I love talking about gadgets around the holidays! Recently, I was sent the Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transceiver Monitor to review. As you may know, transceivers can transmit or receive signals.
In the case of the M1, it can transmit and receive from the Mars 300 Pro, 400S Pro and 4K models. It can also transmit to other M1 units in receiver mode, and mobile devices using the HollyView App. Even more impressively, one transmitter can connect to two receivers or four mobile device apps. Therefore, it has an array of use cases.
Hollyland Mars M1 Wireless Transceiver Monitor — Transmission
The Mars M1 Enhanced has many features, but I was initially excited to see Hollyland’s wireless transmission in action. The monitor changes from transmitter to receiver with a button push (and a quick restart), so it doesn’t get simpler than that. Wireless transmission is capable up to 450 ft away! Just think of the possibilities when using a gimbal, among other things.
While most times there was little to no lag, there were some occasions where I experienced latency. I wouldn’t suggest relying on the unit to pull focus, but for a client or director viewing footage on a monitor/app, the latency and transmission quality is surely sufficient.
Hollyland Mars M1 Wireless Transceiver Monitor — At a glance
The unit feels well-constructed and expensive. Durable plastic construction allows the unit to weigh less than a pound. The antennas are extremely compact so it’s easy to maneuver the monitor without worry. Looking at the antennas of other units on the market, this is quite an impressive feat. Power is achieved by an L-Series battery or 7-16V DC.
The Mars M1 Enhanced offers HDMI input, HDMI loop output, and 3G-SDI BNC input. Note that this means HDMI will support the video format range from 720p to 4K30 DCI/UHD, while SDI will support 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. The unit supports embedded audio and a 3.5mm headphone output is available for monitoring.
There is a simple power button on the back, and all other features are accessed by the responsive touch screen.
Hollyland Mars M1 Wireless Transceiver Monitor — Display and menus
The 5.5” 1920×1080 LCD display supports Rec. 709 color gamut and 16.7 million colors. While the color accuracy is great, you can also use the RGB gain feature for fine-tuning. The display is not a 4K screen, but it is serviceable for a producer/director to view. It looks crisp and bright, although I would certainly recommend the sun hood accessory for outdoor daytime production.
The general menu makes it easy to set up the unit and access the wireless settings, display settings, and device info screens. You also get all the useful tools you should expect, including waveform monitor, vectorscope, crop marks, focus peaking, false color, 4x zoom, and more. Some built-in LUTs are included.
One nice feature is the ability to temporarily record and playback two minutes of footage for on-the-fly reviewing. However, the clip can’t be saved on the unit. There is no permanent in-unit recording.
Hollyland Mars M1 Wireless Transceiver Monitor — HollyView App
The app offered easy connectivity, real-time monitoring of video, all the menu settings I could desire, and the ability to screenshot or record video clips to my device. Occasional latency, but overall the app was quite useful.
