Who has a Pivo?

[DirectorFury]

Haha, time for new gloves?
Selfishly I'm hoping you'll figure out the best settings so I can pick your brains when mine turns up, we're going to be in some random field or on the beach so not sure if it's going to work well.

 

[milliepops]

Haha, time for new gloves?
Selfishly I'm hoping you'll figure out the best settings so I can pick your brains when mine turns up, we're going to be in some random field or on the beach so not sure if it's going to work well.

I can't afford new gloves as well will have to become more patient and just accept that I need to take them off for now.
I spent the glove money on a phone power case thingy, so I will have lots of battery life to fiddle about with it I think it would be a LOT easier to play with settings if you had someone else doing the riding and you could press buttons and see what they did. perhaps I will go up the field with it and set the oldies running about to simulate that!

Random field videos on FB look good, I reckon the beach might be too unless you get a lot of glare.

 

[Alibear]

I've got mine tracking me OK But I'm human, in the kitchen and limited speed so not a full test really! Its oddly both very intuitive and then suddnely complicated too. I can't get the many me function to work at all, but then i've only played with it for 15 mins so far. Hubby ordered me a tripod for it off amazon for £16.99 I just need a horse now!

 

[Taliesan]

I've been looking for a robot camera tracker to record my online dressage tests. The Pivo was tempting but I wasn't sure how well it would track a dressage test from C. That and it doesn't zoom.

It is encouraging to hear that they are working on an auto zoom function.

Would anyone who has a Pivo be willing to put it at C and see how it copes when you're at the far end of the school as well as the corners closest to C?

 

[Leo Walker]

oh god, they have sent me a 10% discount offer now. Arrgghhh!!! MUST RESIST!

 

[milliepops]

I've been looking for a robot camera tracker to record my online dressage tests. The Pivo was tempting but I wasn't sure how well it would track a dressage test from C. That and it doesn't zoom.

It is encouraging to hear that they are working on an auto zoom function.

Would anyone who has a Pivo be willing to put it at C and see how it copes when you're at the far end of the school as well as the corners closest to C?

I will try this when theres an overcast day at home,I know mine will follow me to the far end because I've tried but it loses me in the shade from the giant hedge.

Today I tried it from the middle of the long side on a 20x60 and that was fine with us zoomed in slightly, until I passed right in front of the camera. With the zoom applied I guess it just couldnt identity a horse shape any more. It probably would have been ok further back from the edge.

If they can make an auto zoom function that will be a game changer I think.

 

[milliepops]

Oh I got a charging case for my phone today too which I'm pretty impressed with and hopefully that will mean i can do 2 horses in a day ? I put my phone on airplane mode today for pivoing which definitely helped conserve battery.

 

[sherry90]

Having looked at this a little bit more - I’ve just seen that they do an ‘affiliate scheme’ basically the people who recommend them get money, so of course a lot of influencers and the like are promoting these like it’s the next best thing. I’m sitting it out for a bit until I’ve seen more objective reviews!

 

[milliepops]

Having looked at this a little bit more - I’ve just seen that they do an ‘affiliate scheme’ basically the people who recommend them get money, so of course a lot of influencers and the like are promoting these like it’s the next best thing. I’m sitting it out for a bit until I’ve seen more objective reviews!

I think the reviews on FB are quite realistic. Not just the official pages, theres another equestrian group that is not managed by pivo.
(I paid for mine and am not getting anything off pivo ?)

 

[sherry90]

I think the reviews on FB are quite realistic. Not just the official pages, theres another equestrian group that is not managed by pivo.
(I paid for mine and am not getting anything off pivo ?)

Thank you - that’s good to know. Maybe I just get a bit skeptical if something sounds too good to be true!
I’ve seen a lot recently about the VIP pad too (sorry to derail!) and how great that is. I’m very tempted with that due to having back issues myself but I’m not sure if the reviews are gushing because of sponsors with suppliers etc!

 

[Wheels]

Thank you - that’s good to know. Maybe I just get a bit skeptical if something sounds too good to be true!
I’ve seen a lot recently about the VIP pad too (sorry to derail!) and how great that is. I’m very tempted with that due to having back issues myself but I’m not sure if the reviews are gushing because of sponsors with suppliers etc!

Agreed, its hard to know what is a proper review or not. One person on FB gave me a rave review about pivo and then said if I was ordering one could I use her link as she gets discount. Then I saw a rave review about the VIP pad and then noticed it for sale on their sales website. One of the claims about VIP pads not changing the fit of a saddle is also questionable. It is 8mm thick so that is 8mm each side of the saddle, a total of 1.6cm. When I was taught to shim saddles we started with 3mm so 8mm each side is quite significant.

Anyway that is a digression from pivo

 

[milliepops]

Thank you - that’s good to know. Maybe I just get a bit skeptical if something sounds too good to be true!
I’ve seen a lot recently about the VIP pad too (sorry to derail!) and how great that is. I’m very tempted with that due to having back issues myself but I’m not sure if the reviews are gushing because of sponsors with suppliers etc!

I had a VIP pad too Bought that all with my own money as well, I don't get any sponsorship other than from my OH (farrier!! )

I thought it was a good pad, horse I bought it for seemed softer. She's now retired and my welsh needs a thicker pad for her saddle fit so I sold it to another HHOer who is happy with it I believe. TBH I sort of wish I had kept hold of it because I think ex racer may appreciate it.

I think there are a few very active posters on the pivo communities on both sides so probably ignore the ones that post 2 million times a day and keep an eye on the others I also think it's important to be realistic, it's £100 bit of kit not £1000 so it's not going to be perfect all the time. I think Pivo are now realising what they are tapping into with riders wanting to video their horses so it does seem like there will be more development on the app for this. they are making all the right noises IMO and in the meantime I'm happy with what I'm getting - it's a LOT better than a static camera on the fence for me.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I had a VIP pad too Bought that all with my own money as well, I don't get any sponsorship other than from my OH (farrier!! )

I thought it was a good pad, horse I bought it for seemed softer. She's now retired and my welsh needs a thicker pad for her saddle fit so I sold it to another HHOer who is happy with it I believe. TBH I sort of wish I had kept hold of it because I think ex racer may appreciate it.

I think there are a few very active posters on the pivo communities on both sides so probably ignore the ones that post 2 million times a day and keep an eye on the others I also think it's important to be realistic, it's £100 bit of kit not £1000 so it's not going to be perfect all the time. I think Pivo are now realising what they are tapping into with riders wanting to video their horses so it does seem like there will be more development on the app for this. they are making all the right noises IMO and in the meantime I'm happy with what I'm getting - it's a LOT better than a static camera on the fence for me.

Yep I still like the VIP pad, thanks MP .

I didn't find it ground-breaking like some seem to suggest it is, but it's a good quality pad that doesn't affect fit of the saddle much and the horses do seem softer in it. I'm not sure I could justify the price of a new one though...

I'm excited for my pivo to come, tried a cheaper version and it was too slow, so I'm thinking for enough quality to actually film a horse the £100 seems to be about the base line, if you want bells and whistles then you need to spend more...

 

[Matafleur]

Oh well now you've all made me buy a flippin' Pivo!!! Our school is 60 x 30 though so not sure how well it will manage, hoping I can site it at B or E and it may work?

Does anyone know if it's compatible with the little screw attachments on tripods? I have a grip tripod that I'm hoping it might fit. Should be better than my young son's filming which gives me motion sickness! ?

Has anyone used it for jumping yet? Does it cope with that?

 

[milliepops]

Oh well now you've all made me buy a flippin' Pivo!!! Our school is 60 x 30 though so not sure how well it will manage, hoping I can site it at B or E and it may work?

Does anyone know if it's compatible with the little screw attachments on tripods? I have a grip tripod that I'm hoping it might fit. Should be better than my young son's filming which gives me motion sickness! ?

it will work on any normal screw tripod, I have used it on on the little bendy ones you can attach to a fence, and also my very ancient big extendable tripod that is older than me and used to belong to my Dad for photography

I tried it on the long side of a long arena on Saturday, I will share the video I'm just waiting for it to upload. it was fine to capture both ends, the problem I had with it from that position was when I rode directly in front of the camera. To be sure that it will catch you at the far end you need to be zoomed in a bit (Pivo recommend that you are about 1/10 of the screen and that has worked well for me) but that means when you are next to the camera you are waaaay too zoomed in and it can't recognise a horse shape any more. So it lost me then. I find it quite easy to get it to pick me up again by riding slowly in front of the camera.

I think if you put it at X you will find it works pretty well. Or if you don't really need to ride super close to the camera.

 

[Matafleur]

it will work on any normal screw tripod, I have used it on on the little bendy ones you can attach to a fence, and also my very ancient big extendable tripod that is older than me and used to belong to my Dad for photography

I tried it on the long side of a long arena on Saturday, I will share the video I'm just waiting for it to upload. it was fine to capture both ends, the problem I had with it from that position was when I rode directly in front of the camera. To be sure that it will catch you at the far end you need to be zoomed in a bit (Pivo recommend that you are about 1/10 of the screen and that has worked well for me) but that means when you are next to the camera you are waaaay too zoomed in and it can't recognise a horse shape any more. So it lost me then. I find it quite easy to get it to pick me up again by riding slowly in front of the camera.

I think if you put it at X you will find it works pretty well. Or if you don't really need to ride super close to the camera.

That's really helpful MP, thanks! Horse is having blind wolf teeth out this week so by the time he has recovered the Pivo should have arrived and hopefully I'll have figured out how to use it

 

[milliepops]

here's the issue with putting it on the side of the arena. (scuse the actual content, this was at the end of an hour's ride and she was TIRED but I wanted to experiment with the space while we were there. Also, what is happening to my right elbow? job for another day )

Here you can see that it follows you quite well from one end to the other. so no issue with the distance element of a long arena. but I had this placed right outside the boards so when I rode to E almost underneath the camera it lost me. It picks me up again when I come back, but lost me again next time I rode past E. I would imagine if you could set it further back, it wouldn't have that problem. You might be too small at the far end, I'm not sure. If they can master the auto-zoom that would probably solve this.

 

[milliepops]

More footage from the same day. at the end I rode some half passes up the centre line which it tracked fine, this was from an off-centre position in the middle somewhere. it's very happy tracking you on a circle, that's very reliable IME. it got slightly transfixed with some of the other horses in the fields next door to this arena when I went large but on the whole I got it to follow me!

 

[sherry90]

More footage from the same day. at the end I rode some half passes up the centre line which it tracked fine, this was from an off-centre position in the middle somewhere. it's very happy tracking you on a circle, that's very reliable IME. it got slightly transfixed with some of the other horses in the fields next door to this arena when I went large but on the whole I got it to follow me!

This is good to know! Trying to resist buying one (and the VIP!) money saved during lockdown is burning a hole in my pocket ??

 

[milliepops]

This is good to know! Trying to resist buying one (and the VIP!) money saved during lockdown is burning a hole in my pocket ??

hehe! I would say, if you expect it to work 100% of the time and will be irritated if it doesn't, then save your money. if you want something that will work most of the time with a bit of consideration about the best way to do it, then it seems to be a handy little gadget and will record some useful video.
if you want something for videoing online dressage, it's probably not there yet unless your arena happens to be the perfect set up for it - I'd say you want no fence, a good bland background and to be able to set the pod back far enough to capture the horse fully in the screen when you pass close to it.
the pivo social media bods do seem to be interested in developing the horse tracking element though so I am hopeful that it will continue to improve.

 

[DressageCob]

that video at E was very helpful, thank you. I may well get one for a play. It seemed to track you ok far away but didn't like it when you were right upon it. Did you have to switch it with the remote to get it back on track, or just ride past?

 

[milliepops]

I haven't really played with the remote yet, i just rode past and it picked us up again.

I think the best way to think of it when setting up is that it needs to recognise a horse shape fully in the screen - legs, body and head. and it tracks best when the horses is side on. So if you challenge the camera picking up that shape, either with lighting, objects between horse and camera or changing the angle or proximity of the horse that's when it's likely to lose you. It's smart enough to track a horse that approaches head on or away from the camera if there are no other challenges, but for example, add in some poor lighting and that tips it over the edge.

i think the predictive tracking might improve the issue with the video at E but at the moment it needs some development, I read a post from Pivo saying they were working on that. at the moment if it loses you with predictive tracking turned on, it sort of freestyles where it thinks you might have gone and that's not always correct

hoping someone else's turns up so we can compare notes

 

[DirectorFury]

hoping someone else's turns up so we can compare notes

Mines been dispatched so hopefully not too long to wait .
Did you have to pay import duties MP?

 

[leflynn]

My silver one arrived today, paired up no problem, will test at the weekend when I have time to fiddle with it!

 

[milliepops]

Mines been dispatched so hopefully not too long to wait .
Did you have to pay import duties MP?

nope

 

[milliepops]

So today I videoed a friend so I could play with the settings more easily and think I've got closer to solving my dark hedge problem. There's a slider on the screen that makes the picture brighter so I whacked that right up which more or less sorted it. It made the picture a bit washed out on the bright side but tracked pretty reliably in the dark areas. Wont post the footage as not my horse but I will try another day

In the meantime here's one of the other things you can create with it (first quick attempt so more refinement needed ?)

 

[Barlow]

I have one - been ok so far, find it tracks me more easily in bright sunlight / brighter days when the contrast of me against the fence is better. Pretty pleased with it given the money but will still rely on a friend to video for virtual lessons

 

[milliepops]

Clip from today's efforts. Cranked the brightness up to the max and that really helped the hedge-shadow issue even if some bits are a bit washed out. Next time I will try zooming in a bit more and see if it will follow us through the dark to the other end

 

[Red-1]

Mine has arrived! I will have a look and see if I an make it work, but I am tech challenged

ETA Darcy looks ace!

 

[milliepops]

Good luck Red