Crystalsky Ultra need some encouragement?

[Badgersurfer]

Yikes talk about a seesaw... I am poised to purchase a Crystalsky Ultra at the end of this month (May 2020) in UK of which some comments by more senior members on here show they are very pleased with it which encouraged me to buy. But I have read some really bad comments on the DJI forum that are scathing towards it. i suspect they are quite old but perhaps you folks can clear something up for me. The comments were as follows...
1. The screen with burn out in no time and DJI give no support, this is not a possibility but a dead cert.
2. Dji are no longer creating any FW or DJIGO4 updates which means that you are stuck with 4.3.16 and cannot install the latest 4.3.32. DJI will not be releasing any more updates for the CS.
3. Every time you start the CS it comes up with an "update to the latest DJIGO4 version" warning which apparently you cannot do.

Is this all true? I currently have an MPP but I figured I would wait until their new Mavic Pro release which of course maybe this year considering the new Air 2 has been released. I am concerned about spending £900+ pounds on a screen that could be redundant next week (or even now). But as I am primarily using it for photography the idea of the 2000 nits would help me considerably as my ipad mini 4 is almost unusable in bright sunlight for working out you settings. I would like to hear any views on my concerns. I find it hard to believe they fail so frequently but I think my main concern is if I upgrade to the next model of Mavic Pro is it likely to work with it. (which I appreciate you would need a crystalball rather than a crystalsky). Have DJI actually said they will not provide any more updates or is this just the general feeling through users experience of them.

 

[Ramboat]

Yikes talk about a seesaw... I am poised to purchase a Crystalsky Ultra at the end of this month (May 2020) in UK of which some comments by more senior members on here show they are very pleased with it which encouraged me to buy. But I have read some really bad comments on the DJI forum that are scathing towards it. i suspect they are quite old but perhaps you folks can clear something up for me. The comments were as follows...
1. The screen with burn out in no time and DJI give no support, this is not a possibility but a dead cert.
2. Dji are no longer creating any FW or DJIGO4 updates which means that you are stuck with 4.3.16 and cannot install the latest 4.3.32. DJI will not be releasing any more updates for the CS.
3. Every time you start the CS it comes up with an "update to the latest DJIGO4 version" warning which apparently you cannot do.

Is this all true? I currently have an MPP but I figured I would wait until their new Mavic Pro release which of course maybe this year considering the new Air 2 has been released. I am concerned about spending £900+ pounds on a screen that could be redundant next week (or even now). But as I am primarily using it for photography the idea of the 2000 nits would help me considerably as my ipad mini 4 is almost unusable in bright sunlight for working out you settings. I would like to hear any views on my concerns. I find it hard to believe they fail so frequently but I think my main concern is if I upgrade to the next model of Mavic Pro is it likely to work with it. (which I appreciate you would need a crystalball rather than a crystalsky). Have DJI actually said they will not provide any more updates or is this just the general feeling through users experience of them.

Badgersurfer, I have not had any problems with 1, 2 or 3 that you listed in your post. I am 68 and love the CS 7.85 Ultra with the 2000 nits of brightness. I even purchased the DJI CS Sun Screen Case and I really do not need it to see the screen. No problems with heat, loss of contact, etc. I fly and take photos/videos just for fun. I use the CS on the Phantom 4, Mavic Air, Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro and hopefully on the Mavic Air 2 provided that DJI sends the CS a firmware update to do so. I am a little concerned with the lack of updates, but the unit works fine for me for the drones that I have. Only drones that I cannot use the CS are on the Spark and the Mini. I really like the DJI drones and have purchased too many of them. Plan on passing along to grandkids some day......ha. To summarize, I do wish that DJI would spend more time on keeping the CS as a viable tool, especially for us seniors. It is still listed on their DJI Store. Not sure if they plan on phasing it out or not. Hope not. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Rafter]

I've had mine for about 18 months (Ultra) and not had any problems. Once you've used a CS, you'll never go back to anything else.

 

[lannes]

I've had my Ultra from when it was first released, it appears the firmware upgrades may have solved the overheating which caused the backlight failure in these units.

All of the new DJI drones are using the 64bit DJI Fly which is not compatible with the CS 32bit android platform so the MM and MA2 won't work on it.
I don't see DJI developing any new CS firmware upgrades to provide newer versions of DJI Go4 or any compatibility with DJI Fly, the CS is very much end of life with DJI heading down a different path with the Smart Controller.

The CS is only worthwhile getting if your planning to use the older model DJI drones, it won't support any DJI drones going forward, so it's best to save the money and get a hood for the Ipad 4.

 

[Ramboat]

I've had my Ultra from when it was first released, it appears the firmware upgrades may have solved the overheating which caused the backlight failure in these units.

All of the new DJI drones are using the 64bit DJI Fly which is not compatible with the CS 32bit android platform so the MM and MA2 won't work on it.
I don't see DJI developing any new CS firmware upgrades to provide newer versions of DJI Go4 or any compatibility with DJI Fly, the CS is very much end of life with DJI heading down a different path with the Smart Controller.

The CS is only worthwhile getting if your planning to use the older model DJI drones, it won't support any DJI drones going forward, so it's best to save the money and get a hood for the Ipad 4.

Well stated........very true. Hate to see the CS get close to "end of life". At least some of us with the DJI drones earlier than the Mavic Mini can still use. It sure is easy to see.

 

[Badgersurfer]

I've had my Ultra from when it was first released, it appears the firmware upgrades may have solved the overheating which caused the backlight failure in these units.

All of the new DJI drones are using the 64bit DJI Fly which is not compatible with the CS 32bit android platform so the MM and MA2 won't work on it.
I don't see DJI developing any new CS firmware upgrades to provide newer versions of DJI Go4 or any compatibility with DJI Fly, the CS is very much end of life with DJI heading down a different path with the Smart Controller.

The CS is only worthwhile getting if your planning to use the older model DJI drones, it won't support any DJI drones going forward, so it's best to save the money and get a hood for the Ipad 4.

I am slightly confused at your answer as you say that the CS Ultra is not compatible with the Mavic Pro 2? A user above says that he uses it with his MP2. I have only used DJIGO4 of which obviously runs on the 32bit architecture and although future hardware releases may be optimised for 64bit there is no reason why they cannot utilise 32bit as well. I get the feeling reading between the lines that DJI are going to develop more for the professional market rather than the hobby as other drone manufacturers will need to comply with regulations imposed by government aviation bodies. Obviously DJI appear to be leading the way with this. Being a software designer I have seen over many years how often software holds back and in many cases kills development as it takes a long time to develop progress through it's many testing phases. Many folk think that you just press a few buttons and all is fixed. Believe me the easiest part is the hardware. Thus I am not surprised that DJI gets serious flack as many people are very impatient when it comes to bug fixes and I can assure you it is even more frustrating trying to fix them within a timeframe. I am sufficiently encouraged by the comments in this thread to go ahead and purchase a CS Ultra but I take on board what you say as for sure it would be a risky investment if I wanted to move to newer models. I would definitely consider moving to a Mavic Pro Zoom 2 so I do need to confirm it works with it. I have watched videos on youtube that say you can so perhaps you wouldn't mind checking on that again as I understand the MM hasn't been included but the MP2 has. Thanks for you input...

 

[Ramboat]

I am slightly confused at your answer as you say that the CS Ultra is not compatible with the Mavic Pro 2? A user above says that he uses it with his MP2. I have only used DJIGO4 of which obviously runs on the 32bit architecture and although future hardware releases may be optimised for 64bit there is no reason why they cannot utilise 32bit as well. I get the feeling reading between the lines that DJI are going to develop more for the professional market rather than the hobby as other drone manufacturers will need to comply with regulations imposed by government aviation bodies. Obviously DJI appear to be leading the way with this. Being a software designer I have seen over many years how often software holds back and in many cases kills development as it takes a long time to develop progress through it's many testing phases. Many folk think that you just press a few buttons and all is fixed. Believe me the easiest part is the hardware. Thus I am not surprised that DJI gets serious flack as many people are very impatient when it comes to bug fixes and I can assure you it is even more frustrating trying to fix them within a timeframe. I am sufficiently encouraged by the comments in this thread to go ahead and purchase a CS Ultra but I take on board what you say as for sure it would be a risky investment if I wanted to move to newer models. I would definitely consider moving to a Mavic Pro Zoom 2 so I do need to confirm it works with it. I have watched videos on youtube that say you can so perhaps you wouldn't mind checking on that again as I understand the MM hasn't been included but the MP2 has. Thanks for you input...

No No........You did not see his answer correctly........he stated that the CS will currently not work with the Mavic Mini (MM) and the new Mavic Air 2 (MA2). I have the Mavic 2 Pro and the Crystal Sky Ultra 7.85 works perfectly with this quad. The Mavic 2 Pro only works on the DJI Go 4 App. The Mavic Mini and the new Mavic Air 2 only work on the DJI Fly App.

 

[Badgersurfer]

No No........You did not see his answer correctly........he stated that the CS will currently not work with the Mavic Mini (MM) and the new Mavic Air 2 (MA2). I have the Mavic 2 Pro and the Crystal Sky Ultra 7.85 works perfectly with this quad. The Mavic 2 Pro only works on the DJI Go 4 App. The Mavic Mini and the new Mavic Air 2 only work on the DJI Fly App.

Oh my apologies to "Iannes", as you say I read it incorrectly. That's a relief as I definitely had the Zoom in my sights. I will just blame my age

 

[Ramboat]

Oh my apologies to Ramboat as you say I read it incorrectly. That's a relief as I definitely had the Zoom in my sights. I will just blame my age

No problem Badgesurfer........ha........I fully understand the age thing....that is why I have the Crystal Sky and some DJI Drones that work with it......ha. Take care and enjoy.

 

[JAW]

the CS is very much end of life with DJI heading down a different path with the Smart Controller.

The CS is only worthwhile getting if your planning to use the older model DJI drones, it won't support any DJI drones going forward, so it's best to save the money and get a hood for the Ipad 4.

one person’s opinion.

 

[lannes]

the CS is very much end of life with DJI heading down a different path with the Smart Controller.

The CS is only worthwhile getting if your planning to use the older model DJI drones, it won't support any DJI drones going forward, so it's best to save the money and get a hood for the Ipad 4.

one person’s opinion.

Check out the firmware release dates you'll see a long time between each release, the last one was a 1.5 years between V3.0.2.0 and V02.06.06.00.

http://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/CrystalSky/20191213/CrystalSky_Release_Notes_EN_20191216.pdf

If the CS was a relevant product for DJI, we would see the latest version of DJI Go 4 available on it yet we are 4.3.16 while the latest version is 4.3.32.

 

[JAW]

According to DJI, they will provide updates as necessary.
That said, if non-Crystalsky goes to v4.4 with no update for the CS, I would agree with you.

 

[Bernd2019]

The new matrice comes with a Smart Controller. With this it should be clear to everyone that at some point the CS will be finished. Currently you can use it for the Inspire, for the Cendence controller. But then that's it. Unfortunately. I really miss the big screen. I now switch to the SC with a Lifthor Pro and 7 inch external monitor.

 

[Badgersurfer]

The new matrice comes with a Smart Controller. With this it should be clear to everyone that at some point the CS will be finished. Currently you can use it for the Inspire, for the Cendence controller. But then that's it. Unfortunately. I really miss the big screen. I now switch to the SC with a Lifthor Pro and 7 inch external monitor.

An interesting post... How many nits is your Lifthor monitor? I read some speculation that Dji were making a dongle to enable HDMI input. This would remove the redundancy of the CS and give Dji a continued revenue stream rather than force new users to buy 3rd party monitors for future Dji controllers as well as a good PR move. Also they wouldn't have to develop firmware upgrades. Interestingly there is an Android app developer that creates an app called Shootingplus V3 that maps the screen and sends the appropriate signals from any pixel point to an external joystick controller compatible with its key commands.

 

[Badgersurfer]

Well I listened to you all, especially the oldies like myself and bit the bullet. Ultra turned up today. All I can say is AWESOME.... in fact why would you ever want to fly without one.
My photos are exactly how I set them up. It has enabled me to adjust precisely especially with the NDcpls on. I am over the moon. Ha also where some might find the file management a bit clunky, having been involved with computers for over 40 years I find it a cince.... yes, a very happy chappie be I....