Logitech Mevo

we are in the middle of a volleyball tournament. I am our team's only videographer. I'm using a Mevo Start I bought almost a year ago. Everything has worked really well until the latest firmware update showed up. Now, guess what? The camera has stopped connecting to the app and will not accept a new firmware update. I've reset the camera; I've reset the firmware; I did a hard reset of the camera with the pin hole reset button. Nothing has changed. It's like the camera is frozen, and won't communicate with anything. Logitech's reputation is on the line here. I'm stuck in the middle of a tournament with the only recording device available to capture the footage we need for coaches and players to review for the next, larger tournament and with the buggy firmware update, the Mevo is no better than a $400 brick. One would think that for a multimillion dollar international corporation something as simple as firmware updates would be worked out, then tested in advance so that bugs in connectivity controls would be the least of the issues. One would think. MEVO is all about being a content streaming system that connects the camera to the audience on a variety of wifi, social media and internet platforms through a robust app and software protocol. Very disappointing.

I was very glad to purchase a Mevo Start and I love the camera however, I was very disappointed to find out; that to use basic Overlay graphics such as lower thirds etc. You need to pay extra via a subscription! That to me is very disappointing specially on a camera that costs $400. There are FREE apps that stream to Facebook etc (even to multiple destinations that allow all kinds of graphics (lower thirds etc) without the need to pay a cent PRISM is an app that allows lower thirds, timers, graphics etc while recording and live streaming to Facebook or any social media page via the iPhone or iPad obviously it does not have the pseudo camera switcher features that MEVO has however, I’m using such an app as an example. Why exclude such basic graphic features and make the user pay extra via an annual subscription. I was very very disappointed at the lack of graphics something that is basic and should be included for free. Some of my live-streams will still have to be made with my iPhone using prism cause I really need a lower third. And when I shoot with the MeVO Start I’ll have to record to an SD card (NOT included) And add the lower thirds on an editing program. And while I’m sharing my dissatisfaction Mevo doesn’t send it’s $400 camera with a case or SD card something that frankly I think should be included. In the positive side, the app works well as a pseudo switcher you do have to twick the colors of the camera to enhance the picture since I find it a bit flat. The microphones are decent in a quite environment and I like the fact that you can use an Audio interface through the USB port. Audio meters in the app work well and the size of the camera and design is brilliant! I’m just disappointed That no graphics are included in a package that should include them. I really couldn't care less to livestream to multiple destinations. But a camera that claims to act as a switcher and does not include pic in pic and lower thirds is not really a switcher is it?

Overall the app works well, setting up the camera can be a little finicky but after a few retries and a camera reset the app and Mevo agreed to speak to each other. One annoying setting I had to disable immediately was the auto shutdown of the camera after 15 minutes (which of course happened midway during my first call with the Mevo). The biggest drawback of the app is that it only operates in landscape mode. If you, like me, have your phone on a stand next to your computer this works rather awkward by constantly having to rotate the phone when you want to change e.g. the Mevo’s zoom setting. I see two solutions: add a “quick settings” UI in portrait mode while keeping the more elaborate UI in landscape mode, or add features to the desktop/menubar app to tweak settings like zoom, exposure etc (the current menubar app does nothing other than presenting the tethered camera as a camera to the OS). Finally, the creation and management of zoom presets in the app needs a UI overhaul. It’s a hit and miss show with unclear long-press actions and vague results exacerbated by the inability to name zoom settings (instead they’re presented in a thumbnail gallery of indistinguishable zoom settings). Dear product owner: Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with using text/titles for actions and named results in user interfaces. Other than these small issues: the camera is a marvel (sharp image) and works well with tools like Hangout, Zoom, and Slack. Its microphone is also very good and picks up your voice in a clear way.