GE AR . ON-SET MONITORS
“If the technological arch-enemy of the past was the sheer resolution of the human eye, we’ve defeated it”
S olving the problem of image monitoring isn’t as simple as packing more pixels into a display. A lot of the technology available to film and TV crews owes its existence to the massive research and development effort invested in mobile phones and tablets, at least for displays in the five- to 11-inch range. There have been phones with UHD displays at least since the
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium in 2017, although the usefulness of that many pixels in a 5.5-inch diagonal display is dubious at best. Over 800 pixels per inch is a higher resolution than many printed pages, and the focus puller would likely need a jeweller’s loupe. If the technological arch-enemy of the past was the sheer resolution of the human eye, we’ve defeated it. Monitors now distinguish themselves in other ways – this has meant a lot of work on firmware. Any serious display is now expected to provide lookup tables, a range of test and measurement, as well as focus and exposure assist options. The most significant developments have been in combined monitor-recorders from Atomos and, latterly, Blackmagic – leading to a revolution in camera-recorder integration. MONITOR-RECORDERS Historically, the five-inch Atomos Ninja range of monitor-recorders
has been a cheaper option compared to its larger, seven-inch Shogun series. The Ninja V, first released in 2018, combined a metal chassis with a 1000-nit display – creating something that could record pictures and compete well against similarly-sized stand-alone displays. Even that wouldn’t be so astounding in 2021, other than that the improved Ninja V+ offers 8K capture at 30fps, including ProRes Raw recording from the EOS R5, with upcoming firmware from Canon. Whether that brings any hope to other 8K-capable cameras, such as the Sony A1, remains to be seen. We probably shouldn’t get hyperbolic too soon. But the ability to shoot full-frame, 8K pictures in a package that can be flown on a reasonably capable drone is, well, very new. The most valid applications for that probably aren’t conventional screen production; instead, it would be cropping and scaling for virtual camerawork, as well as vast-screen applications
DYNAMIC Atomos’ Shogun 7 (above) delivers a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1;
AtomX Quick Release Monitor Mount (below)
Just about everything JVC’s professional monitors are ideal for a wide range of
production and post-production applications. Depending upon size, many of JVC’s monitor range are also battery operable, so fully flexible for field or studio work. Including both 4K and HD models, there are size options from 17in through to 31in within JVC’s model line-up. The DT-U range of 4K monitors includes the DT-U27HB, which offers 12G, quad 3G and HDMI inputs; a high brightness panel; support for DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 colour spaces; and with PQ and HLG HDR format support. There is also a wide variety of HD models available, in several ranges, to ensure the best fit for the application. The DT-V24G2 is the most cost-effective, true 10-bit panel HD monitor on the market, while the DT-G range – available in sizes from 17in to 27in – has 3D LUT support, and built-in waveform monitor and vectorscope.
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