Cannot get smooth video no matter what

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

I have been losing sleep over the excitement of my p3 finally coming. I got it last Friday and have been going through a disaster as far as trying to get a smooth video in flight. It lags and skips and no matter what I do it simply will not smooth out.

I have Uninstalled and reinstalled pilot app 3 times. I custom set the channel and video Trans feed from 4 to 6 and then 8. I am flying with a samsung 8.4 tablet. I contacted Atlanta hobbies tech support and got an overwhelming IDK!

I absolutely love the drone. My flights are amazing and the still shots are breathtaking but I am supposed to be demonstrating this p3 to some people soon and am going to look like an idiot if I can't get this working right.

Please help, I am desperate to get this working as I have spent a ton to get everything for it. Thanks in advance, John.

bbfpv · Jun 2, 2015

John Bigard said:
I have been losing sleep over the excitement of my p3 finally coming. I got it last Friday and have been going through a disaster as far as trying to get a smooth video in flight. It lags and skips and no matter what I do it simply will not smooth out.

I have Uninstalled and reinstalled pilot app 3 times. I custom set the channel and video Trans feed from 4 to 6 and then 8. I am flying with a samsung 8.4 tablet. I contacted Atlanta hobbies tech support and got an overwhelming IDK!

I absolutely love the drone. My flights are amazing and the still shots are breathtaking but I am supposed to be demonstrating this p3 to some people soon and am going to look like an idiot if I can't get this working right.

Please help, I am desperate to get this working as I have spent a ton to get everything for it. Thanks in advance, John.

What happens if you try a different device?

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

The only other device I have is a note edge. I haven't thought to try it but I would hate to think I have to fly with that little screen. Thanks for the idea. I ran out

dhaslam · Jun 2, 2015

Are you referring to the transmitted video or stored video? If the latter is affected it could be the SD card and that might affect the transmitted signal as well.

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

dhaslam said:
Are you referring to the transmitted video or stored video? If the latter is affected it could be the SD card and that might affect the transmitted signal as well.

It's the live fpv that is all goofy. It's like watching a crappy vcr tape. O god, please tell me your old enough to understandthe comparison; )

bbfpv · Jun 2, 2015

John Bigard said:
The only other device I have is a note edge. I haven't thought to try it but I would hate to think I have to fly with that little screen. Thanks for the idea. I ran out

Try it. Doesn't have to be permanent, but at least we can rule out whether it's device related. If the Note works better, then we can rule out a bad USB cable. Does the feed behave like this from the very start or does it slowly degrade over time? If it's a slow degradation, do you have a case on the Tab? If so, remove it and try again because you're overheating the device. Also make sure you kill all background processes and turn off wifi on any device you're trying with.

jlo · Jun 2, 2015

bbfpv said:
If the Note works better, then we can rule out a bad USB cable.

I was going to mention that as well. Several people have reported issues with video caused by USB.

I dislike micro USB because it's so easy to damage the jack.

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

bbfpv said:
Try it. Doesn't have to be permanent, but at least we can rule out whether it's device related. If the Note works better, then we can rule out a bad USB cable. Does the feed behave like this from the very start or does it slowly degrade over time? If it's a slow degradation, do you have a case on the Tab? If so, remove it and try again because you're overheating the device. Also make sure you kill all background processes and turn off wifi on any device you're trying with.

Hey bud, I don't use a case, only to store when finshed. As for the video it is from the start. I am going to try your idea tonight when I get back from work. I checked and the 8.4 runs on the same octa processor that the note edge has so I can't imagine that it's the tablet but like you said, at least I will know. That tablet has the best resolution on the market as does the apple air. I pray I don't have to switch tablets . That would stink.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply, I'm grateful for the idea.

Auriga_5 · Jun 2, 2015

It's my guess that you're taking 4K video.
I have the same problem with 4K, but if I switch to 1080P, video is very good.
I believe my problem is that my computers are not powerful or fast enough to handle the 4K.
I'm guessing that you have good video on the card, but can't properly play it.

envisionabove · Jun 2, 2015

"Hey bud, I don't use a case?"
"O god, please tell me your old enough to understandthe comparison; )?"

These gents are trying to help you.

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

Auriga_5 said:
It's my guess that you're taking 4K video.
I have the same problem with 4K, but if I switch to 1080P, video is very good.
I believe my problem is that my computers are not powerful or fast enough to handle the 4K.
I'm guessing that you have good video on the card, but can't properly play it.

It's funny you mention that. I took the micro SD card out of my drone and put it into my phone to show my neighbors the video I shot however, no matter what I did I couldn't find the video on the card. I'm assuming I have to do something in order to get it to play through director. I did try the hd 1080 but I have since upgraded to 5.0.1 lolly pop on my tablet. I am going to try it again tonight and see what happens. Again, another really good idea. I didn't think to try again after samsung upgrade. Thanks so much

bbfpv · Jun 2, 2015

John Bigard said:
It's funny you mention that. I took the micro SD card out of my drone and put it into my phone to show my neighbors the video I shot however, no matter what I did I couldn't find the video on the card. I'm assuming I have to do something in order to get it to play through director. I did try the hd 1080 but I have since upgraded to 5.0.1 lolly pop on my tablet. I am going to try it again tonight and see what happens. Again, another really good idea. I didn't think to try again after samsung upgrade. Thanks so much

I'm confused. You said you were having problems w/ the FPV feed, but Auriga's suggestion was about playing back video, as was your response. So are you having an issue w/ the FPV feed or playing back the video you're recording?

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

bbfpv said:
I'm confused. You said you were having problems w/ the FPV feed, but Auriga's suggestion was about playing back video, as was your response. So are you having an issue w/ the FPV feed or playing back the video you're recording?

Sorry for the confusion. The video plays back as it is seen when watching the fpv. The live feed itself is what is bad.

Todd Richert · Jun 2, 2015

I'm sure you have, but sometimes obvious things are the problem. Did you take the plastic off the lens that it ships with? Grab a friends iPhone just for testing purposes, many have found iOS to be more stable.

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

Todd Richert said:
I'm sure you have, but sometimes obvious things are the problem. Did you take the plastic off the lens that it ships with? Grab a friends iPhone just for testing purposes, many have found iOS to be more stable.

That's funny, because it wasn't until AFTER my first flight that I realized it was still on there. So as much as I would like to deny that one, I am that ****** who did it

ctp · Jun 2, 2015

John Bigard said:
That's funny, because it wasn't until AFTER my first flight that I realized it was still on there. So as much as I would like to deny that one, I am that ****** who did it

Processing the video during the flight is very processor intensive. If you have multiple applications open on your tablet, that can degrade performance. If you want to do a good paranoid test, set your tablet to airplane mood and then reboot the tablet (it should power back on still in airplane mode). This will help minimize the background applications that are running on the tablet. If your intention to use his tablet for all of your flying, it can really help to uninstall all applications you don't really need.

John Bigard · Jun 2, 2015

Todd Richert said:
I'm sure you have, but sometimes obvious things are the problem. Did you take the plastic off the lens that it ships with? Grab a friends iPhone just for testing purposes, many have found iOS to be more stable.

That's funny, because it wasn't until AFTER my first flight that I realized it was still on there. So as much as I would like to deny that one, I am that ****** who did it

ctp said:
Processing the video during the flight is very processor intensive. If you have multiple applications open on your tablet, that can degrade performance. If you want to do a good paranoid test, set your tablet to airplane mood and then reboot the tablet (it should power back on still in airplane mode). This will help minimize the background applications that are running on the tablet. If your intention to use his tablet for all of your flying, it can really help to uninstall all applications you don't really need.