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Is it possible to get a stable (!) video transmission?

spyro

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I usually fly my Mavic in VR mode , so it's really important to me to have a reliable, non-jerky, low-latency video transmission.

I wonder if it's even possible to get a really stable video transmission from the Mavic Pro. No matter how close I stand relative to the aircraft - the preview in DJI GO or LITCHI just isn't smooth, there are many dropped frames.

Real 60 fps seem to be impossible (even at 720p) but it's not even achievable to get stable 30 fps. I tried it on a large area without any WiFi interference, put my own phone into Flight Mode - no change there.

Tried different settings but the video preview still stutters. Just try it for yourself: Take the mavic and just slowly pan it from left to right or turn it around. The video preview still makes some little jumps, dropping frames and seems not V-synced with Android at all.

I tried the "smooth"-option in the transmission settings, but even that didn't work (seems to use 48 fps instead of 60 fps which would be needed for smooth video under Android with a 60 Hz panel).

* The recorded videos look smooth so far so it's no issue with the sensor, codec or shutter speed.

* My smartphone can easily play high res video with 60 fps and bitrates without any problems (1080p@60 H264/HEVC isn't any problem) so it's not hardware-related.

Is there any secret setting to achieve a stable preview with 30 fps (or better: 60 fps) without framedrops (if the signal is ok?)

Should I choose 'Auto' in transmission settings or force 20 MHz and choose a channel by myself? Any tipps?
 
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Try downgrade to fw 400
As i did to solve the video problem ....and if you do it pls tell me
 
What phone are you using?

It'll never be perfect, but processing power of the mobile device has huge influence. It'll only be smooth on top notch devices.
 
Try downgrade to fw 400
As i did to solve the video problem ....and if you do it pls tell me
I'm using .4 and have pretty good video transmission but it does get jittery or lagy at times. I agree it will be hard to get perfect transmission.
 
I'm using .4 and have pretty good video transmission but it does get jittery or lagy at times. I agree it will be hard to get perfect transmission.
It's impossible to get a perfect transmission, while flying out. There will always be something that creates some sort of interference. If you want a perfect transmission, you need equipment the news vans use. But they aim up towards a satellite.
 
It's impossible to get a perfect transmission, while flying out. There will always be something that creates some sort of interference. If you want a perfect transmission, you need equipment the news vans use. But they aim up towards a satellite.
I'm frankly amazed at how good it usually is. We've come such a long ways in such a relatively short time.
 
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Yes but it's buffered, which can't be done here for obvious latency reasons.

Anyway, what phone are you using again?
 
What phone are you using?

It'll never be perfect, but processing power of the mobile device has huge influence. It'll only be smooth on top notch devices.

I know. That's why I wrote

"My smartphone can easily play high res video with 60 fps and high bitrates"

... and made it bold additionally. ;)
 
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It's impossible to get a perfect transmission, while flying out. There will always be something that creates some sort of interference.

Like I stated in my original post:

- No interference
- Doesn't even run smooth if I stand directly in front of the aircraft
 
Anyway, what phone are you using again?

I tried a LG G4 (H. 264 + HEVC hardware decoder) and an iPhone 7 - same results. :(

Doesn't matter if I use Litchi or DJI Go, the Mavic seems to have serious issues with frame pacing.
 
Interesting. So you never watched a non-jerky video on a WiFi connection? ;)
Yes, using TCP. But live streaming doesn't use TCP, so while you can get a 99% smooth video, something will always interfere at some point.
 
Like I stated in my original post:

- No interference
- Doesn't even run smooth if I stand directly in front of the aircraft
Just return it then. My video is stellar from two miles away.
 
Yeah I'd try a different drone as well - if you've already tried a different mobile device (and in particular since you've tried an iOS device as well as android) then something sounds wrong as unless we have wildly different standards for what is smooth and low latency video you don't seem to be getting the same results as me. I've had no issues whatsoever with latency or smoothness of the fpv feed flying the mavic.
 
I've had no issues whatsoever with latency or smoothness of the fpv feed flying the mavic.

I doubt that you have less than 160 - 220 ms of latency. It's just how the system works, I'm afraid.

Regarding smoothness: I would love to see your different results. Please take your Mavic in the hand (without starting the engines of course), turn it around slowly by 360° (about 15-20 s) and upload the cached video (not the recorded one). If this video is smooth (no framepacing problems) than I known that something must be wrong with my drohne.

Thank you.
 
You said: "Android with a 60 Hz panel" - I'm not sure what that means, but if that "panel" could be matched to 30 Hz wouldn't that be a better thing with the MP at 30 Hz?

I didn't see any mention above of:
  • Obstacle environment close to the RC
  • Obstacle environment close to the drone
  • Drone height above ground
  • Distance (quantified) - I have very good, mainly glitch free video to 1 km in benign conditions. Good enough for heads down piloting.
  • Antenna positions on the RC.
As to 60 or 30 fps, obviously less should be more in terms of lost frames, glitchiness and compression artifacts.

"What Android hardware with what version of Android"? (Sorry I'm in the iOS camp which seems to be a less fussy world).

And finally, the MP is not really a FPV machine, is it? Yes, there's that DJI video, but really?

And final finally, take heart, the MP is better than the new P4P wrt to video downlink.
 
My guess is that it is related to your phone and not so much the Mavic Pro. I had multiple issues with latency and lagging video feed (or so it appeared) when using a Samsung Galaxy Tab A as well as a few smart phones. The Tab A was dedicated to the Mavic and no other apps running. It would work for the most part but would get a random lag or glitch. I then switched to an iPad mini 2 based on positive feedback form others using the mini and it has been flawless. I have flown out to over 14K ft and still had a perfect video feed. Please note that I record in 4K so the video feed is only 720P to the iPad mini 2.

On a side note, are you set to "Auto" in the HD settings or are you selecting the channel manually? Also, have you looked at the signal strength while actually in flight to see if you are getting interference (set to manual to see the signal strength)? There are lot's of variables to take into account but you should be able to confirm if it is related to interference or not by looking at the signal real time. If the signal is strong, then it is almost a guarantee that the issue is with your connected device or possibly the USB cable you are using to interface to the remote.

Hope this helps you....
 
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