Dash Mount Car Video and Sound Recorder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros: Camera size, good battery life, good mounting adhesive, steady image.
Cons: 50 min recording time between resets, focal range too close, usless laser aiming device, bad positioning of external power plug, tightening knob tends to loosen up, camera loop records over previous video on SD card.
The camera itself performs at advertised. The camera has a small footprint and doesn't obscure your forward view. Setup was easy (3 steps), and the mounting tape used is very dependable and is still holding well. Battery life is good (about 2.5-3 hrs), and a 12v lighter plug is included for external power. The image is very steady considering the amount of bouncing motion a typical car goes through.
The 50 min recording time is a minor inconvenience and is not noticeable during normal usage. The reset time is relatively short (a few seconds).
Unfortunately, the focal range is such that the vehicle ahead of you appears closer than it actually is (ie 30' between cars looks like 12'). This can be a detriment if the video is being used for insurance purposes (ie: following too close?).
The red laser used for positioning is pretty much useless in daylight. It also requires you to continuously hold down a button to use. This makes it impossible to accurately aim as the slightest hand movement throws off the aiming. This function is also dangerous to attempt while driving.
The external 12v power plug is located on the TOP of the unit! The bottom or rear would have been the most natural choice. Also, the tightening knob used to secure the camera to the mounting base often loosens up (road and/or engine vibration?), allowing the downward pressure of the plug to throw off the camera's aim.
Overall, the product is O.K. You'll just have to remember to:
1. Frequently tighten knob and check aiming.
2. Rely more on battery power to avoid 12v cord aiming issue.
3. Use between 1GB and 2GB card for longer continuous record times.
4. Unless needed, clear out the video images on the SD card after each
trip.
5. Give yourself plenty of room between cars to avoid perception
of "following too closely."


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XiTech 720P HD MOTION DETECT CAR DASH VIDEO CAMERA RECORDER DVR 64GB 2.5" TFT LCD 1280x720, 30fp Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This camera had a good price, but it is a disappointment. Note that this is an older model; the latest models have an HDMI port and fewer bugs.
* Not 720p / JPEG encoding artifacts: -1 Star
The CCD in this camera is natively 640x480. If you choose the 720p recording mode, then the camera just does pixel-doubling in software.
This dashcam records to MJPEG files. You won't be able to read license plates or recognize most faces because of compression artifacts. The firmware lacks an option for changing JPEG quality.
* Stops Recording When SD Card Is Full: -1 Star
When the dashcam needs to rotate files on the SD card, it stops recording for up to two minutes, but an entire accident can happen in less than two minutes. The actual amount of offline time seems to depend on the speed of the SD card.
* Can't override poweroff: -1 Star
This dashcam always powers off when external power disconnects, even if the internal battery if fully charged. I want my dashcam to continue recording after an accident.
* Can't run from a USB Port / Can't be used as a webcam: -1 Star
Connecting the USB port puts the camera into disk mode, which means that you must power it from the 5v connector. You cannot power this dashcam from an in-vehicle USB port. You cannot use this dashcam as a webcam.
* Can't invert or rotate the video: Annoyance
The firmware doesn't have an option for changing the recording orientation.
* Can't change the recording overlays: Annoyance
The only overlay option is a timestamp.
* Nearly ideal form factor: +1 Star
The size and shape of this dashcam is nearly perfect, and it uses a standard threaded mount, like on a regular camera tripod. It is much smaller than the stock photography makes it seem. The built-in folding LCD is probably the best feature.
* Adequate performance in a variety of lighting conditions: +1
Sun flaring is minor. Quality is okay at night with street lights and head lights.
* Additional Notes
This camera records to MJPEG AVI with 8 kHz PCM mono audio. Audio quality is poor; you can't hear conversations over white noise while driving, and it is unlikely that you would get all of a conversation while stopped with a traffic cop.
Wake-up on motion detection is pretty good.
In standard quality, this camera uses 2GB per hour.
Power draw is less than 5 watts at 5 volts, so you can run this camera off of a car battery for a long time.
This camera seems to be running an embedded BSD. A firmware update could get me to add one or two stars to this review.

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Dash Cam Dual Camera Mini DVR System - Records Video Inside & Outside Vehicle w/ Audio - Police Style 2 Channel Car Dashboard Windshield Camera + Microphone Plus GPS Tracking Device & Accident Recorder w/ Google Map - IR Night Vision Recording Of Occupants Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Well I have owned this for 2 months now.
I live in Taiwan, so it is imperative to record your driving since only about 10% of the drivers follow any type of traffic laws. The problem I now face is that the software will not play back the video or convert it to MP4 format for archiving and future use.
The manufacturer has answered my emails (albeit slowly) and aknowledged that the software supplier (blackbox) has documented that the software is not really comaptable with Win 7 or Vista (32 or 64 bit).
They have promised to keep me up to date on the software issue.
The hardware works great and apparently records everything (because I cannot view it to verify this). The gps is fairly stable as far as the voice prompt goes, and it picks up a gps lock when my Garmin fails to do so.
Once I get an operational viewing software from the manufacturer I will update this review.
I have had some issues with 32GB SDHC cards as they work for about 3 days and then the recorder fails to recognize them anymore until they are reformatted. I have had the same issues with 16 GB SDHC cards as well. The happy median seems to be 8GB SDHC cards as it has been in place for 2 weeks and I have not had an error yet. I have several class 8, 6 and class 4 SDHC cards laying around and I have tried them all and everything above 8GB errors out after 2-3 days of use and is unrecognized by the device. All of the cards are name brand and lifetime warranteed. I even had the device fry one of my 32 GB class 10 cards, but the SDHC supplier replaced it without question and verifeid that the recording device had over voltaged the card, and destroyed the SDHC unit. I guess the lower quality 8GB cards can take a wider voltage variance where the higher capacity cards are more precise and sensitive to current and voltage variances.
I recomend this product as long as they can get the software operational. I am sure it will work with XP 32 bit, but I don't have any available machines runing that OS right now.

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