Sony Xperia PRO/PRO-I Update – Live Streaming, Monitoring Tools and Camera Control

Smartphone Filmmaking

by Francesco AndreolaAugust 15^th, 2022

A new update for the Sony Xperia PRO and PRO-I smartphones is out of the oven. The external monitor app now comes with interesting new features for Sony Alpha series camera users. These include live-streaming, image monitoring tools, as well as camera control capabilities for the Alpha series of cameras.

First announced in January last year, the Sony Xperia PRO was the company’s first smartphone to feature a Micro HDMI port that allows for professional monitoring with Sony mirrorless cameras. My colleague Nino put the phone thought its paces to test out its monitoring and live-streaming capabilities. Make sure to check out his review here.

The PRO model was followed shortly after by the PRO-I, which is equipped with a 1-inch image sensor, but lacks the HDMI input connector. Now, both smartphones are getting a fresh update that introduces support for some of those features that Nino was missing during his experience with the Xperia PRO.  Let’s take a closer look.

Sony Xperia PRO and PRO-I External monitor app: new features

With this update, users can take advantage of the 5G network capabilities of their Xperia PRO, PRO-I, or Xperia 1 IV to set up a direct live stream from their Alpha camera to YouTube or other popular platforms. The camera must be connected to the smart device using HDMI on the Xperia PRO or USB-C on the PRO-I and Xperia 1 IV. The list of Sony cameras that support UVC (USB Video Capture) technology includes the a7 IV, a7C, RX-0 II, ZV-1, and ZV-E10.

Moreover, the PRO and PRO-I models finally get some of the most popular image monitoring tools that videographers are used to. These include two fundamental tools for evaluating exposure – a waveform monitor and a false color function. The former can display luminance data, individual RGB channels, or both at the same time. On the other hand, the latter assigns a color to each area of the image, depending on its exposure level.

Lastly, the Xperia PRO now gains camera control capabilities over a selected range of Sony mirrorless cameras, including the a1, a7S III, and a7 IV. Both the HDMI and USB cables must be connected to both devices, thus allowing users to start/stop recording with a simple tap on the smartphone’s touchscreen. Also, this setup allows for a larger full-screen view of the image with camera settings overlaid.

Price and availability

All Sony Xperia PRO and PRO-I users should now be able to update their smartphones for free. Both devices are available for purchase from B&H and currently retail for $1,998 and $1,598 (512GB) respectively.

Are you a Sony Xperia user? How do you like using your smartphone as an external on-camera monitor? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!