DJI FPV • Hacker News Board

Re: DJI FPV

#101

Post by rasz » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:42 PM UTC

eigenvalue wrote: post #99

The first-person view seems like it would be a total blast to try out-- basically every kid's dream toy. I would have given anything for something like that when I was 12 years old. But from a pragmatic standpoint of using the drone to capture video footage, I feel like having robust "self driving" capabilities (in particular, obstacle avoidance and smart target tracking) is more interesting. I was blown away recentl…

The difference is US startups releasing fake promotional/VC pitch videos vs DJI actually manufacturing and iterating over its designs for almost 10 years now. Here is how DJI recruits top talent https://www.robomaster.com/en-US https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/27/13059144/dji-robomasters-...

Re: DJI FPV

#102

Post by bee_rider » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

matsemann wrote: post #13

The motion controller reminds me of a project I made many years ago, where head tilting of an oculus rift would control the cameras on your drone: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7654141 Also cool that they have been embracing virtual practicing it seems. The original DJI controllers were impossible to pair with simulators, so I had to hack it: https://github.com/Matsemann/mDjiController/ I sold (or basically ga…

Does that produce VR sickness? Transmission time + going all the way to some motors seems like it would be pretty hard to fit in even 60fps, haha.

I wonder if any consumer VR FPV drones would consider transmitting a 360 video signal (or just one that includes more FOV than can be displayed on the headset) to allow some head movements to be handled in software.

Re: DJI FPV

#103

Post by 05 » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:46 PM UTC

StavrosK wrote: post #100

05 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, nobody is stopping the community from making their own open source/open hardware OpenTX based motion flight controller, do they? Just like Naza32 didn’t prevent people from developing Cleanflight/Betaflight

Are you saying that because they aren't actively coming to your house and holding your hands away from the keyboard, the fact that they sell closed source hardware is neutral?

It’s actually positive. Open source community has limited resources, so DJI proving this thing can be made to work well removes any uncertainty someone would have when starting their own project without that knowledge. It also affects the way people look at the feature - previously many would just automatically dismiss it as a useless gimmick, but DJI implementing it and people liking their implementation gives the idea credibility.

Re: DJI FPV

#104

Post by hungryhobo » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:48 PM UTC

eigenvalue wrote: post #99

The first-person view seems like it would be a total blast to try out-- basically every kid's dream toy. I would have given anything for something like that when I was 12 years old. But from a pragmatic standpoint of using the drone to capture video footage, I feel like having robust "self driving" capabilities (in particular, obstacle avoidance and smart target tracking) is more interesting. I was blown away recentl…

For the photography crowd, self flying just needs to be good enough, because you are controlling it most of the time anyways to get the shot you want.

what's really important is image quality, when the mavic 2 came out it really blew me a way with the one inch sensor. It was incredible to see that kind of image produced by such a compact body.

Re: DJI FPV

#105

Post by StavrosK » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:51 PM UTC

05 wrote: post #103

StavrosK wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you saying that because they aren't actively coming to your house and holding your hands away from the keyboard, the fact that they sell closed source hardware is neutral?

It’s actually positive. Open source community has limited resources, so DJI proving this thing can be made to work well removes any uncertainty someone would have when starting their own project without that knowledge. It also affects the way people look at the feature - previously many would just automatically dismiss it as a useless gimmick, but DJI implementing it and people liking their implementation gives the i…

So the only reason nobody implemented digital video systems until now is that they weren't sure if it could be done, and DJI locking their stuff down is actually good for the hobby.

Re: DJI FPV

#106

Post by rasz » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:53 PM UTC

kbos87 wrote: post #59

DJI is such an impressive company. I know comparing anyone to Apple has been done to death, but I'd really be hard pressed to think of another company that comes closer. It also seems like they are following a similar playbook of blending hardware and software to deliver a fantastic, simplified experience - and they always deliver. It's not a wonder why they really don't have a legitimate competitor.

If you really want to be blown away read up on their annual RoboMasters competition where they recruits best students from best Chinese technical universities https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/27/13059144/dji-robomasters-...

Re: DJI FPV

#107

Post by muu-g » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:56 PM UTC

throwaway6734 wrote: post #67

meheleventyone wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got into it a few months ago Joshua Bardwell as the sibling mentioned is a great source of info: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX3eufnI7A2I7IkKHZn8KSQ The main thing anyone starting needs to realize is that it takes quite a bit of time to get used to how Quads fly in Acro/Rate mode. I started on a simulator (Liftoff) with an XBox pad and that was super punishing as gentle and precise control is needed. Switching…

Recs for a cheap radio that is easy to connect to a pc? I also had the same result when trying to use a gamepad

I haven't personally used these radios but they seem to be highly recommended budget options from people in the know: - BetaFPV LiteRadio 2 - Jumper T-Lite

In terms of a pc simulator I have used Velocidrone which everyone says has the most realistic physics but is not necessarily the prettiest.

You might also find the following site useful as a shopping guide: - https://www.fpvknowitall.com/fpv-shopping-list-controller-an...

It's an addictive and fun hobby for which I'm still in the initial stages of.

Happy flying!

Edit: first time posting / trying to format properly.

Re: DJI FPV

#108

Post by rasz » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 4:56 PM UTC

hungryhobo wrote: post #104

eigenvalue wrote: post #99

The first-person view seems like it would be a total blast to try out-- basically every kid's dream toy. I would have given anything for something like that when I was 12 years old. But from a pragmatic standpoint of using the drone to capture video footage, I feel like having robust "self driving" capabilities (in particular, obstacle avoidance and smart target tracking) is more interesting. I was blown away recentl…

For the photography crowd, self flying just needs to be good enough, because you are controlling it most of the time anyways to get the shot you want. what's really important is image quality, when the mavic 2 came out it really blew me a way with the one inch sensor. It was incredible to see that kind of image produced by such a compact body.

When Mavic 2 Pro came out its camera was better than most stand alone prosumer 4K cameras, really mind blowing.

Re: DJI FPV

#109

Post by crftr » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:05 PM UTC

Is the distortion correction applied in the feed to the operator, or is it applied in post?

With such fast movements in close quarters, I would love to see a global shutter.

Re: DJI FPV

#110

Post by 05 » Wed, Mar 03, 2021, 5:13 PM UTC

eigenvalue wrote: post #99

The first-person view seems like it would be a total blast to try out-- basically every kid's dream toy. I would have given anything for something like that when I was 12 years old. But from a pragmatic standpoint of using the drone to capture video footage, I feel like having robust "self driving" capabilities (in particular, obstacle avoidance and smart target tracking) is more interesting. I was blown away recentl…

Note that Skydio isn't immune to thin branches - AFAIK no current tech can reliably detect them at distance sufficient for avoidance at high speeds. There are Youtube videos demonstrating Skydio crashes caused by these (and similar low visibility obstacles). Also note that while Skydio has technically superior avoidance tech (360 view vs forward only on DJI drones), it failed to capture non-negligible consumer market share and has pivoted to commercial drone niche.