"DJI Added to “Economic Blacklist” in the United States"

ahalpert

ahalpert

Major Contributor
"As if tensions could get any more on edge, today it seems that DJI has found itself blacklisted by the United States Department of Commerce, meaning it’s blocked from doing business with US-based companies! What does this break down to and mean for us? Well, American companies cannot export parts to DJI, and as a side effect of this, US-based consumers will possibly have a harder time finding and purchasing DJI Products."

https://www.slrlounge.com/dji-added-to-economic-blacklist-in-the-united-states/
 
Whether completely harmless or not, our government probably doesn't think it's a good idea to have Chinese drones flying around American soil.

Not sure if that answer or this topic, in general, will go against forum guidelines, but the above is an obvious consideration.
 
As far as my comment, I read some more articles after your post and it was indeed deemed a security concern, so that's that.

You (anyone) can't post a topic like that without it turning as it has nothing to do with the video/photo production industry.
 
The (presumably) incoming administration pretty much announced it would follow the (presumably) outgoing administration's stance on trade with China. Likewise, UK followed the US and banned Huawei from participating in the roll-out of 5G there. Germany did allow Huawei to build its own 5G but with some very strict rules, which may force the Chinese state-controlled company to abstain from getting involved.

As to the rest - https://asiatimes.com/2020/12/belt-and-road-paranoia-will-rumble-on-under-biden/

A warning - it's politics by other means. If you don't feel comfortable, don't read it.
 
Oh, much like Xiaomi/Huawei phones, DJI will just open a subsidiary somewhere else, change a few parts and resume business as usual.

Which reminds me of the story how the CIA opened up a front company in order to buy titanium from the USSR for the construction of SR71 Blackbird.
 
NorBro said:
As far as my comment, I read some more articles after your post and it was indeed deemed a security concern, so that's that.

You (anyone) can't post a topic like that without it turning as it has nothing to do with the video/photo production industry.
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nothing to do with the industry? it could certainly have an effect on prices and availability of their products for Americans and possibly others

I posted no commentary. I'm not even sure what to make of it.
 
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Maybe this will be a good time for an American company to jump on the opportunity.

It's odd that no other maker has much of a presence in the aerials.

DJI took most of the pie.
 
They do a pretty darn good job with all of their products. Surprisingly nice IQ on those drone cameras too, IMO. But yeah I'm surprised there isn't a viable competitor. You see these little upstarts but I dont think any has taken root and I'm not aware of a big company launching a drone. Was there a rumor that sony would?
 
The issue with competing with DJI is they're so massive and entrenched at this point... and willing to do pretty much whatever it takes to keep that dominance... that going head to head with them is largely futile unless you have massively deep pockets.

Look at what happened with 3DR and their competition for the Phantom (the 3DR Solo). DJI just dropped their pricing on the Phantom to rock-bottom and largely put 3DR out of business. 3DR didn't really help themselves, but I was at the NAB where 3DR released the Solo... it was the talk of the show... then the Phantom 3 dropped with a price that was stupid aggressive and the wind just disappeared from Solo's sails.

I begrudgingly use DJI products... but if a viable competitor in the drone space came along, I'd ditch them in a heartbeat. Between their competitive tactics, craptastic support, and tendency to completely abandon product lines when the new ones come out... I would be happy to see them taken down a few pegs.
 
Two posts have been deleted. Discuss anything you wish so long as we do not get into a political discussion. Plenty of other sites for that, but not here.

This decision by the federal government will have an impact on the drone industry not only for consumers and prosumers, but for companies and individuals that utilize DJI products for search and rescue, mapping, forensic animations, etc.
 
NorBro said:
More than a rumor...haven't followed it though.

I could see a 1" RX-type sensor in one though.

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Thanks - that's right. And such an informative video, too :)

That would be interesting to see- sony vs DJI. Clash of the dumpers
 
ahalpert said:
They do a pretty darn good job with all of their products. Surprisingly nice IQ on those drone cameras too, IMO. But yeah I'm surprised there isn't a viable competitor.
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I think there were plenty of competitors in drones, but DJI dispatched them one by one, outcompeting them on every metric plus lower price at the same time. Plus elaborate smear campaigns against competitors, fake reviews, owning every influencer, lobbying legislators around the world, etc. DJI plays hard and plays dirty and plays on every front all at the same time.

GoPro went out with a whimper. I think 3D Robotics and Parrot (French) are still in the game but barely.

It’s incredible that Sony wants to have a go at this. Hard to see them coming from behind to beat DJI’s pace of innovation, but maybe they have a killer battery tech up their sleeve or something like that? More likely it’ll be like Nikon’s KeyMission train crash (a GoPro competitor you might not even have noticed).

The guy who runs DJI is a complete nutter (like most tech CEOs) and obsessed with hardcore engineering to the exclusion of all else. Groups in the company are pitched against each other to develop new products, with a winner-takes-all set-up. I read an article saying the factory has world-beating automation on the assembly line, with hundreds of drones test-flying themselves and things like that. Not a soft target for a new entrant.
 
SHOOT. National security takes precedence; none of us could possibly know for sure the risks or lack thereof. Either way, though, this is a huge bummer. I was really looking forward to the Mavic Pro 3 and I am not excited about competitors right now.

Will this impact the gimbals too?
 
filmguy123 said:
SHOOT. National security takes precedence; none of us could possibly know for sure the risks or lack thereof. Either way, though, this is a huge bummer. I was really looking forward to the Mavic Pro 3 and I am not excited about competitors right now.

Will this impact the gimbals too?
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I think so. But it seems like this is about choking US parts from going to DJI for manufacturing. They can still source them elsewhere and we can still buy their finished products. But it will probably hurt their bottom line and they may raise prices.

Oh, and apparently the national security aspect does not relate to data security. They've been targeted for participating in Uighur surveillance and, apparently, broader genetic surveillance? Dunno. But it's a human rights thing, ostensibly.

What does this mean for consumers of DJI products?
You’ll still be able to purchase the DJI drone of your choice, just like you can still purchase Huawei products.

But if Huawei and SMIC are any indication, the transfer of any sophisticated technologies from the US to DJI will face restrictions and licensing and might not be allowed to proceed. We asked former DJI employee David Benowitz for his observations:

DJI being added to the entity list will have serious repercussions for the drone industry, not just in preventing DJI from procuring US-made chips, sensors and other technology, but in limiting the availability of cheap, accessible drones to enterprises and consumers. It’s important to note that DJI has already begun moving away from US suppliers before this announcement, with just this week they moved away from integrating US-made FLIR sensors into their latest drone hardware.

What about longer-term implications?

If DJI is kept on the entity list for awhile, we’ll see a further divergence in the US and Chinese supply chains for drones, which has been happening for awhile now. China has had the lead since the birth of the drone industry, but moving its leading manufacturer to the entity list will open up opportunities for US drone startups like Skydio, Inspired Flight, FreeFly, Vantage Robotics, Teal Drones, and more.
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https://dronedj.com/2020/12/18/dji-...rce-entity-list-bad-news-for-chinese-company/
 
filmguy123 said:
SHOOT. National security takes precedence; none of us could possibly know for sure the risks or lack thereof. Either way, though, this is a huge bummer. I was really looking forward to the Mavic Pro 3 and I am not excited about competitors right now.

Will this impact the gimbals too?
Click to expand...

At least with the gimbals, if everything is working right now, you could load the app on an old phone and "sandbox it" (never connect to the internet or update the app or gimbal firmware). This could probably get you through the useful life of it.
 
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