Who has a Pivo?

[Kat]

I don't want to find it focuses on the carriage and cuts off the front half of the horse, or that it struggles with following the image as a whole

I would join the Facebook group and ask if anyone has tried it. You can set up a fb profile with no details, keep it private and use it just for that group.

 

[rara007]

I have one just not got round to using it. Can try it driving over the next week some time

 

[Kat]

OMG mine has arrived!!!!

I was getting a bit concerned as the tracking hadn't updated for a few days but it is here!

Let's hope it works with my rather elderly phone

 

[teapot]

Asking for one for my birthday - think the tech is brilliant and about time my phone proved its worth!

 

[Silver Clouds]

I have one just not got round to using it. Can try it driving over the next week some time

Thank you Rara, if you get time at some point and it's not a faff for you then that would be really helpful

 

[Pippity]

My Pivo arrived less than a week after ordering it, which was a very pleasant surprise. My LG G7 in it's Ringke case fits easily in the phone-holder slot, so the smart holder wasn't needed. I haven't had a chance to play with it with the horse yet but it does a surprisingly good job of tracking my cat! I've got to take lunging and trotting-up videos for my vet, so I'll see how it copes with that.

 

[Kat]

Mine arrived within 2 weeks.

My phone easily fits in even with a spigen safety case although it isn't a bulky one.

I tried it last night. I didn't use Horse Beta as I wasn't sure if it was working for Samsung.

It was a bit frustrating, it was easy enough to set up and I stood it on a blue barrel at approximately D. I was able to set it up and put it in place.

I used the back camera and was able to check it was working by peering round the back.

It picked me up ok but it did struggle with the low sun and kept losing me when I was in front of the sun.

I tried moving it to the top of a gate post in the A/K corner but when it lost me it kept focusing on the stable block wall instead. Then I tried it in the C/H corner but again if it lost me it focused on the trailers behind, and the low sun was a much bigger problem here.

I got some ok images and videos but not much before my phone ran out of storage and downed tools.

I am a bit frustrated but as my phone is old and "unsupported" it isn't entirely surprising.

So I will try again, I will aim for a less sunny day and probably try to position the camera near A to avoid the low sun. I will not turn the video on until I am ready to do something interesting and I will try to clear more space on my phone.

Pictures are a bit blurry once screen grabbed due to camera quality. They are sufficient for checking position etc though.

I am very hopeful that I will get good results when I upgrade my phone.

 

[milliepops]

I think you will, Kat. I think the camera quality has quite a bearing on how well it tracks because like you say the environmental stuff like the light can make it really tricky. some of the newest phones seem to be doing really well even then (s20 and the newer iphone)

i find overcast days or where the light is directly above it works the best. my current arena is tricky because of the gap in the hedge by the gate which makes a really bright spot and also lots of shadow from the hedge and trees. I haven't tried it since the latest update (yesterday?) but horse beta was performing pretty reliably for me before that and I'm on a samsung too (S9)

 

[teapot]

Sunny conditions are some of the worst for photographers depending on time of day, so unsprising if a phone camera struggled.

MP you're really making me want to just get one now...

 

[milliepops]

Sunny conditions are some of the worst for photographers depending on time of day, so unsprising if a phone camera struggled.

MP you're really making me want to just get one now...

haha! I'll just keep on with the health warning - it's not perfect, it's going to miss bits now and then but you get what you pay for and the pivo team are really impressive.

Ive found it so useful training at home, even silly things like I watched clips of Kira napping and realised i was almost sitting there letting it happen for a few seconds rather than acting straight away. i thought I was doing stuff, but I was hesitating! i find it quick and easy to set up so it's easy to just plonk down and see what happens. i think i would struggle to get the use out of the systems that need beacons dotted about, it would take too long to be practical in a shared yard environment.

 

[mavandkaz]

I will be selling mine if anyone is interested...

 

[milliepops]

they seem to sell well on FB

 

[Kat]

I think you will, Kat. I think the camera quality has quite a bearing on how well it tracks because like you say the environmental stuff like the light can make it really tricky. some of the newest phones seem to be doing really well even then (s20 and the newer iphone)

i find overcast days or where the light is directly above it works the best. my current arena is tricky because of the gap in the hedge by the gate which makes a really bright spot and also lots of shadow from the hedge and trees. I haven't tried it since the latest update (yesterday?) but horse beta was performing pretty reliably for me before that and I'm on a samsung too (S9)

Yes that's kind of my problem, we have a bank with trees/bushes on two sides and a buildingon the other long side but the sun was directly lined up with the little gap between the two.

I suspect that the indoor might be easier for it now we have had the lights upgraded but I can't face going in there in this weather!!!

I was hoping to hold onto this phone until I am back in the office but this may tempt me to upgrade earlier. Though I don't think I can stretch to an S20!

 

[GinaGeo]

My Pivo arrived last week and I've been playing with it. At first it seemed better with the grey and struggled a little more with the bays but it does seem to depend on how sunny it is.

My Partner suggested we try it quite high up and point it down a little as that is what a photographer would do on a Sunny day - it seemed sensible so we put it on his 6ft Tripod and it coped better.

The School I use probably isn't the easiest - but I'm careful to try and position it to have the sun behind it and it has done really well. If it loses me I just ride back round and pick it back up.

It even managed to record some jumping yesterday. On occasion it seems you can outrun it - but it was trying hard to keep up.

Really impressed with how it coped with ponies outside the arena, the jumps and wings and the quicker speed when jumping. I even tried upping the pace a little more and putting in some tighter turns and it amazed by keeping up. It did struggle a lot more with my grey though and lost us a few times -but we were playing with putting it in different places. It seems to struggle the most when you move fast close to it, so positioning it is the key part.

I'm using it with my iPhone 7 and used the BETA mode.

 

[rara007]

It ran out of battery today... tbc

 

[milliepops]

My Pivo arrived last week and I've been playing with it. At first it seemed better with the grey and struggled a little more with the bays but it does seem to depend on how sunny it is.

My Partner suggested we try it quite high up and point it down a little as that is what a photographer would do on a Sunny day - it seemed sensible so we put it on his 6ft Tripod and it coped better.

The School I use probably isn't the easiest - but I'm careful to try and position it to have the sun behind it and it has done really well. If it loses me I just ride back round and pick it back up.

It even managed to record some jumping yesterday. On occasion it seems you can outrun it - but it was trying hard to keep up.

Really impressed with how it coped with ponies outside the arena, the jumps and wings and the quicker speed when jumping. I even tried upping the pace a little more and putting in some tighter turns and it amazed by keeping up. It did struggle a lot more with my grey though and lost us a few times -but we were playing with putting it in different places. It seems to struggle the most when you move fast close to it, so positioning it is the key part.

I'm using it with my iPhone 7 and used the BETA mode.

I think your video is set to private ?

I'm pretty pleased with the latest update, horse beta with the auto zoom reinstated lost me briefly twice in 40 mins in our awkward home arena.
I'm going to try cranking up the video quality next time, been on standard 1080p so far.

 

[GinaGeo]

I think your video is set to private ?

I'm pretty pleased with the latest update, horse beta with the auto zoom reinstated lost me briefly twice in 40 mins in our awkward home arena.
I'm going to try cranking up the video quality next time, been on standard 1080p so far.

Oops - I think I've updated it now!

Is anyone using any specific software to edit the footage? I've found 'Video Editor' which I'm using on my phone, which is pretty straightforward but wondered if there was anything slightly better out there?

 

[milliepops]

Oops - I think I've updated it now!

Is anyone using any specific software to edit the footage? I've found 'Video Editor' which I'm using on my phone, which is pretty straightforward but wondered if there was anything slightly better out there?

I use inshot which has paid options but the free version is pretty good.

 

[milliepops]

that jumping vid is pretty good! better than some human camerawork! (anyone watch olivia towers videos? bless her mum, she's about as good as my mum at videoing things, she could do with one of these things to film her tests )

 

[GinaGeo]

About the same as my mum then! She gets distracted watching and films the floor instead

 

[milliepops]

haha! yeah same. If my mum remembers to keep the horse in shot then she gets carried away and does disco-zooming. it's quite something

 

[DressageCob]

My Pivo arrived today, about a week after I ordered it. Clearly their delivery times have improved! I'm hoping to try it out on Friday.

 

[rara007]

Hmm, had it at the end of a large arena today and it struggled...

Tbc

 

[milliepops]

I am looking at buying a Pivo as like others I school on my own and fed up with trying to get decent footage with a camera on a fixed tripod. The info everyone (particularly MP ) has provided here is really useful, especially as I'm not on Facebook or Instagram so can't access all of the advice etc..

Bit of a niche question, but has anyone tried it with carriage driving (schooling in an arena), and did it work? I do a mix of riding and driving, and I struggle to assess the horse's way of going more when driving than riding (I can't 'feel' it as easily) so being able to check progress via recording would be great. Presumably it should still be able to recognise and track the horse, but I wasn't sure whether it would get confused by the carriage and human, and obviously I want the whole horse in the picture!

Someone has just posted a driving video. Sorry not sure if the link will work:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PivoHorseRidingCommunity/permalink/317771162606369/

 

[neddy man]

Someone has just posted a driving video. Sorry not sure if the link will work:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PivoHorseRidingCommunity/permalink/317771162606369/

The link works fine on my tablet followed them well on change of rein and rein back did loose them a couple of times but picked them back up again.

 

[Silver Clouds]

Someone has just posted a driving video. Sorry not sure if the link will work:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PivoHorseRidingCommunity/permalink/317771162606369/

Thanks for posting that MP... and apologies for taking so long to notice . I'm impressed that it seemed to cope just as well with a driven horse as with a ridden one. I think I could get quite a bit of use out of it so have put one on my 'to buy' list once I've moved the horses in the autumn.

 

[Kahlua]

Can I ask anyone who cares to answer! There is a sale on at the moment, is that normal or should I jump on it? The starter pack is 35% off at roughly £120 at the moment ?

 

[milliepops]

seem to be sales on quite often so i wouldn't be in a mad rush.

 

[Kat]

Can I ask anyone who cares to answer! There is a sale on at the moment, is that normal or should I jump on it? The starter pack is 35% off at roughly £120 at the moment ?

That's the sale that was only on for a weekend when I bought mine, I wouldn't panic too much.

I also wouldn't bother with a pack, just buy the silver unless you want to use it with a go pro or something.

 

[Kahlua]

That's the sale that was only on for a weekend when I bought mine, I wouldn't panic too much.

I also wouldn't bother with a pack, just buy the silver unless you want to use it with a go pro or something.

Thank you! Might sit tight for the moment then ?