Video Stuttering

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

My videos are always stuttering/lagging no matter what i do. I have shot in 1080p for 60fps, 30fps and 120fps. I have also shot in the 2.7k and 4k variants. No matter what i do it stutters. I wouldn't even fly far out (less than 100m) and it still does it. Currently i have a SanDisk Extreme with 90mb/s read and write speed. I thought thatd solve the issue. Ive tried everything i know of but cant work out the issue. I have flown a lot on my Bebop 2 but am still fairly new to Yuneec. I apologize if this seems like a newbie question. But ive never had this issue on any other drone i own. Maybe i have configured something wrong.

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

5ch4R said:
My videos are always stuttering/lagging no matter what i do. I have shot in 1080p for 60fps, 30fps and 120fps. I have also shot in the 2.7k and 4k variants. No matter what i do it stutters. I wouldn't even fly far out (less than 100m) and it still does it. Currently i have a SanDisk Extreme with 90mb/s read and write speed. I thought thatd solve the issue. Ive tried everything i know of but cant work out the issue. I have flown a lot on my Bebop 2 but am still fairly new to Yuneec. I apologize if this seems like a newbie question. But ive never had this issue on any other drone i own. Maybe i have configured something wrong.

The "Stuttering" only seems to happen when the gimbal is turning. When its not turning it seems to be fine

FlushVision · Apr 22, 2018

5ch4R said:
The "Stuttering" only seems to happen when the gimbal is turning. When its not turning it seems to be fine

Stuttering in un-processed footage from the CGO3+ is usually a symptom of not having an adequate sd card. But you are using the SanDisk Extreme which the general consensus is an adequate card. Unless there is a fault with that card then that isn't your problem.

IMHO. Assuming, then, that your sd card isn't faulty I would look at your computer's capabilities. I've noticed that footage from my H puts more demand on my computer than comparable footage from my Phantom and, if I'm honest, I have little idea why.

Not much help there I'm sorry to say. Normally I would blame an inadequate sd card but in your case that isn't the case.

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

Its not even that. It plays out quite choppy even on the ST16

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

FlushVision said:
Stuttering in un-processed footage from the CGO3+ is usually a symptom of not having an adequate sd card. But you are using the SanDisk Extreme which the general consensus is an adequate card. Unless there is a fault with that card then that isn't your problem.

IMHO. Assuming, then, that your sd card isn't faulty I would look at your computer's capabilities. I've noticed that footage from my H puts more demand on my computer than comparable footage from my Phantom and, if I'm honest, I have little idea why.

Not much help there I'm sorry to say. Normally I would blame an inadequate sd card but in your case that isn't the case.

I wish i could send the video but im on the mobile app. Not on the PC client

VETTE198620002000 · Apr 22, 2018

5ch4R said:
My videos are always stuttering/lagging no matter what i do. I have shot in 1080p for 60fps, 30fps and 120fps. I have also shot in the 2.7k and 4k variants. No matter what i do it stutters. I wouldn't even fly far out (less than 100m) and it still does it. Currently i have a SanDisk Extreme with 90mb/s read and write speed. I thought thatd solve the issue. Ive tried everything i know of but cant work out the issue. I have flown a lot on my Bebop 2 but am still fairly new to Yuneec. I apologize if this seems like a newbie question. But ive never had this issue on any other drone i own. Maybe i have configured something wrong.

I had the same issue, i found that my laptop couldn't handle the video so i downloaded it on a mem stick and connected it to my tv and the video was perfect.no shutter and colors was so vivid on my 4k tv. didn't have the time yet to try a different player, but i think its my laptop.

PatR · Apr 22, 2018

The graphics capability of a computer plays large in how well the video is presented. An older computer with a low capability graphics card will have problems playing back HD video better than 720. If using a desk top the monitor can add another layer of playback/image quality problems. When trying to playback video for a customer on his computer a couple years ago it would not playback 4k video at all and rendered a very choppy 1080 playback. He had not upgraded his computer after buying it 5 years earlier...

If the computer does handle HD and UHD video well but still shows stuttering in pan I would consider obtaining a faster card. What you have is generally viewed as adequate but I’ve found faster pan or yaw speeds can create problems that are barely or not evident with slow pans. Because of that I’ve upped card capability to a minimum of U3-V30 but have the best results with U3-V60 rated cards. They are priced considerable higher.

Bear in mind cards reference the read speed as the highest rate and use the phrase “up to” for the write speed. The write speed is what we are most concerned with. If it won’t consistently deliver 90Mb/s or more for write speed it can be a problem for pans where a whole lot of image data is changing quickly.

Card speed issues became clearly apparent when switching from the H to a 920. The data rate for the 920 is much higher than what the H delivers, along with a camera that captures in 16 Mpxl instead of 12. Cards that I had been using for the H generated stuttering when used with the 920. Better cards purchased for use with the 920 consistently deliver better video quality, especially with panned shots, when used in an H over the type you are using.

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

PatR said:
The graphics capability of a computer plays large in how well the video is presented. An older computer with a low capability graphics card will have problems playing back HD video better than 720. If using a desk top the monitor can add another layer if playback problems. When trying to playback video for a customer on his computer a couple years ago it would not playback 4k video at all and rendered a very choppy 1080 playback. He had not upgraded his computer after buying it 5 years earlier...

If the computer does handle HD and UHD video well but still shows stuttering in pan I would consider obtaining a faster card. What you have is generally viewed as adequate but I’ve found faster pan or yaw speeds can create problems that are barely or not evident with slow pans. Because of that I’ve upped card capability to a minimum of U3-V30 but have the best results with U3-V60 rated cards. They are priced considerable higher.

Bear in mind cards reference the read speed as the highest rate and use the phrase “up to” for the write speed. The write speed is what we are most concerned with. If it won’t consistently deliver 90Mb/s or more for write speed it can be a problem for pans where a whole lot of image data is changing quickly.

Card speed issues became clearly apparent when switching from the H to a 920. The data rate for the 920 is much higher than what the H delivered, along with a camera that captured 16 Mpxl instead of 12. Cards that I had been using for the H generated stuttering when used with the 920. Better cards purchased for use with the 920 consistently deliver better video quality when used in an H over the type you are using.

Yes i can definitely understand. It plays funny even right on the ST16. Because i review all my footage before i export it just to catch issues like the one being presented

Eagle's Eye Video · Apr 22, 2018

PatR said:
If the computer does handle HD and UHD video well but still shows stuttering in pan I would consider obtaining a faster card. What you have is generally viewed as adequate but I’ve found faster pan or yaw speeds can create problems that are barely or not evident with slow pans. Because of that I’ve upped card capability to a minimum of U3-V30 but have the best results with U3-V60 rated cards. They are priced considerable higher.

PatR since you have both card capacities, at some point could you do a quick video comparison with different pan speeds recorded to U3 vs. V60 cards to visually show the improvement?

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

My card is a U3-V30 card

PatR · Apr 22, 2018

5ch4R said:
Yes i can definitely understand. It plays funny even right on the ST16. Because i review all my footage before i export it just to catch issues like the one being presented

The ST-16 is not the best for judging video quality as it’s subject to reception glitches where the card is not. I would discount anything viewed on the ST-16 as indicative of a problem. It’s good for reviewing what you just shot to determine if the video or image delivered the intent you were seeking but lousy to use to qualify camera performance.

PatR · Apr 22, 2018

Buy a faster card and see what happens. Play it back on something you know is capable good UHD video play back.

5ch4R · Apr 22, 2018

So i should render it on my phone or pc then before i do anything else

PatR · Apr 22, 2018

Good points, and something I meant to address earlier.

The video on the card is exactly what the camera captured. Playing it back directly from the card will deliver exactly what was captured. Best practice is to play it back from the card on a laptop or computer, or down load the card to a laptop or desktop. Not a phone. You must use a good tablet, one with very good video play back if you go that route.

If you are “sending” video from one device to view it on another using apps you introduce another layer of potential problems with WiFi or other data transmission/reception speeds. I would certainly get away from the use of mobile apps when trying to determine video quality.

You mentioned “render”, a term I use when processing video. If you are experiencing playback issues after “rendering” I’ll suggest the program or computer being used in the process as being a possible cause.

Something some may bot be aware of and worth mentioning; as the camera’s quality and ability increases so does the need to upgrade any equipment used to view what comes from the camera. We cannot expect to see 12, 16, 20, and 50mpxl resolution on view screens with lower resolution. Now should we expect to obtain good 1080 or 4k video quality on playback equipment created around 720P and lower video quality. We have to upgrade our computer’s processing speed, memory, graphics card memory and speed, along with monitor resolution. Same applies with image processing programs. Each improvement in camera capability can make what we had been using for processing and viewing become obsolete and incapable for effectively dealing with better and better cameras. The same applies to our internet bandwidth. If what we have is slow there will be an impact on video transmission and playback quality while on line.

In your case I would try one thing at a time, starting with review of the play back equipment. Eliminate the mobile app from the equation by playing the card on a lap or desk top after establishing either are up to the task of viewing UHD video effectively. Establish if your pan issues only occur during rapid panning. Those end up looking bad in video anyway so determine if slower panning does well where fast does not. Then try a faster card. Also try playing video shot by others that is posted online through your play back equipment to determine if what they shot presents issues on your stuff.

PatR · Apr 22, 2018

Just to toss some levity into the mix, I look at capturing and processing video sort of like plumbing. We can’t flush a large turd down a small pipe and expect it to move. The pipe has to be larger than the turd, and there can be no restrictions ahead of the turd for it to reach it’s intended destination. It requires an unrestricted path. For our purposes data rates are the turd and anything that limits/restricts the data rate anywhere in the plumbing impedes movement and delivery of the turd.

FlushVision · Apr 23, 2018

PatR said:
Just to toss some levity into the mix, I look at capturing and processing video sort of like plumbing. We can’t flush a large turd down a small pipe and expect it to move. The pipe has to be larger than the turd, and there can be no restrictions ahead of the turd for it to reach it’s intended destination. It requires an unrestricted path. For our purposes data rates are the turd and anything that limits/restricts the data rate anywhere in the plumbing impedes movement and delivery of the turd.

Brilliant analogy

. That made me chuckle.

Eagle's Eye Video · Apr 23, 2018

Sensei, how do DJI drones manage to stay so white?

OnTheRopes · Apr 24, 2018

What software are you using? I use Premier Pro and get stuttering all the time when working on and viewing anything greater than 720. This can be got round by editing in Proxy mode which will allow you to work stutter free. Once finished editing it will convert back to full HD for your saved video.
ST16 often stutters when reviewing footage in my experience.