Part 2: Stefan Czich about the perfect monitor, trends and what to expect in the future

Keeping in mind the challenges of working outside, what would be most important things to look for in a monitor?

Stefan Czich: ‘Traditionally the idea has been to keep the light off the screen with a hood around the monitor. But that is not always possible, so hight brightness is now an issue. For people working outside high brightness monitors are becoming more and more popular. The TVLogic F-7H offers an astounding 3,600 nits maximum brightness.

Another issue is the weight of the monitor. It must be lightweight, but at the same time it also needs to be robust. There are very nice designs out there with plastic cases and they are very lightweight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will survive the knocks and bumps. Particularly if you are talking about the rental industry, kit can take a hammering.

If we look at the TVLogic brand: their small 5-inch monitors have long been the standard. They all use light weight metal cases. There are sexier designs out there, but they are just not as robust. Robustness is one of the key things you should be thinking of when buying a monitor.’

‘If a monitor goes for a repair, it is not earning money.’

‘If you have a monitor that is maybe not so streamlined, but it is robust and it is constantly in the hire market, it is a better monitor for you. If it is your own monitor, then that is even more important. TVLogic monitors are designed to work in the real world.’

‘The real difference is when you come to use the product. Then you realise the connectively is very good.’

‘Once you have a signal going in then you find that there are lot of features built into the monitor. Things like time code, colour peaking, zebra and a whole lot of other things, that really help you use the monitor on a live production.’

Trends & future perspective

Looking into the future what do you think we can expect from TVLogic monitors and monitors trends in general? Stefan Czich: ‘It’s really difficult to predict the long-term future. A little while ago 3D was all the rage and now that is forgotten about for another 20 years, probably.

What is expected in the short/medium term is more of the compact monitors, so they work well with new cameras. More high brightness monitors, and obviously UHD and 4K are becoming the new standard. We’ve got 8K video coming soon, but how far way that is exactly, is very difficult to predict. But it will come.

Another big trend is the move to IP production. All the outside broadcast trucks built in the UK recently have been IP based. BBC Cardiff goes on-air shortly, that will be an IP based station. TVLogic are expanding their range of monitors with SFP inputs for IP signals’

‘Interfacing easily with IP signals into monitors or other equipment that you are using, will be become more and more important.’

‘The TVLogic case designs are changing a little bit. Traditionally from 7 inches upwards, TVLogic have used a quite bulky case. It has been really robust, but it is a little chunky for modern use. Using different materials, we can get a smaller form factor for the monitor case. More suitable for modern, lighter and smaller cameras while still retaining a robust design.'

‘The ability to use your monitor with any camera that you are given, is a big plus.’

'The TVLogic multi-format monitors are monitors that connect with SD and HD in most popular formats, both digital & analogue. As we move forward, we find log inputs & UHD/4K have become standard. We see HDMI & HDMI-2 in wide use in broadcast & cine production Any camera output, for a broadcast camera or a DSLR cameras will feed into these monitors’

Want to know more about TVLogic monitors? Check out our TVLogic webpage for more information!