DJI is rumored to expand support of the RC Controller to provide compatibility with the DJI Air 2S drone.
Additionally, according to a thread at the DJI Forums, the update will also enable support for the upcoming DJI Mavic 3 Classic, which is rumored to be announced on October 27th with a single camera with no telephoto options.
Image Credit: DJI
The Air2S is currently compatible with the RC Pro Remote controller, but considering that the controller has been discontinued and costs north of $2,000 used, it’s high time that DJI offered another solid state option outside of the standard controller and smartphone control.
A simple firmware update to both should easily free up the $310 RC remote to control the drone.
Image Credit – DJI
The firmware update is due by the end of the month and will enable the RC remote to connect to the drone and provide a first-person view of flying in full HD at a range of up to nearly 10 miles.
Though it’s important to remember that FAA regulations require drone operators to keep their UAVs within line of sight during flight operations.
The DJI RC remote controller provides a 5.5-inch HD screen with brightness adjustable to 700 bits. Utilizing DJI’s O3+ transmission protocol, the remote provides low-latency 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second.
The RC remote controller has a four-hour operation life on a single charge and works through the DJI Fly app which is installed on board.
Image Credit – DJI
This may be the main gripe by drone operators about the $310 remote is that it only allows the use of apps within DJI’s ecosystem, and doesn’t support third-party navigation solutions like Pix4D, DroneDeploy, or Litchi, which enable users to plan and map flight operations with waypoints from any location.
However, DJIs navigation capabilities continue to get better through the app, therefore those gripes could be based on preference and not actual capability.
And it may well be that DJI will open up their API in future firmware updates to enable additional app use in a support capacity.
Meanwhile, the new firmware update will enable the DJI Air 2S and perhaps the Mavic 3 Classic to stream high-resolution video at 30 frames per second, and capture 20MP still images from its Type 1 CMOS image sensor. The drone also offers a 31-minute flight envelope.
And with the DJI Fly app at the heart of its operation, it’s likely that DJI will continue to expand UAV support up and down DJI’s drone line as time goes on.
In the meantime, DJI Air 2S operators can now take advantage of the RC remote’s incredible high-resolution range.Firmware updates for the drones and RC controller to unlock the feature will be available at the end of October from DJI’s support site.
[source: DPReview]
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