VisTrak StereoX

[gojoholo]

The Esprit name only lasted a couple of days. It has now been renamed on the website as the VisTrak StereoX. Interestingly the explanation of the name confirms the extra feature we all want to see:

So "VisTrak StereoX" is this week's new name. The X standing for the "Extra" ball spin feature.

[DS12]

I like that name a little better, keeps it inline with other products

[Stetson]

Why would anyone get the stereo over the X? Because of the IR lights? Ball spin is a massively important item and it is cheaper than the stereo. If it ever sees production.

[gojoholo]

Both have IR lights. The stereo has an additional line scan camera, which allows for a larger hitting area.
Not sure how much bigger though. I wouldn't trade that for ball spin either!

[flightscoperick]

Stereo system does have its advantages especially for putting. But I agree to me Spin is important also having everything in one case is an advantage. Testing on spin is just starting me and a Keith will keep you posted. Vistrak Stereo took 8 months of testing and is now good system.CP just needs a minor facelift.

[Stetson]

Stereo system does have its advantages especially for putting. But I agree to me Spin is important also having everything in one case is an advantage. Testing on spin is just starting me and a Keith will keep you posted. Vistrak Stereo took 8 months of testing and is now good system.CP just needs a minor facelift.

So the X only having 3 camera’s won’t do putting as well? 3 is not exactly inadequate

[DS12]

If I read that correctly, the stereo set up will be better for putting

[gojoholo]

So the X only having 3 camera’s won’t do putting as well? 3 is not exactly inadequate

Im not an expert in optics, electronics or manufacturing launch monitors, but this is the internet, so I’ll chip in with my thoughts. 😁 I suspect this is to do with the ‘X’s lenses being zoomed in on the ball (to measure the spin), therefore giving a much smaller field of view, meaning the ball roll of a putt will be tracked over a much shorter distance. The roll on a putt being more significant than spin information for predicting its path. Or sometime like that.

[keither5150]

Both systems will do putting. The X will have a smaller hitting area so the putt will need to be taken from near the tee area. The Vistrak stereo ....... you can putt 2 or 3 feet ahead of the tee, if you wish. This allows a user to putt on one surface all the way to the screen.

[Stetson]

That doesnt sound too crazy. Although the ability to measure speed and horizontal launch angle (path) should be attainable in the same field of view as a full swing. I would like to see a chart comparing hitting areas of various units across manufactures. That would be cool

[keither5150]

Putting accuracy on the Vistrak stereo is about as good as it gets. Speed is measured to the 1/100 of a mph. When a short putt travels 3 inches farther than the previous putt, an increase in speed will be detected. HA is incredibly accurate as well. Putting on the Vistrak X has yet to be tested. The stereo cameras are used differently on the X. I expect accuracy will not suffer much, if at all with the X.

[gojoholo]

Is the "Stereo" you have been testing the version which is 3(?) separate cameras, or the one with the stereo cameras in a case with a separate IR panel ( the IR stereo?). Whichever it is would you mind outlining where the units are positioned (height, distance in front of tee, distance left/right of line to screen etc.). Also , you have mentioned how great it reads putts, but how about the rest of the clubs? Any idea how accurate it is?

[keither5150]

I don't have a case. I have separate cameras.... It is not rocket science and there is quite a bit of play when it comes to mounting. The stereo cameras need to be anywhere from 2-5 feet ahead of the tee. They need to be an equal distance apart from the centerline. Rick has his 4 feet apart. I have had them mounted as far as 8 feet apart.. The Vistrak camera is mounted on the center line 12 to 36 inches ahead of the tee. The stereo set up needs to be calibrated. Calibration takes about 10 min. We have requested that Martin automates the calibration setup.... but I am not holding my breath.

I use a right angle triangle calculator ...... like this one ....http://www.csgnetwork.com/righttricalc.html to check the accuracy of LA and HA. By measuring the ball mark....from mark to ground, you can check your LA. And measuring the ball mark from the centerline, you can check your HA. I have found that GSA's stereo setup is accurate within +/- 0.5 degrees. Ball speed seems to be on par with the GC2 that I had. Once speeds get over 100 mph, the GC2 and the GSA system seem to be within 2 mph of each other.... Which one is correct.... for 2 mph....it doesn't make a big difference. Putting speed is something that anyone can test..... putt one about 6 feet..... then putt another as close as possible to the first ball. If the ball rolls further, you should see a speed increase. If it comes up short, you should see a decrease in speed. Using this crude method of testing.... I have come to the conclusion that GSA's putting is accurate within +/- 0.02 mph. which is crazy.... HA is equally as impressive. Last year or the year before, I did some putting testing.... Once again....a little crude. I put a ball on the center line for a target. I aimed at the ball.....if I hit it and the ball is propelled straight back.....that means 0 degrees HA. If the ball is propelled slightly to the right.....that means that the HA is slightly to the left. If you just miss the ball, it means a HA of over 1.5 degrees. Just like a game of pool. With this crude test, I came to the conclusion that HA was accurate within +/- 0.13 degrees. One thing to note. You do have to putt on the centerline and from the same spot every time.

The accuracy of the rest of the clubs..... I find that my ball flight resembles what I see outside.... I mostly hit a draw and when I am tired it may turn into a hook. I can hit fades but am more comfortable hitting with draw spin.

The Vistrak X is new territory so it remains to be seen if the accuracy is comparable with the Vistrak Stereo. While both systems look similar, the way the stereo cameras function is totally different. The stereo cameras are great for speed, LA and HA.... but due to way they collect the data, ( long exposure rather than individual frames captured), they are not capable of spin detection. So with the Vistrak Stereo, spin and spin axis is calculated from club data.

The Vistrak X will take a couple of high res images of the ball directly after impact.....similar to the way most other sims capture their images. With these images, spin detection is possible. It remains to be seen if the ball flight accuracy is the same or less accurate than the Vistrak Stereo.