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Using SlingStudio with drones

Want to use SlingStudio with a drone video source? Here are a couple of things to bear in mind.

Drones are a great way to get dramatic footage that you can't get any other way. They can be a great addition to your SlingStudio setup.

But there are some important things to bear in mind:

  • SlingStudio only supports video sources that output HDMI. This HDMI output from the video source can either go directly into the SlingStudio unit (via an HDMI cable between the source and the SlingStudio unit) or by a connecting the source's HDMI output to a SlingStudio CameraLink device.
  • It is not possible to connect a video source to a SlingStudio unit via the video source's built-in Wi-Fi connection. That is not supported.
  • It is best to set the drone's output to use the 2.4 GHz channel, which offers better range.
  • Use the best video quality (resolution and bit rate) available within your drone controller's HDMI output settings.
    Note that some drone controllers do not have this as a configurable option.
  • The overall quality of the video that can be obtained with a drone is limited to whatever the drone controller's HDMI output provides. Sometimes this quality can be acceptable, while other times it is less so. This is important to bear in mind.

For drones that have an HDMI-Out port on the drone's controller: You can use that HDMI-Out port on the controller, along with an HDMI cable, to connect the drone controller to the SlingStudio unit's HDMI-IN port. Alternatively, you can connect the drone controller's HDMI-Out port to a SlingStudio CameraLink device; the CameraLink then connects wirelessly to the SlingStudio so that the drone's output can be used as a video source with SlingStudio.

For drones that do not have an HDMI-Out port on the Controller: If you are using a smartphone to view the video feed, connect the smartphone to the SlingStudio unit via the HDMI-Out from the smartphone. (You can do that with an appropriate HDMI cable, plus any needed converter plug, to feed an HDMI signal from the smartphone either to the SlingStudio unit's HDMI-In port, or to a SlingStudio CameraLink device.)

Important: Be aware that, with that last method, what you see is what you get, as the drone's controls appear in the video feed.