SmallHD Cine 18 Released – Daylight-Viewable 4K Production Monitor

Monitoring News

by Francesco AndreolaApril 15^th, 2022

SmallHD recently introduced a new 18.4” production monitor to their 4K lineup, the SmallHD Cine 18. This new daylight-viewable monitor features a resolution of 3840×2160, 10-bit (FRC) color-depth, and a maximum brightness of 1100nits. The unit offers several power and mounting options, and is now available for purchase for $5,999.

The SmallHD Cine series is the company’s most affordable line of 4K-ready production monitors. This family already includes two models: the SmallHD Cine 13, that was released last year, and its bigger 24” brother.

Given the size gap between these two screens, the company has decided to introduce an in-between option. The SmallHD Cine 18 inherits the same advanced features of its siblings and is here to replace the existing SmallHD 1703 P3X HD. Let’s take a closer look.

SmallHD Cine 18 4K monitor: overview

The size of the SmallHD Cine 18 is a good compromise between portability and usability. Its 18.4” screen is large enough to be used as a client/director’s monitor, while providing the camera crew with a large area for more precise monitoring and focusing operations.

The Cine 18 takes advantage of the Edgelit LCD technology to offer a maximum brightness of 1100nits. This value makes it a daylight-viewable monitor. The panel has a resolution of 3840×2160, a 10-bit (8+2 FRC) color-depth, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and a viewing angle of 178°.

According to SmallHD, its gamut fully covers the REC.709 color space and 98% of DCI-P3, thus making it color-accurate for most applications. Like the Cine 13 and 24, this 18.4” version features four 12G-SDI and one HDMI 2.0 inputs on the back of the unit. The same type and number of connectors can be found as output ports.

The SmallHD Cine 18 runs the modern PageOS software many crews are already familiar with. This offers a wide range of monitoring tools (waveform, scopes, frame guide, focus and exposure assist, and more), support for 3D LUTs, Color Pipe HDR workflow, and a monitor calibration tool.

Power, mounting options, and I/O

When it comes to powering the monitor, the SmallHD Cine 18 offers a great amount of flexibility. Indeed, the unit can draw power from its 4-pin XLR DC input or from a hot-swappable dual battery plate that can be attached on the back of the monitor. The plate comes in two mount options, Gold and V-Mount, and accepts both 14 and 26V cells.

Several accessories can be attached to the alloy via 4 interchangeable cheese plates on the sides, a removable mounting plate at the bottom, and the two dovetail rails on the back. Accessories can draw power from two 2-pin power outputs on the back, which also features a USB-A, USB-C, RJ45 Ethernet, and RJ45 GPI port.

A series of control buttons on the front grant access to all menus and settings. The front side of the monitor also features a 3.5mm jack output, a SD card slot, as well as an additional USB Type-A port.

Portable, lightweight, robust

The SmallHD Cine 18 features an aluminium unibody chassis housing that makes it lightweight and durable at the same time. The unit measures 46.7×32.3×6.4cm/18.4×12.7×2.5” in size and weighs 5.4kg/12lbs.

The built-in top handle makes the monitor easy to carry around, while two removable feet at the bottom provide stable support when placing the Cine 18 on a table or desk. Moreover, the monitor can be attached to a universal 100mm VESA mounting system via its built-in plate.

Key features

• Screen size: 18.4”
• 3840×2160
• 1100nits
• 10-bit (8+2 FRC)
• 4x 12G-SDI and 1x HDMI 2.0 inputs
• 4x 12G-SDI and 1x HDMI 2.0 outputs
• 100% REC.709 and 98% DCI-P3
• SmallHD PageOS
• 46.7×32.3×6.4cm/18.4×12.7×2.5”
• 5.4kg/12lbs

Price and availability

The new Cine 18 is now available for purchase from SmallHD’s website. Its official retail price is $5,999. For comparison, the 13” and 24” models currently cost $4,699 and $6,999 respectively.

Do you often use SmallHD production monitors for your work? What do you think of this new 18.4” model? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!