I just purchased a MA2 in anticipation of selling my MA.  I would not consider myself an expert, but I'm very comfortable flying the MA.

Last evening, I put the MA2 in the air for the first time.  I'm in a residential area and don't like taking chances, so I just flew it straight up from my driveway about 100' and looked around.  The picture was nice and sharp but extremely choppy.  The signal strength indicator showed a strong signal.  I lowered the drone slowly back down but the choppiness didn't stop even when it was only a few feet in front of me.

It was getting dark so I brought everything inside and replayed the video.  It was much smoother but still a little choppy.  If anything, there would be more wifi interference inside my house than outside, so I don't think the issue is interference.

I did not change any of the default video settings.  I opened the Transmission settings window, and it's set to HD, dual band and auto channel mode.  The frequency being used is stable, generally below -90dbm.  I am using an iPad Mini gen 4 (which works fine with the MA), and there is a brand new Samsung Evo Select 256 gb card installed in the MA2.

Could it be that transmission in HD is overwheming the iPad?  Or the new Fly app uses a lot more cpu resources than the Go 4 app?  I will try "Smooth" transmission when I have a chance, as well as trying my Samsung Note 9 which may have more processing power than the iPad.  In the meantime, any thoughts or could I be doing something really stupid?  I've never seen this choppiness with my MA, and can't believe that this is the normal experience straight out of the box with the MA2.

I would try changing the transmission definition from HD to Smooth, Settings (3 vertical dots) => Transmission => Definition, set to "Smooth". I can't find it, but I seem to recall the HD stream uses h.265 to stream and Smooth will shift back to h.264. The later is less taxing on the cpu.

What version of iPad are you using?

InvisibleName 7 Posted at 6-11 08:20
What version of iPad are you using?

4th gen iPad mini, OS 13.5.1, 64GB (45 avail). cellular version.  Minimal applications installed.  Primarialy used for my MA, and hopefully MA2.

dcaton Posted at 6-11 08:26
4th gen iPad mini, OS 13.5.1, 64GB (45 avail). cellular version.  Minimal applications installed.  Primarialy used for my MA, and hopefully MA2.

the iPhone 6S (which has a newer CPU than your iPad Mini) is struggling with the MA2 video feed so I think it's to be expected that your iPad would struggle even more. Try turning off video caching, that usually on the 6S and makes the "mobile device cpu overloaded" message go away.

Pappy3 Posted at 6-11 07:54
I would try changing the transmission definition from HD to Smooth, Settings (3 vertical dots) => Transmission => Definition, set to "Smooth". I can't find it, but I seem to recall the HD stream uses h.265 to stream and Smooth will shift back to h.264. The later is less taxing on the cpu.

Pappy3,

H.264 versus H.265 is an interesting point. H.265 was introduced mainly to address bandwidth issues while streaming video. So, in an area with higher interference, H.265 should provide smoother experience than H.264. Thus, I would guess, that setting in MA2 menu are actually opposite than what you say: HD is H.264 and Smooth is H.265. Of course, this is my guess since I really do not know how DJI implemented it and there is nothing in their documentation.

Of course this is a double edged sword. While H.265 is better when there is trouble with bandwidth, it is more taxing on the mobile h/w and s/w. And vice versa - if you switch to H.264 becasue your h/w cannot handle H.265, you may have a choppy video becasue of signal interference.

In adition, there may be many other sources of choppy mobile video outisde of H.264 and H.265 codec choice. It could be related to caching videos, system load of the mobile, mobile h/w etc.

Mirek

Ice_2k Posted at 6-11 08:33
the iPhone 6S (which has a newer CPU than your iPad Mini) is struggling with the MA2 video feed so I think it's to be expected that your iPad would struggle even more. Try turning off video caching, that usually on the 6S and makes the "mobile device cpu overloaded" message go away.

Are you referring to the "Cache When Recording" setting in DJI Fly?  What does that do?  

For $1000, I'd expect the manual for this thing to have a little bit of detail about what these settings mean.  The manual is really a joke.

Mirek L Posted at 6-11 08:43
Pappy3,

H.264 versus H.265 is an interesting point. H.265 was introduced mainly to address bandwidth issues while streaming video. So, in an area with higher interference, H.265 should provide smoother experience than H.264. Thus, I would guess, that setting in MA2 menu are actually opposite than what you say: HD is H.264 and Smooth is H.265. Of course, this is my guess since I really do not know how DJI implemented it and there is nothing in their documentation.

If HD is 264 and smooth is 265, then you'd think that changing one would change the other.  But there is a "Coding Format" setting to choose between 264 / 5 and changing that does not change HD / Smooth, and vice versa.  Or could one be the coding format used to store the video on the SD card, and the other the format used for transmission?  Would it be practical for video to be encoded with both methods simultaneously?

I am using an iPhone 6s and and Ipad Mini 4 and am getting very smooth video...….. I wonder if you have an issue with the Gimbal

Bigplumbs Posted at 6-11 09:07
I am using an iPhone 6s and and Ipad Mini 4 and am getting very smooth video...….. I wonder if you have an issue with the Gimbal

No.  I just put the SD card into my computer and looked at the recorded videos.  They're fine.

dcaton Posted at 6-11 09:02
If HD is 264 and smooth is 265, then you'd think that changing one would change the other.  But there is a "Coding Format" setting to choose between 264 / 5 and changing that does not change HD / Smooth, and vice versa.  Or could one be the coding format used to store the video on the SD card, and the other the format used for transmission?  Would it be practical for video to be encoded with both methods simultaneously?

dcaton,

Yes - there is definitely a case for using different encoding for SD and for live streaming to mobile.

MA2 transmission signal for video is HD (either 1080p or 720p - see explanation below) due to bandwidth concerns. It is not what you set the actual video recording to. Actual video recording to SD may be 4K 30fps H.264 which is way too taxing for live transmission. You may also set recording to 4K 60fps which forces use of H.265 codec for video encoding to SD.

H.265 is a codec optimized for live streaming and transmission but this is not what DJI is using for transmission.
I just check both HD and Smooth transmission cache files and found out that both are recorded using H.264 codec (thus minimizing h/w requirements on mobile).
However, since H.264 is not optimized for live streaming, DJI decided to use 720p for Smooth and 1080p for HD transmission. 720p is certainly less demanding on bandwidth and thus "smoother" playback in case of transmission interference.

This is a wise choice because it bridges the gap between requirement for smooth transmission and mobile h/w requirements.
Also, 720p versus 1080p is undistiguishable on a small mobile screen but will make a huge difference when DJI decides to support DJI Googles with MA2. I think that HD 1080p choice of transmission is a signal of upgrades to come. If not to support DJI Googles in the future, it would have made little sense to introduce it.

Mirek

Pappy3 Posted at 6-11 07:54
I would try changing the transmission definition from HD to Smooth, Settings (3 vertical dots) => Transmission => Definition, set to "Smooth". I can't find it, but I seem to recall the HD stream uses h.265 to stream and Smooth will shift back to h.264. The later is less taxing on the cpu.

Pappy3,

See my article https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... 839&pid=2185220 above.
Both HD and Smooth use H.264.
HD encodes 1080p and Smooth 720p.

Mirek

My mini 4 is struggling with the MA2 - directional indicator is off due to mag interference from remote and my cpu gets overloaded quick causing signal to be choppy as hell then freezing off and on.  I have everything turned off and it still does it.  Just hoping for smart controller support soon so i dont have to buy a newer ipad

dont know the air2 remote but if going straight up above your head was the antenna orientation correct

raven swe Posted at 6-11 10:47
dont know the air2 remote but if going straight up above your head was the antenna orientation correct

You can’t move the antennas, they are built in.  All you can do is point the RC at the MA2

when drone is straight in front of me the direction indicator shows aircraft behind me off to right - its an issue for many users.  i just have to use indicator on map bottom left so i know what direction im flying when out of sight

raven swe Posted at 6-11 10:47
dont know the air2 remote but if going straight up above your head was the antenna orientation correct

It wasn't straight above me, it was about 20' out and 100' up, and yes I was facing that direction.

For a drone that supposedly has a 4 mile range though, it really shouldn't matter how the antennas are pointed if it's only 100 feet away.

dcaton Posted at 6-11 08:48
Are you referring to the "Cache When Recording" setting in DJI Fly?  What does that do?  

For $1000, I'd expect the manual for this thing to have a little bit of detail about what these settings mean.  The manual is really a joke.

Yes, that settings saves the video feed to the phone’s memory. Disabling it means one less thing to do for the cpu.

The manual seems fine to me. I don’t think $1000 phones for instance have better (or any) manuals

The H.264/265 setting applies to the way videos are encoded on the SD, you can’t affect the codec used in the transmission (except from that HD/smooth setting in the transmission panel)

The MA2 User Manual differs from what people are saying that h.264 is used for the live feed. Page 49 for Remote Controller Specs-

How do you change what signal the MA Streams to the phone with regard to Image Quality

OlBigJon Posted at 6-11 10:56
when drone is straight in front of me the direction indicator shows aircraft behind me off to right - its an issue for many users.  i just have to use indicator on map bottom left so i know what direction im flying when out of sight

swap your device 180 degrees in the clamps/holder.

see https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=216083   #42 and further
cheers
JJB

dcaton Posted at 6-11 08:48
Are you referring to the "Cache When Recording" setting in DJI Fly?  What does that do?  

For $1000, I'd expect the manual for this thing to have a little bit of detail about what these settings mean.  The manual is really a joke.

Yes, caching to the device uses up extra CPU bandwidth on the Ipad Mini 4

dcaton Posted at 6-11 08:48
Are you referring to the "Cache When Recording" setting in DJI Fly?  What does that do?  

For $1000, I'd expect the manual for this thing to have a little bit of detail about what these settings mean.  The manual is really a joke.

Yes, caching to the device uses up extra CPU bandwidth on the Ipad Mini 4

lannes Posted at 6-11 23:22
Yes, caching to the device uses up extra CPU bandwidth on the Ipad Mini 4

But aside from using CPU cycles, what does it do?  This is why I said the manual sucks.  A sentence or two about what it actually turns on or off would be helpful.  Does it cache the feed to the phone/tablet so you can play it back without the drone being powered on?  Not sure I see the point.

dcaton Posted at 6-12 11:22
But aside from using CPU cycles, what does it do?  This is why I said the manual sucks.  A sentence or two about what it actually turns on or off would be helpful.  Does it cache the feed to the phone/tablet so you can play it back without the drone being powered on?  Not sure I see the point.

dcaton,

This is exactly it. It caches lower quality video on your mobile so you can play it later.
Open DJI Fly and click Album in lower left corner. You will see your cached videos which came for the live feed.
You will see only last X GB (X is set in Camera menu). It is a circular buffer. New videos will overwirte old ones.
Yes - caching videos does demand some extra CPU power on you mobile.

Mirek

Pappy3 Posted at 6-11 18:48
The MA2 User Manual differs from what people are saying that h.264 is used for the live feed. Page 49 for Remote Controller Specs-
[view_image]

Yes - This is either error in the manual or it refers to the fact that when downolading original files from AC SD card videos can be preserved in the original encoded format (either H.264 or H.265).

You can easily check format of your cached files. Transfer them to your PC and scrutinize video file properties. All cached files are encoded with H.264.


Mirek

Mirek L Posted at 6-12 11:44
dcaton,

This is exactly it. It caches lower quality video on your mobile so you can play it later.

Well, there's nothing there except two videos from 2018 from my MA.  So even though the setting was on, seems that it didn't actually cache anything.

dcaton Posted at 6-12 12:29
Well, there's nothing there except two videos from 2018 from my MA.  So even though the setting was on, seems that it didn't actually cache anything.

That is weird.
Open DJI Fly, click on Album in the left hand lower corner.
It will open a list of cached files.
Depending on how big cache you set (2GB, 4GB, 8 GB etc.) you may see more or fewer number of files.
If there is nothing in Album, files are not being cached. Double check your settings under Camera menu.


Mirek

Mirek L Posted at 6-12 13:18
That is weird.
Open DJI Fly, click on Album in the left hand lower corner.
It will open a list of cached files.

Did all that.  As I said, there's nothing except two videos from 2018.

Mirek L Posted at 6-12 11:49
Yes - This is either error in the manual or it refers to the fact that when downolading original files from AC SD card videos can be preserved in the original encoded format (either H.264 or H.265).

You can easily check format of your cached files. Transfer them to your PC and scrutinize video file properties. All cached files are encoded with H.264.

I believe the manual is correct or DJI got it wrong more than one time. You are talking about cached video when recording and I'm talking about how that live video feed gets from the MA2 to the RC. Apparently the app does an on the fly transcode from h.265 to h.264 for the cached files. The following is from DJI -How has OcuSync 2.0 been improved?   

The new generation OcuSync 2.0 supports dual frequency bands at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. It also features stronger interference resistance due to automatic frequency switching, smoother image transmission with H.265 encoding, and a transmission feed up to 10 km (when unobstructed, free of interference, and FCC-compliant).

Source: https://store.dji.com/guides/mavic-air-2-faq-everything-you-need-to-know/

Out of interest, where are you flying? If you're in the US, do you have AirSense enabled? I watched a YT video recently of guy flying his MA2 with the iPad Mini 4, and ADS-B was making his video feed really choppy. Once he disabled it, the feed was perfect.

Just thought I'd mention it

OlBigJon Posted at 6-11 10:56
when drone is straight in front of me the direction indicator shows aircraft behind me off to right - its an issue for many users.  i just have to use indicator on map bottom left so i know what direction im flying when out of sight

This suggests the compass calibration for you connected smart device needs resetting.  On Andriod simply opening Google Maps and hitting the blue dot opens the calibration screen.

Red Zeppelin Posted at 6-12 22:51
Out of interest, where are you flying? If you're in the US, do you have AirSense enabled? I watched a YT video recently of guy flying his MA2 with the iPad Mini 4, and ADS-B was making his video feed really choppy. Once he disabled it, the feed was perfect.

Just thought I'd mention it

US, South Florida.  Don't know about AirSense.  I'll try to do another test run this evening with the tablet and see.  I did a short test flight with my Note9 last evening and the video was perfect, even in HD transmission mode and caching enabled.    Seems to squarely point to an issue with processing power on the iPad mini.

Pappy3 Posted at 6-12 16:37
I believe the manual is correct or DJI got it wrong more than one time. You are talking about cached video when recording and I'm talking about how that live video feed gets from the MA2 to the RC. Apparently the app does an on the fly transcode from h.265 to h.264 for the cached files. The following is from DJI -How has OcuSync 2.0 been improved?   The new generation OcuSync 2.0 supports dual frequency bands at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. It also features stronger interference resistance due to automatic frequency switching, smoother image transmission with H.265 encoding, and a transmission feed up to 10 km (when unobstructed, free of interference, and FCC-compliant).Source: https://store.dji.com/guides/mavic-air-2-faq-everything-you-need-to-know/

Pappy3,

Yes - you may be right. We will not know if the live feed is H.265 later transcoded to H.264 between RC and mobile or if the live feed is H.264 and DJI's manual is wrong.
Both scenarios are possible.

In any case, one thing is ceratin: HD uses 1080p and Smooth 720p. This is how the differ. Here my findings and the DJI manual ar consistent.

Mirek