Nobody doubts that smartphones have become very powerful devices, however, to access certain functions we need the help of external tools. For example: If manufacturers insist on offering high-resolution screens, why can't we use smartphones as monitors out of the box? All the solutions we've seen so far are based on software, but the LukiLink project aims to launch a small converter that turns smartphones into a secondary screen for video cameras, and possibly other platforms.
A Smartphone as a Secondary Monitor
The two versions of the Samsung Galaxy S8 use a Super AMOLED screen of 2,960 by 1,440 pixels. In the S8+ model it measures 6.2 inches, almost 16 centimeters diagonal. Maybe not a convenient size for daily work, but more than enough if we think of a secondary monitor. Now, most of the options in the market that enable that role work halfway, relying entirely on software and depending on a local network. The ideal would be for smartphones to come out of the box with a video input, but there is another option: converting an HDMI signal to USB. The people behind the LukiLink project offer a compact module, designed primarily for use with video cameras.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/VdQRPSLghv0Recording and Streaming with LukiLink
Of course, the main goal of LukiLink is to help the user overcome the limitations of a traditional viewfinder, but it brings a couple of extra tricks up its sleeve. LukiLink enables direct recording from the video camera to the smartphone, and live streaming to services like YouTube and Facebook. While the converter does all the heavy lifting, the truth is that it needs to be accompanied by its official app, through which we can control video resolution (maximum 1080p60 in playback and p30 in recording), bitrate (15 megabits per second on a mobile device), and secondary limits like size and duration. At first, the app will be exclusive to Android, but iOS support will come in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/i-Xs-w8ytz0 https://www.youtube.com/embed/XtF_baqWUZMLatency, Funding, and Availability
LukiLink cannot completely escape the effects of latency, however, that will depend on how good the smartphone's performance is. Those responsible have turned to Kickstarter seeking 90,000 euros to finance the next phase of development, and have already received almost a third of that sum. The most economical entry point is 89 euros, and if all goes well, the first deliveries will take place in October.
