monitors for live production

As opposed to a bank of rack mounted monitors, is anyone using 1 large LCD with multiple inputs showing up in a split-screen format? I've seen this before, but don't know what hardware/software is driving the split screen capabilities.

wondering what the magic box is.
brad

[techie2k4]

I believe the device you are looking for is what's called a video multiplexor. Do a google search for further info.

[billmi]

They are often used for security cameras. A single monitor and a multiplexer is usually a lot less expensive than a bank of mini monitors.

[Richie]

Oh man I saw the one from Miranda and it is SWEET! It is their Kaleido-X system and it is top notch! They have other smaller version of the Kaleido available as well.

We've got lots of Miranda gear and they never let us down. We are losing CRTs left and right (the SDI cards are failing) from our video wall. So we might be going with the Kaleido before long.

Let us know what you find.

[andrew.hearn]

I brought one off ebay (uk) the other week for about £36, search for 'Quad'...
The one I got had composite video in and looping out, which is what we needed to then pass the feeds through to the switcher.

[Gracetech]

I'm probably the only one that has a problem with this but i can't understand why people would want to cut up their resolution by placing multiple sources on a single monitor. On the other hand you know that all the calibration is the same on all the pictures.

crt

[andrew.hearn]

Gracetech, depending on your budget and size of your setup, a Quad preview device, will be cheaper and will take up less space than separate monitors... for smaller churches (we seat about 350, and only run 2 cameras, DVD and a PC) it could be ideal...

[Brent Bauman]

These are commonly referred to as Multi-Image processors (some are simple and provide only a quad-split, others are capable of many more images on one screen).

The only issue to be careful about is the use of compression (which does not give you a real time image in each view).

Here are a number of manufacturers who make these...

Miranda
Evertz
Leitch (Harris Corp)
Planar
Zandar
Avitech
Pelco

There are lots of other manufacturers... but these are the ones I could think of off the top of my head.

thanks. I'll look into some of these. If anyone finds a retailer, and some good pricing, let me know. thanks!

[billmi]

Originally Posted by Gracetech

I'm probably the only one that has a problem with this but i can't understand why people would want to cut up their resolution by placing multiple sources on a single monitor. On the other hand you know that all the calibration is the same on all the pictures.

In a live production environment, that resolution is unnecessary. If you want to check focus on a camera, or something like that, you bring it up on the switcher's preview bank, or an effects bank, so you can see it full screen on a quality monitor.

To know that the calibration is right - you could eyeball it on a multiplexed image, but the colors aren't going to be precise unless you get a broadcast quality unit - and then the price shoots way up past security systems. Proper calibration means sending a test signal from each camera, and routing that via the switcher to scopes to compare levels. A few set-ups I've worked on had the scopes set up to switch between the switcher's preview bus and program bus, so you could even check for legal levels on the fly when you pull up a source on preview.

The smaller monitors, or split screens are so the director can simply see what each camera has framed, or tell when a DDR or tape is rolling and ready to take on the main bus. Really in this case, smaller is better (to a point) because the closer they all are together, the less looking around the director has to do, to get a feel for what is happening on each camera. In The Olden Days(tm) when I was in school, our main studio had a bank of black and white 19" monitors for the cameras, and color for main and preview out from the switcher. The monitors had to be 10 feet from the switcher to be able to take them all in at a glance. Now with split-screen images, you can have program, preview and camera monitors all sitting on the same desk with the switcher, and everything is visible in peripheral vision without even having to move your eyes. This is especially important for mobile control rooms, or control rooms built into facilities with limited space available (read as, many churches.)

[Gracetech]

The way i used to do live is have small greyscale high resolution monitors for my cameras and a color high resolution larger monitors for Preview, Program, and Graphics(key, titler..so on so forth). I've put enough monitors for a 16 camera shoot in a 22 unit rack.

I never get bored of seeing the way other people setup their rigs. As long as the end result is good it really doesn't matter how you got their.

crt

Does anyone know of a good rackmounted dual-monitor that has both composite and VGA inputs with a loop out? Delvcam used to make one, but they've discontinued it.

Application: for now there's no camera feed, only 2 sources (computer & dvd). I'd like to have a small rackmounted lcd dual monitor to see them both. Space is an issue.