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StarLink Feature Request: Flight Log Replay & Tablet Flight Video Recording

Tpat591

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In the Wake of the Kentucky "DroneSlayer" Shootdown it must be obvious that Starlink needs to log all flight Data on the tablet as a replayable flight log trace where any flight data & path displayed on the tablet at any moment of the flight can be displayed along with the corresponding video recording of images streamed from the X-Star camera in flight (whether recording on X-Star or not) to be used in litigation or defense of the operator should the X-Star be lost in flight in a similar catastrophic shootdown or accidental loss.

David Boggs was able to recover his aircraft without the memory card, but fortunately recovered his flight log data and the Streamed flight video from the Tablets Cache in order to refute false claims of invasion of privacy during his flight and press a pending and likely Precedent Setting Federal Lawsuit case against William Meredith aka: "The DroneSlayer" after Meredith was acquitted of criminal charges in the matter by a local Kentucky judge.

I think every operator needs to have easily accessed Black Box data logs like these in the event of an unrecoverable X-Star event for protection against false claims by anyone who may level them at any time, for any reason.

I would think Starlink should be able to log the data & save the video from cache in a manner much more CPU friendly manner than running a separate screen recording app simultaneously on a tablet with Starlink.

upload_2016-9-2_23-24-6.png

Hillview man arrested for shooting down drone; cites right to privacy

INTERVIEW: Drone owner responds to claims of privacy invasion

Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house

After neighbor shot down his drone, Kentucky man files federal lawsuit

001 Complaint for Declaratory Judgment and Damages 2016 01 05 4849 6171 4476 1

Does anyone else agree this feature request is a necessity for any drone pilot?
 
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Oh yes, and maybe one day the technical barrier that most judges face will dissolve and people will get justice.

So absolutely, it's a must.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using Tapatalk
 
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I would think Starlink should be able to log the data & save the video from cache in a manner much more CPU friendly manner than running a separate screen recording app simultaneously on a tablet with Starlink.

I agree that the flight path (and some other information) should be logged to Starlink, but I don't think video should be captured unless it can be turned off.
 
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I agree that the flight path (and some other information) should be logged to Starlink, but I don't think video should be captured unless it can be turned off.
I think it is essential, since if the aircraft is lost so too would be the video, the Tablet video log would be the only record an operator could use to refute these spurious claims since we all know that it seems to be our responsibility to prove our innocence on false claims of voyeurism, pedophilia, & invasion of privacy rather than for the accusers & liars to prove our guilt.

I know I'm not using it for any of those purposes, so I have no problem with Starlink copying the cache video to my Tablets expansion card for the peace of mind of knowing I could fall back on this record if needs be, Especially after having a few personal "conversations" with some of these crazed lunatics accusing me of crap while I am flying over a river or a park. There are just no "teaching moments" with some of these people. They accuse you of being a pervert when it is their sick imaginations and inexcusable behavior that prove who the true perverts are.
 
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I think it would put too much load on the tablet. Altitude and position data could be used to defend false allegations. Capturing a 720p image every couple of seconds could be a compromise without adding too much load. I agree that video is better evidence than a track log.
 
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My feeling is that if the stream exists in cache as we learned from Mr. Boggs lucky find, can't the cache file names just be logged with the data from the flight then renamed or rendered to compressed files & saved in a directory or card of your choosing automatically at the termination of flight without overtaxing the processor during the flight. The Starlink app must be able to do this in a much less CPU & memory taxing manner than trying to run a screen recorder app recording high quality images constantly and taxing tablet resources during flight.
 
The 2 reasons I went for tablets with some horsepower are to avoid live feed stutter and always screen record my flights. Whether I intend to use that video or not, it's a habit to start the screen recorder before liftoff and end recording after landing. Barring signal issues or something else, it is the best record of your intentions and could be helpful in recovery if lost in a difficult area, also might be the last video you ever get from your bird. The Shield K1 and Galaxy Tab S2 (2016 Snapdragon) tablets have no problem handling the live feed while recording it, nice that it worked out the way I expected.
 
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Video is not saved during the flight.
My feeling is that if the stream exists in cache as we learned from Mr. Boggs lucky find, can't the cache file names just be logged with the data from the flight then renamed or rendered to compressed files & saved in a directory or card of your choosing automatically at the termination of flight without overtaxing the processor during the flight. The Starlink app must be able to do this in a much less CPU & memory taxing manner than trying to run a screen recorder app recording high quality images constantly and taxing tablet resources during flight.
If there was cached video, the file names could be changed but there is not. There is a Playback button on the controller and a "Play Button" icon in Starlink. Both are non functional unless there is an active link with the vehicle.

Playback Button
Playback the captured images or videos. (Only functions when the remote controller is connected to the mobile app.)
Play Button Icon
This icon displays the most recent photo/video taken. You may tap it to view and download/delete your photos and videos one by one or in groups.
Why do you think the Starlink app would be able to save video more efficiently than a screen recorder?
 
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The 2 reasons I went for tablets with some horsepower are to avoid live feed stutter and always screen record my flights. ...

I have started recording all my flights for the reasons you mentioned. I'm not against the idea, I just don;t think Starlink should be doing the recording. I wouldn't mind a Starlink option that automatically started a screen recorder when the motors are started and stopped in on landing. Once I had 30+ minutes of video from after the flight, though it was easy to trim.
 
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Video is not saved during the flight.

If there was cached video, the file names could be changed but there is not. There is a Playback button on the controller and a "Play Button" icon in Starlink. Both are non functional unless there is an active link with the vehicle.


Why do you think the Starlink app would be able to save video more efficiently than a screen recorder?
I was under the impression from Mr. Bogg's successful recovery of the video cache from his tablet despite the loss of the memory card from the P3 that any video rendered on the display of a tablet was in fact cached and buffered to volatile memory prior to display to ensure a smooth playback and this is why tablets that are processor challenged have more of a delay in live feed than more powerful units.

If that is indeed true, Starlink needs only to log where the cached video is stored in memory so it can access it for rendering, compression & saving at less cpu intensive times or after the flight is over, but before exiting or shutting down Starlink. As the video stream is active whether or not the camera is actively recording, it would also provide a record for missing parts of the flight not recorded on camera. This must end up being much more efficient & less cpu intensive than running a standalone screen recorder duplicating the same efforts in much higher resolution video rendering, compression & saving in the background allowing the maximum cpu and memory in the tablet to be dedicated to the flight itself.

Granted, I am talking out my tail end here more than a slight degree, but in theory & concept, it does make a certain sense, at least to my delusional mind.
 
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I was under the impression from Mr. Bogg's successful recovery of the video cache from his tablet despite the loss of the memory card from the P3 that any video rendered on the display of a tablet was in fact cached and buffered to volatile memory prior to display to ensure a smooth playback and this is why tablets that are processor challenged have more of a delay in live feed than more powerful units.
That's a different drone and a different app. DJI apparently has a "Video cache setting" in its app. If it's not turned on there's no saved video. Autel does not have the setting.

If that is indeed true, Starlink needs only to merely log where the cached video is stored in memory so it can access it for rendering, compression & saving at a less cpu intensive time after the flight is over, but before exiting or shutting down Starlink. As the video stream is active whether or not the camera is actively recording, it would provide a record for missing parts of the flight not recorded on camera. This must end up being much more efficient & less cpu intensive than running a standalone screen recorder duplicating the same efforts in much higher resolution video rendering, compression & saving in the background allowing the maximum cpu and memory in the tablet to be dedicated to the flight itself.
I don't see any evidence that the video is saved. It is not more efficient than using an external recorder other than the fact that it recording only video and not Starlink information. In both cases, a lot of information is being saved. It would be very inefficient to use a screen recorder and for Starlink to save video because the video would be recorded twice.
 
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I can certainly agree and would be pleased if Autel had a screen recording option in Starlink (would spare me the secondary app operation), I can't see any reason why it can't be done on a technical perspective, but I can see reasons why they wouldn't feel the need at this early stage to involve another step of support for related issues when they still have bigger fish to fry in their products offerings.
 
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That's a different drone and a different app. DJI apparently has a "Video cache setting" in its app. If it's not turned on there's no saved video. Autel does not have the setting.


I don't see any evidence that the video is saved. It is not more efficient than using an external recorder other than the fact that it recording only video and not Starlink information. In both cases, a lot of information is being saved. It would be very inefficient to use a screen recorder and for Starlink to save video because the video would be recorded twice.
Since I am aware you have in the past and most likely do still own DJI products, I have no choice but to defer to your hands on knowledge of the capabilities of that system to save the flight video to cache only when one toggles that setting on in the DJI App, not having owned one myself. It was my sincere impression from Mr. Bogg's first refuting of "DroneSlayer's" assertions that he thought the video was gone forever when he found the memory card was not in the P3 camera unit when he recovered it, as he repeatedly stated to the cameras that no one wants that video of the flight more than he, so he could prove his innocence. I sincerely believed someone, more knowledgeable than Mr. Boggs, contacted him after viewing this and asked to examine the tablet's cache for the raw video feed stream files that he knew would in all probability still be in memory and was fortunately able to recover them to bolster Mr. Boggs' claim.

That was admittedly an assumption on my part. One that I believed reasonable, and my entire premise was based upon this. If am wrong, so be it. If I am not, then the possibility that Starlink could do this task much more efficiently than any other method is fact. I sincerely hope that is the case. I will defer to your superior knowledge on the subject matter being aware of your vast, cross platform experience and knowledge on the subject. Irregardless, if the video is piped to starlink as part of its function, it stands to reason, the most efficient method of saving a record of it should be through Starlink itself as well rather than initiate another app to duplicate the effort much less efficiently.

None-the-less, I have submitted requests along these lines to Autel support for the requsted feeatures and I encourage anyone who agrees with the need, to do the same.

Thank you for your expert analysis of my feature request.
 
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None-the-less, I have submitted requests along these lines to Autel support for the requsted feeatures and I encourage anyone who agrees with the need, to do the same.

I will join your request party, nothing wrong with putting it in their ear. I think it would be easy to accomplish putting a screen recorder in Starlink (non software designer saying this though, so grain of salt) as the feed is obviously there and they might take it on at this early stage if enough request it. Then they might just choose to buy someone else's recording app and incorporate it into Starlink.
 
I can certainly agree and would be pleased if Autel had a screen recording option in Starlink (would spare me the secondary app operation), I can't see any reason why it can't be done on a technical perspective, but I can see reasons why they wouldn't feel the need at this early stage to involve another step of support for related issues when they still have bigger fish to fry in their products offerings.
Thank you for your support.

A Lot of my goal is to spare the load on the cpu of the tablet system so the secondary screen recording app can be eliminated entirely, we are not limited to viewing only what was prominent on the screen at the time, but can access all the data after the fact, whether prominent at time of recording or not, & flight performance can be optimized.

I understand operational priorities of Autel's programming group might be better expended in fixing existing issues, but truly hope Autel realizes the need for protections of operators against falsly leveled accusations must hold a very high priority as well for the greater good of the hobby in general.

Every unsubstantiated accusation of wrongdoing by operators we can dispel with hard data is one step closer to a future where acceptance is more commonplace and the sicko imaginings and false accusations of insecure individuals hiding their true nature from society by attacking us because we might one day expose that true nature to the world is much less commonplace.
 
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but truly hope Autel realizes the need for Legal protections of operators must hold a very high priority as well for the greater good of the hobby in general.

Thanks for your suggestion. Agreed and the gather of data that Starlink would have combined with its own screen recorder compared to a current third party screen recorder would make it pretty darn sweet, but let's be very careful about what we want Autel to do when it comes to the proverbial 'covering our butt' concept, while I do not think this request would lead to them joining in on the DJI nanny state, is sure as heck can and I would be upset if they go that direction.
 
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Thanks for your suggestion. Agreed and the gather of data that Starlink would have combined with its own screen recorder compared to a current third party screen recorder would make it pretty darn sweet, but let's be very careful about what we want Autel to do when it comes to the proverbial 'covering our ***' concept, while I do not think this request would lead to them joining in on the DJI nanny state, is sure as hell can and I would be upset if they go that direction.
Not being previously initiated into the DJI Nanny State in the past I am confused (this is my first drone purchased July30, received Aug 3rd or 4th so I'm a total newb).

Can you elaborate on what I am missing here about this Nanny State? Educate me in this concept please. So far my submission to Autel was limited to what was essentially the OP. Should I qualify my request to avoid the downfalls of this unperceived Nanny State?

I edited the previous post to remove the word legal so it might escape the scrutiny & Nanny state implementation you fear by Autel should they join the forum & review the thread for ideas on implementation of this concept.

I apologize for my ignorance.
 
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I'm not much newer than you as far as ownership, but I've been keeping my ear to the ground for almost 2 years in the consumer quad market waiting for things to be simplified, DJI would of had another sale if it wasn't for DJI being DJI during that time :).

The buzzword will be Geofencing (evolved from No Fly Zones) and what can get included in it whether it's right or wrong to do so. Read up with that link. While in concept, it's an understandable and may even be an appreciated feature by a novice and/or lazy minded, but it reaches too far imo. I will use the FAA apps and maps to verify when and where I can't fly in the States, I don't want a Chinese company forcing/suggesting my quad to abide by their thoughts on the subject, warnings are nice, but could even be false causing you undue issues to your plans. I have seen numerous complaints about geofencing refusing to let people fly in the developed world when there wasn't a need for it. You will read that to override a geofence (Authorization Zone), you'll have to submit info to the mothership (DJI) and wait and see if they will unlock the fence for you to proceed, which they may or may not.
I also hear that DJI can force an app update or ground you if you don't, the only solution to this I've heard was to dedicate a tablet that never connects to the internet after you initially install their app, therefore you will never get the good stuff on an update either. I also hear they used to have a map feature to run Waypoint flights (like we currently have), but they removed them and only left Aircraft marker positioning, some DJI pilots suggested it is due to DJI wanting again to cover their *** figuring people could not handle the responsibility of autonomous flight paths without actually doing the flight path before activating it. This is all fine and good for DJI to cover their butt, but I'm a big boy, I don't want them telling me what I can or have to do with a product I own, and there in lies the issue.

Autel has started with a more relaxed approach to this ides (although I'm sure 15miles of the White House is a restricted zone as well) and our Waypoint flights and I don't want them taking the same nanny and phoning in for permission steps.

Never apologize for ignorance when you're seeking the information brother :) There is nothing wrong with ignorance, I personally don't see why others find it derogatory, stupidity is the one we try to avoid.
 
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