank discussion with Chris that I'm not interested in another eight month wagon ride to the circus like I went through with the NebTek prototype; what a complete waste of my time that was.

 

I would say I'm very likely going to add this monitor to my kit sooner rather than later but I still love the Transvideo.

 

My un-scientific photos of the screen in direct sun will be posted as soon as I get a chance. My suggestion is that you arrange a demo or visit one of the new owners and make up your own mind.

 

I also want to make it known publicly that I was asked today by my client to please finish the rest of the day flying my Transvideo monitor and not the Cinemonitor even though their lens looked better in the Cinemonitor. I find that request and the source of it very interesting indeed!

 

Robert

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Simon, thanks for the info on the forks, but I still say with the monitor tabled if you were to tilt downwards you would loose sight of the picture almost immediately unless you are craning your neck forwards. I only see it as beneficial for an extreme tilt up, almost lens facing the ceiling, plus saying that this is beneficial for restricted viewing angles on the LCD's confuses me as to why people would want to do it with a CRT.

 

From my experience most LCD monitor panels tend to have a better viewing angle when flipped 180 degrees. This would be accentuated tabling a older style LCD panel leaving you in the dark. I can see the reasoning behind keeping things lower down if you are used to the weight distribution with a TB6.

 

 

With the Cinetronic you just have to forget every limitation that you've had with any previous LCD. The fact that you CAN table this monitor and see it in any lighting conditions is something that NO other monitor can do. Transvideo can't, Nebtek can't, Borland can't, Tiffen can't. You don't have to run it tabled, but you CAN, an option that you've never had before. You don't have to run it that way, you can run it in any orientation that you want.

 

One other thing, the first thing that we all look for in a LCD is a bright daylight viewable image, I'm going to add two other things that we should be looking at. Low light performance and how "Crunchy" the monitors becomes in a low light situation and Standard Def/High Def image quality. The Cinetronic rocks in both of those...

[Thomas K. Jensen]

The price for the monitor is $4800. The yoke and mounting options will be supplied by Skipps Engineering. I believe the new mount fits Pro, XCS and MK-V.

 

Hey Chris.

 

I have read this thread through - and I can not see if you did incorporate the artificial horizon in your monitor design.

It doesn't say anything about that on your website?

 

Could you Chris or any of you who have tried it, list the features of the monitor?

Thanks.

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

I have read this thread through - and I can not see if you did incorporate the artificial horizon in your monitor design.

It doesn't say anything about that on your website?

 

The level is being worked on. One interesting thing that Chris is doing is making it display level without a frame delay which all the other monitor manufactures have....

[RonBaldwin]

Last time I talked to Greg Bubb he was working on an hd pdl.

[Thomas K. Jensen]

Guess I'll have to wait and see then.

Hope to get to demo it in Europe sometime soon.

When are the first batch shipping?

[chris bangma]

The first batch of 5 is out working. The second batch of 5 should be out in 1-2 weeks. We should have a demo unit in Europe toward the end of May, or beginning of June.

[Thomas K. Jensen]

The first batch of 5 is out working. The second batch of 5 should be out in 1-2 weeks. We should have a demo unit in Europe toward the end of May, or beginning of June.

 

Thanks Chris.

I would very much like to try out your new monitor.

When do you think the artificial horizon is in place?