Wakeye App poor video quality

[jpwhit]

Just got a Wakeye and really like how it tracks and the speed based automatic record start/stop, but the video quality is so poor using my iPhone 6s that it's not really usable.

 

I've seen the discussions about turning stabilization off and increasing FPS, but there seems to be a bug that prevents anything other than 30 FPS on the 6s. Either that, or I don't know how to use the setting. I assume you would click on 30fps to change the setting just like you click on the speedo to change the auto recording speed. When I click on 30fps, it goes grey like it's going to give you options, but no options appear. Sometimes I get a message saying your videos will be stored to the gallery when I click on 30fps. My guess is that the app is checking which version of iPhone hardware is in use, to decide which FPS settings are supported and that logic is not working correctly on the 6s.

[Dacon62]

Strange. Have Wakeye and the 6s. I can't go as low as 30 fps. Lowest I can go is 60fps then 120 then 240.

Hard reboot your phone or delete and re-install the app and see if that fixes it.

 

[ozski]

I just took my lumps and got a Samsung for use with the wake eye. The quaility is excellent and the app seems to work pretty well.

[Horton]

@Jibbo ?

[fox197]

My wakeye app struggles as if it's confused on what to focus on. Maybe for an update they should have an automatic focus lock

[303Skier]

@jpwhit is it a 6 plus?? I have a 6 plus and the camera stabilization will kill the video quality! There is also no way to turn it off. If you have a regular iPhone 6 the video will be great.

 

Wakeye needs to state that iPhone 6 Plus doesn't work.

 

Good luck!

[jpwhit]

I don't have the plus, it's the smaller 6s. I've already tried both restarting the phone and re-installing the app. I've even tried it on two completely different iPhone 6ses with same results. The app already has the option to turn off stabilization and lock both AE/AF. Those options help but my main issue is the slow frame rate and the option to increase beyond 30fps being disabled. This is on the latest version of the app and iOS. (Wakeye 1.7.15, iOS 9.2.1)

 

[303Skier]

I spoke to John and the feature to turn off stabilization on the app really doesn't work. They haven't found a way to turn it off on the iPhones.

[aupatking]

On iPhone 6 I'm not having a big vid quality issue, mine stopped recording automatically again. Pain in the, well. If I was getting video, maybe I'd be unhappy about the quality. Am I needing to update a setting? It worked, now it doesn't?

[lpskier]

I can't adjust from 30 fps on my 6s either. Just got my Wakeye today. Disappointing to say the least.

 

Centurian question.: Do you attach to the narrow part of the pylon below where the rope attaches, or the wider part (immediately above the narrow part) on which the rope swival sits?

[Nautibynature]

Here is my dilemma, I ordered a wakeye, upgraded my phone from 4s to 6s plus. Then I saw this and realized my new 128gb phone with large screen for my viewing pleasure is not going to work. I have 3 days left to go back to Verizon and get a different phone for only a $35 restock fee. What phones work best? Anyone use the samsungs? I'm not opposed to switching to android.

[Wish]

Anyone know if this can happen from an iOS update with a 6 (non S) to the latest or is this just a hardware/S only thing. Reluctant to update.

[Texas6]

I have yet to get good video from my iPhone 6 with Wakeye. The App is stellar for start/stop, but all my video is bouncy and I've tried EVERYTHING - every setting, every Wakeye setting. Best video I've gotten has been marginally good. Frankly, that is just about good enough for me, but not for most

[Wish]

@Texas6 you will never get rid of the bounce as long as there is any slack in the line. Even a small amount will bounce any mount. I built my own and spent waaaay to much time trying to get rid of that. The best WE vid I've seen has some bounce. The best way to make it better is to save it to your photo album and then up load it to the Coach My Video app. There you can do frame by frame, slo-mo, stop frame, zoom (great feature) and draw on it. Doing this should make most if not all vids usable unless there is continuous vibration or focus issues. But the bounce from line getting a snaped, big or small will be a non issue.

[MattP]

Works amazing on the 5.

[jpwhit]

@Wish that is a good question and I wish I knew the answer. Is the problem really the 6s phone, and how the wakeye app determines which phone, or is it something related to the latest version of iOS. I just got the wakeye and our phones were already at the latest iOS version and I don't have access to an iPhone 6.

 

I think one of the guys in our ski club has an iPhone 6 and I may be able to get him to try it this weekend. I have no idea if he's on the latest version of iOS. And iOS 9.3 is rolling out now as well.

[Nautibynature]

Anybody use a Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge with Wakeye app? @Horton @Jibbo you guys know?

[Horton]

@Nautibynature The app has works great for every android phone I have owned. I got a S7 yesterday and I will try it this weekend.

[Texas6]

Here is an iPhone 6 video from last summer w/Wakeye - imported into Coaches Eye from the iPhone. Looks like the phone wasn't positioned well enough to catch the pull-out and glide, but you can see how wavy it is. I care less about the bounce from the rope than I do the waviness of the video itself....I believe it to be an iPhone issue more so than a Wakeye issue...I believe this vid is 32 off - not a pretty 32 off but you can see what I'm referring too about the iPhone video

 

https://www.coachseye.com/v/tkHy

 

[Booze]

@Texas6 - yeah, I'm using a 5s and it does the same wavy thing.

 

[Nautibynature]

Yea that's weird, I'm guessing android doesn't do that?

[sailworks]

 

I've three years experience with wakeye and iphone. I discussed issues raised hear with folks in New Zealand. They are aware, but don't have solution as of last chat. I'm pretty sure of following:

1. The problem is with later version iPhones, not wakeye app or mount. Try any iphone video app with phone in wakeye mount and you will see same result.

2. iphone 5 works great.

3. iPhone 5s works but not as well as 5. 5s video is wavy (rolling shutter issue with 5s not present 5.

4. iphone 6plus is unusable (I think same with 6 - something in video mechanics or apple internal software with newer phones).

5. Has nothing to do with IOS version.

Not sure about later iPhones -- but problems discussed here relates to the phone, not apps.

Big time disappointment - I bought an iold iphone 5 just for skiing with wakeye. I don't think android phone have this problem, and have no idea if apple will reengineer video in newer phones to avoid. I've tried to talk with Apple about this - but help folks that I talked with were clueless.

[DavidP]

I did some passes with the standard video on my 5s and it looks great. Wakeye app wavy.

[ktm300]

How much would you pay for a fully functioning Wakeye App? Would have to include fixed focus to avoid the wandering. For me, it would be worth quite a bit. Maybe an incentive for Wakeye to spend the $$ to solve the issues?

[MISkier]

$10 for sure. $20 if they could make it also work on my iPhone 4 with IOS 7 that I dedicated to this duty. The app works manually on that phone and the video is good, but does not access the GPS to activate/deactivate according to the boat speed. There is an entire other thread where I tried to get this working with @Jibbo.

[Jibbo]

Wakeye recommends for iPhone 6 using 120fps and stabilization on. We are working on the bug for iPhone 6s where we believe the app isn't recognising which phone it is hence the 30fps showing on the screen being incorrect and this is providing poor video quality. An update should be available soon.

[Horton]

Let me clarify for anyone reading this who does not own a Wakeye.

 

The automatic video app that Wakeye sells along with the tracking hardware is not necessary but it is freaking cool. If the app hates your phone the you simplly do not get the automatic record and stop record. You can just record video old school and or the boat crew hits the record button for you. Now if your phone still sucks at video... then it sucks at video.

 

@Jibbo did I state all this correctly?

 

Personally I have used the Wakeye app with Samsung GS5 and GS6 with no issue. I will try the GS 7 tomorrow.

[303Skier]

Wakeye needs to take off phones on their website that DO NOT WORK!

 

This is a very expensive camera mount and even more expensive if some folks have to upgrade their $600+ phones!

 

Thumbs down for Apple and Wakeye.

[Texas6]

Camera mount itself works REALLY well, and also has mounts for a video camera! Let's be clear, the mount is fantastic, the app is very cool! The issue is the cameras....and it is evolving

[lpskier]

Ironically my Wakeye arrived Monday. Now paired with my IPhone 6s. Not perfect, but not bad either. I'll look forward to the app upgrade.

[Wish]

So does upping the fps increase the size of the video clip as in takes up more memory then less fps?

[Jibbo]

Here is a video of a friend at Lake Inspiration which I pulled off my iPhone 6 with no post editing. It uses the Wakeye app with 120fps and stabilization on. The speed is 34mph 22off behind a Nautique 200. It was late in the evening so lighting not that great.

[Lake3]

I have an iPhone 6, has worked as advertised every time. Set at 60fps stabilization on.

[Deep11]

@jibbo and @Lake3 - how did you get the fps up from the stock 30? I have unloaded and reloaded a number of times - still only 30fps . It simply greys out when trying to change?

Did you do some trickery in the main phone settings?

[Dacon62]

Make sure if you have a bow rider that the window is closed and the wind dam is in place to reduce wind buffeting.

[Jibbo]

@Deep11 working on an update to fix the 30fps bug on the 6S and will have an update shortly

[Lake3]

It was as easy as taping on the 60fps and it cycled through the available setting for fps.

[Deep11]

Excellent @Jibbo look forward to it :)

[303Skier]

I'm going to trade my iPhone 6+ in for a S7.

[Nautibynature]

I exchanged mine for an S7, I'm starting to get used to it.

[jpwhit]

@Jibbo any news on the app update to properly recognize the iPhone 6s

[Jibbo]

Hi @jpwhit we have fixed the bug and have submitted the update to apple for approval. They normally take a 10-15 days to approve it and release it to the public.

[Rook]

@Jibbo

 

Just trying to catch up on the discussions surrounding which iPhones work best w/ Wakeye. The Wakeye app has stopped working on my iPhone 4. From what I've read, it appears that the iPhone 5 works quite well w/ Wakeye, and the iPhone 5 is compatible w/ Coach's Eye. My iPhone 4 was not compatible w/ Coach's Eye.

 

I can update my iphone 4 to an iphone 5 quite inexpensively which is a priority currently as I am still putting my youngest of two kids through college. The oldest is now in grad school and its on her dime. However, I don't want to update to an iPhone 5 and it become obsolete in the near future due to an update of the Wakeye app. Do you foresee the Wakeye app staying compatible w/ an iPhone 5?

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can offer me!

[Deep11]

Great wakeye now has 60, 120 & 240 fps with latest update - will try it out and see if the "shakes" go.

[DaveD]

@Rook I hope the iPhone 5 doesn't go obsolete. I've got no interest in moving to a big, clunky iPhone 6.

[Jibbo]

@DaveD iPhone 4S, 5 , 5S, 6 and 6S all work as they use the latest iOS operating system.

 

iPhone 4 no longer can upgrade to the latest iOS operating system so the Wakeye app cant work on it.

[MISkier]

@Jibbo, I think the question was about Wakeye's roadmap for continued development of the app for the 4S, 5, etc. Are they all considered to be on the support plan going forward? Or, is it a function of the which ones can continue to be upgraded to the latest iOS?

[303Skier]

@Jibbo Does the iPhone 6 plus and 6 plus s work with app?

[Jibbo]

@303Skier the iPhone 6+ has a optical stabilization feature that seems to cause havoc with the vibrations coming from the boat, which is transferred through the pylon and mount.

The app works but the video quality is very poor.

However, this seems to vary from different users where we believe boats with minimal vibration seem to work OK, but ones with vibrations from the motor and possibly shaft bearing vibrations the video becomes almost un-watchable.

[sailworks]

Considerable experience with iphone and wakeye mount and app c 3 years. Experience in accord with @Jibbo: problem has really nothing to do with app or wakeye mount or iOS, rather everything to do with iphone hardware. iphone 5 is best, 5s has rolling shutter and gives wavy video with any boat wobble (OK but not bad good as iphone 5). Iphone 6plus is unusable - something to do with hardware in the phone / stabilisation. (Hand held iphone 6plus looks great)