NAB 2015: ARRI and Transvideo bring touchscreen control to the ALEXA Mini and AMIRA

StarlightHD5-ARRI

On the eve of the NAB show, ARRI has announced a collaboration with Transvideo for a 5" OLED field monitor that doubles as a camera controller.

We fully expect more news to surface from ARRI during NAB Show 2015, as the company's PR reps designated this as their "first" press release of the convention. But for users of the AMIRA and ALEXA Mini cameras, this initial announcement may be the most significant of all.

Transvideo, in partnership with ARRI, has taken its popular 5" OLED StarliteHD monitor and adapted it for use with the ALEXA Mini and AMIRA cameras. Of course, the regular StarliteHD would work just fine as an on-camera monitor for either of these two cameras, but the new 'StarlightHD5-ARRI' will extend camera control to the monitor's touchscreen, in addition to the usual pro feature set of waveform, vectorscope and histogram displays and integrated H.264 recording to SD card.

Although pricing and availability have not been announced, the StarlightHD5-ARRI has already been listed by some online retailers (here and here) for between £1,148.15 and £1,550.00 pre-VAT. The StarlightHD without ARRI bus control is available for £1,088.89 (around $1,600), so it might make sense to wait a week or two for prices for the ARRI-control version to normalize.

For more information on the StarlightHD5-ARRI, check out the full press release on Page Two! 

Full Press Release

Touch-screen control of ALEXA Mini and AMIRA cameras via new Transvideo StarliteHD5-ARRI monitor

(10 April 2015, Munich) – Transvideo and ARRI are collaborating on a specially adapted version of Transvideo’s StarliteHD 5" OLED monitor. The resulting StarliteHD5-ARRI will be able to control the new ARRI ALEXA Mini and also the ARRI AMIRA.

Constructed from aviation-grade aluminum, the rugged StarliteHD5-ARRI monitor is the size of a smartphone and weighs less than 200 g. Its compact form factor makes it ideal for weight and size-critical shooting situations, much like the ALEXA Mini. Working together closely, ARRI and Transvideo are developing a touch-screen interface for the StarliteHD5-ARRI that will allow it to control key ARRI camera functions.

The StarliteHD5-ARRI will also be compatible with other cameras because it retains all of the monitor's original functionality, including waveform, vectorscope and histogram displays, as well as a built-in recorder for H.264 rushes on SD cards. However, Transvideo's regular version of the StarliteHD does not feature the additional ARRI bus interface and therefore cannot be used to control ARRI cameras.

Stephan Schenk, ARRI Managing Director, says: "Transvideo is one of the most renowned monitor manufacturers in the industry. The high standards of engineering and build quality at Transvideo will ensure that the StarliteHD5-ARRI is as robust and reliable as any other product carrying the ARRI brand."

Jacques Delacoux, President of Transvideo, says: "We are extremely satisfied by this co-development with ARRI, which merges the creativity and know-how of our companies in their respective areas of excellence. At Transvideo we are all proud to see our name associated with ARRI cameras."

The StarliteHD5-ARRI will be sold exclusively through ARRI sales channels, while the standard StarliteHD 5" monitor will continue to be sold through Transvideo and its distribution network.