Which wireless video transmission system is better?
Recently, I spent a good amount of time figuring out which system would work best for my new live-streaming system. First I started off watching YouTube videos and online reviews, they helped narrow down my decision to either the Holland Cosmo or the Accsoon CIneeye 2s Pro. I decided to buy one of each and figure it out for myself. I made my own video based on latency and range tests which you can watch below.
If you are interested in purchasing any of the products in this video, please use the affiliate links below. This helps support my ability to continue making tech review videos.
Hollyland Cosmo:
Accsoon Cineeye 2sPro
URSA Broadcast G2
Blackmagic 6K Pro
Atem Mini Extreme ISO
TRANSCRIPT
Hey! This is Horacio from Cinema Viva, and Cinema Viva
Tech Talks. I recently decided to upgrade
my wireless video transmission system, and I set out to look for a system
under $1,000 and with low latency. After reading and watching various
reviews online, the top two contenders were the Accsoon 2s pro
and the Hollyland Cosmo. Both had their merits, but ultimately what I was looking for
was low latency and reliability. I’ll tell you which system
I decided on at the end of the video. Now, this isn’t meant to be
an all encompassing review of each system. There’s plenty of videos
like that on YouTube already. For this video,
I’m going to focus on my latency test that it came up with
and a range of transmission tests. Actually, while recording this,
we’re using two Accsoon 2s Pro systems on both cameras
to record the session. This is all purely unscientific,
but these tests make sense to me. Ready? Here we go.
Step one. The first test is all about latency. My first step was to create a 60p
timeline in Premiere to use for measuring. I played back the 60p timeline
on my new MacBook Pro and filmed that for reference. All these videos you’re about to see
were recorded in 59.94 frames per second. At that frame rate, one frame equals
16 milliseconds. That’s one frame equals 16 milliseconds. 16 milliseconds. I decided to use my Ursa G2 since it has 2 SDI outs. One SDI out was connected to the Cosmo
while the other one was connected to a bi directional converter
and then to the ATEM via HDMI. Additionally,
I filmed the same setup with another 6K Pro recording at 60p. Let’s stop and look at this more closely. On this frame you can see that on the left
is the recording of the Hollywood Cosmo, and on the right
is the recording of the Wired connection from the laptop to the Wired Connection
is a difference of 7 frames. While there is an 11 frame difference
between the laptop and the Cosmo, that’s a four frame delay
between the wired and wireless connection. 11 – 7 = 4. Let’s see what this looks like
in Premiere. Here’s a screen recording
showing the four frame difference too my hands come together at 6:24 on the left, and you can see on the wireless connection on the right. That the hands come together
for friends later at 6:28. Even though the HollyLand is marketed
as having less than 40 milliseconds of latency. In this test
I measured it at 64 milliseconds. Next, I tested the two wireless units side
by side. Both connected to SDI outputs on the Ursa
Broadcast G2. What surprised me is that the audio comes in five
to seven frames later on both systems. Take a look here here is where the hands come together. And then one, two, three, four, five. Right there is the Accsoon And then right there, that’s the Hollyland so, one to two frames difference there. The Accsoon soon is five frames off
the Hollyland is about seven frames off. Add that to the four
frames of latency already and you have 11 frames or 176 milliseconds which is right about the limit of where people can notice the sync is off. Given this much latency in the system,
when filming a live event, I would run the main audio straight
into the ATEM or through a camera with a wired connection instead of
through the wireless video transmitters.
Now, the range test. For this test, I had my buddy Jeff Corrigan from Turbo come by with his Accsoon two pro HDMI only version. Hollyland claims that Cosmo can go up to 1000 feet while Axon claims a 1200 foot distance. We took turns walking a block away
line of sight. Take a look. Just got this here. Cosmo by HollyLand wireless transmitter. And we want to see just how far before
it breaks up before the signal breaks up. So we’re going to walk across
that vacant lot where the Salvation Army used to be Go directly diagonal and see what happens. Here we go. That signal is very crisp and clean zooming in Yeah, no problem. All right, so we’re going to put it up
against my $600. Or if you get them, like, renewed,
like I did get them for like $499. The Accsoon Cineeyes pro 2 wireless
now, it’s HDMI, so we had to do some gobbledygook
to convert to SDI. But that shouldn’t matter for this test. I’m going to do the same walk that Horacio just did. if any of this breaks down and it’s pretty good, we’re on the same spot and it looks like it’s crystal clear. No problem at all. So both models perform without any issues.
In my experience the video switcher is usually within 100
to 200 feet from the camera. So either system would be fantastic
for my workflow.
For this next test, I wanted to see how far an iPad could be
from the Accsoon before losing signal I went out to Ocean Beach
with my fiancee, Angel, and our dog Onyx Hey, we’re here in Ocean Beach. We’re testing out the Accsoon Cineeyes 2s Pro. We’ve discretely hidden the G2 to inside the tent so it doesn’t get sandy. I’ll show you what that looks like we’ve got the Accsoon Cineeyes connected to that SDI port and we’re monitoring on the iPad. I don’t know if you can see that. I’m going to walk down the beach towards the restroom over there because A, I need to use the restroom and 2 I want to see how far we can go with this before we lose signal from the Cineeyes 2s Pro Okay, here we go. So I walked all the way from the tent to the restrooms. The tent’s way back there I would say about 500 feet at least, maybe more and still no drop outs I don’t know if you can see it but still no drop outs on the App. Very successful. OK, I’m going to go take a bio-break. I’ll be back. So the signal dropped out around 500 to 600 feet which I think is great for a Wi-Fi connection.
In a corporate video situation. I don’t think the client would ever
be more than 100 feet away. So, perfect. In conclusion, ultimately,
my buying decision came down to price, although I love the form factor
and the SDI loop out on the Cosmo, I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost. The Accsoon is just as reliable as the Cosmo, and I think the ability to use iPads as client
monitors will be much more useful for the type of corporate video shoots
that I do. When B&H lowered the price of the 2
s pro last week to $515, I had a jump on it and purchased
2 Accsoons So that’s it. That’s my story. That’s my test. I’m not sponsored
by either of these companies, but there are some affiliate links
in the description below if you want to purchase any of these
products and help out and support Cinema Viva at the same time. Based on my experience,
I went with the Accsoon and I think it will integrate perfectly into my workflow. However,
if it weren’t for the sale at B&H I was going to keep the Cosmo
and have 1 Accsoon and 1 Cosmo. The Cosmo is a reliable system, and maybe
that fits into your workflow better. You be the judge.
Thanks for watching this video. Please like and subscribe. if you gained some knowledge
and found some entertainment here. Stay tuned for more tech talks to come. This is Horacio of CinemaViva wishing you the best and much success.