Theses devices caught my eye, as I'm in the market for wireless tx/rx and lo and behold!! Another Curtis Judd review! I know that if you're reviewing them positively, I'm on the right track. Hopefully will have 3 of these in the new year. Thanks as always, Curtis! Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Curtis! You are one f the few, if not the only one, that I first like their content and then watch and learn. Although simple thank you doesn't sound enough to me, THANK YOU, and thank you for creating such helpful content and sharing them with the world!
I have enjoyed, over the years, checking out your reviews on all kinds of audio and video devices. This review, in particular, was so very timely as I am looking at an OB version of this and you have now confirmed what I was hoping - very little latency and a nice image quality. Thank you for this review, and all of your reviews for that matter! Time to pull the trigger!
I can attest that the customer service here in the U.S. is top notch. I had a non-functional OLED on the transmitter of my MARS 400. I contacted HollyView and they got back to me within 24 hours. They asked me to send my set back and they overnighted me a brand new set free of charge. Very, very happy with the experience.
Hi Curtis, I hae been thinking about this for awhile now, thank you very much for making this video, keep up the good work and I hope you and your family are doing well. kind regards, Clarke
That RTSP feature makes me think that one could potentially setup a streaming server and then many clients could monitor the stream. Very cool product here!
I use this system weekly for pro events and it's an incredible value. *BUT* don't be fooled by the metalic housing. It is very, very brittle. I broke the coldshoe mount off my transmitter with a drop of about 2 feet onto a folding table. Hardly surprising given the price so I'm not complaining, but don't get a false sense of security from the feel of the housing. I glued it together and it's still working perfectly fine, but it's worth noting.
Great review, Curtis! I help out with the livestreaming for my local charity. Recently we've moved to a multi camera set up. Would I be able to use an TX/RX pair of these to replace each of the HDMI cables running between the cameras and capture card? It's interesting as I wonder if it would be able to cope with multiple TX/RX signals running in the same hall. Thanks for the great content - it was an instant subscribe for me!
Hi Saif! In theory, yes, should work fine. The RF landscape can be very different from one location to another, but if you have a direct line of sight between transmitter and receiver and not TOO much wifi activity, this should work fine. As always, test, test, test, before you trust it to an official live-stream. Happy streaming!
Nice one, Curtis! That was a good review / insight. I will be picking up one next week to try out. I was interested in the latency park with the Atomos shogun, that you went through there. I have a Sumo 19 that I will use for my directors monitor, I will let you know if there is a latency issue when I get them in. Unless you've already tested that out? It would be nice to know. Also, I was thinking to use them on a live set in August for a festival ... might have to research to see if that is possible to send a signal from a moving camera on stage to the village.
@Curtis Judd @Curtis Judd Audio Have you noticed a significant UHF noise floor shift when using the Hollyland MARS 400S PRO? So many mixers have been complaining about similar pro systems negatively affecting their wireless mics on set because the video transmitters aren’t properly filtered. I’d love to know what a UHF scan looks like before and after turning this on!
Hi Ken - you win the prize for the most astute question! Just tested here with the A10 in the SL2 and didn't see a change from no MARS 400S and with MARS 400S in a small room here. I also had the antenna filter off for the SL2. Looks like this particular unit is filtered or far enough up spectrum that it didn't pose any issues.
I just ordered the 400s pro, it was the last piece of the puzzle to make my rig 100% portable and wireless on the set. I will now have 100% capability of setting up a little video village with wireless video and audio feeding into an Atem mini pro feeding a 40” Mobile TV cart that is stand alone other than 1 plug to mains power. One thing i hear you say often is the difference between professional level gear and pro-sumer level gear. I find the barrier between those distinctions are getting smaller to non-existent with hardware like this, and I find the flexibility this gives is well worth the $650US price tag, even for indie productions. The group I film with is all self funded, but this kind of gear will help take us to the next level and allow the creative to flourish. No more looking at small camera LCD screens by 10 people at once anymore... they will all be over at video village now
Glad to hear it is working well, Trevor! The only thing I would consider not entirely pro about this kit is that it rounds all the frame rates to whole numbers. That's often ok, just for viewing, but if I need the frame rate at a fractional setting (e.g., 29.97, 23.976) for the production, it would be nice to be able to do that. I could, of course, use a Decimator or other converter, but it is always best to avoid adding things to the signal chain when possible.
@@curtisjudd My signal chain is GH5 to Atomos Ninja passthrough to Mars 400s Tx to Rx to Atem Mini pro. The Atem will do the frame rate conversion for live streaming if needed. Base use case is recording to Atomos for production needs, and transmit video for producer/director/client on set viewing only. It's going to be perfect for my intended use. I'm mostly using the ATEM only for the fact that we can have up to 4 cameras (most of the time only 2) feeding into the director's monitor in multiview, or switching between views. Now the primary camera can be wireless instead of tethered via HDMI cable. Maybe Hollyland will be able to change the frame rate issue in the future with a firmware update if the hardware will allow it? Here's to hoping!
@@everynationmarseille7215 we are both running atomos recorders on set fir the two cameras. One is tethered, the other wireless. There is 80 milliseconds of lag on the wireless but it is not an issue as most of the time video village is just for the director / AD to watch composition from the cameras. I havent had anyone complain about latency yet
In my powering tests, yes. But I haven't been on a production set to test it there yet. My employer's office is still closed with everyone working from home.
Thank you Curtis, great review as always. I'm using a tablet as wifi monitor with the app but sometimes distance is too long so it could be better for me to use the receiver. Can I connect the receiver to tablet via cable ( HDMI to USB or something like that) ? It can works ? Any suggestions to do this (if there is a way to do it)? Thanks
@@curtisjudd yes me neither but I've heard that with a simple hdmi to usb adaptor and the right app it could works. I have to try and hope... Thanks Curtis!
It says on the package that you can connect the RX through a USB-C Standard RJ45 cable and you should be able to use the stream through your PC/MAC. i have tried this with NO luck, can you help????
In a streaming situation, any idea if there is a limit on the length of the cable (hdmi or sdi) used to go from the receiver to a switcher (Roland V60HD or V40HD)? There are a lot of turns and bends between our studio and where the camera is going to be. We are hoping to compensate for the turns and bends by covering that area with a high quality cable, resulting in the receiver being physically closer to transmitter and with a more direct transmission line.
Have you found this unit consistently reliable for indoor uses where transmitter and receiver are in different rooms? I realize that the unit is supposed to be line of site but my primary use case is livestreaming indoor walking tours of museums. I tested today in my 2nd floor apartment and I don't think I got more than 50 ft before there was serious signal drop and the video started cutting in and out. There were no closed doors but I did leave my office and walk down the hall to the kitchen and that's when it all went south. I'm wondering if using different channels on the pair would make any improvements? Thanks for your great content.
Just a quick ques is it possible to record the video in the camera's (Mirrorless bodies like Z series, Sony Alphas and Canon R etc) memory card and simultaneously make it go online through Atem Mini at several social platforms? like 2-3 youtube channels, insta, fb etc? Would be grateful to know.
That depends on the camera, but most of the cameras in the last couple of years can do this. Watch for the older Canon DSLRs which couldn't in all cases.
This might be a stupid question but I can't seem to find the answer to it. Does this device transmit sound from the HDMI-output of the camera to the receiver? Plus regarding the transmission, could I somehow make a wireless router recieve the signal from the transmitter, and output the video in for instance OBS? :) Kind Regards from Denmark Jørgen
I actually gave it away so I cannot test, but my recollection is that it passes through sound. No, I don't believe you can create an IP stream like that. You have to join the Mars400 wireless network. But I would contact Hollyland support to confirm both of these since I cannot test here.
My Canon 80D’s back screen blacks out when using my ski/hdmi 400s (non pro) units. Am I missing a step Chris? Is there a setting I need to set on my camera to be able to see my back screen while using these? Please help! I love these, but I must be missing a step!🙏🏽
Good question - I only had one kit on hand so I didn't get to test running two at the same time. You might contact Hollyland Support to see what they say.
Thanks. Yes, the latency is low enough that I would feel comfortable using this for a focus pulling monitor. Plan on getting a monitor which doesn't have a lot of latency - that will help. Best wishes!
Hi thank You for video - i have qestion: has receiver also option to transmit preview Signal on wifi? Because i saw that it also has wifi password on list option
Hmm, not sure. I often find that funky issues are cable issue so you might try a different set of cables first? Might be best to contact Hollyland support if that doesn't solve it.
@@curtisjudd Thanks Curtis. I might add that the monitor I’m using has an 8 bit color depth display. The weird thing is that I’m not getting those color banding when connected directly via hdmi. But when wirelessly connected via Mars Pro, I see the color banding. Thanks for everything you do for your RUclips community!
I take it the audio was good? 😀 It dawned on me that separate audio input on the transmitter could be useful in some circumstances. (And what the heck, a headphone output on the receiver would be nice too, though a lot of monitors provide that.) For most people/uses, not having the separate audio jacks is not a big deal. Bringing in audio from a recorder would cause sync issues and that would freak out a lot of non-pro users, triggering negative reviews and support calls, so that would be a reason to not include it from the manufacturer's point of view.
Yes, my assumption is that the MARS 400S just passes through the digital audio stream sent to it. It didn't seem to degrade it in any way that I could hear.
hey Curtis, I just got 4 pairs of these to use for my Coporate Live stream, have you tested how the Audio is working with you to transmit it through this device? Do you think 4 of such devices might interfere with each other? I am wondering how If I should connect the audio (2 sets of Rode Wirless Go II, total 4 microphones ) to my ATEM MINi PRO Extreme via Zoom F6 (so I can use AutoMix feature) Is it better to connect the 2 sets of Rode Wilress GO II --> Zoom F6 (Automix feature on) --> ATEM MINI, rather than connecting each individual mic to each of the 4 cameras via Mars400 PRO --> ATEM Mini? I am just concern with the difference in latency and the potential audio / video out of sync issue. THanks
Hi Isaac, 1) I transmit the audio separate from the Hollyland system and 2) I don't know how 4 kits will work simultaneously - I only have one kit. Probably best to contact Hollyland support to confirm 4 can work simultaneously in the same space. The auto mix feature on the F6 would certainly help you get overall cleaner audio so I would recommend that. Then you can apply an offset in the ATEM Mini to make up for the fact that the video arrives later than the audio. Best wishes!
I would love to have this on my ES 5D iv. However I also use the Shinobi with HDMI to monitor, since there is no pas thru i am wondering if there is a solution to use both, a splitter or alike? Thanks for this great review :-)
@@RobertGlotzbach Oh, I see. I'm sorry. You might be able to get away with a splitter. I don't have experience with any particular splitters to recommend, I'm afraid.
@@RobertGlotzbach Sorry, that's what I'm saying - you'll need to use an external, third party HDMI splitter. Since you're not running a long cable, I'd assume that a passive splitter should work.
Hi my name is Derek. And I do have the Hollyland 300 transmits and receiver. Its works with every else. but I can't get it to work on my video mixer. The signal is coming in. but it is Scrambling.
Hi Derek, It may be that your video switcher is looking for a different input frame rate or resolution? I'm not sure. Probably best to contact tech support for Hollyland and/or the video mixer. Best wishes!
Hey @@curtisjudd! Long-time subscriber of yours. Appreciate you and your work. I believe you are correct. According to this guy ruclips.net/video/jAGp0JfNof8/видео.html, HDMI contributes only minimal delay, so I guess it must be the processing delay within the cameras themselves? So does that mean cameras with faster processing will produce less latency? Hmmm. There is hope that when cameras start using Apple silicon (M1, for example), we will have pro level latency. But wait, don't the Teradeck units have less latency than the prosumer units given the same camera? How would you explain that?
I believe the latency is additive. So with the same camera, say a GH5, it will contribute the same amount of latency. Then the monitor will wireless system will contribute its own additional latency.
It seems fine for 1080p 30fps video. For live-streaming, my streams to RUclips at 1080p30 are usually encoded at 6 Mbps. In short, good enough for livestreams.
@@curtisjudd Thanks for your reply. I am looking at the 28 Mbps 1080p output of my Lumix G7 and wishing I could take that all the way into OBS. I was looking at the newer 60 Ghz wireless HDMI devices that have amazing bandwidth but they have very limited range.
I feel undone! I use mostly a couple of Fuji XT-3's for my video work but....Just invested a ton of money in my first ever Canon camera. C70 with 24-70 RF. Well over a week of constant (9 days) of learning/reading/emailing/talking etc the result is I cant take it to a commercial job because.....basically none of the XF-AVC files on with card, regardless of bit rate or resolution, will import into FCPx ! Apple confirmed this to me last Friday. I am really disappointed and upset :( I have worked on the setting and if I switch the display off the camera, I can pipe the HDMI signals to my Atomos Ninja V and those files WILL import to FCPx. Cant say I am to happy as I was convinced the AVC files would be good/load quickly and be managed by my iMac in a fast way. If you have any advise I would love to hear from you. Cheers.
Hi Laurence - I am pretty new to these issues but I have also been shooting on the Fujis and sometimes consider adding a Canon or Sony. My first thought would be to try importing the files into a file converter on your Mac and export into a usable format. I actually do this even with Fuji 4K 10-bit footage to get it to be easy to view and edit using FCP X on the Mac (without proxies). I use EditReady (I think it's $50), but there are others. I don't know if that sounds like it solves your problem but maybe look into it if you haven't already. - Dave
So my camera has a sdi output and my video switcher has only hdmi input which means the transmitter has an sdi feed and the receiver gives out an hdmi feed will I still experience serious latency because of hdmi processing or the latency would be minimal because initial feed is sdi ?
Hey Curtis! Thanks for your video! I just received my mars 400S pro and for some reason, it's not picking up any video feed from my Canon eos m50. It just says "No Video" after hooking it up with an HDMI cable. Any idea if this is a settings issue or a product malfunction issue? I would appreciate your advice since Hollyland's support is the worst.
Sad that you didn't test the RTSP stream. You can accomplish this with OBS. I really need to know what kind of latency the RTSP stream puts out before I consider this.
I worked on a short film where the talent was in a small park bathroom and this would have been perfect for the director to have a feed outside the facility. Instead the actor (also other director) had to judge how well the scene went.
This was also my question, Melvyn, as I did not even know video wireless was a thing. So I chewed on it and realized that this would be so useful when shooting events (corporate events, weddings) with two cameras running simultaneously but where I can only man one. This would make it possible for me to keep an eye on what is happening in a static camera on a tripod 30 feet away while I shoot handhelds with the second camera, without running a long monitor cable across the event space. That's my first thought, anyway. - Dave
Wireless is standard stuff in movie making where the camera sends to a antenna array and the focus puller, into a video playback system. It's really low latency with very expensive transmitters/receivers. The latency on this version isn't great, but it's better than many, and really inexpensive. But 0.8sec is unusably high if you're trying to pull focus. At 24fps, that's 19 frames behind the action! To lower the latency, people usually use cables from the big video distribution cart if they can. To put 0.8 sec into perspective, people usually start noticing sound sync issues around 30 to 50 ms. This is 800ms. As far as use cases, things like director monitors or maybe sound monitors would be a good use, especially when you can't run a cable. Might even have uses during covid times to keep people separated. It could be fine for seeing a boom in the frame or simply viewing the scene as a director, or maybe making an immediate copy to send to a producer or do dailies.
@@JohnShyloski It will take a 23.976 signal from an HDMI source but it converts it to 24. I wrote one of their engineers and they confirmed that all of their wireless kits convert to integer frame rates.
Soo, about this "framerate to the closest integer" thing..... I discovered this after i bought this same model and tried to sync two cameras to my Atomos Sumo 19 in switching mode. One camera via SDI, the other through the Hollyland. Rates 23.976 always bumps to 24, 59.94 always to 60. This 2-up view will not work unless both video feeds are the exact framerates and resolution as you mentioned. I see that there are external boxes out there that will convert framerate ($200) but really I all I simply want is to have A-Cam and B-cam on the same monitor (2-up) for my client rather than lugging another monitor just for the b-cam. What's a creator to do? @Curtis Judd
Hollyland needs to change this, frankly. They could win some love from a lot of us. It is frustrating that the systems which do respect the fractional Framerates are generally a lot more expensive.
@@curtisjudd I'm glad someone gave notice to the list of equipment I used! Most of the people to whom I've shown this have commented on how it looks, but paid no mind to the list in the description box. Now to go make something that isn't restrained to a 4-minute window...
why every review of this product, everyone is testing mars400s pro without an external monitor on the top handle of the camera. in every production i use my own monitor above the camera, i never use the same monitor as the camera for obviously reasons. i just want to know. if i connect the 400s pro to the external monitor and then to the camera and the reciever in another external monitor just for the focus puller boy. it will get a huge delay ??? that is my big question. thinking that the 400s pro just had one HDMI IN in the transmitor and just one HDMI OUT in the other device
I paid $2.5k for a wireless HD video set years ago....Mars 400s Pro is dirt cheap IMO especially with all the additional features which the expensive set does not have.
Ethernet streaming only works with audio. Ethernet via USB C like WiFi creates its own network so not compatible with other networks. Tech Support did not reply
I don't understand why anyone is still using the non-integer frame rate hack from the days of fitting an analog color signal to something originally designed for black-and-white TV.
Many cameras cannot shoot true 30 fps. If I need to mix several cameras on a video switcher, I don't want my wireless system to require the purchase of another converter.
We are probably going to have to wait another 20 years for more of the old guard to go away to get uniformly sane frame rates rather than archaic holdovers. One of the people I worked with 18 odd years ago was part of the HD standards committee and he related a story about the hissy fit that some of the old timers had with going to square pixels rather than 1.2 or 0.9 pixel aspect ratio. So.. we got square pixels in HD but kept old weird crap frame rates... this too shall pass... eventually...
@@mjlagrone I’m 70, so in another 20 years will I even be around? 👀 And will I still have the energy to make videos? (It is hard already, as I have not figured out how to mount a video camera to the wheel chair I am sitting in.) Another thing I don’t understand is people uploading 60 fps videos to RUclips, and I mean videos with no fast motion, that would look just as good at 24 fps, which would load without buffering.
Forget how it works, this is the ugliest product design in the entire industry of the past 5 years. It’s as if hollyland hired a team of Twitch streamers to designs product aimed at....gamers.
I press like every time I see the summary in your videos. That is going above and beyond. Well done, lad. Well done.
Thanks Lui.
Theses devices caught my eye, as I'm in the market for wireless tx/rx and lo and behold!! Another Curtis Judd review!
I know that if you're reviewing them positively, I'm on the right track. Hopefully will have 3 of these in the new year.
Thanks as always, Curtis! Merry Christmas and happy new year.
Thanks Dave and Merry Christmas to you! 🎄
Curtis! You are one f the few, if not the only one, that I first like their content and then watch and learn. Although simple thank you doesn't sound enough to me, THANK YOU, and thank you for creating such helpful content and sharing them with the world!
Thanks so much Nosrat Tarighi!
I have enjoyed, over the years, checking out your reviews on all kinds of audio and video devices. This review, in particular, was so very timely as I am looking at an OB version of this and you have now confirmed what I was hoping - very little latency and a nice image quality. Thank you for this review, and all of your reviews for that matter! Time to pull the trigger!
👍 Happy filming!
Great overview.
I have the original 400S, it's been stellar, no issues.
If I ever need a second, I'd pick up this one for the lower latency.
Thanks Robert and good to hear that the original 400S has been good. 👍
Finally, after 10 reviews someone talks about SDI. Thank you!
👍
I can attest that the customer service here in the U.S. is top notch. I had a non-functional OLED on the transmitter of my MARS 400. I contacted HollyView and they got back to me within 24 hours. They asked me to send my set back and they overnighted me a brand new set free of charge. Very, very happy with the experience.
Thanks Adam - very much appreciate you sharing your experience with Hollyland support. That's good news!
Hi Curtis,
I hae been thinking about this for awhile now, thank you very much for making this video, keep up the good work and I hope you and your family are doing well.
kind regards,
Clarke
Thank you Clarke and best wishes to you and yours!
That RTSP feature makes me think that one could potentially setup a streaming server and then many clients could monitor the stream. Very cool product here!
👍
Clear and concise , as always 🙏
👍
You rock Curtis! Thank you!
Thanks Peter!
Thanks for your time Curtis.
👍
I use this system weekly for pro events and it's an incredible value. *BUT* don't be fooled by the metalic housing. It is very, very brittle. I broke the coldshoe mount off my transmitter with a drop of about 2 feet onto a folding table. Hardly surprising given the price so I'm not complaining, but don't get a false sense of security from the feel of the housing.
I glued it together and it's still working perfectly fine, but it's worth noting.
Thanks for sharing your experience, John.
Thank you for great review!
You are welcome!
Great videos. Thank you so much!!
Thanks Jeff!
Great review, Curtis! I help out with the livestreaming for my local charity. Recently we've moved to a multi camera set up. Would I be able to use an TX/RX pair of these to replace each of the HDMI cables running between the cameras and capture card? It's interesting as I wonder if it would be able to cope with multiple TX/RX signals running in the same hall. Thanks for the great content - it was an instant subscribe for me!
Hi Saif! In theory, yes, should work fine. The RF landscape can be very different from one location to another, but if you have a direct line of sight between transmitter and receiver and not TOO much wifi activity, this should work fine. As always, test, test, test, before you trust it to an official live-stream. Happy streaming!
Thanks for the video
You're welcome!
Nice one, Curtis! That was a good review / insight. I will be picking up one next week to try out. I was interested in the latency park with the Atomos shogun, that you went through there. I have a Sumo 19 that I will use for my directors monitor, I will let you know if there is a latency issue when I get them in. Unless you've already tested that out? It would be nice to know. Also, I was thinking to use them on a live set in August for a festival ... might have to research to see if that is possible to send a signal from a moving camera on stage to the village.
Hi Patrick. I haven't specifically tested the Sumo, but I'd guess it is quite close to the Shogun. Best wishes!
@Curtis Judd @Curtis Judd Audio Have you noticed a significant UHF noise floor shift when using the Hollyland MARS 400S PRO? So many mixers have been complaining about similar pro systems negatively affecting their wireless mics on set because the video transmitters aren’t properly filtered. I’d love to know what a UHF scan looks like before and after turning this on!
Hi Ken - you win the prize for the most astute question! Just tested here with the A10 in the SL2 and didn't see a change from no MARS 400S and with MARS 400S in a small room here. I also had the antenna filter off for the SL2. Looks like this particular unit is filtered or far enough up spectrum that it didn't pose any issues.
@@curtisjudd Amazing! Thats great to know!
Thanks for explaining volt meter Curtis 🙏
👍
I just ordered the 400s pro, it was the last piece of the puzzle to make my rig 100% portable and wireless on the set. I will now have 100% capability of setting up a little video village with wireless video and audio feeding into an Atem mini pro feeding a 40” Mobile TV cart that is stand alone other than 1 plug to mains power. One thing i hear you say often is the difference between professional level gear and pro-sumer level gear. I find the barrier between those distinctions are getting smaller to non-existent with hardware like this, and I find the flexibility this gives is well worth the $650US price tag, even for indie productions. The group I film with is all self funded, but this kind of gear will help take us to the next level and allow the creative to flourish. No more looking at small camera LCD screens by 10 people at once anymore... they will all be over at video village now
Glad to hear it is working well, Trevor! The only thing I would consider not entirely pro about this kit is that it rounds all the frame rates to whole numbers. That's often ok, just for viewing, but if I need the frame rate at a fractional setting (e.g., 29.97, 23.976) for the production, it would be nice to be able to do that. I could, of course, use a Decimator or other converter, but it is always best to avoid adding things to the signal chain when possible.
@@curtisjudd My signal chain is GH5 to Atomos Ninja passthrough to Mars 400s Tx to Rx to Atem Mini pro. The Atem will do the frame rate conversion for live streaming if needed. Base use case is recording to Atomos for production needs, and transmit video for producer/director/client on set viewing only. It's going to be perfect for my intended use. I'm mostly using the ATEM only for the fact that we can have up to 4 cameras (most of the time only 2) feeding into the director's monitor in multiview, or switching between views. Now the primary camera can be wireless instead of tethered via HDMI cable. Maybe Hollyland will be able to change the frame rate issue in the future with a firmware update if the hardware will allow it? Here's to hoping!
@@The-Logician Nice setup! Happy recording & streaming!
@@The-Logician did you have any issues of latency or other between the tethered camera and the mobile one? thanks
@@everynationmarseille7215 we are both running atomos recorders on set fir the two cameras. One is tethered, the other wireless. There is 80 milliseconds of lag on the wireless but it is not an issue as most of the time video village is just for the director / AD to watch composition from the cameras. I havent had anyone complain about latency yet
Great review
Thanks.
Hi, I am learning really hard stuff now.
Keep learning! 👍
I’m feeling some vlog vibes on this video. Love your content!
Thanks Santo!
Hi Curtis, have you performed tests with the Mars 400s pro system if it can run stabile for a longer period of time (3-4 hours)? Thanks
In my powering tests, yes. But I haven't been on a production set to test it there yet. My employer's office is still closed with everyone working from home.
Thank you Curtis, great review as always.
I'm using a tablet as wifi monitor with the app but sometimes distance is too long so it could be better for me to use the receiver.
Can I connect the receiver to tablet via cable ( HDMI to USB or something like that) ? It can works ? Any suggestions to do this (if there is a way to do it)? Thanks
Hi Edgar, I'm not sure if any tablets allow input of an HDMI source. I haven't heard of that.
@@curtisjudd yes me neither but I've heard that with a simple hdmi to usb adaptor and the right app it could works. I have to try and hope... Thanks Curtis!
It says on the package that you can connect the RX through a USB-C Standard RJ45 cable and you should be able to use the stream through your PC/MAC. i have tried this with NO luck, can you help????
You'll need a USB-C to ethernet adapter. Contact Hollyland support for details.
great video.
Thanks.
In a streaming situation, any idea if there is a limit on the length of the cable (hdmi or sdi) used to go from the receiver to a switcher (Roland V60HD or V40HD)? There are a lot of turns and bends between our studio and where the camera is going to be. We are hoping to compensate for the turns and bends by covering that area with a high quality cable, resulting in the receiver being physically closer to transmitter and with a more direct transmission line.
I always go for SDI when you have to cable for more than about 15 or 20 feet. With SDI, you can easily reach over 100 feet.
@@curtisjudd Thanks.
Have you found this unit consistently reliable for indoor uses where transmitter and receiver are in different rooms? I realize that the unit is supposed to be line of site but my primary use case is livestreaming indoor walking tours of museums. I tested today in my 2nd floor apartment and I don't think I got more than 50 ft before there was serious signal drop and the video started cutting in and out. There were no closed doors but I did leave my office and walk down the hall to the kitchen and that's when it all went south.
I'm wondering if using different channels on the pair would make any improvements?
Thanks for your great content.
In different rooms? No. 5GHz doesn't generally do very well through walls and barriers, even when you leave the door between rooms open.
Just a quick ques is it possible to record the video in the camera's (Mirrorless bodies like Z series, Sony Alphas and Canon R etc) memory card and simultaneously make it go online through Atem Mini at several social platforms? like 2-3 youtube channels, insta, fb etc? Would be grateful to know.
That depends on the camera, but most of the cameras in the last couple of years can do this. Watch for the older Canon DSLRs which couldn't in all cases.
@@curtisjudd Much appreciated, thank a lot, this helped me take a decision to buy it asap
This might be a stupid question but I can't seem to find the answer to it.
Does this device transmit sound from the HDMI-output of the camera to the receiver?
Plus regarding the transmission, could I somehow make a wireless router recieve the signal from the transmitter, and output the video in for instance OBS? :)
Kind Regards from Denmark
Jørgen
I actually gave it away so I cannot test, but my recollection is that it passes through sound. No, I don't believe you can create an IP stream like that. You have to join the Mars400 wireless network. But I would contact Hollyland support to confirm both of these since I cannot test here.
My Canon 80D’s back screen blacks out when using my ski/hdmi 400s (non pro) units. Am I missing a step Chris?
Is there a setting I need to set on my camera to be able to see my back screen while using these?
Please help! I love these, but I must be missing a step!🙏🏽
No sure about the 80D. Might want to contact Canon support for details on that. Best wishes!
Can you run 2 of these one from a presenter on a stage to an atem mini in the back then the hdmi out on thy atem mini back to the projector?
Good question - I only had one kit on hand so I didn't get to test running two at the same time. You might contact Hollyland Support to see what they say.
Thanks for sharing
Is it suitable for precise focus pulling ?
(Latency)
Thanks. Yes, the latency is low enough that I would feel comfortable using this for a focus pulling monitor. Plan on getting a monitor which doesn't have a lot of latency - that will help. Best wishes!
@@curtisjudd thank you so much !
Hi great tutorials. Like to ask have you done the reviews of Hollyland Lark Max Wireless Lavalier Microphone?
Yes: ruclips.net/video/crEAAoSK4iM/видео.htmlfeature=shared
Great!
Thanks!
Hi thank You for video - i have qestion: has receiver also option to transmit preview Signal on wifi? Because i saw that it also has wifi password on list option
Hmm, I don't remember that feature.
THX
YW
Quick question. I’m getting some color banding when I connect this to my Blackmagic Pocket 6K to a monitor. What am I missing here?
Hmm, not sure. I often find that funky issues are cable issue so you might try a different set of cables first? Might be best to contact Hollyland support if that doesn't solve it.
@@curtisjudd Thanks Curtis. I might add that the monitor I’m using has an 8 bit color depth display. The weird thing is that I’m not getting those color banding when connected directly via hdmi. But when wirelessly connected via Mars Pro, I see the color banding. Thanks for everything you do for your RUclips community!
Hello Curtis, is there any other system in this price range with the option of HDMI loop through ... and even lower latency?
Hi Josef, I don't know of any, I'm sorry.
But the 400s washes the remote trigger data from the transmission, meaning you can't trigger a directors monitor like Sumo, Shogun, Odyssey, etc...
Good to know - thanks for sharing.
Sorry quick question ? What if i have two cameras can it be possible to have two transmitter with one reciver or how does that work out?
Hi, no, you need a full kit for each camera. Each receiver can only receive from a single transmitter.
I take it the audio was good? 😀 It dawned on me that separate audio input on the transmitter could be useful in some circumstances. (And what the heck, a headphone output on the receiver would be nice too, though a lot of monitors provide that.) For most people/uses, not having the separate audio jacks is not a big deal. Bringing in audio from a recorder would cause sync issues and that would freak out a lot of non-pro users, triggering negative reviews and support calls, so that would be a reason to not include it from the manufacturer's point of view.
Yes, my assumption is that the MARS 400S just passes through the digital audio stream sent to it. It didn't seem to degrade it in any way that I could hear.
hey Curtis, I just got 4 pairs of these to use for my Coporate Live stream, have you tested how the Audio is working with you to transmit it through this device? Do you think 4 of such devices might interfere with each other?
I am wondering how If I should connect the audio (2 sets of Rode Wirless Go II, total 4 microphones ) to my ATEM MINi PRO Extreme via Zoom F6 (so I can use AutoMix feature)
Is it better to connect the 2 sets of Rode Wilress GO II --> Zoom F6 (Automix feature on) --> ATEM MINI, rather than connecting each individual mic to each of the 4 cameras via Mars400 PRO --> ATEM Mini?
I am just concern with the difference in latency and the potential audio / video out of sync issue.
THanks
Hi Isaac, 1) I transmit the audio separate from the Hollyland system and 2) I don't know how 4 kits will work simultaneously - I only have one kit. Probably best to contact Hollyland support to confirm 4 can work simultaneously in the same space. The auto mix feature on the F6 would certainly help you get overall cleaner audio so I would recommend that. Then you can apply an offset in the ATEM Mini to make up for the fact that the video arrives later than the audio. Best wishes!
Isaac, how are your four units working? I'm about to buy two and am nervous they will cause interference if they are next to each other.
@@charismaeventproductions1445 They will arrive next week and I can then let you know!
@@IsaacFromHK I guess they're working fine?
@@everynationmarseille7215 I have tried using 3 pairs, and they have no problem. Each receiver is at least 15 cm away from each other though.
I would love to have this on my ES 5D iv. However I also use the Shinobi with HDMI to monitor, since there is no pas thru i am wondering if there is a solution to use both, a splitter or alike? Thanks for this great review :-)
Doesn't the Shinobi have an HDMI passthrough?
@@curtisjudd Thank you Curtis... On the sdi version I think so yes, but I have the HDMI version because of the EOS 5D.
@@RobertGlotzbach Oh, I see. I'm sorry. You might be able to get away with a splitter. I don't have experience with any particular splitters to recommend, I'm afraid.
@@curtisjudd Unfortunately no it doesn't have that. Wondering if a passive or active HDMI splitter would work. Thanks for answering :-)
@@RobertGlotzbach Sorry, that's what I'm saying - you'll need to use an external, third party HDMI splitter. Since you're not running a long cable, I'd assume that a passive splitter should work.
hey, would it be possible to use an hdmi-splitter to send a hdmi signal to both the transmitter and to an external monitor?
Should work, yes.
Can the USB-C port be used with an ethernet adapter that supports PoE (Power over Ethernet) to both power the 400S and still drive the rtsp:// stream?
I don't believe the 400S Pro can be powered via PoE.
Can you record raw on the atomos shogun using this system
Hi my name is Derek. And I do have the Hollyland 300 transmits and receiver. Its works with every else. but I can't get it to work on my video mixer. The signal is coming in. but it is Scrambling.
Hi Derek, It may be that your video switcher is looking for a different input frame rate or resolution? I'm not sure. Probably best to contact tech support for Hollyland and/or the video mixer. Best wishes!
@@curtisjudd Thank you great help look at some with your videos and after looking at your videos I found the problem. The frame rate
Sorry to ask the following if it has been asked before. I have a Sony A73 what kind of cable will I need to connect the transmitter?
I don't know which size HDMI port the A73 has but you'll need a full-size (standard) connector on the Mars 400 side of the cable.
Looks like a nice kit, except for the latency. I just wish manufacturers would put a little more thought into designing smarter mounting solutions.
I think most of that latency is from the GH5, to be honest. And yes, I agree, the mounting solutions are a little funky.
Hey @@curtisjudd! Long-time subscriber of yours. Appreciate you and your work. I believe you are correct. According to this guy ruclips.net/video/jAGp0JfNof8/видео.html, HDMI contributes only minimal delay, so I guess it must be the processing delay within the cameras themselves? So does that mean cameras with faster processing will produce less latency? Hmmm. There is hope that when cameras start using Apple silicon (M1, for example), we will have pro level latency. But wait, don't the Teradeck units have less latency than the prosumer units given the same camera? How would you explain that?
I believe the latency is additive. So with the same camera, say a GH5, it will contribute the same amount of latency. Then the monitor will wireless system will contribute its own additional latency.
We used this yesterday on set with a Canon R5c and couldn't get playback to work.
Interesting, I wonder what Canon support says?
@@curtisjudd We are back at it tomorrow so I have a few things to try out.
Do we know the Mars 400 Pro support a 10 bit color depth output? Or is this 8 bit?
Pretty sure it is just 8 bit.
@@curtisjudd thank you!
What are your thoughts on HDMI quality going through this?
I understand the bitrate is only 12 Mbps.
It seems fine for 1080p 30fps video. For live-streaming, my streams to RUclips at 1080p30 are usually encoded at 6 Mbps. In short, good enough for livestreams.
@@curtisjudd Thanks for your reply. I am looking at the 28 Mbps 1080p output of my Lumix G7 and wishing I could take that all the way into OBS.
I was looking at the newer 60 Ghz wireless HDMI devices that have amazing bandwidth but they have very limited range.
@@jeffstevenson9406 Sounds like your requirements are a fair bit higher than what this can deliver.
@@curtisjudd Or I can learn to compromise, lol
Thanks again for your time and your expertise.
Can I use it for follow focus? or still, should I buy the cosmo series?
Yes, it seems fast enough for focus pulling on dramas for sure.
@@curtisjudd Wow, it’s excellent information. You saved money. However, Is the almost different from the professional model only the distance?
@@hidetakejapan Great question - I haven't used the Cosmo systems so I'm not sure.
@@curtisjudd I got it. Anyway, always thanks a lot.
New Question - Different product. Any idea if the new Accssoon CineView SE receiver outputs proper Frame rates rather than whole integer rates?
I don’t know, haven’t tried the Accsoon kits.
I don’t know, haven’t tried the Accsoon kits.
I feel undone! I use mostly a couple of Fuji XT-3's for my video work but....Just invested a ton of money in my first ever Canon camera. C70 with 24-70 RF. Well over a week of constant (9 days) of learning/reading/emailing/talking etc the result is I cant take it to a commercial job because.....basically none of the XF-AVC files on with card, regardless of bit rate or resolution, will import into FCPx ! Apple confirmed this to me last Friday. I am really disappointed and upset :( I have worked on the setting and if I switch the display off the camera, I can pipe the HDMI signals to my Atomos Ninja V and those files WILL import to FCPx. Cant say I am to happy as I was convinced the AVC files would be good/load quickly and be managed by my iMac in a fast way. If you have any advise I would love to hear from you. Cheers.
Hi Laurence, I don't have a C70 yet, but when I do, I'll give it a try.
Hi Laurence - I am pretty new to these issues but I have also been shooting on the Fujis and sometimes consider adding a Canon or Sony. My first thought would be to try importing the files into a file converter on your Mac and export into a usable format. I actually do this even with Fuji 4K 10-bit footage to get it to be easy to view and edit using FCP X on the Mac (without proxies). I use EditReady (I think it's $50), but there are others. I don't know if that sounds like it solves your problem but maybe look into it if you haven't already. - Dave
So my camera has a sdi output and my video switcher has only hdmi input which means the transmitter has an sdi feed and the receiver gives out an hdmi feed will I still experience serious latency because of hdmi processing or the latency would be minimal because initial feed is sdi ?
There will still be latency. This is true any time you go through HDMI at all, in my experience.
@@curtisjudd Thanks for this reply
Hey Curtis! Thanks for your video! I just received my mars 400S pro and for some reason, it's not picking up any video feed from my Canon eos m50. It just says "No Video" after hooking it up with an HDMI cable. Any idea if this is a settings issue or a product malfunction issue? I would appreciate your advice since Hollyland's support is the worst.
Hi Jose, I'm not sure - I don't have an M50 on hand to test it. Might be best to contact Hollyland and/or Canon support. Best wishes!
Sad that you didn't test the RTSP stream. You can accomplish this with OBS.
I really need to know what kind of latency the RTSP stream puts out before I consider this.
Sorry about that. Will give it a try when I can.
Can you connect 2 receivers with 1 transmitter? (2 camera setup)
No, you need a separate kit for each camera. Then the device to which you attach the receivers will need a separate HDMI or SDI input for each camera.
Wow. What would be the best use case for this?
I worked on a short film where the talent was in a small park bathroom and this would have been perfect for the director to have a feed outside the facility. Instead the actor (also other director) had to judge how well the scene went.
@@Newtperc nice. Thanks for sharing.
This was also my question, Melvyn, as I did not even know video wireless was a thing. So I chewed on it and realized that this would be so useful when shooting events (corporate events, weddings) with two cameras running simultaneously but where I can only man one. This would make it possible for me to keep an eye on what is happening in a static camera on a tripod 30 feet away while I shoot handhelds with the second camera, without running a long monitor cable across the event space. That's my first thought, anyway. - Dave
Wireless is standard stuff in movie making where the camera sends to a antenna array and the focus puller, into a video playback system. It's really low latency with very expensive transmitters/receivers. The latency on this version isn't great, but it's better than many, and really inexpensive. But 0.8sec is unusably high if you're trying to pull focus. At 24fps, that's 19 frames behind the action! To lower the latency, people usually use cables from the big video distribution cart if they can.
To put 0.8 sec into perspective, people usually start noticing sound sync issues around 30 to 50 ms. This is 800ms.
As far as use cases, things like director monitors or maybe sound monitors would be a good use, especially when you can't run a cable. Might even have uses during covid times to keep people separated. It could be fine for seeing a boom in the frame or simply viewing the scene as a director, or maybe making an immediate copy to send to a producer or do dailies.
@@chakerian The latency is 80ms, not 800ms.
hi Curtis , how is the Audio like through wirelles?
Seemed fine.
So will this work as a wireless handheld? I was waiting to see you test that..
Wireless handheld monitor, like a director's monitor? Certainly! You'll just need a shoe or 1/4-20 tap to attach the receiver to the monitor.
@@curtisjudd No champ I mean like to use like a wireless camera.. Plug the receiver into an Atem.. Thank you!
@@OnTheWireCreativeMedia Short answer - of course! We used it in that fashion here: ruclips.net/video/l5ezlxFGYKw/видео.html
@@curtisjudd Thank you so much! I love your channel and cant tell you how valuable your information is! You are appreciated....
@@OnTheWireCreativeMedia Thank YOU!
Why weren't there any comparisons to the original 400S?
I don't have a 400S on hand as reference. Sorry.
@@curtisjudd You are usually on point so I won't give you grief but a google or youtube search could have given you some basic info for comparison.
@@moltenpros Thanks. I prefer to speak from first-hand experience rather than just compare published specs. But I see your point.
How can it convert from 23.976 to 24.000? Does it periodically drop a frame?
Yes, not exactly sure how, but it is likely playing a frame twice every once in a while.
According to the specs on the Hollyland site it should do 23.976
@@JohnShyloski It will take a 23.976 signal from an HDMI source but it converts it to 24. I wrote one of their engineers and they confirmed that all of their wireless kits convert to integer frame rates.
@@JohnShyloski I'm lucky that I live in a country that only has integer frame rates :-)
Soo, about this "framerate to the closest integer" thing..... I discovered this after i bought this same model and tried to sync two cameras to my Atomos Sumo 19 in switching mode. One camera via SDI, the other through the Hollyland. Rates 23.976 always bumps to 24, 59.94 always to 60.
This 2-up view will not work unless both video feeds are the exact framerates and resolution as you mentioned. I see that there are external boxes out there that will convert framerate ($200) but really I all I simply want is to have A-Cam and B-cam on the same monitor (2-up) for my client rather than lugging another monitor just for the b-cam. What's a creator to do? @Curtis Judd
Hollyland needs to change this, frankly. They could win some love from a lot of us. It is frustrating that the systems which do respect the fractional Framerates are generally a lot more expensive.
@@curtisjudd thanks Curtis! I totally agree.
Curtis, I made my Film Riot "Make Film Challenge" short public for viewing.
Would you prefer I link it here, or send it via email?
Hit us with it here!
Alright, here you go!
ruclips.net/video/CiHHrQ7So-w/видео.html
@@insanejughead Good work! Impressed at how you pulled that off with minimal gear!
@@curtisjudd I'm glad someone gave notice to the list of equipment I used!
Most of the people to whom I've shown this have commented on how it looks, but paid no mind to the list in the description box.
Now to go make something that isn't restrained to a 4-minute window...
@@insanejughead I'm looking forward to what you do without that constraint!
Are you in Cottonwood Heights?
I work there and live near Park City.
why every review of this product, everyone is testing mars400s pro without an external monitor on the top handle of the camera. in every production i use my own monitor above the camera, i never use the same monitor as the camera for obviously reasons. i just want to know. if i connect the 400s pro to the external monitor and then to the camera and the reciever in another external monitor just for the focus puller boy. it will get a huge delay ??? that is my big question. thinking that the 400s pro just had one HDMI IN in the transmitor and just one HDMI OUT in the other device
That depends on whether there is any latency in your on-camera monitor. The Mars 400S PRO does not appear to add much latency at all.
I paid $2.5k for a wireless HD video set years ago....Mars 400s Pro is dirt cheap IMO especially with all the additional features which the expensive set does not have.
Amazing how far they've come...
Ethernet streaming only works with audio. Ethernet via USB C like WiFi creates its own network so not compatible with other networks. Tech Support did not reply
Thanks for sharing.
I don't understand why anyone is still using the non-integer frame rate hack from the days of fitting an analog color signal to something originally designed for black-and-white TV.
Many cameras cannot shoot true 30 fps. If I need to mix several cameras on a video switcher, I don't want my wireless system to require the purchase of another converter.
@@curtisjudd And I don't understand why any camera made in this century cannot do it. How absurd is it when the audio sample rate is a multiple of 30?
@@RustyTube I'd happily use integer frame rates. 😀
We are probably going to have to wait another 20 years for more of the old guard to go away to get uniformly sane frame rates rather than archaic holdovers. One of the people I worked with 18 odd years ago was part of the HD standards committee and he related a story about the hissy fit that some of the old timers had with going to square pixels rather than 1.2 or 0.9 pixel aspect ratio. So.. we got square pixels in HD but kept old weird crap frame rates... this too shall pass... eventually...
@@mjlagrone I’m 70, so in another 20 years will I even be around? 👀 And will I still have the energy to make videos? (It is hard already, as
I have not figured out how to mount a video camera to the wheel chair I am sitting in.)
Another thing I don’t understand is people uploading 60 fps videos to RUclips, and I mean videos with no fast motion, that would look just as good at 24 fps, which would load without buffering.
2
Pretty good. 😉
1
Congrats!
Forget how it works, this is the ugliest product design in the entire industry of the past 5 years. It’s as if hollyland hired a team of Twitch streamers to designs product aimed at....gamers.
Haha! Fair point. If you're not into the transformers look...