Huge Post: How to choose a DVR

Just a few days ago on the site I posted a post related to the topic of car DVR, where one of the users of the site tossed the idea to write an article just about choosing registrars. Actually what I did.

In general, the post turned out quite big, so it will be a lot of text and because of the very small features of the site uploaded photos. Here and there I will try to embed links to videos, but as if they will not, then go on YouTube. Most importantly, everything that is written below - is exactly my view of the issue, so if you have in this regard has an opinion, then perhaps it is more correct and truthful, than mine. Argue with no one especially not going to.

The entire post is divided into two sections or, better to say, in the two sub-themes:

1. How to choose a DVR (to which parameters and functions primarily pay attention)
2. What to buy a DVR (Council have specific models of car recorders).
Let's go ...





Unfortunately, it is in our most beautiful country in the world where all the other countries can only envy, the DVR has become almost a necessary attribute of any car. The benefits of the DVR will not argue on YouTube a lot of movies, confirming its usefulness. The DVR can save and from the payment of fines and deprivation of rights, and most importantly - from getting into places not so remote. After all, people who throw themselves under the wheels in order to "earn" money, or worse, moreover, realized original part with life, is more than enough.

When selecting DVR people often pay attention to options such as video quality, viewing angle, the availability of GPS. There are very intelligent people who pay attention to the processor and the DVR. The people believed that the newer processor, the DVR will be better, and the registrars at the old iron deserve a place, perhaps, only in a museum. With the latter I did not agree, but more on that later ...

The quality of video from any registrar everyone can appreciate visually on YouTube (do not forget to include the highest quality). This should definitely keep in mind that YouTube videos compress, so the original image will be slightly better. It is advisable to choose a registrar view is the original recording, but a common understanding and if you have no special pens, it will be enough and clips on YouTube. Always worth a browse and night, day and rollers. If the registrar is in your opinion writes pretty well during the day, not the fact that you want it night recording.

Note that in various conditions of any registrar will issue different in quality video. Under ideal conditions - is a picture, and it can be quite good. But in an environment where the sun "head" or at the entrance / exit of the tunnel in the afternoon - your recorder can stand before you as a "blind helpless kitten."

Example out of the tunnel during the day:



On the video quality especially in difficult conditions is greatly influenced by the bitrate. The bigger, the better. Accordingly, if the bitrate registrar low, and you drove along a narrow road, around which the overhanging trees, you will receive a video, which is sometimes neither to recognize the number of cars and car brand will be impossible to determine.

An example of a complex scene with trees along the road (it is better to look at full size):



Once I started talking about higher bitrate, I would say that most normal registrars bit rate varies between 9-13 Mbps. We should not think that the more expensive the receptionist, the bit rate is higher than it has. For example, BlackVue DR 500GW HD maximum bitrate at the factory firmware is only 10 Mbps, so the quality of video from his day is far from ideal. The bit rate affects mostly it is on picture day or less affect the quality of the night video.

People who are more or less versed in the registers are likely aware that the most common processors are at the DVR processor from Ambarella. So the company itself advises Bitrate: A2 processor - no more than 12MB / s, A5 - no more than 14 on the A7 - no more than 18. It would seem, here it is, and got out the advantage of the new processor A7. But no. There recorders are installed in not the new processors, but at the same time a high bit rate.

For example:
 - At Axiom Car Vision 1100 processor A2, bit 15 megabits;
 - At TrendVision TV-Q5NV A5 processor, a custom firmware 20 megabits;
 - At DATAKAM G5 processor A5L, adjustable bit rate of up to 20 megabits.

Some popular models of Registrars, the users themselves create a custom firmware with a higher bit rate. For example, for the same registrar or TrendVision BlackVue.

But the main advantage of Ambarella A7 processor is - the ability to record videos in higher resolution Super Full HD or Full HD resolution at 60 frames per second, or video recording of two channels simultaneously in the resolution Full HD.

No Super Full HD, or 60 frames per second does not give almost no visible improvements in the video. But these two psevdopreimuschestva showed himself as a good marketing tool for promoting a new product. We made a couple of pictures of unrealistic comparison, launched "duck" in the network and Ola-la-la went sale.

If a person does not understand, and if he recorders properly hooked on the ears, the registrar with the new processor vtyuhat be easy. The use and promotion of the new processor is beneficial not only to producers natural recorders, but the company Ambarella. After all, the price of the new processor above, the cost is almost the same, respectively, higher profits.

What is the real advantage of the new processor A7 - so it is possible to record two channels in high definition. There are already two-channel recorders, where the front and rear camera write in Full HD. Although so far all these regi dampness, firmware curves, and all of them require modifications, as in other and all of the current single-channel recorders on the A7. Of the top manufacturers of recorders new processor is involved only FineVu, very soon or are already VicoVation, soon TrendVision, later Datakam. Registrars on Ambarelle A7-type Texet, StreetStorm Advocam and I do not take into account, in my opinion, special attention they deserve. And easier to buy the same thing on Chinese websites.

Firmware - a 50% collateral reliability registrar. A reliability - probably in the main DVR. In terms of firmware and indeed purely "hardware" the most reliable and refined in terms of software is considered to be a bunch of processors A2 and the matrix OV2710 (one of the most common chords for today). In terms of creating firmware for DVRs to none of Datakam. Firmware for their registrars wrote team of Russian engineers, and in Russian, unlike the Chinese brains more. The last sentence did not want to offend anyone, but in reality datakamovskoe software definitely the best in the world.
Angle - parameter that indicates which part of the road fall into the field of view of the DVR (Picture for example, attached at the bottom of this message). Angle is measured diagonally and horizontally. Most often, producers describing their state devices angle diagonally, sometimes both corners. Corner diagonally over the horizontal viewing angle. The angle of the horizon from any registrar can be measured independently, so the relevant forums, people mostly talk about the angle horizontally. I personally also only the angle of the horizon and perceive.

For example, at the former Karki Q2 angle of the horizon is approximately 72 ° - this is a very small figure. Today, many registrars angle greater than 100 ° and just varies between 105 ° -120 °. Decent model with a smaller index registers and can not be found even today. There are devices in which the angle reaches 130 °, but it is a concrete bust !!!

Each of you can have your opinion about what is the optimal viewing angle. Here it is useless to argue, because you can give a few arguments in favor of greater or lesser angle. I would personally considered registrars only angle that hit the range specified in paragraph I above.

Angle affects the quality of the reading rooms. The greater the angle, the number of read worse and vice versa. This is physics! Some people often write something on the type of that here at this registrar "..." (talk about some registrar with an angle of 110-120 degrees under) number reads worse than my "..." (referred to some ancient regik with a small angle or modern, but also a smaller °). Such statements are actually even read funny.

Equally fun and at the same time a certain resentment cause people's comments on the type of "use Kark Q2 for two years, and a great quality video day and night." One would like to ask a great relative to what? Compare, for video recording of the night to Q2 and TrendVision TV-Q5NV, which is only slightly more expensive, and feel the difference!



GPS.
GPS has the following mission:
 - Thanks to him, you will always have the exact time and date;
 - On the map, you can view your route;
 - You can get speed readings;
 - Thanks to his work SpeedCam and geo-locator.

We need the GPS logger or not is a moot point. My opinion is that if the registrar is not implemented SpeedCam, the special wing from the GPS does not.

SpeedCam - warning function of speed cameras, traffic police posts, etc. Powered by Spidkam determine your GPS position and warns about a particular object by the database that you uploaded to the DVR.



Geo-locator - indicates the direction of the nearby larger towns.

The last two functions competently implemented on Datakam G5-Pro ​​(G5-max). Geo-radar, as I know only datakama is more in my opinion it is not in any of the other regika. Spidkam crooked or more or less normally implemented in several other models of other brands (MiVue, Neoline).

Reading speed is no advantage in court or during a conversation with the inspector DPS will not let you. DVR - not a certified measuring device speed. So if you do not exceed, and the inspector says that the excess was then grimacing in front of him to no purpose. The only case where the readings from the recorder will be taken note of the inspector, is if he is a moron.

Many registrars has a function of a threshold speed on the video display. That is, if you put the value of 110 km / h, it is above this threshold, the rate is not displayed. The only thing - the speed limit in the village and on the road, as it were different ...

The exact time and date display - is, in my opinion, the only advantage of GPS (besides spidkamy). But here, if the registrar is corrected quartz clock is battery or internal battery to maintain the current time and date, especially from the GPS will not increase.

Internal Memory - allows, if necessary, make a copy of your desired video. Many registrars do not have internal memory, in general, some registrars have a small memory (256-512 Mb), some - are on board memory capacity of several GB (Axiom Car Vision 1100, Procam CX4), and only Datakam G5 instead of the internal memory has a second memory card slot into which you can insert a USB flash drive up to 32GB, and it has to make a copy.

If the board has a Wi-Fi, in principle, the internal memory is not required. An example of a registrar with Wi-Fi are BlackVue DR 500 HD, VicoVation WF1 and TrendVision TV-QX3. The latter, by the way, there is wi-fi, and the display at the same time.

The battery (battery) is almost all Chinese registrars and there almost all the Korean DVR. Battery capacity may be different, and the battery can be rented or built. Depending on the battery capacity, some devices can operate autonomously up to 2 hours, and some are just 15-20 minutes, which is enough to remove the scene of an accident or something else.

There recorders in which the battery can be replaced by a more capacious, and at the same time, the device will increase battery life. For example for the DVR Caged Axiom Car vision 1100 dop.optsiya sold separately as a battery, when you install the registrar can operate autonomously up to 6-8 hours. Why do it? To record on motion sensor when you lack a car.

If you are going to leave the loggers in the recording of a motion sensor for the night, the loggers can also be powered directly from the battery car, but with the relay control voltage so as not to put full battery, or you can use a more advanced power cut (Lukas LK-270, 290, 330).

Powered DVR through the bracket, quick-mount.

Registrars steal and that's a fact. On the Internet, search engines, upon request, you can find a bunch of photos of the broken side windows or movie that's an example:



Lately there has been a certain tendency to make DVRs, powered through the bracket. This is really handy, because if you are constantly shooting out of the car recorder, no wire to pull you do not have to. For me, this point is very important.

Best fixture to date on the DVR Datakam G5. He has a magnetic swivel mount with a passage through the bracket.

If you take my favorite TrendVision TV-Q5NV, then he is also quick-mount with power through the bracket and the power cord can be connected in the actual recorder.



Automatic change of the level of exposure depending on the lighting.
On a few models of video recorders in the settings, you can set the exposure level (EV) separately for day and night-time. If such a possibility, depending on the light level EV will change. For example, you eat during the day and you set the exposure for the daylight hours, drove into a tunnel - EV day will automatically change to EV night. On most registrars, unfortunately, you can only set the exposure level for the day and the night in general. But there is a model where there are separate settings EV and EV Day night. If such an opportunity is provided to the registrar, it is its biggest advantage, and the owner can achieve the most optimal and "clean" image. For example, all TrendVizhenah such an opportunity, there is a "thing" in Vico and Datakama.

A polarizing filter removes glare from the windshield.
Many cars Panel especially in sunny weather is very much reflected in the windshield, whereby the quality of the video is naturally falls. The filter will remove all glare or kill their presence to a minimum. Example:



Voiced by several useful functions and features, but details about them will not tell.

Automatic start and automatic shutdown of the DVR after a specified period of time. Automatic start after a specified period of time may be useful in the winter for some models videregisratorov especially matrix AR0330. Automatic shut-off after a specified period of time can be helpful for those who want to record lasted for some time, such as when you decide to run for a few minutes to shop.

Automatic shut-off screen can be an important feature for motorists at night.

Automatic saving clips from being overwritten (G-Sensor), and the preservation of the right hand roller from being overwritten by pressing the button. It has almost all registrars.

Microphone mute (sound recording) by pressing a button during recording.

The ability to rotate the device in the driver's side window.

Options on the suction cup mount and Velcro. Personally, I would never have bought a recorder, which is included in the package only on the suction cup mount.

Details about matrices, processors, lenses are not going to paint here. But know that it is from these "three pillars" and depends on the quality of your video recorder (in addition to the firmware). If you have already decided to choose a registrar for iron, it is worth watching, and the characteristics of the matrix, and the characteristics of the lens!

Attention! Destroying the stereotype some people who believe that the greater the resolution of the matrix, the better it is - it is not so! For example, a matrix with a resolution of 5MP - a matrix of old and new have a lower resolution (2, 1 M). Details about the matrix can be read here.

The lens is also addresses! I once saw a message on the forum, when a person says that ParkCity HD 710 - a great lens. To my question "why do you think so?", The answer was something like "so you look at it, which was beautiful."

Outwardly, it seems really nice and expensive, in fact, g * contrib. Most manufacturers, especially Chinese, save on lenses.