Hello to all,
Total newbie, here, so please be gentle.
Seriously, I'm so glad to have found this amazing set of forums. I sure wish I had found this community and read this sticky note...
viewtopic.php?p=35718#p35718
... before I experienced my own first "flyaway." I didn't understand why Phantom's Pilot Training Manual had a "don't panic" note until then!
I mean, there's nothing BUT panic when your $1200 pride and joy is a dot that keeps getting smaller and smaller. But, true to its promise to return home, it did indeed (and against a stiff tradewind at that!). It landed within a few feet of us, battery alarms going off for the last couple of minutes. Exciting!
--
Anyway, I must admit that, even after a few more practice sessions, I have had trouble staying oriented once the battery orientation changes.
So I tried to imagine that I'm the pilot, seeing what he sees regardless of direction, and just steer according to that. If the copter is 90 degrees left (off the original), it's easier to remember that flying left (relative to me) is now "right toggle up" since THAT is now "straight ahead."
That has helped. However, when it gets further away/higher up, it gets hard to see (even plastered with stickers) what the orientation is. And doing figure-8s with the camera always pointing straight ahead? That's going to take some time to master, especially with my sense of direction.
And THAT is when I had the thought "why not BE the pilot immersively, with glasses?"
One tends to ignore the phone app because it's awfully hard seeing either the iPhone or Samsung S3 in the sun. Even if it was visible, it's hard enough running two controllers, let alone adjusting the tilt of the camera using the phone's app, all at the same time.
I had no idea if these glasses existed, but discovered an industry of products for this acronym, FPV.
--
Sorry for the length of this, but as a bit more background, we live on a tiny island in the Caribbean called Anguilla. My daughter has a website about it, anguilla-beaches.com. It receives thousands of visits per day, which helps our tourism industry quite a bit.
She wants to create some of those dramatic beach vids that we've seen elsewhere. Actually, as we played with this idea, there's a heck of a lot of fun we can have with these while promoting our home.
But it's going to take quite a while to get proficient enough at flying this incredible invention, before we'd get close enough to risk losing it in the sea, let alone producing really exciting vids.
That is where FPV comes in.
--
My daughter and I figure that capturing the beauty of Anguilla from this unique perspective would be a 2-person operation - one person flies (FPV) with the skill that FPV should accelerate, while the other works the app and tilts the camera for optimal angles from inside a blind (which we have to cut down wind when doing beach vids). Communications between the two of us would fine-tune the results.
A nice father-daughter project is the added bonus.
--
Actually, I feel like an idiot, since no one else seems to have these troubles. Regardless, I figure that if someone is in the immersive experience of "being" the pilot, it doesn't matter which direction the battery is pointing. Going "straight" becomes relative to the camera, not something the pilot has to worry about.
You simply fly according to what you see. You don't look at your copter. You don't struggle with the remote, trying to figure out angles. You just fly like an actual pilot.
In short, if my right hand pushes the right stick up, the pilot goes in the direction that the camera is pointing. If it pushes left, the copter goes left, relative to the camera. NO thought involved - guiding the Phantom becomes intuitive.
Please tell me -- do I have that right, or am I missing something? Sorry for this really newb question, but if I have that wrong, the rest is pointless.
--
This "idea" (at least, I thought it was an idea at the time) led us to HOW we'd do it. I had previously plugged my Kindle Fire into our plasma using its mini-HDMI-to-regular-HDMI cable and it worked perfectly, playing what I see on the Kindle directly onto the plasma.
So, all I needed was a pair of video glasses that would accept HDMI (we'd use the Kindle instead of the phone -- bigger and more visible screen).
I didn't even know if these things existed, but during one of my searches, this post came up, which is how I discovered these forums....
viewtopic.php?p=44708#p44708
Reading that whole thread with growing excitement, I realized that there are two basic options...
1) straight video glasses, such as the ITVgoggles (or some other brand) suggested in the above post that I had found. This option is interesting for another reason, which is, of course, the primary purpose of this type of glasses..
If the video and audio quality are of the high level that it's said to be, it would be amazing to watch a movie on the plane or before going to bed, when I tend to read or watch something on my Kindle. There's no need to hold the Kindle for 2 hours AND you get a real theatre experience.
-0R-
2) Fatshark or other glasses that are especially made for FPV. I would lose the "home theatre on my head" option, but I get some specialized FPV benefit, except I'm not sure what that is, except...
This category of goggle cuts out ambient light. I don't know if that's a serious enough factor with the regular glasses or not to be a deciding factor? On the other hand, the video quality is supposed to be lower -- I'm not sure how important that is, either.
We have the Phantom 2 Vision, so a feature such as head-tracking would not seem to apply since the built-in camera only tilts up-down. What other advantages are there? Disadvantages?
One thing -- it seems that it's not a SIMPLE matter of running my Kindle into a pair of Fatshark (or other FPV brand) goggles. It seems technically more complicated to set up, possibly needing more equipment than JUST the goggles?
-
So finally (and with apologies for the length of this), here's the question(s)...
Putting aside the home theatre and taking into account our 2-person operation plan, which option makes the most sense for us and why? If it's the former, all I have to do is order them and plug them into the Kindle (although I'm not sure which glasses to choose - I can't find a single comprehensive comparative review of all the major brands, but I'll figure it out if you tell me THIS is the right choice for us, and will report back what I find, if anyone is interested).
If the latter (FPV-specialized) is the right choice, please explain the major advantages, given how we'd like to work. Can you still use something like Fatshark with a Kindle, or does it need a whole new monitor? What would the optimal configuration be for the Phantom 2 Vision? Which brand is generally considered "best" for that?
Money is a consideration, not really THE issue. We want to get the best results possible, but don't want to take things aport, solder them, etc. I've never been good at turning a screwdriver. ;-)
That said, if there is an option that delivers a massive improvement, I'm sure I could find someone here who could follow instructions. We want to amaze folks with these videos.
--
The above thread did not really come to a resolution. I wish Gavin (who suggested ITVgoggles) came back and told us what the experience was like, but he only ever made the one post. There are many other threads about the latter option, but many of them assume more knowledge than newbies like my daughter and me have (zero, basically).
--
Complete "for dummies" answers would be tremendously appreciated, both by us and future generations struggling to get from "here" (not knowing that googles even existed) to where you all are (doing some incredible things that I don't understand). A thread that helps newbies make the transition would be fantastic (if this is all answered in a thread that I missed, my apologies -- please point me to it).
I promise in advance to feedback on whatever direction we choose. Someone in the thread mentioned above asked him how it went. I'll be sure to let future newbies how WE made that next, mysterious step and how it went.
Thanks very much in advance for any help you can provide to help us get "there."
All the best,
Ken
Total newbie, here, so please be gentle.
Seriously, I'm so glad to have found this amazing set of forums. I sure wish I had found this community and read this sticky note...
viewtopic.php?p=35718#p35718
... before I experienced my own first "flyaway." I didn't understand why Phantom's Pilot Training Manual had a "don't panic" note until then!
I mean, there's nothing BUT panic when your $1200 pride and joy is a dot that keeps getting smaller and smaller. But, true to its promise to return home, it did indeed (and against a stiff tradewind at that!). It landed within a few feet of us, battery alarms going off for the last couple of minutes. Exciting!
--
Anyway, I must admit that, even after a few more practice sessions, I have had trouble staying oriented once the battery orientation changes.
So I tried to imagine that I'm the pilot, seeing what he sees regardless of direction, and just steer according to that. If the copter is 90 degrees left (off the original), it's easier to remember that flying left (relative to me) is now "right toggle up" since THAT is now "straight ahead."
That has helped. However, when it gets further away/higher up, it gets hard to see (even plastered with stickers) what the orientation is. And doing figure-8s with the camera always pointing straight ahead? That's going to take some time to master, especially with my sense of direction.
And THAT is when I had the thought "why not BE the pilot immersively, with glasses?"
One tends to ignore the phone app because it's awfully hard seeing either the iPhone or Samsung S3 in the sun. Even if it was visible, it's hard enough running two controllers, let alone adjusting the tilt of the camera using the phone's app, all at the same time.
I had no idea if these glasses existed, but discovered an industry of products for this acronym, FPV.
--
Sorry for the length of this, but as a bit more background, we live on a tiny island in the Caribbean called Anguilla. My daughter has a website about it, anguilla-beaches.com. It receives thousands of visits per day, which helps our tourism industry quite a bit.
She wants to create some of those dramatic beach vids that we've seen elsewhere. Actually, as we played with this idea, there's a heck of a lot of fun we can have with these while promoting our home.
But it's going to take quite a while to get proficient enough at flying this incredible invention, before we'd get close enough to risk losing it in the sea, let alone producing really exciting vids.
That is where FPV comes in.
--
My daughter and I figure that capturing the beauty of Anguilla from this unique perspective would be a 2-person operation - one person flies (FPV) with the skill that FPV should accelerate, while the other works the app and tilts the camera for optimal angles from inside a blind (which we have to cut down wind when doing beach vids). Communications between the two of us would fine-tune the results.
A nice father-daughter project is the added bonus.
--
Actually, I feel like an idiot, since no one else seems to have these troubles. Regardless, I figure that if someone is in the immersive experience of "being" the pilot, it doesn't matter which direction the battery is pointing. Going "straight" becomes relative to the camera, not something the pilot has to worry about.
You simply fly according to what you see. You don't look at your copter. You don't struggle with the remote, trying to figure out angles. You just fly like an actual pilot.
In short, if my right hand pushes the right stick up, the pilot goes in the direction that the camera is pointing. If it pushes left, the copter goes left, relative to the camera. NO thought involved - guiding the Phantom becomes intuitive.
Please tell me -- do I have that right, or am I missing something? Sorry for this really newb question, but if I have that wrong, the rest is pointless.
--
This "idea" (at least, I thought it was an idea at the time) led us to HOW we'd do it. I had previously plugged my Kindle Fire into our plasma using its mini-HDMI-to-regular-HDMI cable and it worked perfectly, playing what I see on the Kindle directly onto the plasma.
So, all I needed was a pair of video glasses that would accept HDMI (we'd use the Kindle instead of the phone -- bigger and more visible screen).
I didn't even know if these things existed, but during one of my searches, this post came up, which is how I discovered these forums....
viewtopic.php?p=44708#p44708
Reading that whole thread with growing excitement, I realized that there are two basic options...
1) straight video glasses, such as the ITVgoggles (or some other brand) suggested in the above post that I had found. This option is interesting for another reason, which is, of course, the primary purpose of this type of glasses..
If the video and audio quality are of the high level that it's said to be, it would be amazing to watch a movie on the plane or before going to bed, when I tend to read or watch something on my Kindle. There's no need to hold the Kindle for 2 hours AND you get a real theatre experience.
-0R-
2) Fatshark or other glasses that are especially made for FPV. I would lose the "home theatre on my head" option, but I get some specialized FPV benefit, except I'm not sure what that is, except...
This category of goggle cuts out ambient light. I don't know if that's a serious enough factor with the regular glasses or not to be a deciding factor? On the other hand, the video quality is supposed to be lower -- I'm not sure how important that is, either.
We have the Phantom 2 Vision, so a feature such as head-tracking would not seem to apply since the built-in camera only tilts up-down. What other advantages are there? Disadvantages?
One thing -- it seems that it's not a SIMPLE matter of running my Kindle into a pair of Fatshark (or other FPV brand) goggles. It seems technically more complicated to set up, possibly needing more equipment than JUST the goggles?
-
So finally (and with apologies for the length of this), here's the question(s)...
Putting aside the home theatre and taking into account our 2-person operation plan, which option makes the most sense for us and why? If it's the former, all I have to do is order them and plug them into the Kindle (although I'm not sure which glasses to choose - I can't find a single comprehensive comparative review of all the major brands, but I'll figure it out if you tell me THIS is the right choice for us, and will report back what I find, if anyone is interested).
If the latter (FPV-specialized) is the right choice, please explain the major advantages, given how we'd like to work. Can you still use something like Fatshark with a Kindle, or does it need a whole new monitor? What would the optimal configuration be for the Phantom 2 Vision? Which brand is generally considered "best" for that?
Money is a consideration, not really THE issue. We want to get the best results possible, but don't want to take things aport, solder them, etc. I've never been good at turning a screwdriver. ;-)
That said, if there is an option that delivers a massive improvement, I'm sure I could find someone here who could follow instructions. We want to amaze folks with these videos.
--
The above thread did not really come to a resolution. I wish Gavin (who suggested ITVgoggles) came back and told us what the experience was like, but he only ever made the one post. There are many other threads about the latter option, but many of them assume more knowledge than newbies like my daughter and me have (zero, basically).
--
Complete "for dummies" answers would be tremendously appreciated, both by us and future generations struggling to get from "here" (not knowing that googles even existed) to where you all are (doing some incredible things that I don't understand). A thread that helps newbies make the transition would be fantastic (if this is all answered in a thread that I missed, my apologies -- please point me to it).
I promise in advance to feedback on whatever direction we choose. Someone in the thread mentioned above asked him how it went. I'll be sure to let future newbies how WE made that next, mysterious step and how it went.
Thanks very much in advance for any help you can provide to help us get "there."
All the best,
Ken
