There is a certain irony in the fact that smallHD have announced that they are now making big displays. This comes in the form of the first-ever line of daylight-viewable HDR production monitors in 17-inch, 24-inch and 32-inch sizes. Designed to outlast years of abuse, every monitor housing is milled from billet aluminum—an industry first—and holds a 3mm thick polycarbonate screen protector that is user-replaceable. SmallHD has designed the new monitors so that you can take them right out of the box and drop them straight onto a C-stand, table or cart, and the built-in “RapidRail” system enables quick mounting and powering of third party accessories, making wireless setups particularly easy.

SmallHD are also claiming unprecedented brightness at up to 1500nits, but this is only for the 32″ model, The 17″ and 24″ versions are limited to 1000nits.The resolution of the displays is also limited to 1920×1080 and there is no indication yet of the weight. There are two SDI in and out ports and one HDMI in and out.

We recently saw Atomos announce a range of on camera HDR capable monitor/recorders, so it definitely looks like smallHD is also betting on HDR becoming more widely used. If you want more information on what HDR is and how it works you can see my previously published article here. The smallHD monitors feature high-end software that includes: cutting edge HDR preview capability when used with high dynamic range cameras, multi-view mode with ColorFlow for viewing multiple sources with varied post-production LUTs applied, 10-bit color processing, 10-bit HD waveform and scopes, and automatic display calibration.

Unlike other systems that require a computer and pricy software to calibrate accurately, SmallHD production monitors introduce a built-in Color Intelligence Engine that enables them to automatically calibrate by self-generating a 3D calibration LUT for the display, based on data received from a USB-connected color probe. This process eliminates cost, clutter, and wasted time, while providing huge confidence in the color accuracy of the display.

ColorFlow gives users added flexibility when it comes to managing post-production looks and previewing HDR during a shoot. Looks (in the form of 3D LUT files) and HDR can be applied and compared side-by-side to the raw SDI and HDMI signals using the multi-view function. Independently, a separate LUT can be sent downstream via SDI and HDMI to a client or director who requires a polished look on their monitor. Finally, any active LUT will be documented when the image capture button is pressed, placing the captured image and the corresponding 3D LUT next to each other on the user’s SD card—the perfect reference point for the post-production house during the color grading process.

There are also custom flight cases available that hold every accessory needed, and they have even been designed so that wireless systems do not need to be removed from the rear of the monitor when stored. The monitors’ built-in top handle, table stand and C-stand mount, plus the optional sun hood, polycarbonate screen protectors, Gold Mount and V-Mount battery plates, USB color probe, power cables and signal cables all pack comfortably and quickly into the protective case, ready for instant deployment on set.

These production monitors take advantage of the intuitive user interface pioneered in SmallHD’s 500 and 700 series on-camera monitors, expanding it further to support high-end workflow. Pages are a single button press away, giving instant access to 4 custom tool presets. LUTs can be activated and deactivated instantly via the dedicated LUT button, just like the waveform and the multi-view features. The UI’s speed and simplicity will allow users to shoot faster with increased confidence.

The great thing about these new monitors is you could use them in the field and then take them back home and use them as a reference monitor during the edit and post process. I have a feeling there could be a lot of people who will purchase one of these monitors just to use in edit suites and have no intention of ever taking them outside.

This announcement is certainly a big departure away from what smallHD has become renowned for. The small on camera monitor market has become increasingly crowded in recent times and a lot of people have been buying monitors that can also record. There has however been a big hole in the market place for high brightness, outdoor viewable on set displays of this size, and smallHD is looking to fill that gap. On paper the monitors look to be very impressive, but it will be very interesting to see just how much they end up costing.



“Our customers have been asking us to make large displays for years,” says Wes Phillips, SmallHD Co-Founder. “It’s obviously a major departure from our on-camera monitors, but we’re still focusing on the same key principles: ruggedness, daylight-viewing ability, color accuracy and ease-of-use. That, plus some truly amazing software tools and game-changing accessories, really set these monitors apart.”





Pricing and availability for the 1700 Series, 2400 Series, and 3200 Series monitors will be announced Q2 2016, but you will be able to check them out at NAB in a few weeks time.

Specifications

32″ Model

Screen Size 32″ / 81 cm

Resolution 1920 x 1080

Bit Depth 10-bit

Brightness 1500 cd/m²

Video I/O Inputs

2 x SDI

1 x HDMI

Outputs

2 x SDI

1 x HDMI

Power Inputs

1 x IEC AC input

1 x 4-pin XLR

Outputs

1 x 12 VDC LEMO

3 x USB (0.5 A max output)

Dimensions Not specified by manufacturer

Weight Not specified by manufacturer

24″ Model

Screen Size 24″ / 61 cm

Resolution 1920 x 1080

Bit Depth 10-bit

Brightness 1000 cd/m²

Video I/O Inputs

2 x SDI

1 x HDMI

Outputs

2 x SDI

1 x HDMI

Power Inputs

1 x IEC AC input

1 x 4-pin XLR

Outputs

1 x 12 VDC LEMO

3 x USB (0.5 A max output)Screen Size

17″ Model

17″ / 43 cm

Resolution 1920 x 1080

Bit Depth 10-bit

Brightness 1000 cd/m²

Video I/O Inputs

2 x SDI

1 x HDMI

Outputs

2 x SDI

1 x HDMI

Power Inputs

1 x IEC AC input

1 x 4-pin XLR

Outputs

1 x 12 VDC LEMO

3 x USB (0.5 A max output)

Dimensions Not specified by manufacturer

Weight Not specified by manufacturer

Dimensions Not specified by manufacturer

Weight Not specified by manufacturer