REVIEW – For many years, I have worked as a photographer and videographer as my side gig. I started with basic equipment and over time upgraded my equipment to ultimately offer customers better quality and an overall better experience by having the equipment to offer flexibility and versatility to meet their wildest dreams. What I found was that many guests wanted me to film in various areas of the location and broadcast the live video back to a large screen in the main reception hall/location. When I started receiving those types of requests, I could only offer to either play the video immediately after recording or I would have to use long SDI cables. Eventually, I began to try some new products that offered very unreliable solutions for wireless video transmission. Let’s take a look at the Hollyland Mars 4K video wireless transmitter receiver to see how it works.
What is it?
The Hollyland Mars 4K Kit supports 4K UHD video transmission at 30fps, as well as FHD and HD formats at varying frame rates–24p, 30p, and 60p. Both the Transmitter and Receiver can be powered by a wide range of DC power options—6V to 16V, NP-F batteries, and USB Type-C chargers. The Mars 4K Transmitter is compatible with up to two receivers or four mobile devices with the app installed.
What’s in the box?
- 1 x Mars 4K Transmitter
- 1 x Mars 4K Receiver
- 5 x Antenna
- 1 x DC Adapter
- 1 x Cold Shoe
- 1 x USB-C OTG Converter
- 1 x Expansion Adapter
- 1 x User Guide
- 1 x Warranty Card
Hardware specs
Transmitter:
Receiver:
Design and features
- 4K UHD Video Transmission: Mars 4K is the first 4K video transmission system from Hollyland. It enables sharp and detail-rich images for a great monitoring experience.
- 450ft (150m) LOS Range: The transmission distance of Mars 4K is up to 450ft. It can cover a distance the size of a soccer field size. Mars 4K transmits 4K video images in real time with only a 0.06-second delay.
- SDI & HDMI Support: With built-in SDI and HDMI dual interfaces, Mars 4K is a perfect solution for both DSLRs and high-end cinema cameras.
- Broadcast & Production Frame Rate: Mars 4K supports decimal-point frame rates to facilitate professional video production at the broadcasting level.
- Flexible Monitoring Options: Mars 4K allows connection with RXs or mobiles/Tablets. It’s able to connect with 2 receivers simultaneously. When connected to one receiver only, the transmitter can connect two phones/tablets via the Hollyview app. If no receivers are connected, the Mars 4K transmitter can connect to 4 mobile devices in total.
- Smart Channel Scan & Selection: Stable connection and reliable transmission are available upon startup. Mars 4K will scan available channels and auto-select the most robust connection.
- Multiple Power Supply Options: Mars 4K can be powered up via various options, including NP-F batteries, a DC Adapter of 6V to 16V, and a Type-C charger of 5V 2.5A.
The Hollyland Mars 4K video wireless transmitter receiver kit comes with one Transmitter and one Receiver. Both have 2 removable antennas, connectivity ports, an AC adapter power port on one edge, and a display screen, control knob, USB-C power port, and power switch on the other. There is a built-in battery port on one of the flat sides and the ability to mount the devices on the other. There is a 1/4 – 20 mount on the bottom edge of the devices.
Setup
Setting up the Hollyland Mars 4K Kit is very easy. I used the mounting accessory with the cold shoe for the Transmitter and mounted it onto my camera. I used a pole mount and a ball head connected to the 1/4-20 mount on the receives to mount it next to my video switcher.
Performance
The Hollyland Mars 4K Kit performs very well. I use it daily in my home studio to send video from one of my video cameras to my video switcher which helps me to easily move my camera around and lessen the maze of wires on the floor. For the testing, I used Sony batteries to power each device. Once you power on the camera and Transmitter, the Transmitter automatically senses the resolution that the camera is set to and adjusts. Once you turn on the Receiver, the Transmitter automatically connects to the Receiver with automatic channel selection.
“The optimum channel is automatically selected after powerup with no manual selection required. For manual setting, you can easily identify any interference-free channel for connection with the smart channel scan feature.”
The image of the graphic below is projected using the Mars 4K.
The following video is the first I recorded using the Hollyland Mars 4K video wireless transmitter receiver kit:
The App:
There is a companion app for the Mars 4K devices called Hollyview. The app allows you to monitor the video stream for mobile devices. Here are some screenshots of what it looks like on my iPad:
Overall the Hollyland Mars 4K video wireless transmitter receiver Kit is a great addition to my home studio and for my videography gigs. In my home studio, I have been working hard on reducing the wiring across the floor and I have also connected much of my equipment to my Ecoflow Delta 2 Max so that devices are powered off the grid. Having devices that offer versatile powering options fits right into my workflow. The quality of the video is fantastic, and the latency is almost non-existent even at approximately 100 feet between the Transmitter and Receiver. The 100ft is approximately the longest distance that I have been able to test so far and actually represents close to the maximum distance that I would need. I hope to get the opportunity to test it more later on in older buildings with thick brick walls and lots of metal. However, all that I have tested has been great. Here is another video from my podcast using the Transmitter and Receiver between a camera and Video Switcher:
What I like
- The design and build quality
- The auto-configuring capability
- The multiple powering options
- The dual connectivity (SDI/HDMI)
- The solid connectivity between the Transmitter and Receiver
- The portability
- The reliability and quality of the connection
- The low transmission latency
What I’d change
- Nothing at the moment
Final thoughts
The Hollyland Mars 4K video transmission kit is absolutely what I have been looking for to provide additional value to my clients. I have often used HDMI to SDI converters and long SDI cables to do what I can now do wirelessly and with good quality. While I have not been able to fully test the thresholds of the distance between the Transmitter and Receiver, I am confident that it works perfectly within the distances that I frequently encounter. Well done!
Price: $699.00
Where to buy: Hollyland website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Hollyland.
