Pivo - is it worth the hassle?

TealH0rse

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Hi,

I have recently been considering buying a pivo. They’re a lot cheaper than other alternatives but all I see online are bad experiences. On the facebook community page, I see some brilliant videos but by majority it is issues with pivo not tracking, not connecting or using up a lot of storage.

I didn’t want to ask for opinions on the community as people seem rather hit or miss on there based on their recent experiences. Pivo also follows the page and is active and I’d imagine a few users are more biased due to potential connections with pivo, since I’ve seen a fair few small influencers receive free pivos.

I just want to know whether it’s actually worth it? I nearly bit the bullet and brought one yesterday but realised it was more than £30 extra in tax and £10 shipping so wasn’t exactly the New Years deal I was expecting. I don’t want to spend £200 on a device that is as buggy as it seems.


Many thanks
 

Kahlua

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I have only used mine twice (purchased in the Black Friday sale) as it did drain my battery and as such I need to work out the best solution for this. It worked brilliantly both times. I didn’t bother wearing bright colours etc and it still managed to pick me up. The only time it lost me was a) when the sun glare was very bad (I’d placed it in the wrong spot), watching it back on the video I couldn’t see myself so that’s fine and b) when I rode with other horses, however it picked me up easily when I rode between them and the pivo. However, I must say I haven’t used it since the update, and a lot of people have had problems since this, who haven’t before. If you understand it’s still in testing for equestrians and don’t mind it’s not perfect every time then spend the ££ if not than wait a few more months until the glitches are sorted. I have seen a few for sale on eBay around £100 in the last week, so you could always try going down that route!
 

milliepops

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I think it seems like the majority have problems because people tend to post when they have problems. I don't post all my successful videos on there ;)

I think there's a few things to bear in mind
Mainly realistic expectations - it's a device that works with a phone app to recognise a horse shape. if your horse blends into a background or your phone camera is a bit rubbish then it will struggle
People keep thinking there is something more to it, like some of the other systems where you carry a tracker or whatever. there's a reason those are ££££.
a bit of practice with siting the pod makes all the difference. not putting it so the camera points into the sun etc.
you ideally need to be the only horse in sight otherwise it might pick up other horses (sharing the arena, or horses in fields next door etc).
you need plenty of storage to save your videos.
turn your phone on airplane mode to avoid other apps/calls etc interfering.

if you bear all that in mind... i'm really pleased with mine. my horse is off games at the moment but in the summer i used it every ride for a while as the regular video helped me crack a few problems. pivo developers are good at fixing bugs reported to them and improving the functionality.

I am not a paid influencer nor did I get mine free. i did get it quite early on.
 

TheMule

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I have found mine a really useful tool for when I want a bit of feedback on things I'm working on. It doesn’t have too many glitches once you learn it’s range and what it can and can’t cope with
 

vam

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I think it seems like the majority have problems because people tend to post when they have problems. I don't post all my successful videos on there ;)

I think there's a few things to bear in mind
Mainly realistic expectations - it's a device that works with a phone app to recognise a horse shape. if your horse blends into a background or your phone camera is a bit rubbish then it will struggle
People keep thinking there is something more to it, like some of the other systems where you carry a tracker or whatever. there's a reason those are ££££.
a bit of practice with siting the pod makes all the difference. not putting it so the camera points into the sun etc.
you ideally need to be the only horse in sight otherwise it might pick up other horses (sharing the arena, or horses in fields next door etc).
you need plenty of storage to save your videos.
turn your phone on airplane mode to avoid other apps/calls etc interfering.

if you bear all that in mind... i'm really pleased with mine. my horse is off games at the moment but in the summer i used it every ride for a while as the regular video helped me crack a few problems. pivo developers are good at fixing bugs reported to them and improving the functionality.

I am not a paid influencer nor did I get mine free. i did get it quite early on.


This. My OH got one but spent a lot of time looking into it and working out how to use it best. Its not perfect but then I don't think the more expensive ones are either. There are glitches but the Pivo team are pretty good at replying and trying to sort them out, the vast majority of time its user error or the environment. On the occasions it looses me I know why but it always picks me up again. I don't expect it to be perfect as it wasn't designed for riders at all so the fact they do updates for it so we can use it is pretty cool.
There is a certain amount of trial and error depending on all your factors, thats why there are so many on that fb group as I don't think its a one size fits all.
I really like it and my OH is currently trying to work out a mount for it to go on a jump wing to see if it works better that way for jumping as that is still better filmed by hand but for flat work it means i can ride and film without him.
 

HufflyPuffly

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Basically what they ^ said.

I think it's a fab bit of kit for the price, it's not infallible but then I've seen bad reviews on the ones which are ££££'s. I even use mine for filming jumping, it does get a bit confused if jump wings are in the way, but otherwise it does a great job:

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AUB

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Love mine! Never had any big issues with it.

But Pivo can’t fix stupid. Saw someone today in the fb group riding in an arena filled with jumps, with another horse, a person on the ground, Pivo put 50 cm from the ground and not level at all... and complaining that it didn’t follow!
 

ycbm

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My arena is on a hilltop. Indoors, it tracked perfectly. Outdoors against the sky and far away hillsides, it would not even pick me up, never mind track me once it had. It's very situation dependant, I think.
 

Red-1

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I tried mine, white horse, dark background, it consistently went round to look behind it :rolleyes: Never followed more than 1/4 a circle.

Not had it out since.

We did use it in the house, where it as fine. Sadly, the horse does not fit in the house!
 

milliepops

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I tried mine, white horse, dark background, it consistently went round to look behind it :rolleyes: Never followed more than 1/4 a circle.

Not had it out since.

We did use it in the house, where it as fine. Sadly, the horse does not fit in the house!
when did you last try, Red?
they did a fairly big update which was tested in Beta by virtually everyone on the pivo horse group, that fixed auto zoom and - for me-stopped it turning around too. that's now released as horse tracking.
 

HufflyPuffly

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when did you last try, Red?
they did a fairly big update which was tested in Beta by virtually everyone on the pivo horse group, that fixed auto zoom and - for me-stopped it turning around too. that's now released as horse tracking.

Ah I wondered where the beta went ??. Would love a solution to rain though....
 

magicmoments

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I think it's great. Only used it about 4 times, and not since horse beater merged. Check your phone is compatible. Read the tips page on how to set up. For the price it's good if you bear in mind the things it struggles with. Tech team seem very helpful. Many 'problems' posted are that the person didn't use the correct settings for where it was placed. It's best if you're the only one in the arena as it will follow the horse nearest, not necessarily yours. It's not waterproof, although others have put bags over it to protect it, but my phone isn't waterproof anyway.
 

VRIN

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My son bought me one for Christmas. Its a work in progress! Waterproofing is easy fix - just put a plastic bag one Day 1: too windy .. blew tripod over Day 2: battery went flat on phone. I have had to buy a top up battery for my phone as it 'eats' battery life. Day 3: it was tracking beautifully till it spotted the horsebox and then remained focused on that despite my best efforts! Day 4: Managed a video! Inadvertently deleted before viewing ... Day 5: On foot to try to get to grips with PIVO - successfully videoed a rider! Sadly auto zoom not working Day 6: Didn't realise PIVO was not 'connected' via Blue tooth Day 7: Pivo connected BUT battery went flat!! However the remote worked wonderfully. Today I didn't bother! HOWEVER I am going to persevere and with lockdown 3 just announced i think it will prove very useful. Pivomeet I have given up on as it is just TOOOOOOOO troublesome but will give it another go when some of the 'bugs' have been ironed out!

So yes ...go for it.... if nothing else it will provide hours of entertainment!
 

daydreamer

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I’d echo a lot of the other comments. I’ve had mainly success with it. The battery on mine seems a bit glitchy but it seems if I ignore the charging light and keep charging it for an hour or so it is ok. I have filmed a whole 40min ish schooling session without it losing me once and shared the video with my instructor for feedback which was useful and an alternative to lessons at the moment.
 

CMcC

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Anyone thinking of ordering a Pivo - I ordered one yesterday and have just got an email saying due to Covid they are not shipping to the UK!
 

SpotsandBays

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Anyone thinking of ordering a Pivo - I ordered one yesterday and have just got an email saying due to Covid they are not shipping to the UK!
I believe Pivo are selling them on Amazon? (Not sure if you will be able to get it this way or not though!)
 

AUB

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I think there are a few options now?
Pivo has a european site too, I think. And they also sell it via Amazon. Maybe you can also find it on eBay?
 

milliepops

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Hi all, does anyone know the difference between the smart mount and the action mount?
You don't need either of them, but smartmount holds a phone at different angles, and action mount allows you to use a camera like a go-pro at the same time.

I just use my phone mounted direct on the pivo pod.
 

Sprat

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Resurrecting an oldish thread, but I'm considering purchasing a Pivo, having my phone propped up on the school wall just isn't cutting it.

Did anyone get stung for import tax when it arrived? Husband thinks I will be as it ships from the states?
 

ycbm

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Mine shipped from Asia, no duty charged. Early 2020.

ETA bought direct from PIVO site.
 
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Kahlua

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I paid VAT on mine in Nov but I dont think you would get charged US tax so you still only pay tax once - if that makes sense? Mine shipped from the Netherlands.
 

Sprat

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Oh perhaps it doesn't ship from the states then, not sure where hubby got that from. I think I'm going to take the plunge and order one.
 
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