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To become professional remote pilots, you need to have a top-quality video monitor capable of providing you steady live video feed. Smartphones, tablets, and video monitors all do that. But you want to have a reliable video monitor that does the job, right? Here is why the DJI Crystalsky video monitor might be your next pick.
After I received the DJI CrystalSky video monitor approximately 9 months ago in December to go with my Mavic Pro, I was blown away by how smooth the live video feed is. The video monitor felt like it was well built with top-notch quality work. I was more than happy to fly around my Mavic Pro using the DJI CrystalSky to provide additional support.
It was much more convenient using the CrystalSky than my smartphone or tablet. However, some of you might be looking at how reliable the DJI CrystalSky video monitor is in the long run. Fortunately, I have been using it for at least 9 months so far.
Now, I will be sharing my experience and thoughts about the DJI Crystalsky video monitor with you. I will also explain why Crystalsky is a better choice than smartphones and tablets in terms of flexibility and choices.
Don’t get me wrong. It is a little bit heavier than smartphones or tablets. The real deal here is how you will use this advanced video monitor for anywhere you go. Because, believe me, there will be times where you will wish you had DJI CrystalSky video monitor.
Design & Battery
This video monitor comes with a little more features than you will be expected. It is built and made to provide you wide flexibility and a set of tools to perform with. While it is too big to fit on the majority of the remote controller, I use PolarPro Mount Holder for CrystalSky (See Price) because it is much higher quality. But also it can hold up a 7.85″ video monitor if you chose to go for a bigger screen.
Some of the DJI Drones such as Phantom 4 Pro (See Price) and Inspire 2 (See Price) already come with a built-in mount holder that you can attach the video monitor right away. Design-wise, this video monitor is very durable. It is encased with aluminum that provides its great quality and smooth surface.
Beside the video monitor is the battery. It is much bigger and heavier than the video monitor itself. However, a single battery will last for five hours. One of the major advantages that the CrystalSky video monitor has over smartphones and tablets is that the battery is built to withstand extreme cold weather.
Durability Against Extreme Weather
If you were to fly the drone in northern parts of Canada or Antarctica, you are out of luck. The extreme cold will cause the smartphones and tablets battery to interpret it as dead. With the DJI CrystalSky Battery (See Price), it can easily withstand cold weather as low as -30°F to 104°F.
The battery comes with a built-in LED status that lets you know how much juice it has. I think it is especially a nice feature to have. However, the main drawback to it is that you can’t see its status while charging. Because when you have to recharge, you have to put it heads down which is also where the LED lights are located. To counter that, the charger hub (See Price) comes with a light that lets you know it’s fully charged by flashing green.
Performance
Generally, the technology degrades after each use. They get slower and ineffective. These can be countered if you take proper care. By doing so, you are extending the durability of use and will get the most out of its value. I still remember when I powered up the CrystalSky video monitor for the first time. It animated smoothly and ran like brand new.
Still today, it runs just like the first time I powered it up. The video monitor responses and loads the applications insanely fast compared to tablets or smartphones. That is because there is only so little running in the background. So most of its performance is focused to provide you the best and smooth experience.
The details and images shown on the CrystalSky video monitor will be sharp and clear. That is because they are shown on the 1920 x 1080p resolution on a small screen. For the 7.85″ version, they have a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536. One of the key features this video monitor has is a dedicated encoder. It has both H.264 and H.265 that makes live video feed goes very smooth without any choppy frames. This allows you lighting-fast and smooth videos from the drone to the video monitor as well as fast streaming to your laptop or PC for post video editing.
Additionally, the CrystalSky has by far the best connectivity. It has a maximum latency of 180 milliseconds which translates to 0.018 seconds. The best smartphone you can get has a latency of 0.024 milliseconds. The speed is extremely important for quality to live video feed. Not to also mention that lower latency means you can get complete live video at a far range compared to what these mobile devices bring to the table.
Visibility in Direct Sunlight
During the summertime and in certain areas where there is a lot of direct sunlight, it can be difficult to see the screen if you are using smartphones or tablets. Because they have lower brightness compared to the CrystalSky video monitor, the best smartphone you can get has a maximum brightness of 541 cd/m2. It is also one of the oldest devices that will not work with the DJI drones.
The high brightness CrystalSky features 1000 cd/m2 that makes it quite easy to see under the direct sunlight. However, if you living in the areas where there is constant sunlight. The 7.85″ version comes with ultra brightness that has a 2000 cd/m2. To show you how it looks like when it is placed under the sunlight.
As you can notice, it is easy to see the video monitor. But as you get farther, it becomes harder to see because of reflective light. Most of the time, you will be mounting it with the remote controller. Every time I go somewhere, I choose to use the video monitor because of its reliability and ease of use.
Features
The main takeaway of the CrystalSky video monitor is how easy and flexible it is. On its right side is the buttons. There is a power button, application button, and go back button. The F1 and F2 are programmable buttons that allow you to custom what it does of your choice.
You even can program these buttons to take a screenshot of what is on the CrystalSky video monitor. It is also possible to do recording on it which makes it overall the best choice to use for any DJI drones. Because the quality, power, and speed that DJI CrystalSky has to offer will put your smartphone and tablet to shame.
Ports
On the left side of the video monitor is the ports. There is a port that is used for a USB charger that you can connect to the transmitter to obtain smooth and lively video feed. It also comes with a headphone jack for the audio part. However, perhaps one of the most anticipated features is the HDMI port. If you use VR headset like the DJI Goggles (See Price), you will find that it goes quite nicely with the CrystalSky video monitor.
The CrystalSky is built for speed to the delivery smooth video experience. It is especially important when you want to pilot the drone in VR Mode. With reliable connectivity and dedicated video encoders, the CrystalSky video monitor keeps you in the loop without any fear of losing connect or choppy frames. I have flown twice with my friend’s VR headset and it has provided me a completely different experience than what my iPhone 7 Plus (See Price) has to offer.
For these reasons, I give the DJI CrystalSky five stars for its amazing flexibility and compatibility.
Micro SD Slots & Mount Holder
Perhaps one of my favorite thing about this video monitor is how feature-packed it is! Believe it or not, the DJI CrystalSky video monitor comes with two Micro SD card slots. The original package doesn’t come with a micro SD card. So, if you want to be able to save videos and screenshots from your drone, you will need to purchase one. For this video monitor, we recommend the 64GB micro SD card.
If you have extra cash to spend, go for the 128GB version. For professionals who are looking to produce high-grade videos and screenshots, it is recommended to purchase at least two 256GB micro SD cards! This micro SD card we recommended have high reading and writing speed that is important for the best image quality.
The fact that it comes with two micro SD card slots makes it quite useful to carry large and expensive memory capacity. It is awesome if you’re flying a DJI Inspire 2 (See Price) mounted with Zenmuse X7 (See Price) that records videos on 6K resolution at 60 frames per second. As you would imagine, it does eat up memory quite fast! But that professional work isn’t just limited to Inspire 2.
You can elevate your quality of work with the DJI CrystalSky by being able to store memory as much as you want to. If you’re flying for a long time where you don’t have access to a nearby laptop or USB drive to store all the excess, this video monitor will come in handy.
Finally, there are two small circular holes on the bottom. They are built and designed to be held by mount holders. Just simply use the handheld screw and twist it to secure the video monitor in its place. In the middle between the circles is a port for your smartphone or remote controller, depending on what brand of mobile devices you are using. The real deal is that the CrystalSky video monitor is an amazing tool for long flights and storing a lot of memory within a compact size.
DJI CrystalSky Review after 9 Months of Use
As a frequent user of DJI CrystalSky, I am very happy with the decision to obtain this product. There is a common misunderstanding of why people don’t think this is flexible and whatnot. Because from a starter’s perspective, it doesn’t look very beginner-friendly. But I can assure you that if you do put the effort into understanding what each button does and how this product exactly works. It will be one of your best investments ever.
Best of all? If you decide to upgrade to a more expensive and better drone that requires more memory to produce high-grade quality videos and screenshots. Smartphones and Tablets have a short duration and gets worn out most likely after every two years.
With the CrystalSky video monitor, you can carry on with your new upgrades and continue as it is like before. The only downside is that it doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi. So, you really can’t connect to the internet anywhere you want to. You will have to connect it to your home Wi-Fi or in open public places that offer free Internet.
This video monitor can do everything from capturing a screenshot on the monitor to recording videos. It is a great and incredible piece of quality product. Forget about buying NVIDIA Shield or any overpriced tablets and smartphones. If the quality of videos and screenshots are important, the CrystalSky video monitor is strictly designed to exceed the expectations.
I have a lot of great positive experience with the DJI CrystalSky like many others who bought it. In Amazon, it even has an average rating of 3.9 over 5, with 55% of it are five-star ratings.
I will be looking forward to using it during wintertime when I fly back to Rochester, New York to take aerial footage of winter wonderland! As I mentioned previously, it does look like it is used by professionals only. However, as long as you put effort into learning how this video monitor works. Then it will be your best friend for aerial footage anywhere you go.
Share your experience with us:
Did you own DJI CrystalSky? Let us know what your experience with it was like. Furthermore, if you have any questions that you want to know more about this product, feel free to comment below. We are always happy to hear from you and having a conversation with you! Happy flying guys! 🙂
