SmallHD announced their new stellar OLED 27 HDR production monitor at this week at NAB 2022. Let’s get into it.
A few weeks ago, SmallHD announced a new arrival in its professional monitor range with the Cine 18, a 4K capable daylight viewable production monitor.
At NAB 2022, they unveiled one of the most impressive monitors the company has made, the OLED 27.
According to the press release, the product is aimed at the film industry and professional on-set productions such as TV shows and live performances, and has been touted to offer HDR monitoring on set.
I can also see the product fits well within an ideal post-production setup tool.
First, let’s talk about what the panel has. The SmallHD OLED 27 has a 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 UltraHD), a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, brightness of up to 550nits with a dynamic range of 12.3 f-stops, and actual 10-bit color.
Looking at the back of the OLED 27, we see it gives us a compact and straightforward I/O section with eight SDI ports: 4x 12G-SDI in, 4x 12G-SDI out, and two HDMI 2.0 ports (in/out).
To power the unit, we have a 1x 4-pin XLR mini-plug with two additional 2-pin locking power outputs for things like wireless receivers and other accessories. An SD slot is also featured.
If you prefer a different way to power the OLED 27, there’s an additional hot-swap battery plate (dual Gold mount or V-mount), though this has to be purchased separately from the monitor itself.
Lastly, on the back of SmallHD OLED 27 are its four threads for standard 100mm VESA mounting and the dovetail mounting rail on the back.
This sounds super impressive. Externally, we’ve got the stuff we expect from SmallHD, with its high-quality engineering and superior unibody chassis made from aircraft-grade aluminum and a broad spectrum of connectivity options.
Software-wise, it’s using SmallHD’s PageOS4 system (though PageOS5 seems to be around the corner and could be offered as a firmware upgrade shortly, nothing has been announced.).
As for pricing, this is a heavy price for your normal consumer, but it’s clear that SmallHD is aiming toward high-end productions and the post-production market.
The monitor is $11,999, which isn’t cheap, but you have to consider what it offers. A true 10-bit HDR OLED Panel, top-of-the-line I/O, and everything you’d expect from something at this price.
It’ll be a while when genuine 10-bit HDR OLED panels become affordable, but we can all hope that will come sooner than later.
SmallHD OLED 27 HDR Production Monitor specifications:
- Screen size : 26.9” / 68.3cm
- Weight: 6.35kg
- Color: 110% DCI-P3 / 135% Rec. 709
- Bit depth: True 10-bit
- Resolution: 3840×2160 (4K)
- Brightness: Up to 550nits
- Contrast ratio : >1,000,000:1
- Software: PageOS