Do you need to send high-quality videos with extremely low latency over great distances? Is Teradek gear completely out of your budget? Well, DJI may be giving you just what the doctor ordered with its DJI Transmission, which was released alongside the DJI RS 3 Pro and DJI RS 3. By integrating O3 Pro video transmission technology, which offers 6km/20,000 ft on-ground transmission distance, filmmakers can now operate a camera and live audio from a remote space as you have never been able to before. All for a very affordable price.
This tech has been something that seemed like a no-brainer, and it's finally here. DJI has had incredible wireless transmission for years in their drones and now the gimbal titan is making its transmission technology available for every camera under the sun. But how good is the DJI Transmission, and can it deliver on its promise to keep the latency low even from 6km away? Let's break down our thoughts on the transmission.
Conquering New Lands
The DJI Transmission can support video at 1080p/60fps with a max bitrate of 50Mbps and claims to have great stability and anti-interference capability with seamless automatic frequency hopping between 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, and DFS frequency bands. The kit comes with a video transmitter, the high-bright remote monitor, and a slew of accessories.
A few things you'll find in the kitCredit: DJI
While interference can happen if large structures or trees are blocking the signal, creatives can easily swap channels manually to limit those interferences. Mounting high-gain antennas can also enhance signal strength, which is helpful in complex environments or locations that are overly saturated with WiFi interference.
You can use control mode to monitor your footage, as well as control the camera and a compatible gimbal remotely from two receivers simultaneously due to the built-in gyroscopic sensor. The transmitter allows you to not only control the camera’s movement but the settings through the remotely controlled camera menus.
For larger crews, you can expand the number of monitors by turning on broadcast mode to give all crew members the ability to monitor footage in real-time. DJI Master Wheels can control singles and improve transmission signals by three times.
DJI TransmissionCredit: DJI
Putting the DJI Transmission to the Test
Linus Tech Tips put the DJI Transmission to the test and discovered a few flaws in the otherwise amazing transmitter. After testing the transmitter through their offices, car shoots, and long-distance shoots, the team discovered a few great things about the transmission and one major flaw.
During the range test, the team found that the zoom control is a lot smoother than most competitors on the market and the latency is very limited. The only flaw is that the signal is often lost when trees and buildings are in the way or when in a location that has a lot of WiFi or cell interference.
Often, the signal of the DJI Transmission would drop when someone on set received a text or if they were located near their offices.
Besides these unfortunate issues, the DJI Transmission signal was still strong at 6.9km/4.3 mi when there were no obstructions in the way. DJI tuned their compression to not drop frames or increase latency, which means that the transmitter will drop image quality to give you an accurate, real-time image.
While there are still some flaws in the system, DJI’s transmission combo works very well and could easily become an essential tool in any filmmaker’s toolbelt due to how affordable it is. Which brings us to the competition...
DJI Transmission vs. Teradek's Bolt 4K
DJI isn't the first company to create a wireless video solution with almost zero latency.
Teradek's Bolt 4K has been the go-to for literally any production in need of a wireless transmission solution. It has very low latency that is almost identical to DJI with the most major difference being the line-of-sight distance. While DJI can easily keep a strong signal and maintain sharp image quality, the Bolt 4K can only maintain a distance of 1,500 ft, making the DJI Transmission the more desirable choice on larger or more complex sets.
The entire DJI transmission comboCredit: DJI
Tech Specs
Here is an in-depth breakdown of the technical specifications behind the DJI Transmission combo, according to DJI's website:
- Video Transmitter Weight: Approx. 350 g / 0.77 lbs (excluding antennas)
- High-Bright Remote Monitor Weight: Approx. 727 g / 1.6 lbs (excluding antennas)
- Video Transmitter: 127×87×26 mm (L×W×H, excluding antennas)
- High-Bright Remote Monitor: 213×135×51 mm (L×W×H, excluding antennas)
- Max Bandwidth: 40 MHz
- Max Bitrate: 50 Mbps
- Power Consumption: 11 W
- Power Supply Voltage: 6 to 18 V
- Output Voltage: Power Output Port: 6 to 18 V
- Operating Time
- Video Transmitter: 3 hours 40 minutes
- High-Bright Remote Monitor: 2 hours
- Input Video Format
- 3G SDI: YCbCr 4:2:2 10-bit
- HDMI RGB 4:4:4
- 1080p: 23.98/24/25/29.97/30/50/59.94/60fps
- 1080i: 50/59.94/60fps
- 720p: 50/59.94/60fps
- Output Video Format
- 3G SDI: YCbCr 4:2:2 10-bit
- 1080p: 23.98/24/25/29.97/30/50/59.94/60fps
- 1080i: 50/59.94/60fps
- 720p: 50/59.94/60fps
- Input Audio Format: SDI embedded, HDMI embedded
- Output Audio Format: PCM
- Video Transmission System: O3 Pro
- Max Video Bitrate: 50 Mbps
- Video Transmission Latency
- 68 ms to 100 ms
- Video Coding Format: H.264
- Max Transmission Distance
6 km (FCC) or 4 km (CE/SRRC/MIC)
Final Thoughts
The DJI Transmission rules, and is a great wireless video solution for all filmmakers, not only because of how affordable the equipment is but also the overall quality. While it does have some issues regarding signal dropping in areas where single interference is unavoidable, the quality of image and ability to control the camera from a great distance is incredible and something that we have never seen before at this level.
DJI Transmission
- Transmitter & High-Bright RX Monitor Kit
- Transmit 1080p60 Video over 3 Miles LoS
- HDMI/3G-SDI Input / Output
- 7" 1920 x 1200 Touchscreen Display
- Gyroscopic Sensor to Control Gimbals
- O3 Pro Video Transmission Technology
- AES 256-Bit Encryption
- Power via L-Series Batteries
- Works with Ronin 2 / RS 3 Pro Gimbals
- Custom LUTs, Built-In Image Tools
An industry-standard setup that does all of the things the DJI Transmission can do can easily cost between $15,000 and $20,000. But the DJI Transmission combo, which includes the DJI video transmitter, DJI high-bright remote monitor, remote monitor hood, battery adapter and hubs, Ronin video transmission antenna, protector case, and a few other accessories starts at $2,499.
Don’t need the entire combo? You can purchase the DJI video transmitter without the monitor for $1,099.
We can't wait to keep playing with the Transmission system on future projects and can't wait for you to experience the greatness of the DJI Transmission, too.
Have you used the DJI Transmission? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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Source: DJI
