Sometimes you might need a bigger video monitor, not attached to the camcorder, to view what the camcorder is recording AS you are recording. Well I do anyway. I am camera-man, director and performer all in one and so the small integral LCD monitor stuck on the camcorder isn't enough for me.

Here are the specifications of a portable external camcorder video monitor I would like.

A minimum of 1024 (width) x 576 (height) pixels screen resolution to display in all its detail a standard definition wide-screen 16:9 PAL video signal which has 576 lines. Now OK you don't get 1024 x 576 pixel screens but you do get 1024 x 600 pixels LCD screens which is the WSVGA standard and so that is the minimum native screen resolution I need.

The monitor needs to have an AV, composite video input. My camcorder comes with a cable which plugs in and it outputs video and audio signals from the camcorder and this cable has plugs on it like this.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/RCA_Connector_(photo).jpg/180px-RCA_Connector_(photo).jpg

The yellow plug carries the video signal and that is the input I really need in a monitor. I suppose if the monitor also accepts the audio red and white plugs to output the sound using integral speakers that is a bonus but audio inputs are not critical for my purposes.

The monitor to be portable needs to be able to work from a battery and the screen size and the product dimensions need to be small enough to be portable.

I would like less than a 13 inch screen and I am considering as small a screen as 9 inches.

Well "portable external camcorder monitors" do not seem to have established themselves as a consumer product marketed under that name. So it looks like I would need to use another consumer product which could perform this function.

For example, portable DVD players can come with a AV composite video input but the problem is getting one of a good enough screen resolution. Also the extra functions of playing DVDs, displaying TV pictures and so on all adds to the cost and price of such more-complicated-than-I-really-need products.

I would like to describe one product I have seen advertised on a Hong Kong website because it is the nearest product I have found in terms of specification and price ($130 or £81 including shipping but not importation taxes if any) to what I need. Unfortunately, I have not found a UK dealer for this product, Eonon.com don't HAVE a UK dealer, not one, and so I am reluctant to buy direct from Hong Kong and maybe miss out on consumer protections.

So I am NOT advertising this product. I am just saying "Look - here is a product which is close in design to a theoretical product I am talking about. Hey wouldn't such a product be useful as an external camcorder monitor everybody!"

This product is by Eonon.com operating out of Hong Kong and they call it a

[You are only allowed to post URLs once you have at least 3 posts.]"8.9 inch Flip Down Monitor with Digital Screen and IR Transmit"[/]

and it is designed to be attached to the inside of a car so that passengers may plug in DVD or other media players, games machines and so on.

Interestingly, the screen this product uses appears to be exactly what I need and it works from a 12 Volt supply so it looks very easy to adapt for the portable external camcorder monitor purpose.


General
-Power Supply: DC 12V
-Power Consumption: 15 W
-Support IR Transmit Earphone
-Built-in Double Dome Light
-PAL/NTSC auto switching
-Menu Language: English
-Auto-Memory Function
-Remote Control Function
-Fold Size: 273*240*40mm
-Open Size: 273*240*205mm
-Gross weight: 2.0kg
-Total Weight: 3.5kg
Screen
-Screen: 8.9 Inch Digital Screen
-Resolution: 1024*RGB*600 (WSVGA)
-Aspect ratio: 16:9/4:3
-Image Brightness/Contrast/Color adjustable
-Rotating angle of screen:30° (Left)
-Rotating angle of screen:180° (Right)
-Max Rotating angle:90° (Up-down)
Input
-2 x RCA Video input
-1 x RCA Audio R/L input
Accessories
-1×Remote control with batteries
-1×User's manual
-1×Power & AV Cable

http://www.eonon.com/UserFiles/image/L0101001-02.jpg

http://www.eonon.com/UserFiles/image/L0101001-03.jpg

http://www.eonon.com/UserFiles/image/L0101001-05.jpg

Now that you understand what I need, can you suggest another product for this purpose - a product that I can actually buy from a UK-dealer? The local consumer products stores here, which sell camcorders don't seem to sell a product which will do the job.