Budget version Live View Golf

[GolfSpy MPR]

I suspect that some of you have already seen this product: https://www.liveviewgolf.com/

The basic idea is simple: video is a proven help in making swing changes. But if you've ever tried to work with video on your own, you know it can be a real pain. Set up the camera (hoping you've got it framed correctly), start the camera, swing, run back to the camera, play it back (typically on a tiny screen), see if you did the swing thing you were hoping to do. Video with a coach can be very useful, but what if you 1) don't have a coach or 2) are just working on something on your own time?

What Live View does, then, is give you a camera that you can set up on the range that connects wirelessly to your tablet. You can set your tablet directly in front of you, and you can see your swing in real time. This is even better than mirror work, because (and I trust we've all done this) you don't have to change your head position to see the video that's directly in front of you.

As with many golf gadgets, though, Live View carries a non-trivial price tag. So I wanted to see if I could replicate its functionality on a budget.

Insert the action camera! Some of you, no doubt are familiar with these. The most popular are the GoPro line of cameras, but again, they are pricey. So I picked up a used version of this Yi 4K Action Camera from eBay. It's worth noting that Yi has a couple other models, some even cheaper, like this one, which with the coupon available now on Amazon is only $45. My hunch is that it would function the same for this purpose as the one I bought. The biggest difference is that the cheaper model doesn't record in 240fps, which I really wanted for slow motion swing analysis.

The camera is impressively tiny:

The camera itself has only a single button, but the back is an excellent touchscreen:

I got the camera and downloaded the corresponding app to my Android tablet. The camera creates its own WiFi network. Once you connect the camera and tablet, just as I hoped, it allows you to stream the video from the camera to the tablet in real time.

I already had one of these little tripods sitting around, which is perfect for my purpose here. It's worth noting that the GoPro style cameras offer roughly a billion different accessories for mounting the cameras on things, so there's bound to be something that works for whatever setup you have in mind.

And then I picked up this cheap case for my tablet, which has a little kickstand in the back:

This creates a nearly perfect setup. I can set the tablet direct in front of me; the camera app supports landscape mode, so everything is properly oriented. There's a fraction of a delay, but nothing that ruins its usefulness at all.

My goal for the camera initially is to allow me to work on my 1) wrist angles and 2) early extension. These are related in my swing; if I can flatten my lead wrist at the top of my backswing, I'll keep the club shallower through transition. If I keep the club shallower, I don't need to stand up to save the swing.

As for the setup: it works. The basic functionality is exactly what I hoped it would be. I already had a tablet, and the camera cost me far less than half of what the Live View Golf camera would. In addition, I can use the camera for other things; for instance, I'm hoping to get a drone with a GoPro mount to take video footage. That's not something that LVG, being a single-purpose device, would do.

The cons I see so far:

• The tablet app doesn't support any kind of mark up on the screen. This is something LVG does do. It would be great to be able to draw lines on the video as reference points when I'm swinging.
• The app also shows the video exactly as it's recorded. This is perfect for down-the-line video; when you look at the screen, everything makes sense. But for face-on video, it isn't mirrored, so everything looks backwards. This doesn't seem to me to be an insurmountable problem, but it's worth noting.

If anyone else is interested in this setup, and you have questions, feel free to ask. I'll probably post another few updates as to whether I find that the video is helping me make actual progress toward my swing goals.

[STUDque]

This is a great tutorial. I'm a big fan of finding cheaper ways to reap the same benefits.

 

Now show us a video of that swing!

 

[GolfSpy MPR]

7 minutes ago, GolfSpy STUDque said:

This is a great tutorial. I'm a big fan of finding cheaper ways to reap the same benefits.

 

Now show us a video of that swing!

 

Here's the swing (with a SuperSpeed stick) in all its glory:

We'll call this one: "Before."

[PlaidJacket]

That's great Patrick. I recall seeing one of those this past year. It had good reviews. I'm wondering....

Could you use your camera and tripod and shoot a slow-mo down close to the ball to capture face angle at impact?

I'd like to see how your camera captures that. It'd be most interesting.

Thanks

[GolfSpy MPR]

That's great Patrick. I recall seeing one of those this past year. It had good reviews. I'm wondering....

Could you use your camera and tripod and shoot a slow-mo down close to the ball to capture face angle at impact?

I'd like to see how your camera captures that. It'd be most interesting.

Thanks

By all I have found, the ball is on the face for .0004 seconds. At 240fps (the max speed of my camera), that's still 10x too slow (if I'm thinking about this correctly) to guarantee a picture of impact. I may give it a shot sometime, just to see what happens.

 

 

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, mpatrickriley said:

Here's the swing (with a SuperSpeed stick) in all its glory:

We'll call this one: "Before."

Nice swing!

[MaxEntropy]

Here's the swing (with a SuperSpeed stick) in all its glory:

[/url] We'll call this one: "Before."

That looks like a nice swing to me. I love your practice "range". I was waiting for you to hit the light on your backswing.

 

Sent from my SM-G965U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[/url]

 

[TR1PTIK]

There's been a few devices similar to LiveView for a number of years now. I've always preferred to use camcorders and action cams. I have an older model Sony Action Cam (AS15 I think) It will do 120fps @ 720p. There are two primary issues I've encountered with using action cameras and I'm curious to see what your experience has been. #1 A laggy connection. Even though I can see myself on a tablet or phone placed in front of me, the connection is too slow or weak to be useful - It's much easier just to hit record and review on the computer or import to Hudl or V1 on the phone or tablet. #2 Action cameras use wide angle lenses to capture as much as possible. This is fine in most cases, but it can create some distortion which may in some cases add a layer of complexity to identifying what exactly is happening. 

With the exception of filming on-course video, I personally prefer to use my iPhone. There may be rare cases (such as confined spaces) where an action cam is still better, but most of the time the iPhone is great. I can record directly from V1 or Hudl, or easily import if I decide to use a different app for capture. I can also easily toss the video to shot tracer and have fun with that as well. 

All said and done, you propose an excellent alternative to LiveView. Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone would spend the money on devices like that when there are so many great options out there that serve more than one purpose and have significantly better specs. Good write-up!

Also, one quick note about the mirroring issue you had with face-on video. A little more money on a different model or brand could alleviate the issue. I don't think my AS15 allows me to "flip" the video, but I've used a Sony HDR-AZ1 that does. 

[gboo2004]

I'll do one better. All you need is an old phone and 3 free apps from the google play store.

Apps required 

1. Screen Draw Screenshot Pro. This is for drawing lines

2. Wifi-Display (miracast) sink. This is installed on the phone receiving the video

3. Open camera. This camera app allows me to view the full screen.

Phone 1: taking the video

Phone 2: Receiving the video

Once installed.....

What to do next

1. start the screen draw app on phone 2. disable the pencil. it will allow you to navigate around your phone.

1. Still on phone 2. start up the wifi display app. 

1. On phone 1 share your screen to phone 2. I have a samsung so i use smart view. or you can download miracast 

1. enable the pencil on phone 2 to start drawing lines. 

 

This is an android solution. Enjoy.

[GolfSpy MPR]

22 hours ago, gboo2004 said:

I'll do one better. All you need is an old phone and 3 free apps from the google play store.

Apps required 

1. Screen Draw Screenshot Pro. This is for drawing lines

2. Wifi-Display (miracast) sink. This is installed on the phone receiving the video

3. Open camera. This camera app allows me to view the full screen.

Phone 1: taking the video

Phone 2: Receiving the video

Once installed.....

What to do next

1. start the screen draw app on phone 2. disable the pencil. it will allow you to navigate around your phone.

1. Still on phone 2. start up the wifi display app. 

1. On phone 1 share your screen to phone 2. I have a samsung so i use smart view. or you can download miracast 

1. enable the pencil on phone 2 to start drawing lines. 

 

This is an android solution. Enjoy.

First: great post! Lots of good instruction.

Second: thanks for pointing out the screen draw app. I can definitely incorporate that into the method I'm using, solving one of my issues. Very helpful!

[gboo2004]

Also take a screenshot that way you dont have to set up and draw new lines each time. You can trace them off the screenshot.

Edited April 3, 2019 by gboo2004

[Dr Strangelove]

Are you practicing at Church?

 

[Francois Champagne]

I have this camera and it's an excellent budget option to the liveview, except for the MIRROR MODE that is lacking. So here's what I sent to Yi support team for their consideration. Hopefully a MIRROR MODE is an easy add on for them so they can add it to a future firmware update...

Here's their email if you want to send a similar request: support@yitechnology.zendesk.com

 

Hello!

I have a suggestion for a future firmware update.

As I use this camera to improve my golf swing, it would be very useful for me to have a “MIRROR MODE”, so that when I connect the camera to my tablet, I can see myself as if I was looking at a mirror. Right now, when i face the camera and look at the image on my tablet, if I move my arms back, I see my arms going forward on the tablet. A “MIRROR MODE” would fix this issue that I have. This would also add a feature that would put your product further ahead of the competition and be a great appeal for the whole population of golfers, and any other sport amateurs or athletes that can improve their abilities by looking at a reflection of the movement they have to perform.

Thank you for your consideration.
 

[Francois Champagne]

Got this reply from them. Maybe there's hope...

 

Hello,

Thank you for contacting YI Technology support.

We'll raise your concern to our engineering department t take this into consideration for the next update.

Best Regards,

Eddy

YI Technical Support: 
US Toll FREE Number +1-844-234-8492 Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (PST)
UK Toll FREE Number +44 (0) 808 281 2452 Mon-Sat 8:00AM - 1:00AM (GMT) 

Kami Technical Support: Toll FREE Number 1-888-878-1584 Mon-Fri 8:00AM - 5:00PM (PST)
 

[thebalata]

Has anyone tried Mirror Vision?

https://www.mirrorvisiongolf.com

seems like a good option if you have an iPad and an iPhone. Going to give it a shot for some in home putting tomorrow. 

[GambyGolfGuy]

On 4/1/2019 at 11:03 PM, gboo2004 said:

I'll do one better. All you need is an old phone and 3 free apps from the google play store.

Apps required 

1. Screen Draw Screenshot Pro. This is for drawing lines

2. Wifi-Display (miracast) sink. This is installed on the phone receiving the video

3. Open camera. This camera app allows me to view the full screen.

Phone 1: taking the video

Phone 2: Receiving the video

Once installed.....

What to do next

1. start the screen draw app on phone 2. disable the pencil. it will allow you to navigate around your phone.

1. Still on phone 2. start up the wifi display app. 

1. On phone 1 share your screen to phone 2. I have a samsung so i use smart view. or you can download miracast 

1. enable the pencil on phone 2 to start drawing lines. 

 

This is an android solution. Enjoy.

this is really cool.  will give it a shot.   thanks for sharing.