Comparison of VR Apps for the Phantom

dmark1867 · Mar 23, 2016

Seems like there are several apps that you can do VR with, including but not limited to Litchi, FPV Camera for DJI, CloudlightFPV, Dream Flights, etc.

Has anyone compared these? The 2 most popular imo would be Litchi and FPV. Looking for pros and cons. Has anyone here used both? Thanks!

alokbhargava · Mar 23, 2016

All apps have personal choices, read the reviews and decide whats best for you.

I personally don't like to use any VR app as the real input is not 3D and VR app reduces the screen resolution to half unless Goggle has built in dual screens.

dmark1867 · Mar 23, 2016

alokbhargava said:
All apps have personal choices, read the reviews and decide whats best for you.

I personally don't like to use any VR app as the real input is not 3D and VR app reduces the screen resolution to half unless Goggle has built in dual screens.

You are right (pros and cons for everything), I may end up purchasing both litchi and fpv
I think fpv has better vr (from what I have read, but I could be wrong), but litchi is now working on tracking, and the autonomous seems like it would be sweet with Goggles

The VR app granted would not be as good as using Goggles that use HDMI but from what I have heard it is a pretty good experiecne at a fraction of the price.
I have not actually had any real world experience with it, have you?

Trackman1 · Mar 23, 2016

As long as your phone has a high resolution screen the image is very good.
FPV Camera is not available yet for droid.
The OSD on Litchi is very lacking.

dmark1867 · Mar 23, 2016

ok, from what I have gathered FPV on iphone might be the way to go.
I wonder how well it will (or will) not work with an iphone 5s
Also looking at getting these Amazon.com: Motoraux ® IMAX Movie Visor 3D Vr Virtual Reality Glasses Innovative Design Fit for iOS, Android & PC phones Series within 4.0-5.9inches: Electronics
Any other input appreciated, thanks!

Toph · Mar 23, 2016

I can vouch for FOV camera being awesome on iOS. Lots of OSD options and gets a great picture. Litchi only has a goggle mode for android currently.

IMHO- going the HDMI route is way too expensive for the nominal resolution increase. I get a great picture using HooToo goggles with FPV Cam. You can get into the game for $40 total rather than the hundreds you'll spend going the HDMI route. Not to mention you'll have the VR aspect of being able to tilt your cam down when you look down. Which is an awesome feature.

Good luck!

rmfa · Mar 23, 2016

Trackman1 said:
As long as your phone has a high resolution screen the image is very good.
FPV Camera is not available yet for droid.
The OSD on Litchi is very lacking.

I have to disagree here. I have an iPhone 6s Plus and the resolution is terrible imo. It reminds me of standard definition TV. Its also very scary when you can't just 'look' at the drone in the air. You can only see the very narrow forward-view of the drone. I suggest having a friend there as a spotter or to fly all together while you view the FPV.

dmark1867 · Mar 23, 2016

dmark1867 said:
You are right (pros and cons for everything), I may end up purchasing both litchi and fpv
I think fpv has better vr (from what I have read, but I could be wrong), but litchi is now working on tracking, and the autonomous seems like it would be sweet with Goggles

The VR app granted would not be as good as using Goggles that use HDMI but from what I have heard it is a pretty good experiecne at a fraction of the price.
I have not actually had any real world experience with it, have you?

So I guess I will roll with these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018JZQWIQ
I guess this is the same as what you are using and you are happy with this setup?

And for FPV Camera, looks like it is 5 bucks plus another 8 for the FPV Goggles
I assume you are using both?
Have you used the Mission Planner or Flight log

I think you are using a newer bigger iphone, I hope it looks decent on my old iphone 5s

Thanks for getting back to me

Toph said:
I can vouch for FOV camera being awesome on iOS. Lots of OSD options and gets a great picture. Litchi only has a goggle mode for android currently.

IMHO- going the HDMI route is way too expensive for the nominal resolution increase. I get a great picture using HooToo goggles with FPV Cam. You can get into the game for $40 total rather than the hundreds you'll spend going the HDMI route. Not to mention you'll have the VR aspect of being able to tilt your cam down when you look down. Which is an awesome feature.

Good luck!

Yeah I don't have that kind of coin to throw down on this hobby at the time, 50 bucks or less I can handle

So I guess I will roll with these:
Amazon.com: Virtual Reality 3D Glasses HooToo VR Goggle(Focal and Pupil Distance Adjustable Headset for iPhone Samsung Moto LG Nexus HTC, Black/White): Electronics
I guess this is the same as what you are using and you are happy with this setup?

And for FPV Camera, looks like it is 5 bucks plus another 8 for the FPV Goggles
I assume you are using both?
Have you used the Mission Planner or Flight log

I think you are using a newer bigger iphone, I hope it looks decent on my old iphone 5s

Thanks for getting back to me

dmark1867 · Mar 23, 2016

rmfa said:
I have to disagree here. I have an iPhone 6s Plus and the resolution is terrible imo. It reminds me of standard definition TV. Its also very scary when you can't just 'look' at the drone in the air. You can only see the very narrow forward-view of the drone. I suggest having a friend there as a spotter or to fly all together while you view the FPV.

Seems like there are a lot of different opinions here. I wonder if there is anything you could tweak to make things look better for you? I am wanting to do something budget friendly and my expectations aren't all that high to be honest, just wanting to check it out. I think it might be cool to let someone else where the googles while I fly the drone around not far from me keeping LOS, it might be lame, I don't know. Just thinking out loud, thanks for the feedback though.

Trackman1 · Mar 23, 2016

rmfa said:
I have to disagree here. I have an iPhone 6s Plus and the resolution is terrible imo. It reminds me of standard definition TV. Its also very scary when you can't just 'look' at the drone in the air. You can only see the very narrow forward-view of the drone. I suggest having a friend there as a spotter or to fly all together while you view the FPV.

Sorry. I can see where I had been misleading. Load a quality video into the camera and using VR cinema, watch with headset (Hootoo in my case)
I see a very good image. Using fpv the down link image is not as good quality as the video so the view on the headset is not as good either.
I think that is what you are saying and I agree.
But I can see a lot better, in a lot more detail with the headset on during FPV than looking at the same thing on the tablet when outside.

I only look at the Phantom during takeoff and landing. I am surrounded by trees. SO can't see it anyway once it leaves the back yard.
I fly strictly by FPV and the On Screen Display.

Toph · Mar 23, 2016

dmark1867 said:
So I guess I will roll with these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018JZQWIQ
I guess this is the same as what you are using and you are happy with this setup?

And for FPV Camera, looks like it is 5 bucks plus another 8 for the FPV Goggles

Check out the VR Box on Amazon. They look identical to the HooToo and are about $15 cheaper.
And you are correct on the FPV Camera prices. I only use it for Goggle flights. I use litchi for waypoint flights and Go for general flying and recording

Toph · Mar 23, 2016

rmfa said:
I have to disagree here. I have an iPhone 6s Plus and the resolution is terrible imo. It reminds me of standard definition TV. Its also very scary when you can't just 'look' at the drone in the air. You can only see the very narrow forward-view of the drone. I suggest having a friend there as a spotter or to fly all together while you view the FPV.

Totally disagree. The resolution on my iPhone 6+ has little discernible difference as using my iPad mini 2. Besides, you don't need super hyper 4K definition FPV. It's a reference tool and it fully serves its propose for that. And the field of view isn't any more narrow than using a tablet.
It's not scary to fly with goggles at all once you get use to it. I take off and do my full flight with goggles (when I use goggles anyway). I don't take them off until I'm ready to hand catch. It's like your in the cockpit. It's very easy to tell where you are and how you are oriented. In fact, in many ways it increases your depth perception much better than just looking at the bird when it's a couple thousand feet away.

alokbhargava · Mar 23, 2016

dmark1867 said:
You are right (pros and cons for everything), I may end up purchasing both litchi and fpv
I think fpv has better vr (from what I have read, but I could be wrong), but litchi is now working on tracking, and the autonomous seems like it would be sweet with Goggles

The VR app granted would not be as good as using Goggles that use HDMI but from what I have heard it is a pretty good experiecne at a fraction of the price.
I have not actually had any real world experience with it, have you?

Yes I have experience with VR Goggle and HDMI based dual screen goggles. I prefer HDMI based solution as I am able to use USB as well HDMI ports to get two independent videos. No doubt HDMI based solutions are expensive but when I need to buy something I buy something good. But it's individuals choice finally.

Goggles give totally new experience but you have chance of getting lost

. In case of doubt I always refer to my DJI app running parallely on my iPad mini.

Toph · Mar 23, 2016

You're only going to get a max resolution of 720p even with HDMI.

dmark1867 · Mar 24, 2016

alokbhargava said:
Yes I have experience with VR Goggle and HDMI based dual screen goggles. I prefer HDMI based solution as I am able to use USB as well HDMI ports to get two independent videos. No doubt HDMI based solutions are expensive but when I need to buy something I buy something good. But it's individuals choice finally.

Goggles give totally new experience but you have chance of getting lost . In case of doubt I always refer to my DJI app running parallely on my iPad mini.

I would like to get the hdmi module and goggles, ipad airs and all kinds of cool stuff, but I have kids and tons of expenses, just have to do what you can do with your budget.
I could purchase them but just wouldn't be a smart move with other expenses I have at the moment. Looking at the low cost option just to check it out, seems much better then not doing it at all.
Thanks

dmark1867 · Mar 24, 2016

Toph said:
Check out the VR Box on Amazon. They look identical to the HooToo and are about $15 cheaper.
And you are correct on the FPV Camera prices. I only use it for Goggle flights. I use litchi for waypoint flights and Go for general flying and recording

I checked out vr box but it looks like it needs at least a device with a 4.7 screen, my iphone 5s only has 4.5, who know it might work anyway
So looking at this one now: Amazon.com: Motoraux ® IMAX Movie Visor 3D Vr Virtual Reality Glasses Innovative Design Fit for iOS, Android & PC phones Series within 4.0-5.9inches: Electronics
I might end up just getting the one you have since you are happy with it, the HooToo
I am going to do some more testing tonight to see how much flight time I can get with a fully charged battery, my battery sucks, but don't have the cash to upgrade now.
I am going to put it in airplane mode with a fully charged phone, if I can get a full flight or close I will continue looking into this, if not, I guess I will hold off.
Also I use litchi on my nexus 7 for the waypoints, I was thinking it would be cool to have an automous using the goggles.
I have heard that the vr is better with FPV Camera for DJI then litchi.
Thanks for all your help along the way!

Toph · Mar 24, 2016

dmark1867 said:
I checked out vr box but it looks like it needs at least a device with a 4.7 screen, my iphone 5s only has 4.5, who know it might work anyway
So looking at this one now: Amazon.com: Motoraux [emoji768] IMAX Movie Visor 3D Vr Virtual Reality Glasses Innovative Design Fit for iOS, Android & PC phones Series within 4.0-5.9inches: Electronics
I might end up just getting the one you have since you are happy with it, the HooToo
I am going to do some more testing tonight to see how much flight time I can get with a fully charged battery, my battery sucks, but don't have the cash to upgrade now.
I am going to put it in airplane mode with a fully charged phone, if I can get a full flight or close I will continue looking into this, if not, I guess I will hold off.
Also I use litchi on my nexus 7 for the waypoints, I was thinking it would be cool to have an automous using the goggles.
I have heard that the vr is better with FPV Camera for DJI then litchi.
Thanks for all your help along the way!

Actually it'll fit a 3.5 - 6 inch phone. Pretty sure it's the exact same as HooToo with different branding. But there are plenty of reasonable options it there that look pretty decent. Good luck!

MikeON · Mar 25, 2016

dmark1867 said:
So looking at this one now: Amazon.com: Motoraux ® IMAX Movie Visor 3D Vr Virtual Reality Glasses Innovative Design Fit for iOS, Android & PC phones Series within 4.0-5.9inches: Electronics

Check the Estimated Delivery Date before you order that one.

dmark1867 · Mar 25, 2016

MikeON said:
Check the Estimated Delivery Date before you order that one.

Ended up ordering this one:
Amazon.com: Tepoinn® 3D VR Glasses, 3D VR Headset Virtual Reality Box with Adjustable Lens and Strap for iPhone 5 5s 6 plus Samsung S3 Edge Note 4 and 3.5-5.5 inch Smartphone for 3D Movies and Games: Electronics
Should have it on Tuesday

I have heard iphone 5s with 4" screen might not work that great, but not at a good point to get another phone, so we will see how it will work.
I was having an issue with crappy battery life when using my iphone. I did a full charge, closed all apps, rebooted, turned on power saving mode, airplane mode, disabled location services and tried again. I had to have it just hover in my garage because it was storming out. It hovered for 21 minutes and the battery went from 100 down to 85, so that is a good sign. Although I did get a warning from DJI about location services being turned off, so maybe I will need to turn that back on.
Anxious to see how this pans out for me. Still conflicted if I am going to get either Litchi or FPV Camera for DJI,

Toph · Mar 25, 2016

dmark1867 said:
Ended up ordering this one:
Amazon.com: Tepoinn[emoji768] 3D VR Glasses, 3D VR Headset Virtual Reality Box with Adjustable Lens and Strap for iPhone 5 5s 6 plus Samsung S3 Edge Note 4 and 3.5-5.5 inch Smartphone for 3D Movies and Games: Electronics
Should have it on Tuesday

I have heard iphone 5s with 4" screen might not work that great, but not at a good point to get another phone, so we will see how it will work.
I was having an issue with crappy battery life when using my iphone. I did a full charge, closed all apps, rebooted, turned on power saving mode, airplane mode, disabled location services and tried again. I had to have it just hover in my garage because it was storming out. It hovered for 21 minutes and the battery went from 100 down to 85, so that is a good sign. Although I did get a warning from DJI about location services being turned off, so maybe I will need to turn that back on.
Anxious to see how this pans out for me. Still conflicted if I am going to get either Litchi or FPV Camera for DJI,

Of those options only FPV Cam has a goggle mode for iOS