My Comprehensive List of VIRB Elite/VIRB Edit Issues

Although I've thought about returning this camera, I'm hopeful Garmin will eventually fix everything so it will be as awesome as I was expecting it to be. I do have a full year to return it to REI for any reason and I'm saving all my packaging, but hopefully, it won't come to that, however, if they come out with an Air Ion Pro with GPS and overlays, I'll seriously consider going back to that camera as it was my favorite of all my cameras.

But anyway - here's a comprehensive list of issues I have with my VIRB Elite:

1. VIRB Locks up since version 2.80 (must pull battery to reset).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzSD5nmLkwk
*** VERY SERIOUS ISSUE FOR ME ***

3. VIRB won't pair with my speed and cadence sensor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggf2AkUftnE
QUITE DISAPPOINTING.

4. Elevation Way Off - many times at least 500' off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P1N9390LfY
ANNOYING.

5. VIRB overlays are very limited.
Dashware let's you do individual items.
Need to be able to select individual guages.
Same video but futher into it: http://youtu.be/6P1N9390LfY?t=6m19s

6. Gradient overlay alternates between grade and "--" constantly.

7. When playing VIRB Movies on my big screen TV using my Apple TV,
data is too close to edge of screen.
Need ability to place guages further in from edge of video.
Would be nice if we could resize them too, they're a bit too small.

8. Clip numbering restarts at 001, and you end up with multiples.
Confusing.
Same video, further in: http://youtu.be/6P1N9390LfY?t=7m45s

9. Deleting clips in VIRB EDIT is exceedingly tedious:
Same video, further in: http://youtu.be/6P1N9390LfY?t=8m59s
Need Edit -> Select All -> Delete.

10. Deleting clips leaves FIT files on your memory card.
Must clean up manually.

11. Operating the Device Using Your Mobile Device
From the manual:
This feature is available for VIRB Elite only.
You can remotely view and control photo and video recording
using a compatible mobile device running the free
Garmin VIRB app.

And.. the App doesn't exist yet for the iPhone.
Not sure about other platforms.

I think that's about it. This will be awesome when all of this is working, but right now, it's pretty disappointing.

Oh - here are some problems "went away":

1. Connect to PC Issue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SULxuuZ_EUs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf2ZN3AkjXE
Supposedly fixed now, but I can't check, I sold the memory card.

2. Memory Card Abort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQwuhsryu18
Again, I can't check, sold the memory card.

3. Audio was very muffled but I figured out why and how to make it better (from my perspective):
http://youtu.be/SULxuuZ_EUs?t=1m8s

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

we should have one sticky thread for bugs and another for feature requests.
so here is your list separated into bugs and feature requests, with my findings added:

Bugs:
-Lockups (1)
-Pairing Issues (3)
-Elevation is off (4)
-Gradient overlay issue (6)
-no mobile app (11)
-export does not work (seems to happen only on windows)
-export issue "You've selected a library. please choose a folder instead" if the folder contains the Virb subfolder.
-when the video is flipped, the accelerator overlays are not (left/right G is wrong)

Feature Requests:
-overlays are limited (5) (afaik fixed/extended in 2.2.3)
-location of gauges (7) (maybe also fixed with 2.2.3)
-filename numbering (8) I'm voting for timestamps as filenames
-deleting files is tedious (9) -> general file handling usability is bad
-FIT files left behind (10)
-reuse the last used export directory
-black text on grey background for video names --> fixed in 2.2.3 on 10.12.2013
-show timestamps of the videos in the video selection and import
-change the size of the splitted windows (bottom is too big and top is too small
on notebook displays)
-flipping video in Virb edit (when forgetting to flip the video on the Virb itself)
-remove the message "has been moved to trash" when deleting a video (only on mac?)
-movie sorting in library by timestamp. currently the last imported file is listed first,
at least when importing by selection
-eject button to disconnect Virb from USB
-change camera settings directly from Virb Edit

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Another feature request, how about a VIRB forum, they've managed to create two for VIRB edit (Mac & PC). VIRB entries are currently being posted all over the place.

0 SteveC over 11 years ago

For number 10:

>> 10. Deleting clips leaves FIT files on your memory card.
>> Must clean up manually.

For this it should be like other Garmin GPS Fitness devices, you fire up Garmin Connect Web Site and upload the activities, it will then prompt to delete from device ... well that is what happens on my Edge device, unfortunately the Garmin Connect Safari Plug-In is not working correctly for the VIRB, it justs gets stuck reading activities on Mac/Safari - another issue to be added to list.

For some people though they may only be interested in the video and GPS/GPX overlay side of things rather than Fitness capability and not want to upload activities to Garmin Connect. So maybe VIRB Edit should have an option to clear the FIT files down as you say.

A quirk of using the VIRB for fitness functionality, is there is no way to start/stop an activity / FIT recording like the video. FIT files are 'recorded' the whole time the camera is powered on (so power on / power off would create a FIT file). Where as video mp4 / gpx files are 'recorded' only when in record mode.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Hey guys, If I may add my 2 cents into this, I was a lead tester on the Gopro hero 3 camera's, as well as the drift ghost, and sony AS-15. It is normal to have plenty of growing pains being one of the early purchasers. I must say I am toatally behind Garmin in this endeavor. and very thankful to have a forum like this to address the issues we are finding. This is a first to actually get responses from the Desktop software programmers. By being here, we all share the responsability to give honest feedback, and learn from each other, as well as help steer them the correct direction. While all your complaints are legitimate, Give them some time to work on the issues. Report anything that you encounter. I personally check this forum daily, and am reading every new posting. Some of the posts apply to my usage, others don't. Garmin does not pay me for anything, but having an opportunity to help with the development of it, is something I never expected. Now if they would just have a page for the firmware, Several have asked, but that continues to get snubbed. Just my 2 cents.

0 atlas_cached over 11 years ago

Please consider post discussion of bugs and feature request at VIRB wiki!

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Please consider post discussion of bugs and feature request at VIRB wiki!

Thanks for posting that link. I need to lock that in somewhere! I jsut wish they would merge that here with a sticky!

0 redfalo over 11 years ago

In later editions of Virb Edit it would be great to have more editing functions like renaming the video files, automatically display the date a video was taken, and add text features to the video. At the moment, you have to post-process videos in programs iMovie, which is quite cumbersome.

An option to turn off the viewfinder during recording (in the sake of saving battery life) would be nice as well. (maybe this feature already exists and I haven't found it).

A different kind of "loop" option would be nice as well. The current one only keeps the last 30 minutes of the recording. What I'd like to have is an option that keeps everything and starts to overwrite the oldest videos once the SD card is full.

I found it very hard to turn off the "record when moving" feature, because it is so sensible that it starts when you press any button on the camera. Eventually I managed but this was still rather tedious.

An option to only record GPX files without recording a video would be nice as well.

On file names: good digital cameras usually give the user some choice,i.e. different formats of time stamps, internal number and so on.

0 NathanMasek over 11 years ago

I'd like to see additional music editing features, at specific user-defined locations in the file such as sound/music fade in and fade out....similar to iMovie. I also agree with the need for gauge-customization.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

you can customise the overlays see this thread https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?66162-Overlays-queries&p=241519#post241519
You can even customise the gauges.
The last one the speedo was a Watt-meter that I slightly modified.
If you look ba bit further, you can find the widgets and the images that are used to make the dails and needles.
You could try to make new dails and needles, than refer to them from new widgets, that are accessed from new overlays.
It will take some (probably a lot) of work but it could be done.
I've seen some limitations, but maybe I'm wrong.
A moving part (needle or disc with North South East West) must be in view all the time.
When rotating through the maximum (it becomes the minimum, see the compass) it fastly rotates the other way to get where it should be.
You can't have gauges like clocks, with arms moving in relation to each other.
You can't have a gauge that displays two parameters at once, like a virtual horizon in a plane see link
(https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?59996-New-Feature-Request&p=239247#post239247)

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

I turned loop off and my VIRB records continuously for 8 or 9 hours while on my dashboard. I removed the battery and run off the power point. If you do this remember to wait after shutting off before unplugging from the power so the data can be saved. I review my videos directly off of the SD card with Windows media and only download the clips I want to Edit. My clips are 24 minutes long and 3+ GB in size.