Still trying to stabilize video on IPhone

[DanMay]

I am still trying to find the right combination of mounting solutions and software settings to improve the quality of video when using HLT on my vntage racing motorcycle. I really like to the ability to use a single device (IPhone 5/6) rather than a combination of a GoPro and a smart phone. Mounting space on the motorcycle is limited, so I have tried a variety of locations and mount types but I still cannot get rid of shaking video caused by engine vibration.

I recently moved to the IPhone 6 in hoping that the new Cinematic Video Stabilization would help, but it actually seems to have made things worse.

Here is my mounting setup:
RAM IPhone 6 mount (http://www.amazon.com/RAM-Mount-Cradle- ... 00NMVOW1W/)
RAM short 1 inch mount (http://www.amazon.com/Mount-Composite-D ... 005KWPJ04/)
RAM ball mount (http://www.amazon.com/Ram-Mount-Motorcy ... 0012TRIY4/)

I have tried the mount on a variety of places. Handlebar, triple tree, fork mount, but the results are all similar.

My HLT settings are:
IPhone mounted horizontal
Lock Autofocus – On
Lock Exposure – On
Video Stabilizer – Off
Full HD

I understand that the IPhone video settings are hints, but experimentation with these settings do not seem to make much of a difference. Is there anything else I can do to get better video quality ? Do the android based smartphones do a better job with video ? The GoPro seems to be able to stabilize the video, is the GoPro technology that much better ?


Thanks

[bulls23]

I guess you have done everything possible using Ram Mount components and the right settings. The problem will simply always be, smartphones will improve concerning pictures and videos...but for everyday situations and not "action sports". Autofocus, low light capabilities, resolutions, face recognition and even the flashes ahave improved a lot but a device with autofocus ( as you already know, you can't really turn it off) will always be worse than an action cam with fixed focus. So it's not about a difference in some fancy anti-vibration function in cameras, for my Sony action cam with SteadyShot it's a lot better when turning it off an relying on a good mount and position. Another problem is the rolling shutter of cams vs. global shutter. Even the Gopros have rolling shutter which might lead to the jello effect.
Don't know your vintage bike...but the ones I know vibrate quite more than newer bikes (basically that's part of them being nicer ...so that doesn' help either.

[DanMay]

Thanks for the feedback. I think my next step is to try some of the vibration dampening solutions that the Air Drones use to remove the jello effect. I found a neat app that measures vibration (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seismom ... 72189?mt=8) .

From researching the drone solutions, I believe recording at the highest resolution will reduce the rolling shutter effect. Others have found success using various dampening materials between the camera and the solid mounting device to absorb vibrations.

Dan

[bulls23]

As far as I know it's not about resolution but about fps. Apparently recording at 60fps helps with the jello effect, Haven't tried it myself, HLT has an option for that in expert settings but your hadware needs to support it.

[DanMay]

Yes, you are correct. My mistake. I meant to say that a higher FPS (not resolution) will reduce the jello effect caused by the rolling shutter. On the IPhone 6, there is an ios option to use 60 FPS when shooting video. I enabled that in the IOS General Settings. I am not sure if HLT honors that setting, so I just now also turned on "Try High FPS" under the HLT expert settings.

Do you think the resolution is a factor in jello ? I am running "Best Available" in HLT.

I am racing this weekend, and will see how it all works.

[gplracerx]

The problem with having the phone do everything is that doing something to fix one problem will create another. Suppose you did have a mount that eliminated all vibration effects on the video. What's going to happen to the accelerometer readings? I'll tell you. They won't be accurate any more because the anti-vibration mount will act as a filter and introduce a substantial phase shift at the very least.

Who you really need to fix the problem is Apple, not Harry. It's the OS that won't let you completely turn off all the video nannies, not HLT. Good luck with that.

[bulls23]

Yes, you are correct. My mistake. I meant to say that a higher FPS (not resolution) will reduce the jello effect caused by the rolling shutter. On the IPhone 6, there is an ios option to use 60 FPS when shooting video. I enabled that in the IOS General Settings. I am not sure if HLT honors that setting, so I just now also turned on "Try High FPS" under the HLT expert settings.

Do you think the resolution is a factor in jello ? I am running "Best Available" in HLT.

I am racing this weekend, and will see how it all works.

To my understanding resolution is not (or even can't be) a factor for the jello effect. Hopefully using 60fps doesn't ruin overall HLT performance, especially if you are using something like a 20hz VBOX Sport in addition. But I guess if it works, it should work using the iPhone 6.

[bulls23]

OT but just came across this and have to share. In case you don't want to miss your jello effect in sim racing either, Project CARS is the way to go

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO39zdyEE6I[/youtube]

[DanMay]

I am back from a race weekend, and the results on the IPhone 6 are dismal. I started off trying to use a high FPS rate, and recorded three races on Saturday. At the end of the day, the HLT database was corrupt, and I lost all my settings. Vehicle and track information was gone, and all my recorded lap times vanished. Even though I recorded 3 separate races, there was only one large video saved.

I tried to recover the database, but ran out of time. I ended up having to delete and reinstall the app. I may have been able to recover the data, but I needed to get back working for the next race day. I quickly redefined the vehicle, and recorded 3 races on Saturday. I decided to use the default FPS in HLT.

The video is terrible. I tried post processing software to remove shake and wobble, but it still stinks. I think I am going back to a GoPro...

[Puma98]

Yes it is SUCH a pity that the video quality is so bad. It's not Harry's fault but it is still a pity as I love HLT and it does everything I want it to - great data, easy overlay. This video uses an iPhone 5c, RAM mounts on a solid rollbar, and for sound I put a square of tape over the little mic hole next to the camera lens, cut the ear buds off an iPhone headphone/mic leaving the mic, and put taped it out of the wind. The sound is really good considering - but the video. Makes me want to weep.
https://youtu.be/_nmD7pFk87g