EPSON Moverio BT-300 Review

[MacIak]

The information on this forum is enormous and thank you all for your contributions. Still torn between getting the DJI goggles and the Moverio BT300. Has anyone got a chance to actually wear both and make a comparison? I have Oculus Rift at home so quite familiar with the VR, but never experienced the AR. Love the idea of being able to see both from the view of the cockpit and see the Mavic at the same time, but I am a bit nervous about the BT300's hardware and the issues with the google play service. Looking forward to your reviews on the comparison!

I would love to try the goggle to compare but seen the dji madness i won't be able to very soon so you ll have to do with this: what do you expect from it and where do you live? Why?
For me, i like to fly 3d heli also. These are machines that easily can tear a living being in pieces. I always have to see and feel the orientation of them and never-ever close to lose VLOS. Im one of the most safety- minded/ knowledgable individuals amongst the hobbyists i know, this is also because in make a living in the aviation business. But: im tired of clubs so always fly over farmfields with permission. Per session i spend considerable pre- and post flight time and need a station car to transport the mentioned devices including tools and accessories.
Drones for me are for relaxation. Mavic made me buy one cause i pack everything in a small bag, put it over my shoulder and hop on a bicycle so i can go anywhere. I find VLOS with drones the biggest BS ever, im always beyond that. I tried a couple of other devices for FPV (cinemizer, fatshark dom 2/3, glyph) with glyph as second best. In chose the moverio because of better portability and situational awareness around me while flying ( im a middle eastern type and do not want to be clubbed down by some scared dumbass, we have those around here). The Glyph was an overall "better finished" product i must say.
In bright sun you need dark shades which makes looking through the glass harder but still much better view through and around than other systems.
So: portable. In Europe i noticed the Epson service is not much better than DJI. That also made me consider Glyph, super people. Service is very important for me but i do have sufficient financial resources so im not relying too much on service/warranty when it is hopeless.
The Goggles: they are restrictive in use (also not an all round platform, less than Moverio) not all media can be playbacked but most importantly: they are a fridge on your head. Huge.
Im sure the image quality and fov are superior. Its also DJI and new. It will have issues. Service is bad.
Did i also mention it's gigantic?
So long story but as said before: it's personal.

 

[Ender]

The information on this forum is enormous and thank you all for your contributions. Still torn between getting the DJI goggles and the Moverio BT300. Has anyone got a chance to actually wear both and make a comparison? I have Oculus Rift at home so quite familiar with the VR, but never experienced the AR. Love the idea of being able to see both from the view of the cockpit and see the Mavic at the same time, but I am a bit nervous about the BT300's hardware and the issues with the google play service. Looking forward to your reviews on the comparison!

Hi !
This decision is all over this thread
-Best Solution: buy both ;-)
-If thats not an option they are really two different beasts !
The DJI pro / cons:

pro:
-Great FOV, total immersion
-High Resolution (2 x FHD), (Maybe not too important for Mavic as you usually stream 720p)
-HDMI in, so easily usable for othe stuff
-Gimbal control via head position

con:
-Only DJI GO runs on it as its a "castrated" Android device, NO third party Software
-relaively huge
-will draw (unwanted?) attention (maybe a pro for some)

BT-300 pro & con

pro:
-Translucency, see "the real world" and FPV. Needs getting used to it but is a unique experience. Could make FPV without spotter legal in many countries.
-Full blown Android device, you can do all kinds of stuff with it (Maybe also SPARK ??)
-Not bound to DJI, other WiFi Copters will work as well ( Bebop, Breeze)
-Lightweight

con:
-Small, Fatshark level FOV, NOT full immersive (i went through many Headplay style devices)
-no HDMI, can be partially compansated by acting as Airplay & MiraCast receiver
-Lower Resolution of 1280x720 (debatable), but seems perfect for Typical Mavic Livestream.
-high pricetag
-no Gimbal control via sensors yet. Sensors are there, two apps promise to implement it for BT-300 devices, lets see...


I probably forgot half of the stuff but the important decision for me is:
Translucency vs. High immersion (FOV). And that was a tough one as i am used to FOV >> 60 degree.
But the legal situation and the ***cool*** experience fo AR vs. VR made me decide.
I virtually lowered the price tag because i sold two High-FOV goggles to afford the Moverios


You gotta try both AND if a DJI Goggles comes near me i might buy it as well

Ender

 

[Evo1668]

Well personally for me I'm sticking with BT300. Great experience flying the Mavic. I am considering getting the DJI goggles, not primarily for flying use, but for others to observe with. I do get people come up to ask about the drone and it would be good to let them see what the Mavic sees, without having to let them use the Moverios whilst I am flying. Think I will wait for the initial rush and see if I can get hold of a second hand pair of DJI....

 

[Srcrain]

Let me start by saying that I own the BT-300s and pre-ordered the DJI Goggles. I am 50/50 on whether I keep the DJI Goggles or sell them. I am without question keeping the BT-300s.

This all started when I would go outside on a sunny day and have a nearly impossible time seeing my screen. On sunny days, even in shade, my screen was unusable. I tried both my iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2. I bought sun shades, made my own sun shade, but nothing really worked the way I wanted. The best solutions were shades that are basically long tunnels where you stick your head as far in as you can. That doesn't sound much different from wearing FPV goggles. You are essentially shut out from the outside world when your head is in that tunnel.

One solution that I tried was this - I also have a Tiny Whoop setup at home with a Spektrum FPV headset (from Horizon Hobby). Obviously the video monitor doesn't work, but you can use the headset shell and put in your iPhone or other phone using a longer USB cable from your controller. This works perfectly well to see the screen, but you obviously don't have access to any of the touch screen. You can use the c1 and c1 and the 5d button to get a lot of stuff. However, you look like an idiot with this set-up, and I would not do this out in public.

So I came across the Moverio BT-300s from reading this forum and pulled the trigger. They are expensive, but if it solves my flying on sunny days problem, it is more than worth it. After several weeks of use I can say that they (in my opinion) are amazing and work incredibly well for the purpose that I bought them for. While you can see through the display, in practice you are going to want the darkest shades you can find to get the highest brightness on the display. You don't really look through the screen as much as you look around it (top, bottom, and sides). In that way you are also totally aware of people and things around you and not just the quad. Maybe most importantly they don't attract a lot of attention like the DJI Goggles would. Most people don't really notice and then have no idea what you are doing if they do notice.

With the map issue fixed with the work around posted in this thread and your ability to side load some android apps the google play store issue is not that important other than the lack of Litchi. That really is a bummer, but the DJI goggles don't allow you to run Litchi either. I would expect either Epson or Litchi to figure this out and have some way of loading the app at some point in the future (probably not soon, but some time).

So with that being said, I would recommend the BT-300s, but it really does depend on what you want the glasses/goggles for. If you want them to see your screen on sunny days, fly in a place that isn't completed isolated, and have constant awareness of what is going on around you and the quad, then the BT-300s are probably for you. If you want to fly with complete immersion, be shut out of the real world, and fly mostly in isolated areas with no people, then the DJI goggles are for you. Lastly if you want to do other things like watch movies or play games the DJI goggles are going to be better given the higher resolution. The BT-300s only provide 720p which is enough for flying your drone given the transmission signal is at 720p (most of the time). The DJI goggles can provide up to 1080p which would be better for other uses.

Hope this helps.

 

[edkirk]

Another option for the BT-300 is the fully immersive cover from Rochester Optical, it comes with a blackout cover but can be used with one of the three shades that come with the BT-300 or without any cover at all. It would really be nice if it had the option to flip up the cover for full transparency when desired. I ordered one along with the frame insert to correct my vision, my pd is 32.5 and 31.5 = 64 a real handicap with the BT-300 which is 70.

Solitaire Ace 2.0 (for BT-300) » Rochester Optical

Ed

PS Sorry I made an error about the attachable shades, see my next post.

 

[edkirk]

Sorry folks, I miss understood, actually jumped to an incorrect conclusion, Rochester Optical is way ahead of me, I ask for more information about their Solitaire Ace and received the following answer.

Hi Charles,

No problem! The instructions will be in the package once you receive the order. The blackout shield is just a magnetic clip on, so it’s super easy to remove and put on!

One other accessory you might want to consider is the Solitaire Ace Sun Shield, which is also a magnetic clip except it’s a sun shield that goes on Solitaire Ace 2.0. For drone flyers like yourself, it would become much more comfortable flying in bright ambient light when you need to keep the drone in your line-of-sight. And when you want to see the drone camera view in an immersive setting, simply switch to the blackout shield for instant transition.

Let me know if you have any further questions!

 

[Srcrain]

Sorry folks, I miss understood, actually jumped to an incorrect conclusion, Rochester Optical is way ahead of me, I ask for more information about their Solitaire Ace and received the following answer.

Hi Charles,

No problem! The instructions will be in the package once you receive the order. The blackout shield is just a magnetic clip on, so it’s super easy to remove and put on!

One other accessory you might want to consider is the Solitaire Ace Sun Shield, which is also a magnetic clip except it’s a sun shield that goes on Solitaire Ace 2.0. For drone flyers like yourself, it would become much more comfortable flying in bright ambient light when you need to keep the drone in your line-of-sight. And when you want to see the drone camera view in an immersive setting, simply switch to the blackout shield for instant transition.

Let me know if you have any further questions!

From the pictures on the Rochester Optical website it looks like the arms on the BT-300s are off and the Solitaire Ace has a band to hold it in place. Is that correct? Do the arms on the BT-300s come off?

 

[edkirk]

I haven't tried to remove the arms but they appear to be attached with a small screw.

 

[GekoCH]

yes you can remove the arms (2 screws). The belt is already attached to the Solitaire Ace.

Andy

 

[Adhi]

Thanks Anthony for the picture. Does the mount for Mavic Pro come with the Epson BT300 FPV package?

Thanks
Wayne

Yes

 

[macinfosys]

Yes

Actually NO they DO NOT. You either have to print your own or buy them through a few online printing services that has been listed on this forum.

 

[Srcrain]

Correct you have to buy the mount for the mavic separate. I got mine from Etsy. Under $20

 

[Lone Wolf]

Many thanks to you all who had provided so much feedback regarding the decisions for choosing between the DJI goggles and Moverio BT-300. You guys are awesome! Looks like I will pull the trigger on the BT300. Right now I see the drone version is available both on Amazon and BH Photos & Videos. So one more thing to clarify: Does the drone version comes with the Rochester shade? And just in case that I found the BT-300 is not to my liking and wish to return, which seller should I choose?

 

[Geezer]

I ordered my BT-300's FPV/Drone edition (Amazon Prime) on 28 April. They arrived USPS on 1 May. The RO sunshades were included, along with two plastic lenses and an empty frame, presumably to have corrective lenses fitted therein. The earbuds even have several sets of foam adapters.
My Etsy controller holder is supposed to arrive tomorrow, so I've been familiarizing myself with navigating the Android OS, updating firmware, uninstalling DJI Go, installing DJI Go 4, and downloading DJI Ultimate Flight before I try actually flying.
In reference to the map SNAFU, insofar as I can comprehend, there are several workarounds:
1. Changing the language settings as in Posts # 300, 336, and 342.
2. Using Fire TV apps and Google Play Services as in Post # 421 et. al.
3. Reverting to an older version of DJI Go 4 as in Post # 557.
I'm confused, and not familiar enough with the nuts and bolts of Android to dive too deeply into its mechanics.
I'd appreciate further information on the options and "cookbook" step by step instructions.
Thanks to all the contributors to this Forum.

 

[Ender]

1. Changing the language settings as in Posts # 300, 336, and 342.
2. Using Fire TV apps and Google Play Services as in Post # 421 et. al.
3. Reverting to an older version of DJI Go 4 as in Post # 557.
.

Hi !
IMO Option 2. is the cleanest & safest but i am probably biased as i brought it into play, knowing that method to work for similar problems on my FireTV's.

So may let others comment on that as well, not only a clearly biased person

Ender

 

[macinfosys]

Option 2 is the only REAL option to get the map to work. It allows for latest version of DJI Go 4 app to be used with proper maps. And the proper language in order to be able to read the content on the app.

Thanks again Ender.

 

[Srcrain]

Quick question - Has anyone used the "tap to mute" function on the Moverio's? This is supposed to turn the screen and audio off until tapped again. It seems like that would be a nice way to land with the screen off.

I have tried to do this several times but it hasn't worked. Not sure if I am tapping in the right place (right side) or if the function just doesn't work.

 

[Rigging65]

I tried to update the Go4 app on my BT-300s yesterday and now all the app does is crash. There was a REFRESH option that I selected first, which caused the issue, so I uninstalled the app and tried to reinstall, but still have the same issue. When I try to open the app, it just closes itself down.

I flew with the glasses earlier in the day without issue.
There's no reason the BT controller needs to be attached to the RC for the app to open, is there? I'm not at home and can't try that...

Input?

 

[Ender]

Hi !The app should open without connection, true.
You should go tho the Android App settings and delete cache & data (you'll need to login again to your dji account).
That should help !

Ender

 

[MacIak]

Quick question - Has anyone used the "tap to mute" function on the Moverio's? This is supposed to turn the screen and audio off until tapped again. It seems like that would be a nice way to land with the screen off.

I have tried to do this several times but it hasn't worked. Not sure if I am tapping in the right place (right side) or if the function just doesn't work.

Did not know this option. You can also short press the power button? Sometimes i do that.
Edit: flew with the k1 shield yesterday, cloudy. Just to check the experience again...got so spoiled with a clear image that i returned after 2 minutes and put on the mov again, i could not stand the image . Mov and Mav have become unseperable.