Accsoon has released yet another handy accessory for filmmakers on the go. The Accsoon SeeMo HDMI Adapter turns your existing iPhone or iPad into a full-blown video monitor or streaming device using the free Accsoon SEE iOS app. The adapter doubles as an NP-F battery adapter to power your phone and the attached camera.
Sony has offered this functionality with its Xperia PRO smartphone (article here), but it has been limited to Sony’s own Alpha cameras.
This new Accsoon SeeMo HDMI adapter, on the other hand, works with almost any iPhone, as it clips directly to the back of said mobile and offers a full-sized HDMI port as input and two USB-C ports as outputs (one for connecting the iPhone and an additional 5V output).
Furthermore, the Accsoon SeeMo HDMI Adapter can also be used with an iPad to build a director’s monitor, for example. For this, the Accsoon Power Cage could come in handy (article here) to beef up your iPad for a day on set.
Accsoon SeeMo HDMI adapter
This fairly compact adapter (50mm x 39mm x 80mm) clamps directly to the back of your iPhone and basically provides it with a full-size HDMI port. To achieve this, you need to connect the adapter to the phone using the included angled USB-C to Lightning adapter. Then, connect the HDMI output of the host camera to the HDMI port of the Accsoon adapter, and you’re good to go.
Using the Accsoon SEE iOS app you can monitor your camera video feed. In addition, you can punch in for checking focus, apply effects like grid overlay, custom LUTs, onion skin image overlay, flip the image for vlogging, or even de-squeeze anamorphic video.
The free SeeMo app can also stream HD video direct to video platforms like YouTube from your camera, mixer, or other HDMI sources. The SeeMo app uses either the iOS device’s cellular or Wi-Fi connection to stream at up to 1080p60.
Finally, you can also record an h.264 HD video directly from your camera to your iPhone’s or iPad’s internal memory. These files are encoded at a variable bitrate of 30 Mbps at 8 bits. This can be very useful, for example, to create a proxy backup of your camera’s original clips.
Pricing & availability
The Accsoon SeeMo HDMI Adapter costs $179 and will be available this October. For more information, head over to Accsoon’s website here.
If you’re an Android user, the Accsoon M1 device offers a similar feature set but is aimed at Android phones. Check it out here or directly on Accsoon’s website here.
What do you think? Could this substitute a “proper” on-camera monitor? Share your experiences in the comments below!
