Portkeys MT22DS II Director Monitor Introduced – Three Monitors in One Chassis

by Alexandra ThompsonApril 21^st, 2026

Subscribe to News - Accessories

At NAB 2026, Portkeys unveiled the MT22DS II, a 21.5-inch director monitor that can display three camera signals simultaneously in triple-vertical or triple-horizontal layouts and ships factory Calman-calibrated per unit. It is now available to order on the Portkeys website for $1,499, with first shipments expected within the next one to two months.

Portkeys has steadily expanded its monitor range over the past few years, from the flagship BM5 IV on-camera line to the wireless-control LS7P and the recently released LH7C. The MT22DS II now anchors the larger on-set end of the lineup, succeeding the MT22DS and MT22DS P3 as the company’s new triple-screen production monitor. It also arrives roughly a month after Portkeys rolled out a major firmware update across nine monitors in its current lineup, introducing Calman-compatible calibration as a feature across selected models. We caught up with Emrys Roberts, a cinematographer representing Portkeys, at the company’s NAB 2026 booth to see what the new monitor brings.

Three inputs, three monitors in one chassis

The headline feature of the MT22DS II is multi-screen monitoring inside a single panel. Emrys walked us through the I/O layout: one HDMI input, two 3G-SDI inputs, and HDMI and SDI outputs that cross-convert in both directions, so HDMI in can route to SDI out and SDI in can route to HDMI out without an external converter in the chain. With three video sources feeding the monitor at once, a single MT22DS II can replace three individual displays at a video village or director’s station. The spec sheet also lists a GPI input for tally integration, which lets the monitor pick up on-air status from a switcher and indicate it on the relevant sub-screen, a detail that matters for live multi-camera workflows where operators need to see which source is currently live at a glance.

Portkeys specifies three distinct multi-screen modes. In Triple Screen Vertical mode, the monitor behaves as three 12-inch vertical displays side by side, which is useful for productions shooting portrait-oriented social deliverables alongside conventional coverage. In Triple Screen Horizontal mode, the panel splits into three 10.5-inch horizontal sub-screens. A PBP-crop mode crops a horizontal source to vertical in real time, with a dial used to move the crop window across the frame. Conventional PIP and PBP modes cover two-source layouts, and in PBP, the left and right screens can be flipped and mirrored independently, which is helpful for actor-facing feeds and mirror setups.

Factory Calman calibration with per-unit reports

Every MT22DS II is individually Calman-calibrated at the factory before leaving the production line, and Emrys noted that users can look up their specific unit’s calibration report on the Portkeys website after purchase. According to the spec sheet, the process generates two dedicated reports per monitor: one targeting P3-D65 with DeltaE ≤ 2, and one targeting Rec.709 with DeltaE ≤ 1. Testing is performed with an X-Rite i1Display OEM colorimeter, and Portkeys notes that readings can vary slightly between units depending on the test environment.

The 21.5-inch (54.61cm), 8-bit panel runs at 1920×1080, with a peak brightness of 1500 nits that makes it usable on exterior sets in daylight, a 1200:1 contrast ratio, and 89° viewing angles on all four axes. Portkeys rates the color gamut at DCI-P3 area ratio 100% / coverage 95%, P3-D65 area ratio 100% / coverage 95%, and Rec.709 area ratio 100% / coverage 100%.

Build, power, and transmitter mounts

The MT22DS II sits in a CNC-machined aluminum alloy chassis with a built-in fan for heat dissipation. When we asked Emrys about durability, he described it as able to take the knocks a working set throws at it, with “quite a lot of mounting points around the edge” for rigging additional accessories. The monitor weighs 7.15 kg (15.76 lb) on its own and ships with an integrated EPP foam case that adds 2.5 kg (5.51 lb) and provides drop, impact, and flame-retardant protection, along with flotation if the monitor ends up in water. A dustproof silicone cover protects the port cluster from oxidation on outdoor shoots. An optional scratch-resistant PC protection panel and a VESA mount with +90° tilt and 360° swivel are sold separately.

Emrys explained that power is handled either by a 4-pin XLR input for AC setups or by dual V-mount plates on the back of the monitor, one on each side, both of which support hot-swapping. According to the spec sheet, the XLR input accepts 12-24V, and the maximum power draw is 50W.

A practical touch for director-monitor configurations is three BD3-2 dummy battery mounts on the back of the unit, configurable vertically or horizontally. Emrys walked us through a typical workflow: a wireless transmitter like a DJI SDR can plug its Sony-style dummy battery directly into the monitor and run off the MT22DS II’s own power, with no separate battery on the transmitter itself. It is a small detail that meaningfully tidies up the cable run behind a director’s station.

Physical controls and 3D LUT support

Rather than relying on menu-diving, the MT22DS II has dedicated physical function keys for the things operators adjust most often. According to the spec sheet, F1 through F5 are user-assignable to monitor functions and support one-key on/off toggling of their assigned feature. Separate dedicated keys handle signal-channel switching and image flip/mirror, and three further keys cover grid, scale, and pixel modes for image overlays, image capture, and overlay transparency. A rotary knob with an adjacent Exit button handles menu navigation and parameter adjustment. Audio output is via a 3.5mm headphone jack, with a built-in 4Ω / 3W speaker on board for quick reference listening.

On the color-management side, the monitor supports 3D LUT monitoring at the industry-standard 17×17×17 precision, with real-time preview both on-screen and across the HDMI and SDI outputs, and up to 20 replaceable 3D LUT files can be loaded through a USB-A interface using the included USB drive. This is the kind of feature set that fits comfortably into a DIT or on-set grading workflow where working LUTs need to be kept current and consistent across monitors.

Pricing and availability

The Portkeys MT22DS II is priced at $1,499 and is available to order now from the official Portkeys MT22DS II product page, with Emrys noting that the first shipments are expected within the next 1-2 months. The standard package includes the monitor, the integrated EPP foam case, an XLR power adapter, a set of button-head hex socket screws, a USB drive, an M2.5 hex key, and a customer service card. The PC protection plate and VESA mount are optional extras.

Is a triple-vertical director monitor something you could see anchoring your next video village, or do your current monitoring setups already cover this kind of workflow? Let us know in the comments below!