Hi I have bought a BlueRov2 and I want to attach a GoPro camera either side to gain a wider field of view of the seabed. This is simple if I only wanted to read the SD cards but what I would like to do if possible is get a live feed from the GoPro’s (prefer Hero 7) at 1080p. I see composite might be easy but I am thinking the resolution may be too low.
I would use a second laptop or monitor for a split screen for the live view from the GoPro’s.
I have a 100 metre of tether with 3 spare twisted pairs. I am happy to connect more raspberry pi boards and fathom-x interfaces if I need to. I have looked at a HDMI to CSI board to transfer the HDMI feed to the Raspberry and convert it to ethernet but the reviews suggest this doesn’t work. To be frank I don’t know how to go about it. Has anyone done this and if they have which is the simpler cost effective way to do this? I haven’t done any script writing for 20 years but I can follow step by step instructions and I am able to setup any hardware and the cabling I need. Can anyone help me please? Thanks
Hi Barry,
You don’t really need an another computer to do this…
Actually i use this…https://amzn.to/2STTM8B
It’s just an USB portable monitor…You only need USB type-C on your laptop…
I’ve 300 meters tether long.No problem with it.
Cheers
Thanks for the link to the monitor Pierre but its not the monitor I am having the problem with. Its the second and third feed from GoPro cameras in HD to the monitor. Unless I am not following what you are trying to tell me?
Ok Barry,
You said : “I would use a second laptop or monitor for a split screen for the live view from the GoPro’s.”
that’s why i sent you a link for a monitor… cause i actually use this one & i’ve no problem with it.
THAT’s ALL
Unfortunately composite video out of the Hero 7 is not possible (nor the 5 or the 6). The only live video out format they support is HDMI. Transmitting a live stream using HDMI over long distances is not trivial, especially over standard tethers.
There are a few options for full HD streaming from GoPros, though, becasue of the high bandwidth, you would be unlikely to be able to run the feed on the same tether as the ROV.
Also, it is not simple to view the live HDMI feed from a GoPro on a laptop. Most use cases would be using a standard TV/monitor with a HDMI-IN port.
If you wanted to pursue GoPro HD over a tether, options include:
-a fibre optic tether (for long, expensive runs)
-an HDMI to Cat5/6 converter (for short, cheap runs, probably need a second tether)
-or you can use an HDMI to IP converter (for cheap runs, up to a theoretical max of 100m, in practice probably shorter, and you need a tether that can support gigabit speeds-so not using one or two spare pairs from the existing tether)
-there’s probably others, but there’s always going to be a tradeoff with bandwidth/distance/cost
For a HD live feed, in this type of setup, IP cameras are probably the best compromise.
Thank you Jacob, I have started to look in to this. Some converters claim to work up to a 300 feet others suggest half of that. I guess its hard to know without trying them and I suppose higher quality may be better. What I am thinking is just using the GoPros to record to an SD card for viewing later and connecting two more BR cameras for live feed. I have been looking on the forums to see who may have done this. Will I need 2 extra raspberry pi boards and two fathom-x interfaces to achieve this and can I use the spare tether pairs without causing any interference between the pairs? I don’t have a problem doing the wiring but I was hoping the Pi can handle more than one camera. Do you know if it can be done without all the extra hardware and where I can find specific instructions how to setup the 2 extra BR cameras in regards to software? Thanks
I have used an “HDMI Extender / H.264 Encoder and Decoder” that sends HDMI and a serial Tx/Rx channel over IP. These work good to transmit HDMI video over a few hundred feet on ethernet cable, and if connected to a Fathom X, or any other home plug type transceiver it works over 2000+ feet on a single pair. I have this working using the hardware in the link below, but there are others that may work as well. I would stay away from the cheep stuff though, I have used some of them and found them to either not work at all, or they will have all sorts of issues with connecting/disconnecting nicely.
There is some latency using these devices, and it is almost all in the HDMI extender. I have about 200ms delay using the one below, so I don’t use it as a main camera for navigation.
What sort of HDMI signal/camera are you using in the system with the Homeplug? We use HDMI over IP extenders, but using GoPro cameras and the Homeplug board does not work, even on short runs. Given that the Homeplug is theoretically limited to 80 mbps, I assumed the datarate from the GoPro is too high (GoPro specs suggest bit rate is 78mbps), but maybe I need to try the ones in your link.
I have used various HDMI video sources, including the GoPro HDMI output of a Hero 4 Black, with no problems. I think the bit rate that GoPro advertises is the rate at which it writes to the SD card, not the HDMI output, which is likely lower quality video. I do not have a Hero 5, 6, or 7 to try out though.
Hope it works out for you Marcus.
FYI I ran the setup today with the Hero 4 Black providing the HDMI video source and noticed one thing that may be of interest. When the GoPro is not recording (to its SD card), it outputs 1080p @ 60fps on the mini HDMI output and the video looks beautiful, but as soon as the record button is pressed the GoPro switches the HDMI output to 480P @ 60fps, and of course does not look quite as nice (but still fine for my needs). I do not know what the Hero 5, 6, or 7 will do, I only have experience with the 4 Black.
Thanks Nathan, I know a lot of commercial studios, broadcasters etc had troubles with early GoPros for this reason (switching HDMI output), but I think the newer models keep a consistent output-will look into it. Cheers
Hi Nathan,
Do you happen to have the model number you used? The website link is dead and there are heaps of options on there. Would be good to know one that works.
Good timing, I have been working on a new project using these Encoders/Decoders for a new rov. The model is JTD-H264-N2N-T and JTD-H264-N2N-R. Here is a link to the Transmitter: https://jtechdigital.com/product/h264-n2n-transmitter/.
These are still the best units I have found for simplicity, price, latency, and problem free operation, I just wish they were a little smaller.
Yea these work well with the Fathom X boards. I have only tried one at a time, but you may be able to get more than one of these streaming through a switch, the documentation says each one streams at 15Mbps. I have a BR 4" tube here and it will fit in there, but you will need to get good 90 degree HDMI cables.
