During CES, chipmaker Ambarella announced its new CV5 processor which is 8k 60 fps and 4k 240 fps video. Looking back, DJI drones, such as the Mavic Mini, used Ambarella processors – let’s see if the upcoming DJI Mavic 3 will use them as well.
Get to know the CV5
If we look at Ambarella’s marketing information on the new slide, some impressive features future drones could take to the next level.
Most important on the list are the resolutions that are supported. The CV5 can support video at up to 8k 60 fps and 4k 240 fps. This means that Mavic 3 or a future drone could have the ability to shoot in 8k and put it in line with the EVO 2.
The 240 fps at 4k is also very impressive, which can record a slow-mo video with a resolution high enough to cut and zoom it. The 8K video can also do this to make this CV5 drive ideal for drone companies, including DJI, to use.
The new slide also supports the H.265 HEVC video codec, HDR and WDR, and the rest of the standard features we expected from high-camera equipped drones. The CV5 chip is manufactured using a 5nm process, which makes it possible to have impressive power consumption levels. If you record 30 fps in 8k, it uses less than 2 W. In 8k 60 fps video, it uses just less than 5 W, leaving more than enough battery power for the rest of the components on the drone.
The chip also has the CVflow engine of the company. This allows, for example, a drone to be integrated into a neural network, which is likely to be used in image recognition scenarios. This is likely to improve DJI’s ActiveTrack and automatically detect faces and other objects and avoid dynamic obstacles.
The target application of the chip is described as for drones, sports cameras, robot cameras, VR cameras and self-driving systems. So it is very likely that we will see this chip in everything, from the latest action camera to a flashy self-driving car.
Will the DJI Mavic 3 have it?
We all know that the Mavic 3 will appear sooner rather than later. Possible leaks and comments have been made about the upcoming drone. Since the Mavic 3 has probably been in development for some time, DJI has probably finished something as important as the disc that drives the camera.
In addition, Christopher Day, director-president of marketing and business development, Ambarella, Christopher Day, told CNN that it takes about a year before products use the new chips. Together, these two things make it highly unlikely that we will see this CV5 chip in the Mavic 3.
Since the EVO 2 series from Autel Robotics includes 8k and 6k options, there is no doubt that DJI wants to match or even enlarge it. DJI does not only use Ambarella chips – he previously used the Allwinner H6 in the Mavic Air 2, which may mean that he has to work with one of the two companies to gain access to a newer chip before it is made public.
DJI makes its own chip?
Another thought I had is that DJI might be working on its own image processing chip. If you’ve seen recent news, the company is apparently working on its own self-management technology. Although there is not much information around the news, DJI will probably work on its own processor to work with the technology. This means it does not have to rely on other companies to support the features it wants in its latest products.
Photo: Fatah Muse & Ambarella
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