Theta X, GSV, 8k 10fps?

I have a Theta X, I can upload photo spheres(blue circles) to google and 8k 2fps “street view” (blue lines)

But I am having a few issues I can’t figure out 8k 10fps feels like the most unsuable frustrating video format and I’m not sure what I am missing.

I want to upload 8k 10fps videos to google street view studio (I can upload 8k 2fps no problem).
But on the Theta X it says I cannot connect to wifi while doing 8k 10fps?(idk why) So I cannot start and stop the video from inside the car, is there a way to connect via bluetooth to phone just to stop and start the recording?
Because I have to park get out of my car to start and stop the video it becomes unuseable for GSV (because of those periods of time where the car isn’t moving on the side of the road and my face is pressing the button), and any editing software I can find removes the GPS data from the video which makes is literally unable to be used in GSV.
Theta+ app on the phone cannot edit it because 8k 10fps is not supported on at least my mobile.

How do I start/stop 8k 10fps video from inside a car OR How do I trim the start and end of the video without losing the GPS data so I can still upload it to GSV? (In a easy and free workflow)

Other issues:

  • How do I simply and freely connect multiple photospheres on google maps so you can “click/walk” from one sphere to another on google maps?
  • Is there a way to add a nadir automatically? (without having to export to a pc, so I can hide myself in the photos when I am walking)
  • When looking at 360 photo on google maps the rotation of the “little yellow guy” is always looking north so I have to aim the camera north to make the pictures rotation line up properly. Is there anyway to fix it so the direction is automatically set regardless of cameras direction?

**How do I start/stop 11k 10fps video from inside a car ** ? (In a easy and free workflow)

I haven’t tried it, but have you tried connecting wit bluetooth instead of WiFi

I normally connect via bluetooth and wifi to use the camera at all, I don’t see a way to only connect via bluetooth, from my understanding connecting the bluetooth just enables you to connect via wifi without needing to input a password.

If I could connect via bluetooth which purely just allowed you to start and stop recordings of 8k 10fps that would resolve the problem(I don’t need to see the video, you already cannot see 8k 2fps videos or anything just start and stop). If you know of a way?

But for 8k 10fps “You cannot start shooting because the wireless LAN is on” so I am unable to connect to my phone to start and stop the recording. (And I don’t know of a way of editing the file to trim it easily and free that doesn’t remove the gps data)

Because 8k 10fps feels like the perfect mode for GSV, but for some reason it’s been blocked from been usable at every turn. (8k 2fps works purely because I can start and stop recording from inside the car but its less ideal, less usable frames and need to drive slower)

I need to look into this more for the X.

I previously did testing with a different model of camera. This was 2 years ago. The interface may have changed on the mobile app.

If you could find a solution, I would be eternally grateful! Can’t believe how stressful it is trying to record GSV in 8k 10fps (feels impossible) vs 8k 2fps (no issues…)

I use to have a SC2 I think which could connect via Bluetooth in the menu in the picture in the previous post had a “Connect via Bluetooth” button

I have seen that video before and tried to get to connect with only Bluetooth but nothing I’ve tried as succeeded with only been able to connect via wifi makes 8k 10fps unusable for GSV (without finding a way to edit it after the fact)

Example of not been able to shoot with wifi enabled (only way I know how to connect to the phone)


There is no Bluetooth settings in the app like in the video that I can find.
The “Connection” part does nothing when clicked on:

In the camera settings there is no Bluetooth options.

On the Theta X only options in Bluetooth settings is to see what Bluetooth devices are available and then once clicking on the device shows the BD address then giving the option to delete it. (My phone connection/pairing)

There has to be something I am missing because 8k 10fps seems like it was designed to be used for GSV. (But I can’t start it from inside the car or edit the file in anyway while keeping gps data that I can find… Especially with GSV app been removed soon Theta X has GPS built in which makes it a decent camera to do GSV without the app but its best GSV mode is unusable?)

you need to obtain a bluetooth remote and pair it directly with your camera using camera screen menus (not the mobile app), then it will all work properly

i use this remote paired w theta X and it works as advertised triggering 8k and 5.7k video modes without app or wifi

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There has to be a way to control the Theta X just via bluetooth from the phone, Why do I need to buy 3rd device to just “start and stop” recordings when I can connect to the Theta X with my phone bluetooth.

Is there a way to simulate what that device is doing through my phone or with an App that simulates what that device is doing? (Just starting and stopping videos, which should be as simple as pressing a button on my phone while connected through bluetooth)

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the mobile app needs wifi to talk to camera, idk if a phone can be configured to work as a bluetooth remote trigger by itself, but bluetooth would not work with the mobile app even if so

Just confirming that at the current time, I am not able to use the mobile phone as a bluetooth trigger using the official RICOH app connected to the THETA X.

At the current time, Sam’s solution of the bluetooth clicker is the only workaround.

I can’t connect my Pixel 4a to the THETA X with bluetooth to trigger anything, not even a still image. It seems like I am doing something wrong.

I am looking into this more. sorry that I don’t have a better report.

Just push the shutter button to stop/start recording with your Big Thumb.
That’s the easy and free workflow.

Hope this helps,
Toyo

I think he has the camera on top of a car and the car is moving.

I don’t think he wants to be in the frame when he uploads it to Streetview.

There’s these cheap little bluetooth remotes that come with many selfie sticks and mini tripods. They work well with the Theta X

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Interesting thing to note if this might be something to help with finding a solution, I CANNOT even start 8k 2fps with the Theta app. I however CAN start 8k 2fps from within GSV App (which is annoyingly been deleted in march 2023 and at that point I will have the same problems with 8k 2fps as I do currently with 8k 10fps, which bricks the Theta X as a GSV camera…) which is weird, as GSV App still requires wifi connection to Theta X to record 8k 2fps.
(Though GSV cannot start 8k 10fps)

I don’t know if that helps anything, or maybe there is another 3rd party App that starts and stops recordings on external cameras connected via bluetooth that would work with the Theta X?

In regards to cheap bluetooth devices, they may be a work around, but it’s just another thing to buy, keep track of, charge, lose… If my phone can connect to Theta X via bluetooth, which it can. It should be able to do what those bluetooth devices do, surely there isn’t any sophisticated technology in those cheap bluetooth devices a modern smart phone cannot do.

In regards to using thumb, correct I would prefer not to be in the frame when uploading to GSV.

But there are also many other problems:

  • Been stationary for a bunch of time (to lean on top of car to start camera, get into car, shut door, put seatbelt on, put into drive, take off handbreak, potentially wait for traffic to get on the road) at the start and end of the recording can mess with GSV.
  • Trying to find a park as close as you can to where you would like to start recording and where you would like to end recording is not always ideal. (Forcing you to record excess or less then you want to)
  • Parking off the side of the road or in a parking spot messes with the GSV because it can think it’s part of the road or a turn etc, as it thinks that is part of the road I am uploading (which is at the start and end I want to trim out.)
  • With 2fps you need to drive slower which causes stress, clogging traffic at times
  • With 2fps it’s probably illegal to drive slow enough to make GSV work in certain areas.
  • With 2fps a lot of the "X"s on the road that lets you transition between shots/locations on GSV don’t line up as well because with 2fps there is less opportunities for good frames to line up in the right spots which can often cause “parallel universes of GSV” (on google maps if you start on Google’s street view and use X’s to go down the street staying on googles street view or you can start on my Street view and use X’s to go down the street staying on my street view but there is only certain spots where you can swap between the “timelines” where our X’s line up, sometimes very few spots they line up)

But even still 2fps is at least working at the moment with the GSV app (that allows starting and stopping within the car), but once GSV App is removed in march 2023, 2fps won’t even be working anymore until a solution is found. (Which GSV is a selling point of the Theta X with its GPS and all? It seems important to have a way to resolve this issue.)

5.7k & 8k video modes require disabling theta x wifi (likely due to thermal issues), and camera cannot communicate with mobile app and no wifi, idk how gsv or other mobile apps which depend on wifi could communicate w camera if camera wifi is off?

a mobile phone with bluetooth is not a bluetooth trigger, but there do seem to be bluetooth trigger apps for ios and android out there, poke around a bit and maybe something will work here

you could also use a remote usb cable trigger, this would be more reliable and less thermal and power overhead vs wifi or bluetooth

GSV cannot talk to the Theta X while Wifi is off.
GSV can record 8k 2fps while connected to the Theta X through Wifi.

From my cursory understanding;
-Theta X itself is blocking 8k 10fps from been recorded via hardware/internal-firmware/software. (As you can see in a previous post in this thread an image of my Theta X itself is saying “You cannot start shooting because wireless LAN is on” while the setting is at 8k 10fps
Theta X, GSV, 8k 10fps? - #5 by William)
-Theta X can record with 8k 2fps while Wifi is enabled(From the Theta X itself or via GSV connected via wifi), But not with the official Theta X app. The Official Theta App doesn’t allow that functionality.

Examples: Notice the “You cannot start shooting because wireless LAN is on” is not present on the Theta X while the setting is at 8k 2fps and the Wifi icon is displaying Wifi is enabled.

Hard to demonstrate but on either 8k 10fps or 8k 2fps, GSV will still display a preview live stream of what the camera sees while bluetooth is off while wifi is connected. Here is image of screenshot of GSV live preview working fine with wifi enabled and bluetooth disabled:

Though with 8k 10fps if you try to record you get a “Unable to capture image. Please try again” message on GSV:

On 8k 2fps it records GSV as you would expect.

I’m not concerned with optimal heating/power usage I’m only doing short roads, if it records I am happy.

  • If the Theta Official App is blocking 8k 2fps (and 8k 10fps) I don’t want to use that App.
  • If there is an app similar to GSV that enables starting/stopping recording through wifi(or bluetooth) that will probably allow me to continue using 8k 2fps after GSV App is removed in March 2023.
  • If there is an App that allows me to use my phone as a “Bluetooth trigger” (I don’t know exactly what that means, from my understanding all the cheap bluetooth “trigger” devices are doing is connecting to the Theta X via bluetooth and sending kind of “start recording” and “stop recording” signal through the bluetooth connection, so I don’t understand why if I can connect to my Theta X with my phone via bluetooth, which I can, why I cannot simply send a “start recording” and “stop recording” signal to my Theta X via bluetooth in someway ignoring the Official Theta X app)

Is there any confirmed “bluetooth trigger” apps that work with Theta products or specifically the Theta X that are recommended?

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tested the JOBY Impulse in the video below. works good with the 8K video.