I recently received the ikan VX9 LCD monitor. The people at ikan are masters at building good quality production equipment at very reasonable prices.
The ikan VX9 LCD monitor has 1024x600 line of resolution. All signals are scaled to this resolution. I was skeptical at first but after reviewing other monitors in this price range that boast higher resolutions I was pleasantly surprised.
The picture is clean, saturated well and in the HD resolutions I tried there were negligible artifacts. Apparently this monitor is targeted towards the on location on camera market. It quickly found a place beneath my dual monitors in my edit suites. The 8.9" monitor is just the right size for my needs.
The viewing angle is tight so if you edit with clients you will want to seriously consider placement for maximum viewing benefit. Viewing angle is important, especially to producers and editors that need to collaborate.
The monitor comes with a battery mount for field use and ikan has lots of different mounts for the monitor itself. It only draws three watts max so it appears to be fairly efficient. There is also a 4 pin XLR type DC 12v-20v input for use with an external power supply. There are (4) 1/4-20 threads on all four sides of the monitor so you will have lots of options for mounting. The unit I received came complete with the monitor, power adapter, MA206 Articulating arm and the battery plate.
The VX9 supports HDMI, HD-SDI, Component and composite from 480i/59.94i to 1080P/30P.
The controls are straightforward and intuitive. I only looked at the docs to see their specs.
I know this is not a true HD monitor but I am really impressed by the picture quality. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive way to monitor HD-SDI, HDMI signals you may want to consider the ikan VX9. I believe at the time of this writing they are selling for $1149.
The VX9 specs look great, so does the price. However the LCD Brightness is rated at 180cd/m2, was the image bright enough for you? Did you use it in full sun?
ReplyDeleteIt isn't the brightest bulb in the box compared to some I have seen but like any LCD (or CRT for that matter) in the sun you need a good hood or sunscreen. I found it ok. I think if I were looking for an on camera monitor I would look at a bit smaller monitor. This is fairly large for my needs. I have been using the VX9 in one of my edit suites quite a bit lately. I talked with a colleague the other day and I think ikan either is or will soon be offering a smaller monitor in this range as well.
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