If you, like me, are a big fan of shows like Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed or cyberpunk in general, then you’ll immediately take a liking to the new DJI FPV goggles. Yes, there’s a lot of technical news to talk about, but just look at these things.
Throw in a futuristic SWAT vest and rifle and you have the next big Sci-Fi blockbuster sorted. So as you might have realized, I quite like how these goggles look, but what makes them special? In short, these are “digital first” FPV goggles.
Digital Dreams
The DJI Digital FPV kits are designed for long-distance, low-latency transmission. At frame rates as high as 120 frames per second! This makes it perfect for drone racers in particular. Many popular FPV goggles today use analog video transmission, which means the signal is susceptible to interference and degradation. Digital transmission does away with all those shortcomings.
What’s in the Box?
The kits consists of the “Air Unit Module”, an FPV camera, the goggles and the remote controller. As you may have figured out already, you don’t have to use a DJI drone with this. Indeed, DJI doesn’t make racing drones (yet), so this is clearly a good way for them to get a foothold in that market.
Flexible Flying
The Digital FPV system has some impressive specifications. Each eye is treated to a 1440×810 screen. The included camera has a 150-degree ultra wide angle lens, which means you’ll see plenty of peripheral image. There are three modes you can use the camera in: racing, standard and LED.
The total latency is under 28 milliseconds, which is well beyond human reaction time. So if you end up crashing in a race you’ll only have yourself to blame. The 120fps mode is reserved for a resolution of 720p, with full HD limited to 60fps. Racers will want the higher speed, rather than resolution. After all, at those speeds its all a blur anyway.
The best news must however be that these goggles can also work with third-party analog video transmitters. So you can throw your old set in the bin. However looking at this comparison:
Why you would want to switch back to analog is a complete mystery to me. If you feel like this is the FPV revolution you’ve been waiting for, a kit can be yours for just over eight hundred bucks. Hey, no one said your cyberpunk future was going to be cheap.
Sydney Butler is a prolific technology writer with a knack for digital gadgets and a love of flying things. He's been messing with tech since the early 90s and dreams of the day that quadcopter hoverbike finally goes on sale.
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