Shimbol ZO600M Announced – Affordable 5.5″ Wireless Monitor

Wireless Video

by Francesco AndreolaMarch 10^th, 2022

Today, a rather new Chinese company, Shimbol, unveiled their 5.5” wireless monitor solution: the Shimbol ZO600M. This HDMI-only system can wirelessly transmit video and audio up to 152m/500ft with a latency of 80ms. The monitor will be available for $399, while a pack of 2 units will cost $798.

Sometimes, an almost unknown company pops up out of nowhere to release a newsworthy product. This is the case with Shimbol (officially Shenzhen ZO Video Technology Co.), a Chinese brand that focuses on the development of wireless video and audio solutions.

Today, the company announced the release of their latest product, the Shimbol ZO600M. This 5.5” monitor comes with integrated wireless video and audio transmission capabilities at an affordable price. This new system looks quite promising at first glance, so let’s dive deeper into its specs. 

Shimbol ZO600M: 5.5” wireless monitor

The Shimbol ZO600M is a 5.5” monitor with built-in wireless video transmission capabilities. The monitor can serve both as a transmitter (TX) or a receiver (RX), while communicating with another ZO600M. When acting as a TX, a single monitor can support multiple receiving devices.

The system relies on the 5.1-5.8GHz frequency band. According to the company, the maximum transmission range between two units is 152m/500ft. Unfortunately, this is not a zero-latency system. In fact, video and audio signals will travel with a 80ms delay, which is acceptable, but not ideal when precise focus pulling is needed.

Monitor specs

This HDMI-only monitor features a 1920×1080 screen with a contrast ratio of 1200:1 and a peak brightness of 1000 nits. In my opinion, this decent value represents the threshold for a monitor to become daylight-viewable. 

The HDMI IN/OUT ports on the left side of the unit support FullHD input and output signals at up to 60fps. Interestingly, this monitor can also act as a small recorder. In fact, if I understand correctly, it can record and playback .MP4 files with a maximum size of 4GB each, without interfering with the camera’s internal recording. This function probably makes use of the TF Card (i.e. MicroSD) slot.

The Shimbol ZO600M is also packed with the most common monitoring tools, including waveform, histogram, vector scope, RGB parade, and false color. Furthermore, custom 17x17x17 or 33x33x33 LUTs can be loaded into the monitor.

Power options

According to Shimbol, the good brightness of this monitor can still be achieved with low power consumption. The monitor can draw juice from a dual NP-F style battery slot on the back.

It can also accept power via a DC-IN port on the left side. Moreover, a DC-OUT power supply (7.4V/0.8A) can be found at the bottom of the monitor: this can come in handy to power accessories.

Simple, compact design

The Shimbol ZO600M has a compact, streamlined design. The unit is lightweight (300g) and measures 151x103x29.5mm in size. The company also put some effort in developing a modern UI that looks clean and intuitive.

Overall, the design is pretty simple. All buttons, including the power and 3 function keys, sit at the top of the unit. The left side is dedicated to the main I/O ports, namely the HDMI IN/OUT connections, the DC-IN port and the 3.5mm headphone jack. The opposite side of the monitor features a TF Card Slot and a USB-C Debug port for firmware updates.

Finally, a 1/4”-20 threaded hole at the bottom allows for easy mounting of the monitor on camera rigging accessories.

Price and availability

Although this product looks promising, it seems like there’s currently no official information about its availability, so I suggest keeping an eye on Shimbol’s website for future updates.

The Shimbol ZO600M is one of the most affordable wireless video monitor solutions in the market. In fact, it will be available for purchase for $399 (single unit). If you’re interested in buying a whole ecosystem, the 2-unit pack will cost you $798.

What do you think of this new Shimbol ZO600M wireless monitor system? Have you ever heard of the company before? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below!