Marshall Monitor from Steadicam

[brett.mayfield]

hey yall

i just sent in my archer 2 for a monitor replacement. I have loved the standard SD monitor, but the guys at Tiffen are suggesting an upgrade to the 7" Marshall. Im very familiar with it as I typically use it for remote follow focus. The dudes at Tiffen are telling me that they have some specific software/firmware upgrades that are Steadicam specific, and that the viewing angle has been changed.

Has anyone opted for this Steadicam Marshall yet? Ive gone through the forum but no one has really noted the firmware changes other than here: http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=14874&st=0&p=70266&hl=+marshall%20+firmware&fromsearch=1entry70266

 

what are the firmware changes? does the marshall monitor with which tiffen wants to provide me include a frame line generator or level indicator or will that all be external add ons?

 

brett.

[Sydney Seeber]

Their 7" 16:9 V-LCD70XHB monitor is a little brighter but the 6.5" V-LCD651STX-(Various sub models) has a (slightly) better coating for sunlight. I compared the two the other day and the "Transflective" coating on the smaller monitor essentially polarizes reflections better, i.e. the direct reflection of the sun is a smaller circle than the other monitor screen and you can still see a video image around that circle. The 7" is 800X480 and 16:9, the 6.5" is 4:3 and 1024X768. I thought the 7" version performed decently in sunlight as well, just not as well as the 651STX version. Both have user adjustable framelines, at least that's what the Marshall guy I was talking to told me, but he seemed not really sure of himself about that. The digital level is an add-on that needs to be cranked up all the way to max sensitivity to be of any use whatsoever. The advantage of the 7" version is that it's several hundred less than the 6.5" one.

[daniel hanit]

The 6.5" monitor is amazing, MUCH better than the 7" in my humble opinion.

Mine is on its way from B&H, after seeing it on IBC Amsterdam next to the other alternatives...

[David M. Aronson]

I use a 6.5" V-LCD651STX on my rig. I got it because I didn't have a good monitor to put on and it was $650 on ebay. I love it. I've never had any visibility issues with it. I haven't used the 7", but the 6.5 is a great monitor if you get is for a good price.

The only issue I've had with it is the frame lines are a pain in the ass to adjust. You have to go through several menus and the controls are pretty slow to respond. I usually just rip a piece of spike tape in half, stick it on, and call it a day.

[Jess Haas SOC]

That's strange, ive never found the controls slow to respond and think the framelines are easy to adjust. It is a couple of menu items down but its easily done in 15 seconds or so.

Definitely get the 6.5" over the 7". It is one of the best monitors out their as far as sunlight goes while the 7" is horrible outside. Transflective isn't a coating on the screen, it means that behind the screen in addition to having a backlight it reflects sunlight back out through the screen. That is why the viewability is so much better than other monitors which have much higher NIT ratings (and draw more power).

 

Main drawback of the 6.5 is lack of image flip(I flip my monitor arm when I need this).

 

~Jess