Hollyland Pyro Ultra, Pyro 7 and Pyro 5: specs, functions and how I use them on set

On my shoots I send the camera feed with Hollyland Pyro. When the camera’s on a crane, the 1st AC pulls focus from the ground with the Pyro Ultra’s Focus Mode. The director and script watch the shot on a Pyro 7 or a Pyro 5, and the rest of the crew on their phones with HollyView. Below are the full specs of all three and what each function does on set. After that I get into how they work together and how I use them.

The facts

• Pyro Ultra: it’s a transmitter (TX) and a receiver (RX), and neither one is a monitor. It sends 4K60 over HDMI 2.0 and 1080p over 3G-SDI, and the TX has an HDMI loop. With line of sight it reaches 1.5 km in non-broadcast and 700 m in broadcast. In Focus Mode, latency starts at 20 ms at 1080p25/30.
• Pyro 7: it’s a 7” touchscreen monitor you can use as a TX, as an RX or just as a monitor. It takes HDMI or 3G-SDI in, each with its own loop, and records to SD. It works up to 1080p and measures ≈60 ms in the lab at 1080p60. With line of sight it reaches 400 m without broadcast or 200 m with broadcast.
• Pyro 5: it’s basically a Pyro 7 at 5.5”. It takes HDMI or 3G-SDI in and has an HDMI loop. It weighs ≈410 g without a battery and has the same range. When you use it as a TX, it also lets you control the camera over USB-C.
• According to Hollyland, in broadcast the Ultra TX has no limit on receivers, though it’s stable with up to 20. Hollyland also says the Pyro 7 and Pyro 5 can join its system with and without broadcast.
• In Mexico you can get the Pyro Ultra, the Pyro 7 and the Pyro 5 at TECNOPLANET.
• Don’t mix them up with the Pyro 7 Ultra and the Pyro 5 4K, which are different units.

Pyro Ultra specs and functions

The Pyro Ultra is just the wireless link. The TX goes on the camera and the RX gives you the image over HDMI or SDI. It came out in April 2026.

The TX screen tells you the format, group and channel without going into the menus. In the photo it reads 1080p23.98, group A, channel 8.

Specs

• Video: the TX has HDMI 2.0 and 3G-SDI inputs plus an HDMI 2.0 loop-out. The RX has HDMI 2.0 and 3G-SDI outputs. Over HDMI it takes 720p50/59.94/60, 1080p23.98/24/25/29.97/30/50/59.94/60 and UHD 3840×2160 at those same eight frame rates, but not 1080i. The TX’s SDI input takes 720p50/59.94/60, 1080i50/59.94/60 and 1080p23.98–60. No 4K goes in that way. The RX’s SDI list doesn’t include 1080p59.94 or 1080i.
• Range: with line of sight it reaches 1.5 km in non-broadcast and 700 m in broadcast. In Tokyo, Newsshooter kept the signal at about 500 m, which was as far as the street went.
• Latency: in Focus Mode it starts at 20 ms at 1080p25/30 with no interference. At 1080p60 it starts at 40 ms and at 4K60 at 45 ms. In Smooth Mode it starts at 22 ms. There’s no official figure for 23.98 or 24p. Newsshooter didn’t measure ms, but noticed a lot more latency over HDMI than over SDI in UHD, especially at 23.98p.
• Radio: it uses TWiFi at 2.412–2.484 and 5.150–5.850 GHz, with DFS and sub-bands that vary by country. The channel is 20 MHz (40 in broadcast) and the TX puts out < 23 dBm. Sensitivity is −85 dBm in non-broadcast and −80 in broadcast. At 4K60 it runs at 12 Mbps.
• Receivers: in non-broadcast it takes 4 RX and, since firmware 1.2.2.48, up to 6 phones. In broadcast there’s no limit, though it’s stable with up to 20. In that mode app support isn’t confirmed, and according to Newsshooter it doesn’t connect.
• USB-C: the RX port is USB 3.0. Plugged into a laptop’s USB 3.0 port, it outputs UVC up to 4K60. It also does RTMP up to 1080p60. You set the output resolution on the RX. The TX port is USB 2.0 and it’s for firmware, logs and the logo.
• Power: 6–16 V DC input with a locking connector. The TX takes NP-F, and V-Mount or G-Mount go in through D-Tap. The TX draws 11 W in non-broadcast and 14 W in broadcast. The RX draws 7 W. It can’t run on USB-C power. The website and the manual don’t agree on the RX battery voltage.
• Body: each unit weighs 320 g (without antennas, per Newsshooter) and measures 124.5 × 80 × 34.9 mm. It has one 1/4” thread and a color screen with a joystick. There’s no published operating temperature. The TX fan has Auto and Quiet modes, and even in Quiet Newsshooter heard it near the camera mic. They could barely hear the RX’s.
• In the box (1TX+1RX): according to Hollyland, you get the TX, RX, 8 antennas, a 12 V power adapter, OTG, a double ball head with cold shoe and D-Tap to DC.
• Where to buy: TECNOPLANET sells it as a 1TX+1RX or 1TX+2RX kit, or the TX and RX separately.

What each function does on set

• Focus Mode: it lowers the latency on the RX where you turn it on. Put it on the 1st AC’s or the remote head operator’s. The manual says only one RX in the group can have it, and the website says all of them can. Since they don’t agree, plan for one.
• Broadcast or non-broadcast: non-broadcast reaches further, but to fewer screens. That’s the one you want for the crane. Broadcast gets the feed to the whole crew, but with less range.
• HD Mode and Smooth Mode: you pick them on the TX. HD runs at 8–12 Mbps and it’s the one you use to judge the image. Smooth gives you more range, with latency from 22 ms, and it’s the better choice when the crane is far away or there’s interference.
• Frequency hopping and DFS: the TX picks a channel at power-up and hops to another if there’s interference. From the RX you can lock a green channel by hand. DFS opens up more 5 GHz channels where regulations allow it, but if the TX is on DFS a phone can’t see it.
• Group Lock: hold the joystick up and you lock the group, so no stray RX gets in.
• Freeze Frame or logo: if the signal drops, the RX holds the last frame. With Freeze Frame OFF, it shows your logo instead. To load it, put a logo.jpg at 1920×1080 and under 1 MB on a FAT32 drive, plug it into the TX and then restart the TX.
• Loop-out and adaptive output: with the loop-out you can put a 4K60 monitor on the camera without a splitter. And the RX steps down to 1080p for the crew’s HD monitors.
• UVC and RTMP: over UVC, OBS sees the RX as if it were a webcam. That lets you set up a remote village or record a reference with no capture card. Over RTMP, a client who isn’t on set can watch online. You need Ethernet or a 4G modem, and you enter the URL in HollyView. Hollyland doesn’t say so, but since the app won’t connect on DFS, set up RTMP off DFS.
• Trigger pass-through: it arrived with firmware 1.2.2.45, but there’s no documentation of what it does or which port it uses. Test it before you count on it.
• HollyView: the phone joins the TX’s Wi-Fi, and since 1.2.2.48 it gets 4K. In the app, Newsshooter tested scopes, false color, peaking, zebras, de-squeeze, a focus magnifier, LUTs (built-in only for Sony and Canon) and recording on the phone.

Pyro 7 specs and functions

The Pyro 7 is a 7” touchscreen monitor. Besides being a monitor, it works as a transmitter or a receiver, and it records too. It came out in July 2024.

On the Pyro 7, script can read even the slate. They log scene, take and timecode without having to lean over the camera monitor.

Specs

• Screen: it’s a 7” touchscreen at 1920×1200 (Hollyland labels it 16:9) with 1000:1 contrast. Since January 2025 it puts out 1500 nits (before that it was 1200). You can only adjust brightness and RGB. Newsshooter found it a little desaturated, and next to another monitor it looked cooler and had lifted blacks. It’s not for judging fine color.
• Video: as a TX it has an HDMI 1.4b input and loop-out up to 4K30, plus a 3G-SDI input and loop-out at 1080p. As an RX it has HDMI and SDI outputs at 1080p and an SDI loop-out. Over HDMI it takes 720p50/59.94/60, 1080i50/59.94/60, 1080p23.98–60 and 3840×2160p23.98–30. Over SDI it takes 1080p23.98–60 (Level A and B at 50/59.94/60), 1080psf23.98–30, 1080i50/59.94/60 and 720p50/59.94/60. It transmits, displays and records up to 1080p. 4K30 only goes through the loop-out.
• Latency: in the lab it measures ≈60 ms at 1080p60, and screen latency is < 50 ms. With a Pyro S as TX, Newsshooter measured 140 ms over SDI and 223 ms over HDMI.
• Range and radio: with line of sight it reaches 400 m without broadcast and 200 m with broadcast, and using the app can cut that down. It works at 2.412–2.484 and 5.1–5.8 GHz depending on the country. The channel is 20 MHz (40 in broadcast). The TX puts out ≤ 23 dBm and sensitivity is −80 dBm.
• Recording: it records MP4 to SD at whatever resolution comes in, except 4K30, which it records as 1080p30. It goes up to 40 min per clip, and the 32 GB card holds about 10 h. Codec and bitrate aren’t published. According to Newsshooter and ProVideo Coalition, the power switch slides too easily, and if you switch it off mid-take the clip gets corrupted.
• LUTs: it has 5 slots for .cube files at 16, 17, 32, 33, 64 or 65 points, loaded from USB or SD.
• Power: 10–18 V DC input, dual NP-F plate and optional V-Mount or G-Mount plates. It draws < 22 W. Battery level shows as voltage, and you need to swap it when it drops below 6.8 V. It can’t run on USB-C power and has no DC out.
• Body: it weighs 570 g with the plate and without antennas (earlier units were 545 g) and measures 180 × 127 × 31.8 mm without plate or antennas. It has a 1/4” thread on each side, 8-channel HDMI audio, headphones, USB-C OTG and SD. It operates from −10 to 45 °C. The fan has Auto and Low modes. Tie down the HDMI cables, because the ports are exposed.
• Firmware: it’s on V1.0.8.4 (March 2026). S1.0.7.0 added WPS to pair with Vcore.
• In the box: 2 antennas, a 32 GB SD card, D-Tap to DC and OTG. The sunhood is sold separately.
• Where to buy: you can get it at TECNOPLANET on its own or as a two-monitor kit.
• Pyro 7 Ultra: it’s a different unit, from September 2026. It has 7.02” and 1500 nits, and Hollyland rates it at 1 km. CineD says it has the Ultra’s 20 ms. Everything above is for the 2024 Pyro 7 and its 2025 revision.

What each function does on set

• TX, RX and monitor: on the camera it’s your monitor and your transmitter, and in the village or at the crane you use it as a receiver. With Wireless OFF it’s just a monitor and the battery lasts longer.
• Broadcast or unicast: in broadcast it reaches 4 Pyros up to 200 m, but no phones. In unicast it reaches 400 m with 2 receivers and 2 phones. You pick one or the other depending on how far away you are and how many people need to watch.
• HD Mode and Smooth Mode: HD holds 8–12 Mbps and it’s for judging the image. Smooth moves between 4 and 10 Mbps depending on the environment and gives you a middle ground between image and latency.
• Quick switch: when the Pyro 7 is an RX, F1 and F2 let you jump between camera A and B in under 1 s. For that the TXs need to be pre-paired, in broadcast and on the same format and mode.
• Groups, frequency hopping, scan and Frozen Frame: there are groups A to I, with one TX per group. At power-up the TX picks a clean channel and hops to another if there’s interference (in broadcast it does it in under 1 s). The RX scan shows clean channels in green and crowded ones in red. If the link drops, the last frame stays on screen.
• Tools: it has luma and RGB waveform, vectorscope, histogram, peaking, zebra with adjustable IRE, false color, 1–4× zoom, aspect markers, de-squeeze and VU meter, and you can run several at once. With that, the director and script can check exposure and framing without asking camera for the monitor.
• F1 and F2: you can assign them to any tool or to switching groups. According to Newsshooter, everything else is touch, with no wheel or pinch-to-zoom. They also found it tough to use with gloves.
• Mirror and Flip: if the camera is upside down on a crane or a remote head, they straighten the image without touching the camera.
• LUTs and trigger: you can apply the LUT to monitoring, to recording or on export. That way the director sees the look and not the log. Trigger comes on by default. With HDMI REC control, the monitor records when the camera records.
• Image Overlay: it puts a still or a JPG from the SD over the live video, with transparency, so you can match framing.
• RX outputs: that’s where you feed a big monitor or a switcher. On an ATEM Mini use inputs 2 to 4. Input 1 only takes RGB and the Pyro outputs YUV, so it shows up green.
• HollyView: with the Pyro 7 as TX and in unicast you can connect 2 phones. Newsshooter had the app stable at 30–40 m.
• RTMP: as a TX it streams up to 1080p60. You need a USB network card with data and over 6 Mbps upload. It doesn’t work as a webcam.

Pyro 5 specs and functions

The Pyro 5 is basically a Pyro 7 at 5.5”. It’s sized for mirrorless and small cinema cameras. It came out in August 2025. The specs below are for the original, and I cover what changes on the Pyro 5 4K at the end.

Specs

• Screen: it’s a 5.5” touchscreen at 1920×1080 and 1500 nits, with 1000:1 contrast and Rec.709. You can only adjust brightness and RGB. Newsshooter found the image a little desaturated and greenish.
• Video: as a TX it has HDMI 1.4b and 3G-SDI inputs and an HDMI loop-out that also outputs what comes in over SDI (except 1080p Level B). As an RX it has an HDMI out. There’s no SDI output, even though the website talks about “SDI loopout”. Over HDMI and SDI it takes the same formats as the Pyro 7, minus 4K. It tops out at 1080p60. It handles YUV 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 at 8 bits and 8-channel audio.
• Latency: in the lab it measures ≈60 ms at 1080p60. In HD Mode it runs a fixed 12 Mbps, with latency from 75 ms. In Smooth it starts at 60 ms. Newsshooter didn’t give ms figures, but noticed lower latency over SDI than HDMI, and much lower at 59.94p than at 23.98p.
• Range: with line of sight it reaches 400 m without broadcast and 200 m with broadcast. With the units back to back it drops to 150 and 100 m. Newsshooter had it stable at about 285 m.
• Radio: it transmits H.264 at a maximum of 12 Mbps. The bands, power and sensitivity are the same as the Ultra’s. You can leave it on AUTO or pick a channel from 1 to 8. The channel is 20 MHz (40 in broadcast).
• Receivers: as a TX it feeds 4 in broadcast, but no phones. Without broadcast, the FAQ says 2 receivers and 2 phones, and the website says 4 receivers. Since they don’t agree, count on 2.
• Recording: it records to SD with timecode, up to 40 min per clip on FAT32. Codec and bitrate aren’t published. One table in its FAQ says it doesn’t record, but the website and the guide say it does.
• LUTs: it comes with 5 built in, and you can replace them with .cube files from SD or USB.
• Power: NP-F plate and 10–18 V DC. There’s no V-Mount plate, but a V-Mount goes in through the optional D-Tap to DC cable. It draws < 16.5 W as TX and < 14 W as RX. Per Hollyland, it runs about 2–3 h on an NP-F970.
• Body: it weighs ≈410 g without a battery and measures 151.6 × 102.3 × 40.5 mm. It has 1/4” threads on the bottom and side, headphones, USB-C OTG and SD. It operates from −10 to 45 °C. The fan has Auto and Low modes. In Low you barely hear it, but a camera-mounted mic can pick it up.
• In the box: 2 antennas, OTG and a tempered glass screen protector. The sunhood, shoe mount and D-Tap are sold separately.
• Where to buy: TECNOPLANET has it on its own or as a kit with the Pyro 7 or the Pyro S.
• Pyro 5 4K: it came out in July 2026 and looks the same as the original on the outside. To tell them apart, check the label, the SKU or the box (the 4K’s includes a USB-C to USB-C cable and a 1/4” shoe mount). It takes 4K30, but as an RX it outputs 1080p60. It adds Image Overlay and can control more camera models. In exchange it draws more, < 18.9 W as TX and < 16 W as RX, and drops to 2 channels of audio. For now its Multi-Cam Switching only works with the Pyro 7. There’s also no published latency at 4K30.

What each function does on set

• Modes: it has the same ones as the Pyro 7. It works as TX, RX or monitor, and it has broadcast, HD and Smooth, scan and Frozen Frame. With Wi-Fi off the battery lasts longer.
• Groups, Lock Pairing and Multi-Cam Switching: it has 9 groups. Lock Pairing ties each RX to its TX, and with Multi-Cam Switching you switch between cameras from the receiver.
• Tools and handling: they’re pretty much the Pyro 7’s. It has flip, but there’s no mirror or Image Overlay. According to Newsshooter, false color only has ARRI and Standard presets. They also say that since everything is touch and there’s no button other than power, it’s tough to use with gloves.
• Camera control over USB-C: it only works with the Pyro 5 mounted on the camera as a TX. The camera has to be connected over HDMI and with a USB-C to USB-C cable (not included with the original). It also has to be in “PC Remote” or “Remote Shooting” mode and in manual. From the screen you change ISO, iris, shutter, white balance, focus mode and REC. That really helps when the camera is caged. Hollyland doesn’t document control from a Pyro 5 working as a receiver.
• Cameras with control: the official table has the Sony A7 III, A7S III, A7 IV, FX3, FX30, ZV-E10 and ZV-E10 II. Firmware adds the Canon R6, RP and R6 Mark II, and the Nikon Z8 and Z9. Don’t count on touch focus, because the table and the FAQ contradict each other.
• Proxies: with the HDMI trigger, the Pyro 5 records when the camera records. Then Premiere or Resolve can relink that file as a proxy.
• RTMP: you need a USB 4G modem with a data SIM connected over OTG (a USB Wi-Fi dongle won’t work), and you enter the address in HollyView. It streams H.264 up to 1080p60. To one platform it goes out at 6 Mbps, and to two at 3 Mbps per stream. It needs 6 Mbps of upload. It doesn’t work as a webcam.
• HollyView: with the Pyro 5 as TX and no broadcast you can connect 2 phones. Turn off mobile data on the phone and, on Android, use channel 1 or 2. Newsshooter had it stable at 30–40 m.

How they combine

• Compatibility: according to the Ultra’s page, the Pyro 7 and Pyro 5 work with it with and without broadcast. The same page says the Pyro H, the Vcore and, for now, the Pyro S only work without broadcast.
• Pyro 7 with Pyro 5, without the Ultra: Hollyland sells them as a kit, and according to Newsshooter a Pyro 5 as TX can feed up to four Pyro 7s. Between them you don’t get past 1080p.
• Latency: according to a Hollyland engineer quoted by CineD, the 20 ms only applies between the Pyro Ultra and the Pyro 7 Ultra, and with any other receiver what counts is that receiver’s latency. If a Pyro 7 or Pyro 5 receives from the Ultra, plan on at least its own lab latency. That’s ≈60 ms at 1080p60, or 75 ms for a Pyro 5 in HD Mode. Hollyland doesn’t publish how much latency you get when you mix units.
• Range: the 1.5 km and 700 m are between an Ultra TX and RX. If the receiver is a Pyro 7 or Pyro 5, it’s rated at 400 and 200 m, and there’s no figure for when you mix units.
• Resolution: Hollyland doesn’t publish what a Pyro 7 or an original Pyro 5 receives when the Ultra sends 4K, or whether they work as TX to an Ultra RX. You’ll have to test that.
• Remote control: according to CineD, to control focus or exposure from a receiver, that receiver has to be a Pyro 7 Ultra.
• Firmware: the Pyro 5’s 1.0.3.29 improves compatibility with the Ultra. In the Pyro S firmware notes, Hollyland warns that mixing updated and non-updated units can cause pairing problems. Better to update everything.

On the crane, focus in real time

The camera goes up with the crane and the 1st AC stays on the ground pulling focus off the monitor. With the Pyro Ultra’s Focus Mode the image gets to them with no delay you’d notice. That’s why the Ultra RX goes to the 1st AC, and the Pyro 7 and Pyro 5 go to the people who just need to see the shot. Keep in mind the 20 ms is at 1080p25/30. At 23.98 there’s no official figure, and from what Newsshooter saw, at that frame rate you’re better off going over SDI. With line of sight, the link between the Ultra’s TX and RX reaches up to 1.5 km.

With the camera on a stabilizer

Nobody has to chase the operator around with a cable here. The image still gets to the 1st AC and the director. When you balance, count the weight of the TX, which is 320 g without antennas, plus the antennas and the battery. You power it with an NP-F or over D-Tap, with a 6 to 16 V input. And tie down the HDMI, because it has no lock.

With the camera on a rig

When the camera is clamped to the rig, the Pyro Ultra TX goes on the same structure, and the 1st AC and the director see the shot without you having to run cables down from the rig. To mount the TX, the 1/4” thread on its base and an articulating arm are all you need. The camera goes into the TX over HDMI 2.0 or 3G-SDI.

For the rest of the crew

The director, the client, script and the crew each watch the shot on their own Pyro 7, Pyro 5 or phone with HollyView. In broadcast, the Ultra TX has no receiver limit, although it runs stable with up to 20. Without broadcast it takes 4 receivers and, with firmware 1.2.2.48, up to 6 phones. Be careful with the phones. In broadcast, don’t count on them. And even without broadcast, keep them close, because with the Ultra the app started dropping out for Newsshooter from around 250 m.

Video village and continuity

The director sees what camera sees on a Pyro 7 on a stand, without having to crowd behind the operator. For continuity, script matches framing with the Image Overlay on their Pyro 7, which also records to SD and holds up to 5 LUTs. And if the village needs a big screen, you plug it into the RX HDMI or SDI outputs. And if there are two cameras, a Pyro 7 as RX jumps from A to B in under 1 s, with both TXs already paired and in broadcast.

If you carry an onboard recorder

The recorder stays on the camera and the Pyro gets the feed out to the crew. One doesn’t replace the other, because the TX HDMI 2.0 loop-out, at 4K60, feeds the camera monitor and the RX takes the image to a laptop or off set.

LATAM read

Down here we usually shoot on a tight budget with a crew that’s just big enough. That’s why this gear makes sense for us. The Pyro 7 and Pyro 5 work as a monitor and a wireless link at the same time. And with HollyView, the production phone becomes one more screen without you buying another monitor. The big money goes into the Pyro Ultra, because that’s what the 1st AC needs and what gives you the range. Everything else you can buy piece by piece. If you’re a DP or 1st AC with your own gear, it’s a kit you carry yourself, and you stop depending on whatever the rental house has in its catalog.

In Mexico you can get all three at TECNOPLANET, as kits or individually.

My personal opinion — Daniel Blanco A.M.C.

When you’re using onboard recorders, we always prefer Hollyland transmission because of the HollyView app, the low latency and the range.

The Pyro not only has low-latency modes for the 1st AC, but you can also transmit to the whole crew.

How to build it on your set

If your 1st AC pulls focus away from the camera, start with the Pyro Ultra 1TX+1RX kit. Then add the Pyro 7 and Pyro 5 for the director and script, and give everyone else the image on their phones. For that, keep the Ultra in non-broadcast.

• Power everything up before the first rehearsal. Newsshooter measured about 33 s for the Ultra to show an image, 20 s to restart the RX and 6 s to change frame rate. If you’re going to change frame rate, do it between setups and not with the village waiting.
• Do your updates at home, before you head out to location. On the Pyro Ultra, updating resets it to factory settings.
• Change the factory Wi-Fi password on the Ultra TX, because it’s published in the manual.
• On the Pyro Ultra, keep at least 2 m between TX and RX, because any closer and you can get stutter. If you don’t have the room, Hollyland suggests using a single antenna or locking a green channel.

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Photos: Daniel Blanco A.M.C. · Product images: courtesy of Hollyland

Specs: Hollyland — Pyro Ultra, Hollyland — Pyro 7, Hollyland — Pyro 5; variants: Pyro 7 Ultra and Pyro 5 4K. Testing: Newsshooter (Pyro Ultra, Pyro 7, Pyro 5) and ProVideo Coalition; compatibility, latency and control when mixing units: CineD

Original source: Hollyland Pyro Ultra, Hollyland Pyro 7 and Hollyland Pyro 5

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In Mexico, TECNOPLANET sells them. They have the Pyro Ultra, the Pyro 7 and the Pyro 5 as kits or individually, and the rest of their catalog is at tecnoplanet.mx.