Monitoring: Off-Board

Comments:  This is the cat’s meow of monitors…  I actually like to use this as my director’s monitor with a long BNC cable as I like to be mobile or follow the camera/steadicam tethered or wireless.   This is by far the best small monitor that Marshall makes and incredibly competitive in terms of color relative to all others in the market.  It is built incredibly well and has a built in waveform monitor which is KEY to HDSLR.  Basically my eyes are glued to this monitor and waveform during any production to make sure the framing and exposure are dead on (and not clipping.)   It’s slightly larger than the above monitors – but you can add an Anton Bauer/IDX plate to the back or power if w/ and XLR plug and mount this on your camera as well.   This is the one monitor I will travel the world with to use with any camera.  It supports BOTH HDMI and HDSDI – and supports HDMI loop through, and 2 HDSDI ins and one out for loop through as well.  It can also be used for 3D productions.  THIS MONITOR HAS SAVED ME on saveral occassions in that it does flawless HDMI to HDSDI conversion internally on the fly – which is fantastic when you are mixing HDMI and HDSDI cameras and/or wireless video receivers.

Description (from Marshall Electronics): The OR-901-XDI 9" ORCHID rack mountable / portable field monitor has all the features that customers have asked for including fully automatic HD-SDI to HDMI / HDMI to HD-SDI cross conversion. The OR-901-XDI is 4RU and has 9 user-assignable function keys as well as a rotary menu system. ORCHID monitors include a variety of 3D production tools and anaglyph views. The built-in waveform monitor (which includes adjustable White and Black clip level indicators) can be displayed in three different aspect ratios including Full Screen. The built-in Vectorscope displays in full color and can also be displayed in three different ratios. The Vectorscope has adjustable gain from 1x to 5x.

Comments:  This is a GORGEOUS field monitor.   While not 10 bit (like the $12-20K monitors) it’s actually extremely competitive in terms of critically judging color on set.  It also has all of built-in functions you’d expect from Marshall and has a built in waveform monitor which is critical.   I judge all of my exposures off of the waveform monitor on set with this monitor and don’t need to stress out about much else other than making sure that the data isn’t corrupted somehow.  It can be calibrated and with an optional adapter you can mount it to a C-Stand etc.   

Description (from Marshall Electronics): Marshall Electronics introduces the industry’s first full lineup of In-Monitor Displays. The V-R241-IMD-HDSDI 24" monitor is a cost-effective "all-in-one" solution for post production houses, broadcasters, and mobile units. This fully-integrated approach eliminates the need for additional or separate Under Monitor Displays and allows UMD information and tallies to be displayed directly within a Marshall flat panel monitor, while saving precious rack space. A variety of features are readily available including on-screen Video Time Code, three-color "Soft" Tallies, and Audio Presence Indicator. Marshall IMD displays also offer a RotoMenu™ feature which allows fast, direct, and easy menu navigation.