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

[spyro]

My guess is that it is related to your phone and not so much the Mavic Pro.

Again, I tried different phones.
* LG G4
* iPhone 7

>I have flown out to over 14K ft and still had a perfect video feed.

I have had no problem with signal loss so far, too.

>Please note that I record in 4K so the video feed is only 720P to the iPad mini 2.

I know, but that's really not my problem here. It's about the uneven frame rate and frame pacing (the timing between the frames).

>On a side note, are you set to "Auto" in the HD settings or are you selecting the channel manually?

I tried some different settings but none of them solves this particular problem (stuttering video regardless of distance).

>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)?

Yes, I tried it standing in the middle of a grass field out of nowhere with the Mavic in my hand. I can ensure you, it's not about interference.

>(...) that the issue is with your connected device or possibly the USB cable you are using to interface to the remote.

That's a good point, but I tried two different USB cables, too.

Hope this helps you....

Thank you.

 

[spyro]

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?

Hi AlanTheBeast,

"Panel" just is another word for "display" (without electronics). Computer displays (doesn't matter if PC, Notebook, Tablet or Smartphones) are generally driven at 60 (or 59.94) Hz. If you want to get some smooth video, you can only choose between 60 and 30 fps (otherwise you get uneven times between those frames). 60 fps is much more smooth than 30 of course.

>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.

Of course...?

"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."

It really has nothing to do with signal strength, interference or distance. I ruled that all out. It has be something with the settings, the transmission protocol or the app itself.

It basically looks like this:

UFO Test: Multiple Framerates

• Antenna positions on the RC.

Pointing directly to the aircraft (from about 2 m away).

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

Tried Android 6.0.1 (LG G4) and IOS (9?) on a iPhone 7. DJI GO and Litchi.

 

[Kilrah]

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.

And I asked about it again becasue it's irrelevant, DJI GO is known to either decode by software or be CPU-bound due to other processes. Hardware decoders in mobile devices are not tailored to deal with potentially corrupted streams, there's a bunch of stuff that must happen in the background.

Again, I tried different phones.
* LG G4
* iPhone 7

All good then.

The transmission on the Mavic is a tad stuttery like all other DJI aircraft and systems using digital transmission before it (Lightbridge, Inspire, Phantom 3/4...) due to occasional dropped frames and maybe some internal framerate conversion or other processing necessities.
That's just how it is. Not perfect but already **** good and way better than anything comparable on the market.

 

[ryo]

The first time i saw the video feedback i was astonished about the quality and the distance i was getting. Now i got used to it and still find video transmission smooth and very nice; have rarely some frames drops but 99% of time it's perfect.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

"Pointing directly at the a/c"? You need the antennas to be at a right angle to the radio LOS to the drone. Not pointing at the a/c.

But really, downgrade your expectations to 30 fps and 720. And if possible change the "panel" rate to 30 Hz as well.

Start at the easy end and work up, IOW.

And if that doesn't work begin to consider some bad h/w. At the drone, the RC, the phone, the cable between them.

(Wait for it ...)

 

[stratos]

So where abouts are you flying? Ground interference plays a huge factor. Remember LOS is everything for keeping a good video and remote transmission

 

[spyro]

So where abouts are you flying? Ground interference plays a huge factor. Remember LOS is everything for keeping a good video and remote transmission

I was holding the drone IN MY HANDS, standing in a grass field out of nowhere... - still uneven frame pacing.

 

[AlanTheBeast]

I was holding the drone IN MY HANDS, standing in a grass field out of nowhere... - still uneven frame pacing.

So can you, like the rest of us, come to the conclusion that you should:

• Reduce frame rate to 30.
• Reduce resolution to 720.
• Reduce frame rate on the phone to 30 if possible.

And see how that performs?

Clearly there is something not right in your "chain" and to find out what, start at the "easy" end and work up from there?

Did you try a different cable? (I'm too lazy to real all your posts).

 

[Kilrah]

Too close is as bad as too far. Do your evaluation in flight at normal distances...

 

[spyro]

So can you, like the rest of us, come to the conclusion that you should:

• Reduce frame rate to 30.
• Reduce resolution to 720.
• Reduce frame rate on the phone to 30 if possible.

And see how that performs?

Of course. I already tried 720p and 30 fps. But there are still severe frame pacing issues (uneven timings of the individual frames). It's not about frame rate, signal strength or performance.

Guess it's just like that with the Mavic.

 

[HFMan]

Of course. I already tried 720p and 30 fps. But there are still severe frame pacing issues (uneven timings of the individual frames). It's not about frame rate, signal strength or performance.

Guess it's just like that with the Mavic.

No it's not... my mavic video on the iPad is smooth as glass 99% of the time. It's nearly that smooth on my Samsung Galaxy S5- occasional a blip or two of stutter. Something is going on with either your devices, or your RC Controller USB output, or perhaps a cable.

Here's a raw video from yesterday, taken directly from iPad. 720p, 30fps. Mavic is set to 2.7K, 30FPS. You'll see just a couple stutters in this video since I was over 1.5 miles away, but the vast majority is silky smooth.

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[AlanTheBeast]

Of course. I already tried 720p and 30 fps. But there are still severe frame pacing issues (uneven timings of the individual frames). It's not about frame rate, signal strength or performance.

Guess it's just like that with the Mavic.

Not mine.

 

[spyro]

Here's a raw video from yesterday, taken directly from iPad. 720p, 30fps. Mavic is set to 2.7K, 30FPS. You'll see just a couple stutters in this video since I was over 1.5 miles away, but the vast majority is silky smooth.

This look indeed WAY better than anything I was able to achieve in realtime with my Mavic, even with a iPhone 7 + 720p@30.

Would you please tell me your settings? Which transmission mode did you use? 10 or 20 MHz range? Litchi or DJI Go?

Many thanks!

EDIT: Corrected typo

 

[HFMan]

iPad Pro 9.7", latest IOS 10 update (10.3.1). DJI Go v4.0.4
HD video is on Auto, usually it's at 20mhz. Image transmission settings are Normal.
I don't know what you mean by transition mode, but as I posted it's on 720p (no need for 1080p IMHO).
Video settings on Mavic- 2.7K, 30fps, D-Cinelike, None.
I do NOT have airplane mode enabled on the iPad, and have Cellular enabled, Location enabled, bluetooth enabled, etc. Basically nothing is disabled.

I get nearly the same results with my Samsung Galaxy S5, in airplane mode with all background apps closed.

 

[spyro]

iPad Pro 9.7", latest IOS 10 update (10.3.1). DJI Go v4.0.4
HD video is on Auto, usually it's at 20mhz. Image transmission settings are Normal.
I don't know what you mean by transition mode, but as I posted it's on 720p (no need for 1080p IMHO).
Video settings on Mavic- 2.7K, 30fps, D-Cinelike, None.
I do NOT have airplane mode enabled on the iPad, and have Cellular enabled, Location enabled, bluetooth enabled, etc. Basically nothing is disabled.

I get nearly the same results with my Samsung Galaxy S5, in airplane mode with all background apps closed.

WTF...

Then really something must be wrong with my drone, I'm afraid. This are basically the default settings, I wonder if an iPad Pro really is that much faster than an iPhone 7...?!

 

[HFMan]

No, I believe the A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7 is faster than the A9x in the Ipad Pro. The A10 Fusion is a 64-bit quad-core running at 2340 MHz, while the A9x is a 64-bit dual core running at 2260 MHz. The iPhone 7 also has 3GB of ram, vs the 2B of ram in the iPad pro. It benchmarked as the fastest IOS device.

 

[talespin]

I am digging up this old topic as I am a new Mavic owner and having the same issue with iPhone 6. I hardly get any usable video feed, mostly what I get can not be called any video it is like I get a frame in every few seconds. BUT when I had P3S before I used to see smooth feed on the same phone. I don't think the issue is with mavic or controller pas se, it has to do with go4 app and the connection cable thing, whish for mavic also they had the wifi connection option like Phantom 3.

 

[AppleOrange]

WTF...

Then really something must be wrong with my drone, I'm afraid. This are basically the default settings, I wonder if an iPad Pro really is that much faster than an iPhone 7...?!

Spyro, have you been able to find any solution to your feed stuttering? I have a P4advanced and a new MPP. Using the exact same phone (s8+) with the exact same DJI go 4 app and operating under the same conditions, the phantom's feed is silky smooth, and the mavic platinum stutters and hitches. I am on the hunt for a solution as well.