I recently decided to get a DVR to record some flight video. I decided that an on-board camera like a Mobius wasn't what I wanted. For one thing, I didn't want to deal with getting it mounted on my plane and copter, or switching it back and forth between them. For another thing, many of the small hand-held DVRs come with a screen, so that would also let me share the view with bystanders while I was flying, which is something I've really wanted.
Since I did a ton of research before making a purchase, I wanted to do a little write-up and share with y'all.
Mini Security DVR Micro Sd Card Recording
Amazon.com - $35
Literally the only thing this one has going for it is price. Reviews say that the video quality is not good and there are reports of it crashing or not recording sometimes.
Small Hand-held DVR with 2.5" LCD Screen
FoxTech DV02 - $105
GetFPV Lumenier - $115
ReadyMadeRC FPV1000 - $115
As near as I can tell, these three are the exact same product, under different badge.
GOOD:
All of them record in D1 resolution, which seems to be the gold standard for SD security camera recording. It offers over 600 lines of resolution, which is more than you'll actually get from the video signal. Format is MP4/AVI at 7000 kbps, which should be pretty good. Built-in battery. Tiny and unobtrusive, so easy to slip in a pocket or flight bag. Includes JPEG photo mode, and has an external trigger button, so you can snap shots and start/stop recording while you fly. Cannot take JPG while recording video, so it's one or the other.
MEH:
Recording time is reported at 3 hours (pulling about 200 mA out of a 1000 mAh 1S), so even with the typical battery life inflation that occurs, you can probably get through a day of flying on one battery. Can order extra batteries to swap out in the field and extend recording time, about $15.
BAD:
Takes 5v input through external barrel jack, so you'll need a BEC or voltage regulator if you want to run it off an external pack. Screen is usable for reviewing footage, but tiny, so not great for impressing bystanders.
I was really tempted by these little devices, but I decided I wanted to kill two birds with one stone and get something that can be used to show the FPV video to bystanders, as well as record. The thing is, you can get into an LCD screen with built-in DVR and 5.8 GHz receiver starting around $130, so at that point, you are almost getting the LCD screen for free! But as you will see, I soon found things I didn't exactly like about the $130 LCD screen, and ended up settling on something a bit more expensive. So the screen wasn't exactly free, but... well, anyway, you'll see.
FoxTech RC800
FoxTech - $117
GOOD:
Price/Performance is very good. Change band/channel via soft switches (no fiddling with DIP switches).
MEH:
Soft sunshade attaches via stick-on velcro. No diversity.
BAD:
Doesn't use standard tripod mount. No internal battery or compartment. Internal voltage reads about 1.5 volts low due to diodes protecting the input. As a result, auto-battery cutoff cuts off way too soon. This can be disabled, but then you risk running your battery flat.
FoxTech PVR-58-II
FoxTech - $149
GOOD:
Big enough for clear viewing; small/light enough to mount on a transmitter or easily pass back and forth between friends without dropping it. Folding hard-shell sun shade doubles as screen protection during transport. Can record photo as well as video (but not both at the same time). Built-in battery. Standard tripod mount.
MEH:
300 cd/m^2 LCD -- probably good enough, but not awesome
BAD:
Way better stuff is available for the price. It almost seems like this is a product that kind of got left on FoxTech's product list after newer stuff came available, but they never got around to marking it down for clearance. I keep thinking maybe I am missing some killer feature that this has that justifies the price, but I can't find it.
FoxTech RC700D
FoxTech - $137
HobbyKing - $137
BangGood - $147
Of the above, Banggood is $10 more, but they ship from Canada, whereas FoxTech is from China and HobbyKing is from the International warehouse. Banggood has free shipping, so the prices are pretty close.
GOOD:
Big 7" screen. 450 cd/m^2 brightness. Diversity receiver. Folding hard-shell sun shade doubles as screen protection during transport. Standard tripod mount.
MEH:
Doesn't come with battery, but comes with a compartment for a battery, as well as a JST lead, so you can easily use whatever LiPo fits the compartment. DIP switch channel settings. Doesn't record photos as far as I can tell.
BAD:
1.5 volt drop on battery input due to protection diodes means internal volt reading is incorrect and auto-shutoff will trigger way too early. Even if you disable auto-shutoff, it will shut down around 7 volts (even though it is supposed to work down to 6 volts) because of this voltage drop, which means you won't be able to get the most out of a 2S battery. On the other hand, it's hard to find a 3S that fits well in the battery compartment. Screen shuts off when using video out, so you CANNOT use this both to feed a set of goggles and as an external viewing station for bystanders. This cannot be changed via firmware.
FoxTech Explorer 7
FoxTech - $270
BangGood - $220
The Banggood product is not actually the same maker/model as the FoxTech, but near as I can tell, it is exactly the same product, only $50 cheaper.
GOOD:
Big 7" screen. 450 cd/m^2 brightness. Diversity receiver. Folding hard-shell sun shade doubles as screen protection during transport. Auto-channel-scan. 1024x600 resolution and HDMI input means it can be used for HD FPV (if you have such a thing) or for viewing of other HD sources (portable LCD screen for movie watching, etc...). Built-in battery. Standard RCA jacks so no annoying 1/8" plugs with leads hanging off of them. Standard tripod mount. Dedicated "screen shot" button allows taking still images in flight while recording video.
MEH:
DVR can only record from SD inputs, not HDMI. This is actually a requirement of the HDCP standard, and copy-protected media would not play on the screen if it weren't the case. Still, meh.
BAD:
If you intended to mount this on your transmitter, it might be a bit bulky, but this is true for all the 7" screens. It'd be nice if this was 4:3 instead of 16:9, so that it could display FPV full-screen without stretching--but then again, since it has an HDMI input, you expect to be viewing high-def content on it as well.
To me, this was the clear winner, and it's what I ended up ordering.
Since I did a ton of research before making a purchase, I wanted to do a little write-up and share with y'all.
Mini Security DVR Micro Sd Card Recording
Amazon.com - $35
Literally the only thing this one has going for it is price. Reviews say that the video quality is not good and there are reports of it crashing or not recording sometimes.
Small Hand-held DVR with 2.5" LCD Screen
FoxTech DV02 - $105
GetFPV Lumenier - $115
ReadyMadeRC FPV1000 - $115
As near as I can tell, these three are the exact same product, under different badge.
GOOD:
All of them record in D1 resolution, which seems to be the gold standard for SD security camera recording. It offers over 600 lines of resolution, which is more than you'll actually get from the video signal. Format is MP4/AVI at 7000 kbps, which should be pretty good. Built-in battery. Tiny and unobtrusive, so easy to slip in a pocket or flight bag. Includes JPEG photo mode, and has an external trigger button, so you can snap shots and start/stop recording while you fly. Cannot take JPG while recording video, so it's one or the other.
MEH:
Recording time is reported at 3 hours (pulling about 200 mA out of a 1000 mAh 1S), so even with the typical battery life inflation that occurs, you can probably get through a day of flying on one battery. Can order extra batteries to swap out in the field and extend recording time, about $15.
BAD:
Takes 5v input through external barrel jack, so you'll need a BEC or voltage regulator if you want to run it off an external pack. Screen is usable for reviewing footage, but tiny, so not great for impressing bystanders.
I was really tempted by these little devices, but I decided I wanted to kill two birds with one stone and get something that can be used to show the FPV video to bystanders, as well as record. The thing is, you can get into an LCD screen with built-in DVR and 5.8 GHz receiver starting around $130, so at that point, you are almost getting the LCD screen for free! But as you will see, I soon found things I didn't exactly like about the $130 LCD screen, and ended up settling on something a bit more expensive. So the screen wasn't exactly free, but... well, anyway, you'll see.
FoxTech RC800
FoxTech - $117
GOOD:
Price/Performance is very good. Change band/channel via soft switches (no fiddling with DIP switches).
MEH:
Soft sunshade attaches via stick-on velcro. No diversity.
BAD:
Doesn't use standard tripod mount. No internal battery or compartment. Internal voltage reads about 1.5 volts low due to diodes protecting the input. As a result, auto-battery cutoff cuts off way too soon. This can be disabled, but then you risk running your battery flat.
FoxTech PVR-58-II
FoxTech - $149
GOOD:
Big enough for clear viewing; small/light enough to mount on a transmitter or easily pass back and forth between friends without dropping it. Folding hard-shell sun shade doubles as screen protection during transport. Can record photo as well as video (but not both at the same time). Built-in battery. Standard tripod mount.
MEH:
300 cd/m^2 LCD -- probably good enough, but not awesome
BAD:
Way better stuff is available for the price. It almost seems like this is a product that kind of got left on FoxTech's product list after newer stuff came available, but they never got around to marking it down for clearance. I keep thinking maybe I am missing some killer feature that this has that justifies the price, but I can't find it.
FoxTech RC700D
FoxTech - $137
HobbyKing - $137
BangGood - $147
Of the above, Banggood is $10 more, but they ship from Canada, whereas FoxTech is from China and HobbyKing is from the International warehouse. Banggood has free shipping, so the prices are pretty close.
GOOD:
Big 7" screen. 450 cd/m^2 brightness. Diversity receiver. Folding hard-shell sun shade doubles as screen protection during transport. Standard tripod mount.
MEH:
Doesn't come with battery, but comes with a compartment for a battery, as well as a JST lead, so you can easily use whatever LiPo fits the compartment. DIP switch channel settings. Doesn't record photos as far as I can tell.
BAD:
1.5 volt drop on battery input due to protection diodes means internal volt reading is incorrect and auto-shutoff will trigger way too early. Even if you disable auto-shutoff, it will shut down around 7 volts (even though it is supposed to work down to 6 volts) because of this voltage drop, which means you won't be able to get the most out of a 2S battery. On the other hand, it's hard to find a 3S that fits well in the battery compartment. Screen shuts off when using video out, so you CANNOT use this both to feed a set of goggles and as an external viewing station for bystanders. This cannot be changed via firmware.
FoxTech Explorer 7
FoxTech - $270
BangGood - $220
The Banggood product is not actually the same maker/model as the FoxTech, but near as I can tell, it is exactly the same product, only $50 cheaper.
GOOD:
Big 7" screen. 450 cd/m^2 brightness. Diversity receiver. Folding hard-shell sun shade doubles as screen protection during transport. Auto-channel-scan. 1024x600 resolution and HDMI input means it can be used for HD FPV (if you have such a thing) or for viewing of other HD sources (portable LCD screen for movie watching, etc...). Built-in battery. Standard RCA jacks so no annoying 1/8" plugs with leads hanging off of them. Standard tripod mount. Dedicated "screen shot" button allows taking still images in flight while recording video.
MEH:
DVR can only record from SD inputs, not HDMI. This is actually a requirement of the HDCP standard, and copy-protected media would not play on the screen if it weren't the case. Still, meh.
BAD:
If you intended to mount this on your transmitter, it might be a bit bulky, but this is true for all the 7" screens. It'd be nice if this was 4:3 instead of 16:9, so that it could display FPV full-screen without stretching--but then again, since it has an HDMI input, you expect to be viewing high-def content on it as well.
To me, this was the clear winner, and it's what I ended up ordering.
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