Sometimes you might need a bigger video monitor, not attached to the camcorder, to view what the camcorder is recording AS you are recording. Well I do anyway. I am camera-man, director and performer all in one and so the small integral LCD monitor stuck on the camcorder isn't enough for me.
Here are the specifications of a portable external camcorder video monitor I would like.
A minimum of 1024 (width) x 576 (height) pixels screen resolution to display in all its detail a standard definition wide-screen 16:9PAL video signal which has 576 lines. Now OK you don't get 1024 x 576 pixel screens but you do get 1024 x 600 pixels LCD screens which is the WSVGA standard and so that is the minimum native screen resolution I need.
The monitor needs to have an AV, composite video input. My camcorder comes with a cable which plugs in and it outputs video and audio signals from the camcorder and this cable has plugs on it like this.
The yellow plug carries the video signal and that is the input I really need in a monitor. I suppose if the monitor also accepts the audio red and white plugs to output the sound using integral speakers that is a bonus but audio inputs are not critical for my purposes.
The monitor to be portable needs to be able to work from a battery and the screen size and the product dimensions need to be small enough to be portable.
I would like less than a 13 inch screen and I am considering as small a screen as 9 inches.
Well "portable external camcorder monitors" do not seem to have established themselves as a consumer product marketed under that name. So it looks like I would need to use another consumer product which could perform this function.
For example, portable DVD players can come with a AV composite video input but the problem is getting one of a good enough screen resolution. Also the extra functions of playing DVDs, displaying TV pictures and so on all adds to the cost and price of such more-complicated-than-I-really-need products.
I would like to describe one product I have seen advertised on a Hong Kong website because it is the nearest product I have found in terms of specification and price ($130 or £81 including shipping but not importation taxes if any) to what I need. Unfortunately, I have not found a UK dealer for this product, Eonon.com don't HAVE a UK dealer, not one, and so I am reluctant to buy direct from Hong Kong and maybe miss out on consumer protections.
So I am NOT advertising this product. I am just saying "Look - here is a product which is close in design to a theoretical product I am talking about. Hey wouldn't such a product be useful as an external camcorder monitor everybody!"
This product is by Eonon.com operating out of Hong Kong and they call it a
and it is designed to be attached to the inside of a car so that passengers may plug in DVD or other media players, games machines and so on.
Interestingly, the screen this product uses appears to be exactly what I need and it works from a 12 Volt supply so it looks very easy to adapt for the portable external camcorder monitor purpose.
Quote:General
-Power Supply: DC 12V
-Power Consumption: 15 W
-Support IR Transmit Earphone
-Built-in Double Dome Light
-PAL/NTSC auto switching
-Menu Language: English
-Auto-Memory Function
-Remote Control Function
-Fold Size: 273*240*40mm
-Open Size: 273*240*205mm
-Gross weight: 2.0kg
-Total Weight: 3.5kg
Screen
-Screen: 8.9 Inch Digital Screen
-Resolution: 1024*RGB*600 (WSVGA)
-Aspect ratio: 16:9/4:3
-Image Brightness/Contrast/Color adjustable
-Rotating angle of screen:30° (Left)
-Rotating angle of screen:180° (Right)
-Max Rotating angle:90° (Up-down)
Input
-2 x RCA Video input
-1 x RCA Audio R/L input
Accessories
-1×Remote control with batteries
-1×User's manual
-1×Power & AV Cable
Now that you understand what I need, can you suggest another product for this purpose - a product that I can actually buy from a UK-dealer? The local consumer products stores here, which sell camcorders don't seem to sell a product which will do the job.
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