EVO length of clips.

Squaddy · Apr 17, 2019

Hello, past two flights my first clip has finished around 4:45 mins (about 3GB) and then continued on a new clip. Does this mean I should limit clips to 4:30 mins or less? Or am I missing something (more likely.)

Ansia · Apr 17, 2019

The way the drone records into the SD card is this way. You have done nothing wrong and don't need to limit your recording. Simply use a video editing software of your choosing and stitch them together. It will become into 1 single seamless video.

Squaddy · Apr 17, 2019

Cheers, thanks Ansia.

mjbok · Apr 17, 2019

Squaddy said:
Hello, past two flights my first clip has finished around 4:45 mins (about 3GB) and then continued on a new clip. Does this mean I should limit clips to 4:30 mins or less? Or am I missing something (more likely.)

You'll find this on other drones as well. It is due to potential file size limitations depending on how your card is formatted.

The Guy In The Helmet · Apr 18, 2019

Recording at short lengths (i.e. close to 5 seconds) is a way to limit onboard heating, if anyone wants to ask me... am i wrong?

Ansia · Apr 18, 2019

The Guy In The Helmet said:
Recording at short lengths (i.e. close to 5 seconds) is a way to limit onboard heating, if anyone wants to ask me... am i wrong?

I don't follow. You are saying that if you record spurrs of 5 secondd each, the Evo won't overheat?

The Guy In The Helmet · Apr 18, 2019

5 *minutes*.... typo

Lol!

Jagerbomb52 · Apr 18, 2019

There are two overlapping parts to the answer. The first is that it's a safety precaution. By splitting up the video it reduces the chance of you losing all your footage if the file gets corrupted somehow. It's called chaptering, and the idea is that if one chapter gets corrupted the others should still be okay because they're separate files.
But there's also a practical limitation. The answer has to do with maximum compatibility and the limitations of the filesystem used on your memory card. By far the most widely compatible filesystem these days is known as FAT32 (for 32-bit File Allocation Table).
FAT32 is quite old--Microsoft first rolled it out with Windows 95--and it lacks some of the sophistication and features of newer file systems. It has things going for it: it's reliable, it offers solid performance, and, most importantly, it is very widely compatible. That last point is crucial, because it means that you can put your memory card in pretty much any computer and be able to read it without having to install extra software. Whether you're using Windows, Mac, or Linux, a FAT32 external hard drive or thumb drive or memory card should work. So nearly all consumer devices aim to be compatible with FAT32. But FAT32 has a limitation hardcoded into it: the maximum file size that it can handle is 4GB. Back in Windows 95 days, that seemed pretty huge. These days, not so much.

mjbok · Apr 18, 2019

The Guy In The Helmet said:
Recording at short lengths (i.e. close to 5 seconds) is a way to limit onboard heating, if anyone wants to ask me... am i wrong?

Splitting a file would actually be more likely to cause additional heat, not limit it (though it is extremely unlikely there would be any noticeable difference either way). If something is writing a file that takes so many cycles/operations. Closing one file/creating another while still writing continuously is an additional operation set.

The Guy In The Helmet · Apr 18, 2019

[B]mjbok[/B] said:
Splitting a file would actually be more likely to cause additional heat, not limit it (though it is extremely unlikely there would be any noticeable difference either way). If something is writing a file that takes so many cycles/operations. Closing one file/creating another while still writing continuously is an additional operation set.

[B]Agustine[/B] said:
There are two overlapping parts to the answer. The first is that it's a safety precaution. By splitting up the video it reduces the chance of you losing all your footage if the file gets corrupted somehow. It's called chaptering, and the idea is that if one chapter gets corrupted the others should still be okay because they're separate files.
But there's also a practical limitation. The answer has to do with maximum compatibility and the limitations of the filesystem used on your memory card. By far the most widely compatible filesystem these days is known as FAT32 (for 32-bit File Allocation Table).
FAT32 is quite old--Microsoft first rolled it out with Windows 95--and it lacks some of the sophistication and features of newer file systems. It has things going for it: it's reliable, it offers solid performance, and, most importantly, it is very widely compatible. That last point is crucial, because it means that you can put your memory card in pretty much any computer and be able to read it without having to install extra software. Whether you're using Windows, Mac, or Linux, a FAT32 external hard drive or thumb drive or memory card should work. So nearly all consumer devices aim to be compatible with FAT32. But FAT32 has a limitation hardcoded into it: the maximum file size that it can handle is 4GB. Back in Windows 95 days, that seemed pretty huge. These days, not so much.

I learned something today... thank you both for shedding light on the subject... In your explanation, Augustine, lies the technical reason in why the video is clipped such a way... it is due to the FAT32 file sizing.

I only ask, do either of you know how to change that to make it so it is still reliable but a continuous video? Personally, I would leave how this was designed by Autel, but others might want to know and adjust this setting if available.

mjbok · Apr 18, 2019

The Guy In The Helmet said:
I learned something today... thank you both for shedding light on the subject... In your explanation, Augustine, lies the technical reason in why the video is clipped such a way... it is due to the FAT32 file sizing.

I only ask, do either of you know how to change that to make it so it is still reliable but a continuous video? Personally, I would leave how this was designed by Autel, but others might want to know and adjust this setting if available.

I don't believe it is a setting that can be changed. I believe all of my drones work this way (across multiple manufacturers).

The Guy In The Helmet · Apr 18, 2019

mjbok said:
I don't believe it is a setting that can be changed. I believe all of my drones work this way (across multiple manufacturers).

Still would be good to have flexibility in this...

Tufargon · Apr 18, 2019

It can't be changed. I posted the exact response from Autel in another thread. It's just the way it is.

The Guy In The Helmet · Apr 18, 2019

Tufargon said:
It can't be changed. I posted the exact response from Autel in another thread. It's just the way it is.

Cool!

G_G · Apr 21, 2019

The Guy In The Helmet said:
Cool!

If you shoot in 1080p instead of in 4K, you end up with far fewer files per battery because there is less data per minute being recorded. However, doing so defeats the purpose of buying a 4K 60fps capable drone.

The Guy In The Helmet · Apr 21, 2019

G_G said:
If you shoot in 1080p instead of in 4K, you end up with far fewer files per battery because there is less data per minute being recorded. However, doing so defeats the purpose of buying a 4K 60fps capable drone.

Haha.... funny...

G_G · Apr 21, 2019

The Guy In The Helmet said:
Haha.... funny...

I discovered by accident, this when testing out the 4x lossless zoom on the M2 Zoom, which requires 1080p 30fps. When I was uploading the files off the card, there were only two, instead of the usual five from 23 minutes of 4K video. I was sure that the other half were missing! However, it was the low 1080p resolution only taking up only two files!