Portkeys BM5 IV, BM5 IV WR, and CINENORM Released – Revamped 5.5-Inch Monitors With New OS

Monitoring News

by Francesco AndreolaOctober 29^th, 2024

Portkeys has now officially released their new flagship 5.5” on-camera monitors, the BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR. Following in the footsteps of their predecessors, they feature a rugged aluminum design, a high-bright display with 2,000 nits, and camera control capabilities, but now come with a wholly redesigned operating system – called CINENORM OS –  and even more.

While Portkeys’ monitors start out as low as $99 with the HD7H, it’s their flagship BM5 series that has proven to be a great deal over the years, at least in my experience. Indeed, BM5 monitors are a good bang for the buck, offering a great balance between brightness, durability, and price.

We already took a first look at the BM5 IV WR at the IBC Show in Amsterdam last month. But now, the company has unveiled all the specs (and pricing) of these fully-featured but still relatively affordable onboard camera control monitors. So, let’s take a look at what’s new!

Portkeys BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR – new features

The BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR offer a high-bright 2,000-nit display housed inside a rugged aluminum housing. For me, these characteristics make Portkeys monitors viewable and long-lasting even when shooting in harsh outdoor environments.

Significant hardware improvements over the previous generations include:

• The addition of an HDMI output port, the lack of which was a pretty serious shortcoming in the previous versions. So, now, the monitors finally have both 3G-SDI in/out as well as HDMI in/out with support for SDI/HDMI signal cross-conversion.
  
  Video signals are supported up to 1080p60 over SDI and 4K DCI 60p over HDMI, and it’s now possible to monitor two video sources simultaneously – using either a Picture-in-Picture or Side-by-side view;

• a new industry-standard 2-pin LEMO power connector placed at the bottom, which sits next to the existing Sony NP-F battery slot and the 4-pin aviation power port (7.4-24V) on the back of the unit (power draw is around 16W for the BM5 IV and 17W for the WR model);

• A third 1/4”-20 mounting point with locating holes was added on the right side of the monitor. This joins the top and bottom mounting threads and can come in handy when shooting vertical content.

The BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR still retain a USB (Type A) interface for firmware updates and loading of LUTs, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 5-pin aviation connector to pull focus directly from the monitor when using Tilta Nucleus M or Nano follow focus motors.

Wired and wireless camera control

While both the Portkeys BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR offer wired camera control capabilities, the WR model has an antenna that enables wireless control of selected cameras – such as RED KOMODO, KOMODO-X, and V-RAPTOR, the ARRI Alexa Mini, or Nikon’s Z 8 and Z 9, for example.

The full list of supported camera brands for either wired or wireless control is pretty extensive and includes RED, ARRI, Nikon, Sony, Blackmagic, Canon, Panasonic, and Z CAM. Controllable functions vary depending on the camera model, but you can adjust camera settings and, in certain cases, even select the focus point by tapping the monitor directly (touch-to-focus).

CINENORM OS for BM5 IV, BM5 IV WR, and BM7 II DS

First introduced back at NAB 2024, CINENORM is a much-needed, redesigned operating system for Portkeys’ flagship monitors. It comes pre-installed on the new BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR, but it’s also available as a free update for users of the company’s 7-inch high-bright monitor, the BM7 II DS. However, it’s not compatible with the BM5 III and BM5 III WR, unfortunately.

In SmallHD fashion, the new OS has a page-based design, so you can create up to 7 custom pages with different monitoring and assist tools, including a new stop-based LOG false color exposure tool, which looks similar to EL Zone.

Generally speaking, having installed the new firmware on my BM7 II DS and briefly played around with it, I can say that the UI feels much easier, snappier, and more logical to navigate than the previous one.

Price and availability

The new Portkeys BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR on-camera monitors are now available for $599 and $749, respectively. Finally, the CINENORM operating system is also available as a free download from Portkeys’ Support webpage.

For more information, please visit Portkeys’ website (BM5 IV / BM5 IV WR / CINENORM OS).

Have you ever used a Portkeys monitor on set? Do you think the new features of the BM5 IV and BM5 IV WR are worth the upgrade? Have you been waiting for the operating system to be restyled? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!