SmallHD FOCUS OLED Gets SDI Connectivity and Touch Screen

NewsIndustry

by Adam PlowdenSeptember 13^th, 2018

SmallHD FOCUS OLED goes SDI in latest model, now with a 1080p display and larger touch screen.

SmallHD Focus OLED SDI with full HD display

With many professional production cameras and cinema cameras outputting video signals via SDI rather than HDMI, there was a demand to include the SDI connection into the SmallHD FOCUS monitor. This monitor was originally designed to be mounted on the hot shoe of small DSLR or mirrorless type cameras, all of which output via HDMI. Those requests for a professional connector have been met with the latest FOCUS OLED SDI model, which offers up to 3G-SDI, touch screen interface and bright OLED display. The locking SDI connection is far more robust and secure than the HDMI connector.

Expanded Display and Increased Resolution

The SmallHD Focus OLED SDI also sees an increased display resolution to Full HD (1920×1080), where the non-OLED models display in 1280×720. The monitor also features a slightly larger, 5.5 inch screen, and all of the existing FOCUS OLED features are included in the new SDI model.

Despite offering the 7.2V power output, generally cameras that output video via SDI consume more power than what the monitor can output. This reflects the monitors original design to be used with DSLR or mirrorless type cameras that can be powered via a dummy battery. We’ve reached out to SmallHD to find out why this feature was included in this model as this isn’t enough juice to power the larger cameras which typically feature SDI ports. (However, I guess, using the right cables it could be used to power accessories like lens motors.)

Here is a brief rundown of the SmallHD Focus OLED SDI specifications:

• 1920×1080 display resolution
• 5.5 inch screen size (diagonal)
• 350 nits brightness
• 60000:1 contrast ratio
• 105% NTSC colour gamut
• Supports signals up to 3G-SDI (YCC 4:2:2 at 10-bits)

The SDI model will be slightly more expensive than the HDMI version, and will be shipping soon. Pre-orders are available via the product links below.

Are you using a camera with SDI output and need a monitor like the SmallHD FOCUS OLED SDI for your setup? Does the reliability of SDI persuade you to invest more into this model? Let us know in the comments.