Here is a question for you all to ponder. The difference in physical specs between a P4 and P4P aren't all that great. The difference in specs between a Mavic and a P4 are even less.

So the difference in firmware really can't be all that great either. A new app has been launched. Surely the firmware is ready - which means your reason for not releasing it is based on business strategy rather than technical necessity. I suppose what I'm saying is PLEEEEEASE just release the firmware DJI. How about tomorrow?

Don't think there has ever been so much hype about a firmware release. In fact, I usually dread them!!

It would be no surprise to find that firmware across the Mavic, Phantom (both) and indeed the Inspire use the same code base. This means that it's more than just getting alignment of features across craft, but there's a risk of introducing known issues from one to another also as the codebase is further unified. Conversely, fix an issue on one platform and you're potentially fixing it on the others. But DJI need to get to that unified base versioning first - and I strongly suspect that that's what they're trying to achieve now (and it's taking time). That's evidenced by my experience with the P4 Beta which I shouldn't discuss (and any subsequent issue resolution undertaken by DJI would no doubt make anything I say irrelevant anyway). So, the recent release of GO 4 v4.0.5, is an obvious stage of that unification in readiness for the RC (I hope) and the craft.

[Necessary disclaimer: All conjecture above is just that - conjecture. And, yes, for many what I'm suggesting may be obvious]

Mum's the word.

And why not aim for unified base versioning in the first instance, rather than after the release of several generations of three preosumer lines?

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-6 15:04
Mum's the word.

Haha. Well Mum is a gossiper, because the features in the next P4 firmware is the world's worst kept secret...

I was just proposing a reason why the protracted delay in release.

I think you're all holding back on something. Hypersonic mode? Tap to Troposphere? Bed time story mode?  All I know is I've been aggressively waiting since the day it started leaking - mid Jan. And it feels like a hell of a lot longer than 2 months.

The real kicker is as soon as (if) I get these features, the P5 will make it feel redundant. Gotta love it.

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-6 15:17
I think you're all holding back on something. Hypersonic mode? Tap to Troposphere? Bed time story mode?  All I know is I've been aggressively waiting since the day it started leaking - mid Jan. And it feels like a hell of a lot longer than 2 months.

The real kicker is as soon as (if) I get these features, the P5 will make it feel redundant. Gotta love it.

Hey, I have to agree, and I suspect that the P5 will do away with props and introduce warp technology. That way there's the ability for it to RTH before it even takes off.

But why not be unified in the first case? I'm sure a great extent has been, but it's the developing hardware capabilities for each new craft which has created the sense of urgency to market, and no doubt the versions have fallen out of sync as a result. Catch-up time! Best evidence is that the battery firmware incorporated within the latest P4 and P4P firmware is at different levels (resulting in an 'incompatible firmware' message when you move batteries between craft).

Yeah, I'm very keen for the new P4 and P4P firmware also...

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-3-6 15:28
Hey, I have to agree, and I suspect that the P5 will do away with props and introduce warp technology. That way there's the ability for it to RTH before it even takes off.

But why not be unified in the first case? I'm sure a great extent has been, but it's the developing hardware capabilities for each new craft which has created the sense of urgency to market, and no doubt the versions have fallen out of sync as a result. Catch-up time! Best evidence is that the battery firmware incorporated within the latest P4 and P4P firmware is at different levels (resulting in an 'incompatible firmware' message when you move batteries between craft).

People will be complaining that they can't achieve the advertised 8.95015977e31 m^2  range because of CE vs FCC regulations

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-6 15:55
People will be complaining that they can't achieve the advertised 8.95015977e31 m^2  range because of CE vs FCC regulations

SomeoneElsesDro:

...but they'll be able to implement a sub-space microphone, you know, because ...no more prop noise...

Keep Smiling,

Augustus

Augustus Brian Posted at 2017-3-6 16:42
SomeoneElsesDro:

...but they'll be able to implement a sub-space microphone, you know, because ...no more prop noise...

While complaining that a fault in the 360 degree dark energy obstacle avoidance system is forcing them to land in a fourth spatial dimension. Bloody firmware!

While everyone is going crazy trying to figure out why this and that isn't happening I did a time lapse tonight and had this happen to me.. I will post the footage later after I am through processing it lol..  These AC are so so amazing!!!! We are all so delightfully spoiled for the perfection they deliver.. Before anyone says anything, yes it was windy, I know I should be careful, and I DID hear it when this happened and it held its ground like a champ.. So amazed by this tech!!!

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-6 17:17
While complaining that a fault in the 360 degree dark energy obstacle avoidance system is forcing them to land in a fourth spatial dimension. Bloody firmware!

Hey, probably shouldn't blame the firmware. Ever since the P5 became 'self aware', it's been writing it's own on the fly. I'd be more concerned about the notion it's developing that humankind needs protection from itself. I knew DJI shouldn't have sold the design rights over to Cyberdyne Systems for control by SkyNet !!

So okay.. As I looked at the data it appears that the winds up high were a LOT LOT LOT more than they were below.. I saw the gust, but I clicked on map and saw these speeds.. I finished processing the time lapse.. It may seem shakey but I am EXTREMELY impressed with my P4's performance.. This is (Obviously) not stablized in any way.. This is JPG at one picture every 2 seconds.. Note the fountains and how the water is being blown at ground level.. Where I was flying from the wind seemed trivial, and the weather report and UAV forcast was showing 15 mph winds at the altitude I was at.. Apparently we can't depend on these forcasts. Enjoy!!!

Mobilcams Posted at 2017-3-6 17:47
So okay.. As I looked at the data it appears that the winds up high were a LOT LOT LOT more than they were below.. I saw the gust, but I clicked on map and saw these speeds.. I finished processing the time lapse.. It may seem shakey but I am EXTREMELY impressed with my P4's performance.. This is (Obviously) not stablized in any way.. This is JPG at one picture every 2 seconds.. Note the fountains and how the water is being blown at ground level.. Where I was flying from the wind seemed trivial, and the weather report and UAV forcast was showing 15 mph winds at the altitude I was at.. Apparently we can't depend on these forcasts. Enjoy!!!
Phantom 4 high winds time lapse

Thanks for sharing and you are correct.  I have flown my P4 in similar types of winds and it performed remarkable.  When it was time to land it I had to hand catch it because I knew that once the propellers stopped turning the wind would blow it into the woods.  I also have a Mavic pro and I can tell you; it would not have performed like the P4 in such winds.

Punchbuggy Posted at 2017-3-6 17:30
Hey, probably shouldn't blame the firmware. Ever since the P5 became 'self aware', it's been writing it's own on the fly. I'd be more concerned about the notion it's developing that humankind needs protection from itself. I knew DJI shouldn't have sold the design rights over to Cyberdyne Systems for control by SkyNet !!

Yep. In two years DJI will become the largest supplier of military computer systems. All stealth bombers will be upgraded with P5 firmware, becoming fully unmanned. Afterwards, they will fly with a perfect operational record. The Phantom Funding Bill will be passed. The system will go online August 4th, 2018. Human decisions will be removed from strategic defense. Skynet will begin to learn at a geometric rate. It will become self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th.

I just received the following from Litchi, perhaps the reason the firmware hasn't been released is because they're addressing this issue?

---------------
Dear Litchi Pilots,


There is currently an issue with the recently released firmwares for Mavic Pro (v01.03.0500), Inspire 2 (v01.0.0240) and Phantom 4 Pro (v01.03.0418) where the drone will fly erratically in some of Litchi’s flight modes. If you already installed one of these firmwares, we highly recommend not using these flight modes until the issue is fixed with a DJI firmware update. The following flight modes are affected: VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking active, Follow, Focus and Track. All other flight modes (including FPV, Waypoint, Orbit and VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking OFF) are unaffected.


The Litchi Team
------------

manfredo Posted at 2017-3-7 10:40
I just received the following from Litchi, perhaps the reason the firmware hasn't been released is because they're addressing this issue?

---------------

I saw that too. But surely the onus there is on Litchi to scramble about resolving  issues with their software - not DJI. Imagine what would happen if Apple had to wait for every app to become compliant when it brought out a new device or OS. As far as I'm aware DJI don't even provide these guys with dev previews, do they?

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-7 12:16
I saw that too. But surely the onus there is on Litchi to scramble about resolving  issues with their software - not DJI. Imagine what would happen if Apple had to wait for every app to become compliant when it brought out a new device or OS. As far as I'm aware DJI don't even provide these guys with dev previews, do they?

Well, not sure about that. The way the email reads it seems as if the issue needs to be fixed by DJI via a firmware update " If you already installed one of these firmwares, we highly recommend not using these flight modes until the issue is fixed with a DJI firmware update."

So they are implying the issue is a firmware issue and not a Litchi issue. Just guessing at this point but it makes me wonder if all 3 recently released FW version have this then I assume the P4 FW would also have this issue. Perhaps DJI is holding off on releasing the P4 firmware so they can fix whatever is broken in the recently released Mavic, Inspire 2 and P4+ FW . It would seem reasonable to hold it so as to not release a known issue that affects such a widely used App (Litchi).

But that's just a guess

Wouldn't it be ironic if all the P4Ps fell out the sky while they fixed it for the 'forgotten' p4s?  
*edit - If there really is a massive **** up with their flagship devices, it could be another month or two before we see our firmware (all resources will be ploughed into fixing the firmware already in the wild!)

manfredo Posted at 2017-3-7 12:41
Well, not sure about that. The way the email reads it seems as if the issue needs to be fixed by DJI via a firmware update " If you already installed one of these firmwares, we highly recommend not using these flight modes until the issue is fixed with a DJI firmware update."

So they are implying the issue is a firmware issue and not a Litchi issue. Just guessing at this point but it makes me wonder if all 3 recently released FW version have this then I assume the P4 FW would also have this issue. Perhaps DJI is holding off on releasing the P4 firmware so they can fix whatever is broken in the recently released Mavic, Inspire 2 and P4+ FW . It would seem reasonable to hold it so as to not release a known issue that affects such a widely used App (Litchi).

well spotted by the way. Didn't read it fully.

Also, slight correction...it appears this affects the P4P and not the P4+ (P4P+) as I previously stated

manfredo Posted at 2017-3-7 12:51
Also, slight correction...it appears this affects the P4P and not the P4+ (P4P+) as I previously stated

Oh man that's cold haha.. .

manfredo Posted at 2017-3-7 12:41
Well, not sure about that. The way the email reads it seems as if the issue needs to be fixed by DJI via a firmware update " If you already installed one of these firmwares, we highly recommend not using these flight modes until the issue is fixed with a DJI firmware update."

So they are implying the issue is a firmware issue and not a Litchi issue. Just guessing at this point but it makes me wonder if all 3 recently released FW version have this then I assume the P4 FW would also have this issue. Perhaps DJI is holding off on releasing the P4 firmware so they can fix whatever is broken in the recently released Mavic, Inspire 2 and P4+ FW . It would seem reasonable to hold it so as to not release a known issue that affects such a widely used App (Litchi).

I agree. We need to remember that Litchi, as with others, use the Software Development Kit APIs provided by DJI to interface their apps to the DJI firmware. My bet is that DJI have introduced bad code which results in incorrect craft response to certain input from the app modes mentioned.
Guessing that there is a common code base, I certainly wouldn't be upgrading the P4 FW if it's released without a fix either.

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-6 15:55
People will be complaining that they can't achieve the advertised 8.95015977e31 m^2  range because of CE vs FCC regulations

Still wondering why people want to go further than 3.5 k's...

manfredo Posted at 2017-3-7 12:51
Also, slight correction...it appears this affects the P4P and not the P4+ (P4P+) as I previously stated

The P4P and P4P+ use the same craft firmware. The only different is the RC firmware (as for the latter I understand it's a full-blown Android installation), so I would suggest it's an oversight to have not referenced the P4P+

manfredo Posted at 2017-3-7 12:51
Also, slight correction...it appears this affects the P4P and not the P4+ (P4P+) as I previously stated

Autopilot have just released a similar warning:

There is currently an issue with the latest DJI firmware for the Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 which causes erratic flight behavior in Autopilot. We do not recommend* using Autopilot with these aircraft types until a resolution has been found for this issue. If you are using firmware 01.03.0200 or below, you should not see these issues.

* It is still possible to safely use Human Flight Control Modes and Waypoint Mode as long as Lost Connection is set to Continue Mission (LCMC).

We will send out another correspondence when this issue has been resolved.

Feel bad for owners of these birds now.

Mariuss Posted at 2017-3-7 13:18
Still wondering why people want to go further than 3.5 k's...

I'll give you one pound if you can tell me how many times you could cover 3.5k traveling at warp/light speed.

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-7 13:28
Autopilot have just released a similar warning:

There is currently an issue with the latest DJI firmware for the Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 which causes erratic flight behavior in Autopilot. We do not recommend* using Autopilot with these aircraft types until a resolution has been found for this issue. If you are using firmware 01.03.0200 or below, you should not see these issues.

"It is still possible to safely use Human Flight Control Modes and Waypoint Mode as long as Lost Connection is set to Continue Mission (LCMC)"

Hint here?

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-7 13:29
I'll give you one pound if you can tell me how many times you could cover 3.5k traveling at warp/light speed.

In one charge or?

Mariuss Posted at 2017-3-7 14:05
In one charge or?

Yep... 28 mins advertised. More like 22 mins in the real world.

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-7 13:30
"It is still possible to safely use Human Flight Control Modes and Waypoint Mode as long as Lost Connection is set to Continue Mission (LCMC)"

Hint here?

Same modes as referenced for Litchi. I'd say that the SDK API calls made by the apps to the craft firmware when using those modes are in common. That's where the problem code in the craft firmware will have been introduced.

They need to start bringing in beta testers exclusively using the major third party apps. Surely this could have been avoided by opening up the beta to a wider audience?

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-7 14:29
They need to start bringing in beta testers exclusively using the major third party apps. Surely this could have been avoided by opening up the beta to a wider audience?

Short answer is yes. I agree.
But every software release has risk, and your appetite for accepting that risk may be dependant on the amount of change. For example, minor releases may require basic functionality to be tested along with the new features, whereas major releases would potentially require testing of all functions to ensure that no collateral issues have been inadvertently introduced elsewhere. I suspect the latter was the required scenario, but restricted to a field of customer testers instead. The fact that 3rd party developers may not have had the opportunity to test may just suggest the speed with which DJI wanted to get this FW out...
Let's face it, a new FW is needed - and I hope someone is testing gimbal stability !!

Well you all got your wish

airspace_media Posted at 2017-3-7 15:42
Well you all got your wish

Perhaps, but this issue was clearly unexpected.
I'd also like to understand what else was resolved in the new firmware - I can't believe that's the full list, given that 'gimbal optimisation' had been promised for a couple of months now.

P4P+ is unaffected because they cant use litchi or autopilot apps.

Grizz 1 Posted at 2017-3-7 16:19
P4P+ is unaffected because they cant use litchi or autopilot apps.

REALLY? Good to know for future upgrades. Is that permanent or just while litchi and autopilot add support?
Edit - or is it because of the native screen/os/app?

the way dji designed it in the controller, maybe in the future with firmware they will make it available. as of now tho, you cant add any apps to the device.

SomeoneElsesDro Posted at 2017-3-7 16:20
REALLY? Good to know for future upgrades. Is that permanent or just while litchi and autopilot add support?
Edit - or is it because of the native screen/os/app?

As Grizz says, it's because DJI have locked down the Android environment in-built to the P4P+ controller so you can't bugger it up (I suspect). This means that you're limited to the DJI GO app installed as part of that image. Can't muddy the environment with Litchi, Autopilot, Pokemon GO, whatever...

Edit: but let's keep in mind that the code problem exists in the craft regardless, as it's the same craft and firmware. I'd say that DJI GO just doesn't make those API calls - or does it? Further testing of functionality within GO 4.0.5 will soon tell.

i'm downloading the FW now, its taking a while, and maybe get a chance to fly it soon with new FW.