iDisplay - Wireless Client Viewing on Shoots

When I first saw the iPad, I thought it was pretty cool, but essentially an oversized iPhone. It wasn't until I was chatting with a friend who was a bit in the know, that I realized that it could be used as a second screen with my laptop, on shoots in either the studio, or on location, and that sold me.

The application to use is iDisplay, which is pretty slick. Below is an example of how it can be used for wireless viewing by the client, while the laptop and camera are tethered

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Often I take the laptop digital workstation on shoots and have a 30" monitor next to the workstation but that means that the client is peering over my shoulder, or the shoulder of my digital tech. Instead, the client (and their client in many cases) can be away from the shoot, and watching the images as they are coming in.

The downside is that there is a bit of lag-time, but not too much. If you're shooting fast and furious, it may not be the best, but if you are shooting at a more deliberate pace, it would be no problem at all. The only other downside is that while the monitor is set to vertical only, the current version of the software doesn't allow you to rotate the iPad, so horizontal images are only viewable vertically, meaning they show up smaller (but still full image area), within the iPad when viewed vertically. The company tells me that the next version should allow you to hold the iPad horizontally to view horizontal images using the full screen of the iPad too. for $4.99 on iTunes, it's a small price to pay for this functionality!

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