Waybeam — Video encoder for FPV
Waybeam is a standalone H.265 (HEVC) video encoder and RTP streamer for cameras on SigmaStar Infinity6E (Star6E) and Infinity6C (Maruko) chips. It was designed specifically for FPV drones with minimal latency and full real-time control via an HTTP API.
Repository
https://github.com/OpenIPC/waybeam_venc
This page is verified against version v0.40.1 (July 2026).
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Codec | H.265 (HEVC) with CBR / VBR / AVBR / FIXQP modes. The codec is hardcoded — there is no video0.codec field |
| Streaming | RTP packetization; Compact UDP mode (raw NAL units). Transports: udp://, unix://, shm:// |
| HTTP API | Real-time parameter tuning without restarting the stream |
| Web panel | Built-in dashboard on port 80: configuration, API docs, ISP tuning; a custom dashboard can be dropped into /usr/share/www |
| mDNS discovery | The camera announces itself on the network: waybeam.local + a unique waybeam-<suffix>.local (the discovery section) |
| ISP IQ | 62 ISP parameters with profile export/import support |
| 3A (AE/AWB) | Star6E: isp.aeEngine ("sdk" / "custom"). Maruko: always the vendor's native AE+AWB with an fps/3 pacer — ~24% CPU savings at 1080p100, the aeEngine field is ignored |
| ROI encoding | Frame-center priority for FPV |
| Loss resilience | Resilience presets: intra-refresh (rolling GDR) + SVC-T reference pyramid |
| Framing | Digital zoom 1.25×–4× + stab / stab-fill stabilization (Kalman) — on both chips since v0.35/v0.37; detector level via video0.stabAccuracy |
| High frame rate | IMX335 — up to 144 fps (1600×900@144 on Star6E, 1536×864@144 on Maruko); IMX415 — up to 120 fps (1728×816@120). In-tree sensor drivers |
| Audio | Audio capture, Opus / G.711a / G.711µ / PCM codecs |
| Snapshot | Dedicated MJPEG channel — frame via /api/v1/snapshot.jpg |
| SD recording | MPEG-TS (HEVC + audio), power-loss safe |
| Gemini mode | Two VENC channels: streaming + recording independently |
| Adaptive recording bitrate | Auto-lowers the recording bitrate if the SD card can't keep up (10%/s) |
| IMU | BMI270 driver (both chips), disabled by default; since v0.39 it feeds the attitude estimator |
| Attitude (horizon) | Live roll/pitch/yaw via GET /api/v1/attitude, one-command level calibration, ATTITUDE trailer in the RTP sidecar for HUDs (Star6E) |
For versions before v0.8 — GyroGlide gyroscopic stabilization (the eis section)
Older versions had gyroscopic GyroGlide-Lite stabilization (the eis config section). It was removed in v0.8.0. Stabilization is now implemented via a Kalman filter in the video0.framing field (stab / stab-fill) and does not require an IMU. The BMI270 driver remains: since v0.39 it feeds the attitude (horizon) estimator for telemetry/HUD, not stabilization.
Supported chips
| Chip | Backend | Sensors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SigmaStar Infinity6E | Star6E | SSC30KQ, SSC338Q | ✅ Full support |
| SigmaStar Infinity6C | Maruko | SSC378QE | ✅ Supported (some features are a subset of Star6E) |
Codec — H.265 only
Waybeam encodes only H.265 (HEVC) on both chips. There is no video0.codec field; old configs containing "codec": "h264" or "h265" load without errors, but the key is ignored.
Star6E-only features
- Scene-change IDR (
video0.sceneThreshold/sceneHoldoff) hevcrecording format (Maruko istsonly)- HTTP-driven recording (
/api/v1/record/start|stop); on Maruko recording is config-only - The ATTITUDE sidecar trailer and level calibration (on Maruko
/api/v1/attitude/calibrate_levelreturns501)
Check per-field backend support via /api/v1/capabilities.
For versions before v0.35/v0.37 — stabilization was Star6E-only
Previously stab / stab-fill stabilization worked only on Star6E, and the corresponding WebUI controls on Maruko were greyed out (the MI_IVE detector was believed not to work on that chip). v0.35 brought stab and v0.37 brought stab-fill to Maruko — at feature parity with Star6E; the culprit was an incompatible vendor library, which the tarball now ships. Maruko caveats: the motion detector is software (NEON) and costs a noticeable share of the single core (quality/cost level via video0.stabAccuracy, v0.36), and stab-fill is incompatible with record.mode: "dual".
Comparison with Majestic
| Waybeam | Majestic | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Specialized FPV streamer | General IP camera |
| HTTP API | Full, real-time field changes | Limited |
| WFB integration | Native via Unix socket / SHM / UDP | Via UDP |
| SD recording | Gemini mode (streaming + recording) | Limited |
| Loss resilience | Resilience presets (intra-refresh + SVC-T) | Basic |
| Stabilization / zoom | Kalman stabilization (both chips) + digital zoom | None |
| ISP tuning | 62 parameters in real time | Basic |
| License | MIT (open source) | Closed |
Documentation structure
- Install on the camera — downloading the tarball, configuring
/etc/waybeam.json, first run - WFB-ng integration — replacing Majestic with Waybeam alongside WFB-ng
- Web panel and HTTP API — configuration via the browser and command line