Premium Members Chris Konash Posted January 10, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 I am in the market for a new LDC monitor to put on a Clipper 2 from tiffen. The rig is being built as we speak with the standard monitor, which I plan on using as a backup. Which means I will be in need an HD-SDI monitor. Is anyone out there using the Panasonic BT-LH900 8.4" LCD ??? This is the one I have had my eye on. Average power consumption 22.8W 170 degree viewing angle Auto sensing HD-SDI, composite, component, NTSC, PAL, etc... Onboard waveform monitor Built in frames and markers Tally Anton Bauer mount on the back for field use Available for $3,999 Are there any other HD-SDI compatible monitors that are decent for Steadi work out there. I've seen the Humming Bird, Transvideo, and the others from Tiffen but I need HD-SDI. The Ultrabrite ( $8,250 ) is just more than I can afford after buying the rig. I have read in other 2004 posts that this is a nice monitor but you can't flip the image and that it might have some brightness issues. It's more than a year later and the question is has anyone put this on a rig and used it in a variety of conditions, and how did it do? Thank You, Chris "still a newbie" Konash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members AndySchwartz Posted January 10, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 hey chris hope all is well. check out the marshall hd lcd's lcdracks.com i know that hummingbird is great an AC i know had that transvideo and it was pretty nice but in daylight it was a little not-so-bright and i am not sure that they do HD-SDI. i know his did not. i had a marshall, not HD, for awhile and with a hood on it, it was pretty nice in daylight. take care andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Frederic Chamberland Posted January 11, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Hi, Also check TELETEST . Their 7" SDI LCD is new, but seems a good compromise and they are built like tanks. I have had the regular version for 3 years and it still gives me a great image. Service is really good. Image flip, 16.9, 4.3, Anton bauer mount compatible, Anti reflective glass that actually works, and the prices are all on the web. Worth a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Andrew Jansen Posted January 11, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Do NOT buy the Panasonic BT-LH900 8.4" Monitor, you cannot see it in daylight and the screen is too reflective. I bought one for a show and just sold it to a DP who owns a few Varicam's. Andrew www.steadicamguy.com PS the Teletest looks interesting and cheap too ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasondittmer Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 I second the DO NOT BUY endorsement for the Panasonic monitor. Great for Studio use and the built in Waveform is nice, but not nearly bright enough to work with outdoors and to top it off it is quite heavy. Fly safe, JD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members chris fawcett Posted January 11, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Also check TELETEST . It is a good monitor, but are you sure there's an HD version? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Brad Grimmett Posted January 11, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Also check TELETEST . It is a good monitor, but are you sure there's an HD version? Chris It says "HD-SDI (optional)" on the first page that pops up in the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Chris Haarhoff Posted January 11, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Guys, I know this is going to sound stupid but why does one need a Hi Def monitor when shooting Hi Def. I may not be up to speed but are'nt all the Hi Def monitors all stroby or slightly delayed.... only slightly, but enough to effect your timing and perception. Is giving up true daylight viewability a fair price to pay for the cool sharp picture. I'm asking this question not to piss anyone off, but out of real interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasondittmer Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 The inability to view a monitor in daylight is a real problem. As professional Steadicam Ops, we can't really say that we can fly an HD camera, and view true HD-SDI....... But only if it is at nite or in a dark, interior environment. I'm sure you understand. But on the subject of HD Monitors, my HD solution was to buy a downconverter. Yes there is a delay. But it is about 3/4 X less expensive and my modulus doesn't transmit HD, With a Downconverter, I can view and transmit the downconverted signal.....You can also rent the downconverter to production. It has worked for me. My thoughts, JD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Chris Konash Posted January 12, 2006 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Thank you to everyone for your input here, because of what I have heard I will not be buying the BT-LH900 from Panasonic. I will be looking into the Marshall and the Teletest, hopefully I can do my best to see both of these in person before I need to buy one. I thought about a down converter and may still get one for that "just in case" moment when I will need one. I would just like to have an HD monitor for those days I am shooting on a VariCam that doesn't have a standard composite output (until the new one is released in 2007). Which ever one I buy I'll be sure to let you know how it does. Chris Konash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members chris fawcett Posted January 12, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 It says "HD-SDI (optional)" on the first page that pops up in the link. It's a down-converter on a card, and it's not avaliable till the end of 2006. Teletest has no HD monitor. I spent a full day at IBC checking monitors: viewing angles, brightness, reflections, and variety of inputs. The two I liked best were Tiffen Ultrabrite, and the Archer monitor. The Hummingbird came third, only because a change in viewing angle makes the apparant exposure vary by plus or minus a couple of stops. If I didnt have to judge exposure, I might put it first. The Ultrabrite is 4:3, so that makes it less than ideal for HD, though it is exceptionally bright and very good in sunlight. I had written off the Archer monitor because it was cheap, but Steve Fracol woke me up to the fact that, for it's price, it is a very capable monitor. Take one onto direct sunlight, and you'll see what I mean. It outperforms many colour monitors I found no HD monitor that had all the input necessary to match all the cameras I might work with. I look forward to the day one comes out. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Chris Konash Posted January 13, 2006 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 Chris, Thanks for the info on the NON-HD Teletest. Advice well taken everyone, I appreciate your input. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Norbert von der Heidt Posted January 14, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 14, 2006 But on the subject of HD Monitors, my HD solution was to buy a downconverter. Yes there is a delay. But it is about 3/4 X less expensive and my modulus doesn't transmit HD, With a Downconverter, I can view and transmit the downconverted signal.....You can also rent the downconverter to production. It has worked for me. My thoughts, JD I agree with JD. As soon as I have a need for HD monitoring on my rig I'll get a downconverter. I'm inclined to use the AJA line of gear unless someone can offer a better or cheaper alternative. The model # is a HD10MD3. The HD10MD3 is a miniature digital downconverter for converting HD-SDI video to standard definition SDI and analog component/composite video. The HD10MD3 uses a full 10-bit data path and multi-point interpolation to produce broadcast quality downconverted video. In addition, the HD10MD3 converts either 1080p24 or 1080p24sf to 59.94 Hz output video using the standard 3:2 pulldown technique. The output can be formatted for either 4:3 or 16:9 standard definition monitors. 4 Ch input embedded HD-SDI audio is passed to the SDI output. On the S-Video output I would just strip off the luminence channel through the S-Video output connector to feed my rig's monitor. I'm not worried about seeing the colour balance, I just want as high res a picture as possible. The link to this gear is http://www.aja.com/hd10md.htm Cheers Norbert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinThwaites Posted January 15, 2006 Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 Guys, I know this is going to sound stupid but why does one need a Hi Def monitor when shooting Hi Def. I may not be up to speed but are'nt all the Hi Def monitors all stroby or slightly delayed.... only slightly, but enough to effect your timing and perception. Is giving up true daylight viewability a fair price to pay for the cool sharp picture. I'm asking this question not to piss anyone off, but out of real interest. Hi Chris Down converters always have some delay whether they are stand alone, in the monitor or in the camera (HDW-750a). The guys who really need HD monitors and rigs are the live TV and OB guys where some cameras (Thomson/Grass Valley) do not have anything other than HDSDI out. Robin Thwaites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Robert Eder Posted January 15, 2006 Premium Members Report Share Posted January 15, 2006 hey chris, do you have a price for the archer monitor? thanks, robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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