Epson Moverio BT-200 Wearable Display Review

Epson Moverio BT-200 Wearable Display

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! it’s the Epson Moverio BT-200 Wearable Display.
So you think wearable display? A smart glass like the Google Glass?
I say it’s both but even better! Remember Star Trek The Next Generation? Geordi La Forge?
Well putting this on kinda brought me back to that moment 🙂

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The Epson Moverio BT-200 is a smart glass which “magically” project a some what 80 inch transparent screen in your field of view.
Seeing is believing. The projection of the Android interface is crystal clear and very view able.

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Moverio_BT-200_Smart_Glasses_01

The Moverio glasses are cabled to a some sort of display less smartphone.
Instead of a display there is a big track pad for controlling the glasses.
You get a Android 4.04 interface which is fully functional. (except the Google Play store.)
There are the usual things as expected like GPS, Accelerometer and Gyroscope.
And there is a camera in the front of the glasses to snap a picture.
To bad the camera resolution is like a 2001 webcam… Would be more useful if it actually had some more Megapixels 🙂

Moverio_BT-200_Smart_Glasses_Control_Unit_01

Technology

Model Type: See-Through OTG (Over the Glasses)

Optical

LCD Driving Method: Poly-silicon TFT active matrix
LCD Size: 0.42 inch wide panel (16:9)
LCD Pixel Number: 518,400 dots [(960×540) x 3]
Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
Field of View: 23°
Screen Size (Projected Distance): 80 inch at 5 m – 320 inch at 20 m
Color Reproduction: 24 bit-color (16.77 million colors)

 Android Platform

OS Version: 
Android [4.0.4]

OS Update: Via network
Pre-installed Applications:

  • Live wallpaper
  • Moverio Apps Market
  • Moverio Air
  • Moverio Mirror (for WiFi Miracast)

Sensors

Camera: VGA
GPS: Yes, in Controller
Compass: Yes, in both Headset and Controller
Gyroscope: Yes, in both Headset and Controller
Accelometer: Yes, in both Headset and Controller
Microphone: Yes

Connectivity

Wireless LAN: IEEE 802.11b/g/n with WiFi Miracast
Bluetooth: 3.0
microUSB: USB2.0 (On-The-Go)

CPU and Memory

CPU: TI OMAP 4460 1.2Ghz Dual Core
RAM: 1 GB
Internal Memory: 8 GB
External Memory: microSD (max.2GB) / microSDHC(max.32GB)

 User Interface

Touch-pad Pointing Method: Capacitive Multitouch
Function Key: Power (lock), Home, Menu, Back , Function (Brightness, 2D/3D), Volume (+/-), Reset

Supported File Formats

Video: MP4 (MPEG4+AAC / Dolby Digital Plus), MPEG2 (H.264+AAC / Dolby Digital Plus)
Audio: WAV, MP3, AAC, Dolby Digital Plus
3D Supports: Side by Side

 Sound Output

Head-set: 2.0 mW / 16 ohm 3.5 Φ Stereo
Surround: Yes, Dolby Digital Plus

General

Operating Temperature: 5°C – 35°C; 41°F – 95°F; 20% – 80% Humidity
Power Supply Voltage Controller: 5 V, 900 mA via micro USB terminal
Power Supply Voltage AC Adapter: 100 – 240 V AC +/- 10%, 50/60 Hz with micro USB cable
Battery Life: Approx. 6 hrs (Video mode with Android at 25°)
Battery Type: Li-Polymer [2720] mAh
Dimensions Headset: 170 mm x 185 mm x 32 mm (without light shielding)
Dimensions Controller: 120 mm x 55 mm x 19 mm
Weight Headset: Approx. 88 g (without light Shielding / without harness)
Weight Controller: Approx. 124 g

Language

OSD and Android: Languages in Android OS 4.0.4
Manual: EN/JA/FR/ES/PT/DE/IT/NL/ZHT/KO/GB/DA/FI/NO/SV/CS/PL/HU/TR/RU/AR/HE

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The hardware is powerful enough.
For what it’s intended the hardware is powerful enough to handle the applications and power the glass graphics. In the first few runs i did not notice any lag what so ever.
The resolution of the projected video screen is also very impressive.
Depending on the light sources you are looking at the video stays crisp but turns more transparent.
The first challenge is..
Unfortunately the Moverio is not a Google certified device..
This is not a bad thing if you know how to handle Android but if you are an Android user relying on the Play Store you will be in for a surprise..  wait for it.. it’s not there!
Not being Google certified is just that little snap of the Play Store.
Instead of the Play Store there is a Epson alternative.
It has some apps in it but it’s not the Play Store you are used too..
This might be a deal breaker for some users but just to clear it up, there is nothing else like the Moverio.
Apps can be installed on the Moverio by side loading them, basically you download the package you want and install it. An other solution is to root the Moverio and install the Play Store your self!
Guide can be found here.
I primarily bought the Moverio to use with my DJI Phantom 2 Vision + Drone
These nifty glasses make it possible to see the live camera feed while still having a hawks eye on the drone it self and darn this is wicked!
01_4-details-movario-drone 02_2-details-movario-drone 05-details-movario-drone
I can tell you guys that this works amazing.
Be sure to clip in the darkest shades to have the best effect.
What would be nice is voice control, the ability to say snap Photo or start filming instead of using the track pad.
Maybe DJI can or will make this possible in the future.

Example of video feed:

I am probably not gonna use these glasses for something else but for the sake of a review i tested some features :)The space invaders augmented reality game is a funny thing.
Shooting aliens in your living room.

Also i installed XBMC on the glasses.
XBMC is a versatile media player.
I tested 480p and 720p video’s and this is also quite impressive. Sit back and relax watching a movie.
Also tested 1080P SBS 3d with xbmc and this also works! Really crazy how smooth this works with a 3D movie.

Added 1 Aug 2014:

Just picked up the prescription insert with glasses in.
Makes it much more comfortable! the glasses on glasses is not very good when having to wear the glasses for 2 hours.
Now with the insert clicked in the viewing experience is also a lot sharper.

Added 26 Aug 2014:

To install XBMC click on this link to download the needed installer.
Do this via the web browser on the Moverio.
After installation you can either stream the media from a NAS or use an SD card.
More info on XBMC for Android can be found here.

This review will be ongoing expanded when i play more with the glasses.

3 thoughts on “Epson Moverio BT-200 Wearable Display Review

  1. Pingback: Epson Moverio BT-200 How to and info. | Laurens Drone Blog

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