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Dash cam's n other cams
- April 29 2016
Been playing with
a Viofo A119 pre production cam ( posting results on dash cam talk )
, also posting video on youtube , which you can check out
here if you
like and I think the A119 just might be fantastic
- August 11 , 2015 .
I have posted the first three dash cam reviews , they are not flash
but I was more concerned with replicating video quality for youtube
rather than getting overly opinionated . I have been playing with
the focus on the first three cameras that I got , and I will post
comparison video shortly . Yes , a lot of cheap cams are also out of
focus , making things more interesting .
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August 10 , 2015 .
Wow , dash cams are so interesting . The last couple of months have been a
very busy learning experience for me . So much catching up to do .
So what pearls of wisdom can I pass onto the reader that will allow
you to bye pass wasting money ? Obviously some people want value for
money . while others want something for nothing , and then there are
those who believe ( right or wrong ) that you need to pay to get
something decent .
Lets start with the fact that not all dash cams are the same . It matters
not if the name or model is the same , you the buyer needs to read
carefully between the lines to see what you are actually getting .
One of my favorite past times of late has been watching dash cam
footage on youtube . And something interesting can be noted . You
take an interest in one of the cheaper dash cams and the quality of
the video posted varies quite a lot , from dreadful to quite
acceptable .
Is it the poster changing or degrading the video , is it youtube , or the
camera ? Here lies the problem , its all of those things .
Which makes researching a dash cam quite difficult , because you
simply don't know what the variables are . What I will try to
do is to make you the reader aware of what possibly to watch out for
, and possibly what to avoid if possible .
Lets start with video format , or file type . You really want to avoid
MJPEG or moving jpeg . The quality of this format tends to be on the
bad side , and is usually the format of choice for the nasty dash
cameras . It can be hard to avoid MJPEG simply because some vendors
deliberately conceal the file format from buyers . You will see
descriptions like Full HD , 1080P , AVI and yet they mean nothing .
Plenty of adds say Full HD 1080P AVI file format . But if you read
more carefully , its actually MJPEG .
What you want to see is a full and complete file format description :
1920x1080 FHD , and either AVI or MOV with H.264 video compression
.. ( Why ? )
Well , once the seller provides a full description , you have some
ebay buyer protection ...
If you don't see Full High Definition 1920x1080 in the add , then
dont expect to get it .
Same with the video codec / file format .. Don't see AVI or
MOV H.264 , then expect MJPEG .
I have purchased 3 budget ( cheap ) dash cams using MJPEG and they all
blow chunks for video quality ( see cam reviews ) . I have some more
budget cams on the way claiming MOV. H.264 file format and Full HD (
Will see ) .
So you need to watch out for claims of Full HD , and file format . Again
if you cant find such expect the worst , and it just might be worth
while moving on to looking at something else .
Fakes - Clones - and just rip offs !
Seriously don't wait much over a month for stuff from China , just
put in a claim . That way your protected . Sometimes the seller is
just not even bothering to send anything . Think about it , you sell
1000 items . You don't send out anything and maybe half the people
don't claim within the prescribed time limit . You just made money
for nothing , ebay gets its cut , and its your fault for not making
the claim , so you lose .
Clones - If it comes from China , there is a damned good chance its a
clone . The question is , did you buy a good clone or a bad clone .
So it pays to do some research . Check and check again to make sure
your buying what you actually want .
Fakes - They may look like an original or a clone , the product
description may even claim all the good bits on the inside . But
it's just a very poor fake made to look like something worth buying
. Again it comes down to knowing exactly what you want , and not
getting suckered by a shoddy dealer .
If this sounds a little like tip toeing through a mine field , yes !
So remember - Read the product description very carefully , and try
to avoid MJPEG .
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