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Aerial Photography and Video > MicroOptical CV-1 RR RV&P buying power test
 
 
FlightPowerVeteran - Location: Herts UK -
Guys,

I'm in talks with a company called MicroOptical Corp. www.microoptical.net

they produce this, it's called a CV-1 clip-on NTSC or PAL color video viewer, I'm doing flight tests with a loan unit at the moment and it's simply AWESOME:


It comes with this:


you can use it with the supplied safety goggles like the photo above or you can attach it you your own glasses like mine here:


With a downlink like this:

(from www.blackwidowav.com)

and a camera like this:


on a helicopter like this:


or simply like this with a small CCD video camera:

(from www.blackwidowav.com)

on a helicopter like this:


you can now fly around whilst both safely seeing your heli (or plane) for RC flight as normal whilst also being able to see the cockpit view from the camera, the image is good enough to fly the aircraft or to simply enjoy the flight - which takes RC flight into an entirely new era regardless of whether you take photos or whether you simply want to experience the ultimate RC flight from the cockpit of your own aircraft. However, when combined with a photographic camera, when you like what you see through your CV-1 you can trigger your camera from your TX with a servo (or I use an RC electronic switch like this):


and depending on what's infront of the camera at the time take photos like this:

or this:

better than this in fact because my camera that took these shots is a Sony DSC-P9 (4Mpx) and the camera shown above us a DSC-P10 (5Mpx)

Q. It seems ideal, so what's the problem?
A. Well, MicroOptical want $1650 US for the CV-1 which to most is a show-stopper. Agreed?

So when we're done, I'd like to show this thread to MicroOptical as a wake-up call with a view to pointing out that if they offer this product to us at a sensible price there are customers waiting. Lots of customers - that's my guess, over to you.

Question: How much would you be willing to part with for one of these?

Thanks!

Julian.
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Doug
Elite Veteran
Location: Naples Florida....

Very nice and definitely the "chicken and the egg" problem. As constructed is has a rather small market of industrial (Military) users and if the price point falls enough there market would be 1000 times larger and as a result the costs would plummet. but is market that big?

First member of Member of Bearings Anonymous
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Doug, at what price point would you consider buying one?

My theory is that if we can show them a long enough list of figures then they will have to take this seriously - i.e. they can look at what they are missing out on and maybe decide to deal. Like sorry, these guys were given a US Military grant to develop this stuff, so they're not fighting to make back the cash they spent and. OK it's beautiful but no piece of electronic wizz costs that much to replicate. Please stick a figure down.

Me: $800 and I wouldn't blink. $1,650 I walk - see just like that.

Cheers!

Julian
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Obsessive
Key Veteran
Location: 41.73N 71.41W

It's a LOT better looking than "hack" jobs, but wouldn't it be less costly to produce the same effects like this?

(See the Glasstron monocular hack link - Cliff Leonq)

http://zerospin.com/ripley/doc/plma35hack.html

Check out also http://www.cyber-flyer.com
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Doug
Elite Veteran
Location: Naples Florida....

If I was trying to use it for a business venture then your price point has good value. For the "gota have that bunch" it needs to be even less expensive. what is the resolution of the display? If it was BW (after all you are using it as a monitor) (the display)would it bake it less $$$.

First member of Member of Bearings Anonymous
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Sorry, all the information is above, what it is, how it works and a link to the MicroOptical homepage for specifications, press releases etc etc. It's color its 1/2 VGA (I think) it's excellent and no you can't achieve the same effect with a hacked Glastron by any stretch of the imagination. Simply put, it's totally desirable but too expensive.

Guys,

The purpose of this thread is a survey to put infront of MicroOptical showing them what this stuff is worth to us, with the express aim of getting them to lower the price of this equipment to within our reach. If they see a ready market in numbers and it's worth it to them to supply, everybody wins.

If we get a good long list of $800 $700 $875 etc etc then they are going to have to take a good long look as to whether to make us an offer or turn away an entire market niche for their product. This is an exercise in group buying power.

repeat:

Question: How much would you be willing to part with for one of these?

Thanks,

Julian.
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
jamthomas
Senior Heliman
Location: Newberg, Oregon

I'd have a hard time spending over 500.00
Anymore and I'll wait, which won't be long, for the competitors to bring the price down or I might try to rig something together myself.

Jim
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
BigD
Senior Heliman
Location: Dallas, GA

Well Julian I will hop in for ya and say what I did in your other thread. I think this is an amazing product with great potential. I personaly would never go beyond $800 for it and that had better be the high end model which I believe is the CV-3. I have worked in the IT field for close to 10 years now and I know the price of the components used, they dont cost $1,600.

Right now the company is probably trying to fight incoming vs outgoing revenue and lowering their prices will not seem to help that battle. Basically if they cut their prices in half and doubled their sales they would have changed nothing at all. They would have to get triple sales or greater for them to even consider a price cut to the level we want.

My theory is like the one stated above, we will just wait till a couple new companies come in and it drives the market straight down to our level. Plasma screens used to be 15-30k now I can hop down to Best Buy and grab one for 3-4k. Next year I will be able to get one for my daughter to hang in her room to impress her friends, that is how technology pricing works.

Either they hop on the bandwagon and get with the picture now or when they get bought out and Sony starts selling them at Best Buy I will get one. No matter to me, its all business


Oh ya, Sony will have them for 499.99, sorry just ha to say that part
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
daggit
Elite Veteran
Location: Waseca MN

I'd really like a heads up unit also. I can't justify spending as much $$ on the glasses as I did on my helicopter kit.

Actually if they were $500 I'd probably wind up with 2. One for the pilot and one for my camera operator.

08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Thanks BigD - my theory with this is that we're not talking about doubling or trippling sales to Heli pilots - we're talking about offering them 10, 50, 100, 1000? Heli customers at $800, $750, $700 etc instead of ZERO customers at $1650/$2350

Daggit, depending on your rig, one of the coolest things about this product is you don't need a separate camera operator - you both fly and see what you're aiming at so you can just compose and take the shot yourself. Now you may enjoy the company of your camera operator and that's a whole different matter, but if you're having to pay someone to run a camera or wait on them to be free of other commitments when you need to go out and shoot something then this thing comes into it's own.

Julian
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
ImRich
Veteran
Location: Derry, NH USA

I'd consider one at $199.99 USD.

This is a nice looking unit, but as with all technology, as soon as it becomes popular, others will follow with less expensive units.

Heck, I've even mounted a camcorder CRT electronic viewfinder to a baseball cap to make my own similar type device. I can do that for $29 and the resolution is pretty good.

Since we're hobby related, our dollars are hard to come by. If they could come up with three different models:

1) Hobby/experimenters
2) Commercial
3) Military

They could then have three different price ranges. 200/800/1500 for each market.

This is how most companies work! Sometimes the different products are actually the same, but with some minor differences such as plastic chassie for the inexpensive version and titanium (or some other exotic/light metal) for the upper scale versions.

---
Rich
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
rob_jones
Key Veteran
Location: Oglethorpe, GA

Of course, if it's also marketed to fixed wing RC pilots, you open a MUCH larger sales potential.

I know lots of guys (myself included) that would like to see what some moves would look like from the cockpit (like my knife-edge waterfalls). But I don't want to know badly enough to cough up $1600. Or even $500, for that matter. Maybe $350?

Another thought...There are several guys who fly at my field who compete in IMAC. These dudes easily have $5000-6000 in their planes and probably wouldn't blink at spending another few hundred. Especially when they consider the potential competitive advantage of being able to use reference points from the air when flying precision patterns...

-----
Team MRC Hirobo
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
daggit
Elite Veteran
Location: Waseca MN

Julian,

I understand that I can become a one-man operation with this unit. That is the whole reason I would consider one even for over $500. I am lucky to have cheap labor (my wife) to run the camera

When I'm out in the field, having a camera person who can ALSO spot for you is pretty nice. But it would be nice not to HAVE to drag her along every time. She's not always as "ready-to-go" as I am
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Bimmer M3

I'd agree with that. The importance of this took a moment or two to sink in and then it hit me. Like No $1200++ Futaba 9CHP however good it is will let you see out of your plane (or heli) and fly it at the same time.

This does.

Thinking about guys with super expensive warbirds etc - how cool would it be to feel like you were in it - that's got to be the new definition of high-end RC flight. Plus - the $1650 or $875 or whatever this has to come down to before its taken up in numbers - like the 9CHP does not go up in the air at risk of coming down too hard - and it's totally trasferable beteween every aircraft in your fleet. I'd like to see it integrated with the TX as a standard feature - one day.

Daggit - my wife just complains that the eyetreks ruin her hair, then makes excuses that she has to get back to the kids - I envy what you've got going there - worth it's weight in gold I bet.

Julian
08-07-2003 Over year old.
 
 
corey11
Elite Veteran
Location: Bay Area, California

That little thing is awsome!! id love to have one to show it off, but for 1600 bucks...ill just get a new heli! i think they would sell a whole lot more for 600-700.
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
ELOSSAM
Veteran
Location: Es

$875 that´s my offer
Elossam
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Twin_squirrel
Senior Heliman
Location: Wiltshire, UK

I would probably take the plunge at the $800 price point but only after trying and failing to rig some Heath Robinson affair up myself I would also have to try a unit out first but if it is as good as you say then I don't see $800 as too much to ask

David
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Obsessive
Key Veteran
Location: 41.73N 71.41W

Ok, you asked....$500. max.

...and there is good reason for my earlier post...you can show the micro_ people that it's a simple thing to procure equivalent products elseswhere if they are unreasonable on pricing.
08-07-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
FlightPower
Veteran
Location: Herts UK

Thanks Obsessive. Now we're motoring. My guess is that ELOSSAM is on the money at 50% off the rate. I'd match that if I was told I could actually place my order today.

Therefore we have potentially $6599.99 sitting here in the space of 3 hours i.e. $2200 per hour on a "what if" basis. I think most electronics companies could manage to pump product out of the door at $2200 per hour. Please keep it coming and we'll go get these guys.

Julian
08-08-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Seaviper
Senior Heliman
Location: Ft Lauderdale

I'm thinking $300 max. But the "cool factor" of having a HUD is just, well, cool!

Is this thing better than the VR goggles for the camera operator?
As the pilot I want to see the bird, but the camera operator might like the VR goggles better.

Patrick
O|||||||O H2 Recovery Team
08-24-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
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