Hi All,

Just got a brand new Phantom 4 pro. When recording videos it glitches and also pixelates at times. (see below in the video I posted the youtube link. At :03 seconds it glitches then at :16 it pixelates. This unit is brandnew. haven't dropped it. Using the most updated RC firmware and aircraft firmware. The DJI Go 4 app is most recent as well. Samsung Note 5 is my device. I tried using different SD cards.

Once I record the video. I began playing it directly from the app in my phone, and then edited it and saved it all through the app. Do I need to take out the SD card and pull the videos to my computer instead?

Not sure if I am having an issue with the camera being broken out of the box, something in the settings, or if its the way I am viewing/editing the photos.  



Please help.

Is that footage from the quad or footage from your mobile device? If the latter, try looking at SD card footage on your computer. Video on your mobile device may not truly represent what the quad has captured.

yes that is the footage from my device. I have yet to pull the SD card and put on my computer. wondering if its just an issue with playback on the device or if another issue.

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-28 12:50
yes that is the footage from my device. I have yet to pull the SD card and put on my computer. wondering if its just an issue with playback on the device or if another issue.

You'll get better footage from the quadcopter's SD card..

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-28 12:51
Is that footage from the quad or footage from your mobile device? If the latter, try looking at SD card footage on your computer. Video on your mobile device may not truly represent what the quad has captured.

to clarify, what do you mean footage from the quad? Basically once the video records, I go into the editor in the DJI Go 4 APP and play the video from there, this is where im seeing the glitch. Havent tried uploading directly through PC with SD card yet.

so basically you cant use the DJI Go app to edit videos or you may run into issues?

"Footage from the quad" relates to the original video file being recorded on the internal SD card of the aircraft.

You have been working on a small copy of that original file. That copy (I think it's also called a 'Proxy') is being transferred over the air to your device/tablet while flying. Signal issues may affect the quality of this recording.

The editing function of the app is meant to give people an instant result for fun/sharing.
If you are determined to achieve high end results there is no way around working with the original file from the sd card.

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-28 12:54
to clarify, what do you mean footage from the quad? Basically once the video records, I go into the editor in the DJI Go 4 APP and play the video from there, this is where im seeing the glitch. Havent tried uploading directly through PC with SD card yet.

so basically you cant use the DJI Go app to edit videos or you may run into issues?

Take footage from the SD card in the quad and view that footage on another device/computer. What you edit on your mobile device is just what has been streamed to your device (and also a much lower quality from what's recorded on the quad).

Eric13 Posted at 2017-3-28 13:24
"Footage from the quad" relates to the original video file being recorded on the internal SD card of the aircraft.

You have been working on a small copy of that original file. That copy (I think it's also called a 'Proxy') is being transferred over the air to your device/tablet while flying. Signal issues may affect the quality of this recording.

excellent this is probably this issue. Very new to the game and liked the ease of editing right from phone, didn't know that it affected quality. Is there a specific program/app that you use to upload and edit videos on a PC? I know for Mac all my friends use iMovie but I don't have a mac

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-28 13:32
Take footage from the SD card in the quad and view that footage on another device/computer. What you edit on your mobile device is just what has been streamed to your device (and also a much lower quality from what's recorded on the quad).

awesome thank you I did not realize it made a difference. Any recommendations on programs to use for editing on a PC?

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-28 14:10
awesome thank you I did not realize it made a difference. Any recommendations on programs to use for editing on a PC?

A free solution is Davinci Resolve. I use Vegas Pro 14. Many people like Adobe Premiere.  The list is fairly long on your options though.

i have the same issues

I have the same issue. While flying it stops and has the same pixel problems. When I pull the cardand use laptop it still shows the same video.

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-28 13:32
Take footage from the SD card in the quad and view that footage on another device/computer. What you edit on your mobile device is just what has been streamed to your device (and also a much lower quality from what's recorded on the quad).

I plugges the SD card into a computer and still having the same issue in same spots on videos

Eric13 Posted at 2017-3-28 13:24
"Footage from the quad" relates to the original video file being recorded on the internal SD card of the aircraft.

You have been working on a small copy of that original file. That copy (I think it's also called a 'Proxy') is being transferred over the air to your device/tablet while flying. Signal issues may affect the quality of this recording.

Pulled the videos from SD on a computer. Still the same glitch and issue

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-28 21:44
I plugges the SD card into a computer and still having the same issue in same spots on videos

Yikes! That is not a good sign. Does this happen no matter what resolution/quality level you shoot at? Like does it do the same even when you shoot only as high as 1080p?

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-29 08:02
Yikes! That is not a good sign. Does this happen no matter what resolution/quality level you shoot at? Like does it do the same even when you shoot only as high as 1080p?

I have not tried to shoot in anything less than 4k, I will try but I should still be able to shoot 4k without the glitching. I have a hard time believeing the camera is broken. This was brand new in the box, I did not drop it, been in the case, gimbal cover on at all times, only used it twice. However, given that the glitches and pixelating is in the same spot, whether or not I view it on the app, or through the SD card on PC, I am starting to wonder if maybe the camera is broken already.

Any other thoughts?

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-29 09:49
I have not tried to shoot in anything less than 4k, I will try but I should still be able to shoot 4k without the glitching. I have a hard time believeing the camera is broken. This was brand new in the box, I did not drop it, been in the case, gimbal cover on at all times, only used it twice. However, given that the glitches and pixelating is in the same spot, whether or not I view it on the app, or through the SD card on PC, I am starting to wonder if maybe the camera is broken already.

Any other thoughts?

If you run the tests at lower resolution and you don't see the same issue, it might be the speed/quality of your SD card. And no, not every "fast" SD card is created the same.

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-28 21:46
Pulled the videos from SD on a computer. Still the same glitch and issue

Are you sure you are pulling the Micro SD card from the side of the Phantom 4 Pro itself and NOT the SD card in your tablet/phone???

We all have glitching of the video feed from time to time, but the video in the bird itself is always pristine.  If it is not, then you have either a defective Micro SD card (try a different one to verify, make sure it is a UHS-I card with U3 rating for >15mb/s write speeds), or your P4Pro is defective and send it back to DJI.

But, honestly, I would tend to believe that you didn't pull the Micro SD out of the bird itself, or the Micro SD is bad as a series of problem solving steps.

Brian Fist Posted at 2017-3-29 10:23
Are you sure you are pulling the Micro SD card from the side of the Phantom 4 Pro itself and NOT the SD card in your tablet/phone???

We all have glitching of the video feed from time to time, but the video in the bird itself is always pristine.  If it is not, then you have either a defective Micro SD card (try a different one to verify, make sure it is a UHS-I card with U3 rating for >15mb/s write speeds), or your P4Pro is defective and send it back to DJI.

Good point! Yes, we mean the SD card in the quad, not the card inside your mobile device.

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-29 10:22
If you run the tests at lower resolution and you don't see the same issue, it might be the speed/quality of your SD card. And no, not every "fast" SD card is created the same.

I will give that a shot. I don't think its the SD card, I used the one it came with, and also a Sandisk Ultra, UHC-1, 80mbs transfer speed and same issue.

SanDisk Ultra is NOT fast enough.  Not even the Ultra Plus.  You need a SanDisk Extreme series or better.  The 80mbs transfer rate they are referring to is the READ speed.  That doesn't matter.  The WRITE speed needs to be better than 15mbs.  The Extreme series are all >30mbs.

Brian Fist Posted at 2017-3-29 10:23
Are you sure you are pulling the Micro SD card from the side of the Phantom 4 Pro itself and NOT the SD card in your tablet/phone???

We all have glitching of the video feed from time to time, but the video in the bird itself is always pristine.  If it is not, then you have either a defective Micro SD card (try a different one to verify, make sure it is a UHS-I card with U3 rating for >15mb/s write speeds), or your P4Pro is defective and send it back to DJI.

yes sir, im a noob but not that stupid lol . I tried the SD that came with the quad, and also a Sandisk Ultra, 80mbs speed UHS-I and had the same issue. Im thinking its the camera at this point given that the interruptions and glitches are at the same exact spots in the recordings, whether I view on the DJI GO 4 app, or if I pull the SD from the quad and open it on a PC. Unless I need to buy a Sandisk Extreme Pro 95 mbs.

Appreciate the feedback

Brian Fist Posted at 2017-3-29 11:23
SanDisk Ultra is NOT fast enough.  Not even the Ultra Plus.  You need a SanDisk Extreme series or better.  The 80mbs transfer rate they are referring to is the READ speed.  That doesn't matter.  The WRITE speed needs to be better than 15mbs.  The Extreme series are all >30mbs.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Ok great man thank you! I definitely read that incorrectly I am going to buy the Extreme Pro and give that a shot, wanted to exhaust all options before sending it in. But yes I did look online the write speed on that is "Around" 15 mbs I will get the extreme pro it says up to 40 MBS.

Really appreciate it ill let you know.

Brian Fist Posted at 2017-3-29 11:23
SanDisk Ultra is NOT fast enough.  Not even the Ultra Plus.  You need a SanDisk Extreme series or better.  The 80mbs transfer rate they are referring to is the READ speed.  That doesn't matter.  The WRITE speed needs to be better than 15mbs.  The Extreme series are all >30mbs.

I bought this one, appears to be the best one they have with fastest speeds, optimal for 4k UHD. Thank you.

SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-II Card 64 GB
The worlds fastest read/write speeds


Use the included USB 3.0 reader for convenient transfers and take the bottleneck out of enjoying even your most massive 4K UHD video files2. Finally your memory card can keep up with you and your lifestyle! From a leader in flash memory storage, this card is ideal for offloading 4K UHD video2 from your action camera, drone, high-performance camera or smartphone.

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-29 11:18
I will give that a shot. I don't think its the SD card, I used the one it came with, and also a Sandisk Ultra, UHC-1, 80mbs transfer speed and same issue.

One of the 2 cards that came with my P4P won't work with the quad at all. It might still be an issue with your card. Your card possibly SHOULD work, but that doesn't mean much with these machines.

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-29 11:45
One of the 2 cards that came with my P4P won't work with the quad at all. It might still be an issue with your card. Your card possibly SHOULD work, but that doesn't mean much with these machines.

I am having same issues. When I put the Micro card for the aircraft into my PC I've found two files that contain the same video. One has the flickering and pixulations and the other does not. The one with the trouble is in the DCIM file. If you are to go to the MISC file - click on the THM file and open 100 file , you will see all the same videos there.

The DCIM folder is the untouched footage right from the camera.  The THM/100 folder is the compressed-for-transmission footage that gets sent to your controller via the radio.

You WANT the DCIM footage.  The others is bad low-res stuff.

If the video in the DCIM folder is corrupt, try a new SD card.  If the new SD card has the same problem, send it in to DJI.

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-3-29 11:25
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Ok great man thank you! I definitely read that incorrectly I am going to buy the Extreme Pro and give that a shot, wanted to exhaust all options before sending it in. But yes I did look online the write speed on that is "Around" 15 mbs I will get the extreme pro it says up to 40 MBS.

Really appreciate it ill let you know.

Update, i got the new SD card, has 95 write speed i got the extreme Pro. still same issue. pulled the SD card and uploaded to different devices.   I am having a hard time believing the camera is broken as it is brand new out of the box i have about 3 hours of flight time. Is there possibly a setting i could fix? is maybe the shutter speed of the camera too low? I reset all the settings and still had the issue. Any help? I do not want to send it in unless i know it is broken. Any thoughts?

theGrindLab.com Posted at 2017-3-29 11:45
One of the 2 cards that came with my P4P won't work with the quad at all. It might still be an issue with your card. Your card possibly SHOULD work, but that doesn't mean much with these machines.

Update, i got the new SD card, has 95 write speed i got the extreme Pro. still same issue. pulled the SD card and uploaded to different devices.   I am having a hard time believing the camera is broken as it is brand new out of the box i have about 3 hours of flight time. Is there possibly a setting i could fix? is maybe the shutter speed of the camera too low? I reset all the settings and still had the issue. Any help? I do not want to send it in unless i know it is broken. Any thoughts?

I can tell you with my Phantom 4 that when I move the gimbal up or down fast it'll start pixelating.  I'm not sure why.  I have the Sandisk Extreme 128gb version. Other than that, everything seems to look fine.

nmaffei34 Posted at 2017-4-1 16:45
Update, i got the new SD card, has 95 write speed i got the extreme Pro. still same issue. pulled the SD card and uploaded to different devices.   I am having a hard time believing the camera is broken as it is brand new out of the box i have about 3 hours of flight time. Is there possibly a setting i could fix? is maybe the shutter speed of the camera too low? I reset all the settings and still had the issue. Any help? I do not want to send it in unless i know it is broken. Any thoughts?

No ideas here. If you do happen to shoot some lower resolution footage and it does the same thing, I would assume something is wrong with the camera. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about these things will chime in.

Hello everybody,
@nmaffei34, did you already solve this issue? And if yes, how?

Seems that i have the same issue on my completely new Mavic Air...

FuzzyDunlop Posted at 2018-3-6 05:48
Hello everybody,
@nmaffei34, did you already solve this issue? And if yes, how?

Yes, i just needed to buy a new SD card that had faster write speeds. I was using the SD card that came with the camera. You need an SD card with write speeds of 90+ and UH3. I bought these and works perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-E ... emory/dp/B005LFT3UW

Okay, thanks for the quick reply.
I am going to order the 32gb version of this card.