TL;DR
Sony has recently updated its Monitor & Control app, which lets you control your Sony camera using a smartphone.
With the update, Sony is locking high-resolution monitoring over USB behind a paywall.
This update also limits USB video feeds to top-tier Sony Xperia phones.
Sony’s Xperia lineup is not the first choice for most smartphone buyers. But if you’re someone who uses Sony cameras, whether professionally or as a hobbyist, the phone can also serve as a touchscreen monitor, which is much easier to interact with compared to the cramped and dull screen built into the cameras. Sony’s Monitor & Control app works with any iPhone, iPad, or Android device, with multi-cam monitoring, histogram, and waveform over wireless or wired connections.
For purists, Sony also offers an option to relay a high-resolution feed over a wired connection, which enables near-zero latency and is expected to significantly enhance production for professionals. However, a recent update adds a disappointing aspect, restricting the feature to certain Sony Xperia phones and locking it behind a paywall.
Last week, Sony released version 2.4.o of the Monitor & Control app, expanding its list of paid features. However, as pointed out by Redditor super_hot_juice, the wired through UVC (USB Video Class), which connects to the USB-C port on the phones, is only available as part of the paid plan. The UVC option is locked behind part of Sony’s Basic paid plan, which costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. If your Sony camera does not have a USB-C port, you can also use the mini HDMI port along with a UVC-to-HDMI adapter to the camera, but that also requires a subscription.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
What’s even more distasteful is that Sony is using UVC monitoring to sell its Xperia phones. The feature is limited to leading flagship phones, and more specifically, the Xperia 1 IV or newer devices in the range, even though UVC is supported only on any device with a USB-C Gen 3.2.
Previously, the feature also worked on Pro iPhones or iPads with USB-C ports, but the update appears to have removed it. While you might have luck with other UVC apps, you would miss out on all features that Sony’s own monitoring app offers. Wireless feed is still widely available for phones, but if you need true low-latency monitoring with a Sony camera, you would be expected to upgrade your setup.
In addition to the Basic paid plan, Sony has also announced a Premium plan for $22.99 per month, which will enable the simultaneous monitoring of up to 20 live feeds on a Mac.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.