Thursday 2 February 2017

Eachine DVR03, mini test

Another mini test! Why mini? Because, you will see, it was not necessary to continue testing further with this DVR03. What is DVR03? It is a camera combo - video transmitter 5.8 GHz with alluring features, which also acts as a recorder. The promise is therefore to have a video feedback in real time and to be able to record the images in HD quality.

Tour of the owner

The DVR03 is an AIO (All In One) combo larger than its competitors. It weighs 7.61 grams on the scale with its Tiny Whoop connector cable, 8.08 grams with the Molex 2.0 cable extension. And 8.35 grams with a microSD memory card. Because yes, despite its Lilliputian size, the weight of a microSD card is not negligible. It measures 3 cm in width, 4 in height counting the antenna, and 3 cm in depth counting the objective and the antenna. It is therefore not compatible with the pedestals for combos intended for the Tiny Whoop. In any case, his weight would not allow him to be placed on board these aircraft. The same applies to brushed machines such as QX90, QX95, QC90, etc. He needs a more powerful device. The lens ensures a wide angle 120 ° FOV via a 520TVL sensor.

The 5.8 GHz transmission part

The camera is coupled to a 5.8 GHz video transmitter compatible with 72 channels! Friendly. The emitter can also choose the transmitter power: 25 mW (compatible with European regulations), 50 mW and 200 mW. As well as the 0 mW, which corresponds to zero emission. This makes it possible to make adjustments without interfering with the other transmitters in operation. This was already the case with the TX03 (see the test here for more complete explanations), a very similar combo since it was the first to offer 72 channels and 4 powers. The antenna is of the polarized type, with 4 lobes (RHCP). The power supply to the camera requires 3.2 to 5.5V. A LED is used to check the settings, it indicates alternately the frequency range, the frequency, and one or more "-" symbols to indicate the transmission power. A single button on the top allows you to manage these settings.

First try

If a memory card is inserted into the DVR03, recording starts automatically when it is turned on! Practical, and a stopwatch in red indicates the duration. But the result on the screen of a 5.8 GHz video receiver, is disappointing. Frames are very clearly missing, we are far from 25 or 30 frames per second. This results in a jerky video, with blurry effects. Can not drive properly under these conditions! At the back of the camera are 3 buttons, marked C1 to C3. Pressing the C2 stops recording. The image is instantaneously more fluid, the usual quality for camera combos - transmitter 5.8 GHz, and which allows to pilot in immersion. Pressing C2 restarts the recording. And the framerate slowed down again. Too bad, because the real-time video feedback function is still the most important of this accessory! Can we drive in a "cushy" way, as for example with an ultra-stabilized machine like the Mambo of Parrot? Yes. But then pépère from home pépère ...

And recorded videos?

They are stored in avi, in MJpeg format, in a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Is the image beautiful? No. The compression is strong (the throughput is 16 Mbps), introducing a blur effect. There is a strong fringing effect throughout the image (not just on the edges), that is to say a halo often blue around the dark objects on a light background. There is a strong remanence that introduces a blur of motion. What's more, the image is blurry on the edges. Pfiou, that is not very engaging! Only the colors are pretty nice, with a respect of the red enough unusual to be mentioned. Note that the sound is recorded via a microphone. A long press on the C2 button allows access to menus, which can be in French. Long press C1 button to play the videos on the memory card, they are broadcast via the 5.8 GHz link.

But then ?

It was expected that this combo camera - video transmitter, which was hoped to be able both to transmit a real time image with very little latency to pilot in immersion, and to record the image on board to avoid parasites And the low resolution of videos shot with a ground recorder. But the promise is not kept. If it is used only as an FPV camera, the DVR03 works correctly. But its weight and its congestion are not justified, it is better to prefer a TX03 to him. If used with both FPV video feedback and recording, this video feedback is too mediocre to drive in immersion. Only then remains a third use, that of a 720p camera, without taking advantage of video feedback. The picture is not great, far from.

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