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February 2016

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REVIEW www.postmagazine.com 44 POST FEBRUARY 2016 here were quite a few new and updated products introduced throughout 2015 that helped reshape the production landscape. The Video Devices Pix-E5 field monitor should be part of that discussion. The Pix-E5 is a very cool monitor/4K recorder that yields excellent results without break- ing the bank. It's a well-built, rugged product that should be taken seriously by industry professionals — after all, it's what most shooters and editors want. The Pix-E5 delivers the goods — it's a smartly-designed product that delivers on performance and reliability. Video Devices calls the Pix-E5 a 'recording field monitor.' And they hit it right on the head, too. Discerning digital film producers and directors (like myself) have to know that what we see on the monitor is what we are filming and recording. Speaking from experience, there is almost nothing worse than not being sure of what we are recording. Sometimes, there just isn't the time (or money) to shoot multiple takes. Reliability is crucial to all projects, as was the case on several re- cent shoots. The Pix-E5 excelled when it mattered and provided true-to-form images and recordings throughout the recording/monitoring process. SPECIFICATIONS/FEATURES The seemingly endless technical speci- fications and features of the Pix-E5 are simply quite amazing. Let's start with the monitor itself. With a resolution of 1920x1080 441ppi and 1.55mm hard- ened Gorilla Glass, the monitor provid- ed a clean, crisp image with no discern- ible distortation, even when viewing at extreme side angles. The Pix-E5, with its rugged die cast aluminum housing, weighed in at one pound, minus the L Series batteries. Even with the batteries and optional SpeedDrive, the unit was well balanced and did not easily tip or sway. If needed, the E5 can also be set up away from the camera, powered by AC, but for this review process, the ad- justable outrigger arm provided in the optional kit was a real godsend, keep- ing the monitor steady when viewed by the director and client. SOME PARTICULARS Pix-Assist for the Pix-E5 is the crazy- smart suite of monitoring tools that were all used in the review process. With features like TapZoom, Peaking fil- ter, False Colors and Zebras, Histogram, Waveform and Vectorscope, and 4-Way Mode, it's really hard to choose which one stood out from the rest. If I had to pick, it would have to be TapZoom in the Pix-Assist toolset and the SpeedDrive storage device. TapZoom provides zoom and image slide control that, once you tap on the part of the image you want to see up close, brings you to a 2x or 4x zoom. Once zoomed, tapping on the screen in the direction of a moving subject keeps it centered to check focus. This was a crucial feature, as I wanted to constantly check focus on a series of very quick moving shots and, honestly, because my eyes just aren't what they used to be. As for the SpeedDrive, it has a standard mSATA S Video Devices drive contained within the enclosure. Smart, smart, smart! Plus, the SpeedDrive clicks firmly into the designated slot VIDEO DEVICES' PIX-E5 SMARTLY DESIGNED, DELIVERING PERFORMANCE & RELIABILITY VITAL STATS MANUFACTURER: Video Devices PRODUCT: Pix-E5 PRICE: $1,395 (MSRP) WEBSITE: www.videodevices.com • Resolution of 1920x1080 441ppi • 1.55mm hardened Gorilla Glass • Rugged die cast aluminum housing RECORDING FORMATS: • 4K (UHD, DCI) up to 30fps • HD (1080i, 1080p, 720p) up to 120fps • up to ProRes 4444 XQ T BY MJ FOLEY PRODUCER/DIRECTOR BLACKROCK MEDIA GROUP COVENTRY, RI BLACKROCKMEDIAGROUP @GMAIL.COM

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