Eachine ProDVR

[BlueFlyer]

For a while now I've been very disappointed with the quality of the recordings I get from the built-in DVR in my Fat Shark Dominator V2 goggles. I used to have the PV700 and it was a very good DVR, so maybe I've been spoilt in the past and no DVR will ever live up to those expectations..... or will it?

So I took a punt with the Eachine ProDVR from Banggood, only £15 (less if you have points/codes)

http://eu.banggood.com/Wholesale-Warehouse-Eachine-ProDVR-Pro-DVR-Mini-Video-Audio-Recorder-for-FPV-Multicopters-wp-Eu-1061196.html



First impressions are quite good, apart from the molex connectors (I hate molex connectors) there's nothing I can find fault with. It's very compact, has a fairly intuitive menu system and after a few minor settings in the menu it works really well.

It runs off 5V so I've connected it to my 3S powered backup Ground Station box using a 5V BEC.

The first thing I had to do was change the TV out to PAL. All my cameras on all my aircraft are PAL and my ground station monitor is set up for PAL, so in order to get the menus and the transmitted image to fit the screen I made sure the DVR was also set to PAL and 50Hz.

Then I installed a microSD card (class 6 8GB, more than enough) and formatted it.

Here's a very brief comparison video I made:

Same camera, same VTX, same VRX, the only difference is the DVR itself.

Personally I think the Eachine ProDVR is the winner for the following reasons:

- Better, more true to life colours
- More detail, just look at the OSD text... it appears there's more resolution from the Eachine ProDVR
- Better exposure... the Fat Shark DVR looks washed out and you can hardly see the BlueFlyer text on the Hornet wing.

[Brucey]

How does it handle recording static? That's always a tough test for dvr's

[BlueFlyer]

I'll go test that out for you :)

[Coyote]

How does it handle recording static? That's always a tough test for dvr's

Yup that's the clincher. 

[BlueFlyer]

Here you go... I replicated as much as I could without damaging my gear...

[Coyote]

Does look promising so far.  The price isn't bad at all either.

[Gundummy]

Does look promising so far.  The price isn't bad at all either.

I'm shocked how poor the Fatsharks are considering the price.  £15? for the eachine or there about.  I'm glad i never bought the FS HD's from day one.

[BlueFlyer]

I'm shocked how poor the Fatsharks are considering the price.  £15? for the eachine or there about.  I'm glad i never bought the FS HD's from day one.

Don't get me wrong Gundummy, the actual picture displayed on the screen in the fatsharks is awesome, very crisp and clear... nothing like either of those two samples above.

It's just the DVR that lets the fatsharks down.

[BlueFlyer]

Does look promising so far.  The price isn't bad at all either.

I can't wait to try it out in the real world, hope to get out again some time this week or next weekend. I'll hook it up to the Lawmate receiver on the tracker with the yagi antenna

[English Turbines]

  I had to do a bit of experimenting to get a good DVR recording on my HK DVR.

The main improvements were made by adjusting the brightness and WDR of my flight camera.

The other big improvement came from connecting the DVR via a short Video cable direct to my LawMate receiver.

Recordings from the 5.8G source were always poor, and I put that down to the poor signal strength from the built in receivers in my diversity Monitor.
 
  The FS DVR always looks washed out, and not just on yours either, as you said, but what happens if you adjust the Cameras WDR or brightness..?
The other obvious adjustment is post recording of course...turn down the brightness?

         :vulture:

   

   

[BlueFlyer]

The cameras settings are set to produce a good image to fly from. That's the most important thing.

I won't adjust the camera settings to get a better DVR recording to the detriment of the actual live view I see in the goggles - which by the way looks nothing like the DVR recordings.

The difference I see in the two DVR recordings above is not limited to the brightness of the image. The Eachine has more detail, the OSD is sharper too.

I'll set both of them to record, kind of a backup in case one fails, but for making videos I'll be using the Eachine ProDVR

[English Turbines]

The cameras settings are set to produce a good image to fly from. That's the most important thing.

I won't adjust the camera settings to get a better DVR recording to the detriment of the actual live view I see in the goggles - which by the way looks nothing like the DVR recordings.

The difference I see in the two DVR recordings above is not limited to the brightness of the image. The Eachine has more detail, the OSD is sharper too.

I'll set both of them to record, kind of a backup in case one fails, but for making videos I'll be using the Eachine ProDVR

  Ah, yes....but heres the thing...I looked at it from the opposite direction.....

  It didnt matter what it looked like on my Monitor, because I could adjust the brightness etc of my Monitor to compensate and always get a nice image to fly with.....The problem was always the same, in my case, a dark, grainy DVR recording.....By adjusting the WDR and boosting the brightness...on the Camera...gave me a decent DVR recording.....I then simply had to reduce the brightness control on my Monitor.
  Dont know what the contrast/ brightness range is on your goggles, but on my Monitor its considerable.
  Your situation seems to be the opposite to mine regarding your FS.. DVR... bright and washed out..?

  With the camera set up correctly, it means the raw DVR recording is pretty good without messing / boosting it afterwards inside the editing Software which to my mind is how it should be...?
  I agree though, the raw FS recording is just awful, and I have seen others which look exactly the same as yours...washed out, with bleached out osd and detail.

   :vulture: