HeadPlay goggles finally ship and they are a BIG DEAL.!

I've been using FPV goggles going back to before the MyVue goggles,  goggles have slowly progressed from super crappy to almost pretty good.  Right now state of the art goggles run roughly $500+ for goggles in the 45+ degrees field of view.    The new HeadPlay goggles aim's to upset the market a bit, delivering a claimed 70deg FOV for roughly $250

You used to pay a lot for goggles and they usually didn't meet your expectations. With the headplays, I feel the experience exceeds my expectations and price.

Click through for full review,  and comparison to other goggles on the market.  

*** UPDATE ***  the RCgroups support thread have relocated to here

*** UPDATE *** HeadPlays are constantly sold out.. but I found them at HobbyWOW CLICK HERE

*** UPDATE ***  STOCK HeadPlays do the blue screen if you loose video signal, this is something RangeVideo should have fixed before shipping the product. However FINALLY somebody have come up with a hack,  if you are willing to crack open your HeadPlays, you can loose the blue-screen.   Please realize that without doing the "blue screen be gone" modification, the HeadPlays are useless for FPV.
CLICK HERE FOR THE "Blue Screen Be Gone" hack instructions. 

The last 10 year or so.. crap-gadget goggles have been hawked as giving you the experience of a 80" plasma screen.. when we stuck the latest greatest goggles on our heads.. we realized it was the view of a 80 inch screen from about half a mile away.. and in resolutions from 80x120px up to sometimes 320x480px, mostly Crap Gadgets in other words.

FatShark became the first "reliable" FPV goggle, made specifically for FPV, with its famed ski goggle headband and the battery tucked into the headband.  there is no doubt FatShark is the goggle against which ALL other goggles are measured in the FPV world.

The current status of goggles are that FatShark and a number of Chinese vendors push a selection of 640x480 (SD) goggles with FOV's ranging from roughly 25-45degrees. for this review Im going to reference a lot of FatShark,  so its important to know that their budget goggle with maybe 30deg FOV cost $199 on HobbyKing,  you can buy the same goggle for about $250 from HorizonHobby.. but why spend more for less.?

In terms of HIGH-RESOLUTION the market is very small.  basically the Zeiss Cinemizers and the FatShark Dominator HD are splitting the FPV market.   the Dominator HD's delivering 800x600 pixel screens, and the Cinemizer's delivering 870x500 pixels resolution, the Dominators cost about $600, and the Cinemizers $750  both can be used with HDMI in.  Normally 720p is considered the lower level HD, and clearly neither of these are approaching HD even by a generous definition. 

The FatShark Dom HD's have a build in DVR for recording goggle video while flying, this is considered a big value for FPV pilots,   the Cinemizer's on the other hand have by far the best picture, its clear to see that Zeiss is a optical company, their goggles are the benchmark in clarity.  but to use them for FPV most users adapt them into a pair of ski-goggles.

Bo's extensive review and side by side comparison to budget FatShark's   PS make sure to subscribe to Bo's YT for more FPV and AP reviews.

Box goggles is not exactly new. For years guys have been building inventive designs, wrapping a fresnel lens, some kinda small or large LED screen, and a RX together.  the designs have been mounted to everything ranging from tripods where the operator stick ones head into the box, with construction helmet mounted designs including fancy full antennas and headphones for space traveler looks.  you can buy a kit from HobbyKing, and Google box goggles are fairly well known for the smartphones,  Zeiss made a goggle for the iPhone..  note smartphone goggles are useless for FPV unless you stuff them with a LED and a video receiver. 
What IS new, is that HeadPlay, designed and manufactured a complete goggle, not a kit, they went shopping for all the parts you would want in a good box-goggle, and then they wrapped it all together for you, these are RTF for $250.   HeadPlay, did a great job on the design, the foam box is well done and serve the purpose. They sprayed the interior with dull black "flocking" to avoid reflections, and the colored wrap-around band hold the 5.8 ghz video receiver.   There is nothing here you can't do with a $100 kit, but the HeadPlay's have already done most of the refinements you would do and with a bigger screen than any kit out there. 

HDMI MINI connector on the side and lockable multi-function connector on top of the goggles.

HeadPlay, (There is a brand name thats hard to forget) is not some new kid on the block, and designed the original Headplay PCS which was the first 800 x 600 resolution goggle with IPD adjustment, diopter adjustment, and 3D support, Headplay  invested 26 million in the first PCS goggles.   Which were reselling for 600$ in 2006.  RangeVideo bought HeadPlay in 2012.  and you are seeing a lot of little touches in the latest HeadPlays that indicate these guys have a lot of goggle experience and knowledge.

So.. with that little goggle primer out of the way.. why HeadPlays?  
There probably are 3-4 main reasons.
1. HUGE FOV at roughy 70 degrees (claimed we will revisit that)
2. REAL HD  HeadPlay goggles have 1280x800 resolution = 720p
3. Integrated design RTF with no loose hanging wires (like the FatSharks)
4. Plays nice with FatShark / ImmersionRC / Boscam
5. Price $250 
6. Multi Voltage system, you can fly the goggles with 2-4s battery packs (I'm using 3S)

The business end of a pair of HeadPlay goggles

Field Of View - FOV
You will notice I put the FOV first, FOV is the holy grail of FPV.  
The theory is simple.  if you use a camera with say a 90deg FOV lens, and project the image on goggles with 90deg FOV,  then the motion of the image and the projection start to match, and tricks your mind to think you are really seeing what you are projecting.  This effect is already pronounced at 45deg FOV, and you will often see Proximity FPV pilots "duck" and "dodge" when passing under something or between branches.  the bigger the image is, the more effective the feeling of being immersed in the experience,  the brain "buys" the experience and you feel you are onboard the aircraft.

REAL HD
The second holy grail of FPV is obviously BETTER resolution,   the point is being able to see electric power lines in the air, and tiny thin branches,  BEFORE they snatch you out of the air.  As it is, we have gotten used to racing mini-quad's with 640x480 goggles and camera / vtx systems that frankly deliver less than SD,  on testing I find that resolution on the ACTUAL displayed video signal frequently drops below 480x320px.  The HeadPlay goggles can't display what is not there.. but high-rez screens do show the whatever is there in the best possible view.
This year I have been flying my inspire quad using the lightbridge HDMI, and I can promise you, once you have flown with 720p video,  it is VERY hard finding 480x320pix remotely satisfying.

There are no doubt, 2015 is the year of HD VTX systems,  you can already now get 3-4 different systems,  most of those have a lot of lag, this is a issue with proximity flying, but if you are doing aerial video, HD systems are a huge advantage. The HeadPlays have a HDMI in and can play 720p video. so check box on future proof HD goggles.

INTEGRATED RTF DESIGN
Yup, you can pull the HeadPlays out of the box and start flying them with your FPV quad.  The kit includes a 1 hour battery,  charger,  video-reciever unit build into the goggles,  power cable,  and even a set of video in-out cables in case you want to plug in a DVR or use a external 1.3ghz RX.
In my mind being integrated is HUGE.  everything is on the headband,  there is nothing hanging down, no external cables to plug in.  you are ready to fly when you put the goggles on your head.
HeadPlay assured me that the RX will handle both my FatShark / ImmersionRC / BosCam video systems.

PRICE = $250
Even if the HeadPlay's were not great,  the price is right in a big way.  Im sick and tired of $500 goggles.    I simply can't imagine the HeadPlay not being on the shopping list of almost every new user the next year or so,  I really don't see the FatShark Dom HD's disappearing, but the price point is aggressive enough that it simply would be irresponsible not to consider the HeadPlays along with other options when starting out in FPV.

OPERATION Voltage 6-15v
This is a great little feature.  you can safely power the goggles with everything from a 2S to 4S batteries.   I'm sure all of us have some old 3s 2200mah batteries floating around, one of those should safely power the goggles for 2-3 hours.  the included 2S 1000mah battery is rated at roughly 1 hour.
its important to notice that the goggles turn OFF at 6volts.  This is mostly a issue when using 2S batteries.  But to avoid getting caught with dead goggles,  buy a battery tester and plug it into the balance plug.  the tester will start beeping long before the goggles shut off.

COMFORT & Ergonomics
Well who would have guessed. that big box is surprisingly comfortable,  I watched a video with the HeadPlays and can honestly say. that after 90 minutes it was good to get my head out of the box. however, its a very different feeling than my FatSharks, because FatShark push on the front of my face. The HeadPlays' hang on my head and the load is better distributed.    OK I have no illusions about the comfort subject,  I can promise you right now, there will be devoted haters who absolutely hate how this feel on the head.. and there will be guys who will refuse to ever again put FatSharks on their face..   I can't fix that.  comfort is what it is.. and we don't all like the same beer.
*** About watching that video on the goggles,  after about 10 minutes you realize there is a reflection in there, probably the light projected on your face being reflected in the fresnel lens.    For somebody who have spend a lifetime working in broadcast, its definitely distracting, however others may not even notice.  Personally I feel the weight of the goggles start to become noticeable on my forehead after a while..   But as I said, the FatShark's have other problems in this department by pushing towards my face by the goggle strap.

The side mounted controls have different patterns so you can feel what button you are pushing while using the goggles.

GLASSES..?
DANG. just discovered I can stick my face with my glasses straight into the HeadPlay's   this is likely to make these the instant favorite of a gazillion guys with glasses.   I have diopters in my FatShark's, but hate that when I remove the FatSharks, I have to fumble for my glasses before I can see the quad in the air. (as a result, i tend to take-off and land while flying goggles).   its refreshing to be able to remove the HeadPlay's and see the quad clearly right away.
*** Strangely enough,  being nearsighted, I actually also see the image incredible clear in the HeadPlays' without my glasses.. I can't explain that, but are likely to continue flying without glasses because the image clarity is perfect for my eyes as is.

CONNECTIONS
All the expected ones.. the build in5.8ghz video receiver have a standard SMA antenna plug that will let you use any sandard 5.8 antenna you already have.   in addition there is a HDMI plug on the right side. and a finally a pro type XS9JK connector, thats a professional style locking connector, it come with two plugs, one with just the battery power in, and the other locking cable have battery and a suite of video in-out cables.  Locking cable plugs is something I have been wanting in top quality products for a long time, seeing this type plug on the HeadPlay's is a positive surprise.
PS.  the HeadPlay HDMI port is HDMI-MINI, just in case you were wondering.

COLORS ?
What the heck.. these things are available with RED / WHITE / BLACK trim.  I had to have the RED ones as they are so big, thats only red seems to do the size justice.

NOBODY is perfect
This is a first generation product here, and naturally, there are lots of little issues with the HeadPlays, but in all fairness, none of them real feel like a deal-breaker.
in no particular order here are a couple issues that I have noticed.
HeadPlays are HUGE, almost 1 cubic-foot. and ship with a thin draw-string bag.   These things are going to get dinged up good floating around in the trunk.  I want a hard-foam case like the ones FatShark ships with.   or something with a foam insert for a couple of batteries etc.
HeadPlays screen is HUGE, if you have a tendency to feel sick from FatSharks, HeadPlays are going to push you over the edge.
No headphone plug,  I like to use a audio climb indicator for flying sailplanes.. :-)   Not the end of the world.
No build in DVR.. I mean the $500 FatSharks have a DVR so?    no worries, you can get one for $30 from Amazon and plug into the video-out cable. done deal.
I would have liked to see a XT60 plug for the battery, or a balance-plug,  the HeadPlay have chosen to use the same battery / plug system as the FatShark.  thats cool, not a deal-breaker.
Whats with the "stick" antenna, nobody use sticks,  ya could have included a cheap circularly polarized antenna already.  again not a deal-breaker.. all goggles ship with crap-tennas, so its a even playing field, we all buy antennas for our goggles as soon as they arrive.
*** Headplay, did make a good point about the antennas, crap-CP antennas really are crap, and a properly made stick should go further,  I totally agree with that, but for mini-quad flying CP's like BlueBeam and AirBlade are quickly becoming the standard.
Having used the HeadPlays for a couple hours, Im becoming aware that they are not perfectly fitting my head.  and after a while they will press on my forehead,  however the discomfort is not more than using my FatSharks for the same period of time.

The screen is a bit high, when seeing a 16:9 signal.. the picture is squished from the sides,  not enough that its going to affect your fling,  but enough that you probably eventually will notice it.

CONCLUSION = Shut up & take my money.!
The HeadPlays are a game changer with the potential to disrupt the market.  unlike my old MyVue goggles, the HeadPlay's are inexpensive, and deliver phenomenal video performance for the money.
That conclusion is maybe a little overly simplified,  Im going to continue using my FatShark dominator HD's  both for the comfort and also for the build in DVR.  But at the price point of $250, there is simply nothing out there thats remotely better.  so if you are about to get into FPV,  unless you are ready to spend $400 and up on goggles,  the HeadPlay is without a doubt the most bang for the money.
The HUGE screen flying experience is so compelling that I suspect we will see a good number of these at local flying events.  and I would not be surprised to see some guys ditch their FatShark for these.

Chime in guys.. what do you think..?

 

OK HeadPlays are constantly sold out.. but I found them at HobbyWOW CLICK HERE

Comments

[Jonathan Ott]

Frank, in reference to your post on 3/24/2017, Headplay has this message in their Quick Start Guide for the Headplay SE goggle (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54dd8a95e4b03fb98aad7345/t/58d437c137c5818457fd0489/1490302915142/headplay+SE+manual+v1.1.pdf): Warning: holding the SOURCE button longer than 5 seconds will access the factory menu. This menu
can be used to adjust advanced settings like overscan. Do NOT toggle the burn mode ON, as this will
lock the goggles into a special test mode. The only way to exit burn mode is to refresh the firmware
(requires USB update cable and disassembling the goggles)

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Frank,

Unfortunately I dont have any experience with removing the blue screen, I seem to remember there were a how-to on RCgroups at some point.

[Frank]

Does any one know how to get rid of the burn screen feature. I made the mistake of engaging it and now i cant get back to the menu. I turn it on and have a blue-red-green-white screen. Can anyone help me?

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Joshua,
Very good point, the HeadPlays are still great goggles, but very slick offerings like Walkera's Goggle4 is giving them a run for the money at this time.

[Joshua Curtiss]

Hello, i'm curious: how do you feel your review holds in 2016? Is this still a fantastic option for the $200-$250 price range?

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey DASFREAK,
No particular purpose for the GoPro mount, the makers of the HeadPlay found that they could buy dirt cheap head-straps that apparently was manufactured originally for GoPro head mounts. nothing more exciting than that. :-)

[DASFREAK]

What is the purpose of the go pro mount thing on the back strap?

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Lucky, the VueLX1 is really just a pre-made quanum goggle, the real difference will depend on what receiver and screen you buy to stick in it, or if you go the stock route.

[Lucky]

Hey Bo I tried searching the net but couldn't find a comparison of the vue vx1 vs. the quanum v2. Any input you have in this matter? Cheers.

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Bolex (camera?)
The goggles are working perfect, however your camera use WiFi for transmitting the video, you can not see the CG02 camera video using goggles.. ;-)

[BOLEX]

Hello, I tested changing all frequencies and bands that allows the selector Headplay HD without achieving results, the frequency range of my camera: 5745MHz-5825MHz, model CGO2.

Thank you very much for your help!!

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Martin, I just the first latency test, and its very acceptable. so Im good with recommending the VX1's personally i would probably order directly from VueXL

[Martin]

Hi Bo I just watched your interview with Brandon product looks great just what I've been looking for to give my first try with FPV. Do you have any quick comments as I would like to get my order in and in line for shipping. Would you recommend the Vue web site or get FPV site to make my purchase.
Thanks
Martin

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Martin, Yes a full review is on the way, I should have the interview posted later today on my YouTube channel, and are getting a review sample this week, should be having a detailed review online end of week and also a blog post with more pictures.

[Martin]

Hi Bo Will you be doing a full review of the VueXL? Did you happen to ask when they will be
Available. Please let me know if they would de a good choice and value.

Thanks
Martin

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Martin, Funny you should ask... I have a pair on my desk and spend the morning chatting with Brandon the designer of the VX1. The VX1's are great. no blue-screen, and easy to use. literally only one button. its auto-scan, so you click on AUTO and it will start scanning until you find your quad, if you find somebody else first, simply press again to keep scanning.

[Martin]

Hi Bo I was wondering if you have seen the VueXL VX1 FPV Head set and perhaps have an opinion on them. I have been looking at the HeadPlay but they seem to out of stock and these have been on
Pre order for some time still trying to decide on my first try at FPV.

Thanks
Martin

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Martin, YES the HeadPlay works great with the RUNNER250,
*Ps check the link in the blog post and make sure to upgrade your HeadPlay firmware to avoid the blue screen ;-)

[Martin]

Hey Bo Its Martin from Canada do you think Headplay is compatible with the Walkera 250 Runner stock Tx 5816 transmitter. I want to try FPV for the first time but not investing a large amount Of money.

Thanks
Martin

[Michael Vasovski]

I'm in for one!

FWIW, the American Society of Cinematographers, during the advent of HD cinematography, ran a large number of tests to compare HD with 35mm film. One interesting aspect of HD was that the human eye seemed to be unable to perceive (motion) resolution beyond 720P. When it was a static image, such as the computer screen you're looking at right now, the more resolution the better. But when it came to a camera following a soccer player around a field, there was no point in using cameras greater than 720.

I'll buy a Headplay. But when they start getting into 1080P for twice the price, I'll have no problem saying no.

[befinitiv]

Hi

Thanks for the write-up! For trasmitting HD Video my project might be of interest to you:
https://befinitiv.wordpress.com/wifibroadcast-analog-like-transmission-of-live-video-data/

See you.

[lee jong tak]

I would like to get the HeadPlay HD FPV troubleshooting.
I ask with the number sales agent mail repaired.
At Korea.
The Jongtak-Lee.

[Bo Lorentzen]

That sounds like a good size, I have started looking for thing ones about 3-4 feet to get a little less cable. but am using my inspire with the FatShark HD's

[Lee Barret]

I was able to find a nice quality HDMI Mini to HDMI mini 6' cable today on Amazon, about $20 shipped free. I also found a 3' OK Mini o Mini at a Uber-Elect shop for $7. So I finally got that issue to rest...

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Lee, Glad you got the HeadPlays fixed up.
for the cable eBay is your friend. ;-) I got both mini-mini and mini-micro HDMI cables easily from eBay. there is also in production now a actual FatShark labeled mini-micro for FatShark HD's with inspire-1