The merging of technologies is tricky. Sometimes it succeeds and sometimes it fails miserably. One fantastic idea, though, was to combine the SmallHD Focus 5 monitor with the Teradek Bolt 500 RX. And that idea exists in the form of the SmallHD Focus Bolt 500 RX. We went to visit the SmallHD stand at IBC 2019 and spoke to SmallHD co-founder and CTO, Dale Backus to find out more about it.
As a monitor, the capabilities are essentially identical to the SmallHD Focus 5 field monitor. It’s a 5″ 1280×720 IPS display that can receive up to a 4K signal via HDMI. But it also has the Teradek Bolt 500 RX wireless receiver built into it, along with a pair of handles. This integration means you don’t need a bunch of trailing wires and multiple batteries for different devices. It’s all combined together in a nice, neat handheld package.
The built-in receiver can receive uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 HD video from a Teradek Bolt 500, Bolt 500 LT, Bolt 500 XT transmitters, or a SmallHD FOCUS Bolt 500 TX, from up to 500′ away, line-of-sight. Depending on your location, that range may be cut shorter if it has to go through walls and such.
The screen measures in at 800 nits brightness, so while it should handle many locations just fine, you might struggle on a super bright day without some form of a sun hood. The Focus Bolt 500 RX is powered by a single Sony NP-F style battery, and has Micro HDMI and Micro USB sockets as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Focus Bolt 500 RX also features the same touchscreen UI as the SmallHD Focus 5 monitor, too.
The SmallHD Focus Bolt 500 RX is available to buy now for $1,499, but it’s currently $300 off at B&H.
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We are giving away over $5,000 of cinema gear: http://bit.ly/2LQE6gw
DIYP’s coverage of IBC2019 is sponsored by Syrp, Manfrotto, Zhiyun, and Spiffy Gear.
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