Streaming Live Video

[OI Photography]

I haven't used any capture boards in years, that was just the brand I used and liked then. These days there's dozens of capture devices like that so I just simplified the search by sticking with the brand I know.

While you're waiting for your hardware you can start considering the online broadcast aspect of it. Are you familiar with Skype? That may be the easiest option for you...you'll just display the vid from the Hauppauge on your screen, then share that through Skype like it's a webcam. The catch is that everyone watching will need to have Skype installed. It's free, but you can decide if that's a workable option for your family.

If that isn't ideal then we can get you set up to broadcast the stream to a site they can all go to and watch. Less work for them, more work for you. That's the equation you'll need to decide on for this.

 

[SaltWaterNole]

I haven't used any capture boards in years, that was just the brand I used and liked then. These days there's dozens of capture devices like that so I just simplified the search by sticking with the brand I know.

While you're waiting for your hardware you can start considering the online broadcast aspect of it. Are you familiar with Skype? That may be the easiest option for you...you'll just display the vid from the Hauppauge on your screen, then share that through Skype like it's a webcam. The catch is that everyone watching will need to have Skype installed. It's free, but you can decide if that's a workable option for your family.

If that isn't ideal then we can get you set up to broadcast the stream to a site they can all go to and watch. Less work for them, more work for you. That's the equation you'll need to decide on for this.

I am familiar w/ Skype but if I decided to turn this into a small business then the other options will need to be explored as well. I have a few guys behind me who are pushing me to launch this as a professional service while giving me some funding to buy additional equipment/copters. Its definitely a possibility. Everyday i become more and more passionate about this industry and where it can go. It's EXCITING!

If i wanted to stream to a site and send family/client to watch it live how would I go about doing that without using Skype? Ideally I would probably want my own website that i can give access to via "usernames" and "passwords" for each individual/project but that will cost some $$$. In the meantime and to keep cost down what would be my other options?

FYI, anything i can do to help this site please don't hesitate to ask. I want to help others getting started as well.

Thanks for all the help.

-Ryan

 

[phantom7]

I too have been interested in and wondering if it's possible to Stream Live video via ground rx.
Thank you OI for the link to the Hauppauge USB Live. I will be ordering one as well to test.
I am curious to see if I could connect the Hauppauge usb directly to my Android device running Skype using an OTG micro usb cable. I no longer use a laptop as I found myself using my tablet and cell phone more often and the desktop is just simply out of reach and not very portable.
I'm really excited to see if this option will work via Skype or a similar app especially if I can get it to stream over data network using my S4. OI ..Please keep us posted on your test results.

 

[SaltWaterNole]

I too have been interested in and wondering if it's possible to Stream Live video via ground rx.
Thank you OI for the link to the Hauppauge USB Live. I will be ordering one as well to test.
I am curious to see if I could connect the Hauppauge usb directly to my Android device running Skype using an OTG micro usb cable. I no longer use a laptop as I found myself using my tablet and cell phone more often and the desktop is just simply out of reach and not very portable.
I'm really excited to see if this option will work via Skype or a similar app especially if I can get it to stream over data network using my S4. OI ..Please keep us posted on your test results.

Hey Phantom. Keep us posted. I'll be sharing my experience as well. Checking out BestBuy today for the analogue to digital converter. If they don't have it ill order online tonight. Goodluck!

 

[SaltWaterNole]

No luck at BestBuy. Ordering from Amazon.

Question: When streaming from FPV to PC w/ a analog to digital video converter should i expect to see the picture as it is on the FPV screen or do I get the quality at which my GoPro is recording in the air (2.7k Protune)?

 

[OI Photography]

expect to see the picture as it is on the FPV screen

This. You're pretty much stuck with the SD resolution broadcast by the FPV gear. That should be good enough for family sharing, but if/when you start making it a business service then you'll need to start looking at DJI's Lightbridge (HD FPV) and pro-level streaming services like the ustream site linked here previously.

 

[SaltWaterNole]

That is exactly what I feared, Lightbridge is not an inexpensive piece of equipment.

 

[SaltWaterNole]

Hang tight guys. Had an issue w/ Amazon but it's now resolved. Converter should be here shortly.

Has anyone else had any luck w/ live streaming?

 

[SaltWaterNole]

If the Hauppauge 610 doesn't produce at the level we expect does that mean all analogue to digital converters will produce the same outcome or are there more capable products? Sorry I haven't had much time to dig deeper into this. Thoughts?

 

[OI Photography]

Mine arrived Monday and I've gotten as far as connecting it to the Rx and verifying video throughput to the PC. Skype hasn't cooperated yet, it sees the adaptor and acts like it will use it, but never connects to the video feed. I haven't troubleshot that yet though and it may just be something simple I haven't figured out yet. I did check it out in my streaming broadcast software (OBS) and it looks like it's good to go there, but I haven't tested a live stream yet. If you have some free time tonight I can fire that up and we can test it together...I'll shoot the stream to a site I use for that sometimes, you can tell me what you think on your end viewing it live.

You can get better quality A-D converters than this one, but the price difference probably won't justify it, you'd just be trying to dress up an image that was mediocre to begin with. The image looked pretty good when I saw it in OBS, you can judge for yourself once you see it online.

 

[SaltWaterNole]

Good to know. Yes I am very interested. What time do you expect to launch?

Do you think a better FPV screen could help with image quality? I also bought a Neutral Density lens which gives a more edited look prior to the actual editing process. Pulls out the hue & saturation, makes trees look brighter, removes glare and brightens up the sky. However i have not tried it live. Will do that soon.

 

[OI Photography]

Good to know. Yes I am very interested. What time do you expect to launch?

Do you think a better FPV screen could help with image quality? I also bought a Neutral Density lens which gives a more edited look prior to the actual editing process. Pulls out the hue & saturation, makes trees look brighter, removes glare and brightens up the sky. However i have not tried it live. Will do that soon.

I did a quick "live" test tonight and the streaming works (and actually looks pretty good). I'm having an issue with the vid output from my gopro right now though so I'm still trying to iron that out. I can show you what the stream looks like though, I had my iOSD data on the display at least and it worked like a charm.

A different screen might help a bit, but unless you drop the big bucks on pro-level monitors you'll just be chasing your tail for the most part. And the only image it'll help is the one you see while flying, it will have zero impact on your recorded vid.