VIOFO A229 Pro - Testing / Review - RCG

[Nigel]

Just wondering, is it possible to downgrade VIOFO cams firmware, should a new firmware introduce an issue?
The cam just flash what ever firmware it sees on the card?
Or is downgrade blocked?

No problem with downgrades, but do reset the settings to default after, and maybe do a reset just to be sure.

 

[Agie]

The A119 Mini 2 firmware u have is V1.0_20230926 ??

the latest one on the website is V1.0_20230912

what change in the newer version?

Also, the mic on the A229 Pro, quite muffled (Or more aggressive noise suppression?) compared to the A119 Mini 2.
Colors still off, yup, A119 mini 2 looks a tad brighter image too. A229P has a greenish Hue to it at the end there.

This video contains daytime cloudy sky footage from a VIOFO A229 Pro front camera and a VIOFO A119 Mini 2. I use the raw audio captured by both dash cameras so you can hear the quality and volume differences.

Interesting they gave you LOG to work with considering its quite flat and one would need to colour correct to get accurate levels.

Would be focussing more on details and not things like saturation or contrast, as those would need to be worked up.

 

[Agie]

Thanks for the comparison.

The white balance is better on the A119 Mini 2, but I think the A229 Pro looks better when it comes to details. It can capture plates a little farther away, there looks to be more detail and less compression, there's less aliasing on edges like power lines, and it maintains sharpness better on the edges of the frame when passing plates in parking lots.

I did't focus on the audio too much, but in terms of video, overall I'd give the A229 Pro the W in terms of detail and video quality.

Bang on. Wouldn't take contrast and saturation seriously because it is LOG footage after all that hasn't been colour graded.

 

[rcg530]

Yesterday, I rearranged some dash cameras in my car to make room for a dash camera under an information embargo. I placed one of my A119 Mini 2 dash cameras on the rear window (as some have requested) to compare the video from the A229 Pro QHD rear camera and the A119 Mini 2. The A229 Pro front firmware is version a debug/logging version v1.0_230928 and the A229 Pro rear firmware is v1.0_230928. That A229 Pro front firmware results in no status line text info. The A119 Mini 2 firmware is version v1.0_20230926.

Here are some screenshots (which please remember get resized by this website) of those two cameras.

Left = A229 Pro Rear (HDR Off / No CPL) | Right = A119 Mini 2 (HDR Off / CPL)

 

[Vortex Radar]

Bang on. Wouldn't take contrast and saturation seriously because it is LOG footage after all that hasn't been colour graded.

@rcg530 can clarify, but I don’t believe “log” in this context refers to a color profile. In the past, Viofo’s test firmware has added extra debug text stamped onto the video footage that effectively logs additional data for Viofo to decode.

 

[rcg530]

Bang on. Wouldn't take contrast and saturation seriously because it is LOG footage after all that hasn't been colour graded.

@rcg530 can clarify, but I don’t believe “log” in this context refers to a color profile. In the past, Viofo’s test firmware has added extra debug text stamped onto the video footage that effectively logs additional data for Viofo to decode.

The "Log" version of firmware is as @Vortex Radar mentioned. Instead of the standard text status line info, data/debug info is presented to help VIOFO figure out how the dash camera is behaving at that point in the video.

 

[Agie]

The "Log" version of firmware is as @Vortex Radar mentioned. Instead of the standard text status line info, data/debug info is presented to help VIOFO figure out how the dash camera is behaving at that point in the video.

View attachment 68746

Ok confusing when you labelled LOG footage in the video , as that what the term is usually referring to when written like that.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I placed one of my A119 Mini 2 dash cameras on the rear window

Thank for the comparison, and extra work.
Looking forward to night time comparisons once we get "good" firmware for the A229 Pro & A229 Plus.

 

[rcg530]

Here's an example of how much the CPL filter on the A119 Mini 2 mounted on the rear window helps reduce the glare from the inside of the rear window compared to the A229 Pro rear camera.

A229 Pro Rear / A119 Mini 2 with CPL

 

[rcg530]

Today while driving my weekly grocery shopping trip route, I stopped at the same stop sign in a parking lot that triggered the A229 Pro front camera to change the brightness level of the sky a it also changed anything that was red in front of my car to have a muted red color for a few seconds during last week's drive. It happened again. This time there wasn't a red car moving within the field of view and it still happened.

A229 Pro Front - Just Before Color Change / During Color Change / After Color Change



That same location but screenshots from Thinkware U3000 / A139 Pro / A119 Mini 2. It looks like I need to realign my A139 Pro since it's aimed much further down for some reason.



VIOFO is sending me A229 Pro main (front) unit from the production batch to see if it's any better than the unit I have now which is from the "early sample batch".

 

[Panzer Platform]

Here's an example of how much the CPL filter on the A119 Mini 2 mounted on the rear window helps reduce the glare from the inside of the rear window compared to the A229 Pro rear camera.

I like the 360° lens adjustment the remote cameras provide from the A229 & A139 Series.
However, the remote cameras from the A129 Series have the capability to accept a CPL Filter.
One step forward, one step backward. lol

This time there wasn't a red car moving within the field of view and it still happened.

Thanks for the follow up from last week.

I need to realign my A139 Pro since it's aimed much further down for some reason.

This happen to my A229 Duo Rear camera one time.
Ever since then I put a small piece of painters tape across the adjustment "joint" to prevent the camera from vibrating loose and changing the lens adjustment.
I haven't noticed this issue with any front / main cameras yet.

 

[Nigel]

Ok confusing when you labelled LOG footage in the video , as that what the term is usually referring to when written like that.

Thanks for the clarification.

For Viofo cameras, what you were thinking of as LOG is called HDR.
The log firmware records (logs) all the exposure metering information, and other stuff.

A log profile, or logarithmic profile, is a shooting profile, or gamma curve, found on some digital video cameras that gives a wide dynamic and tonal range, allowing more latitude to apply colour and style choices. The resulting image appears washed out, requiring color grading in post-production, but retains shadow and highlight detail that would otherwise be lost if a regular linear profile had been used that clipped shadow and highlight detail.

Log profile - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Agie]

For Viofo cameras, what you were thinking of as LOG is called HDR.
The log firmware records (logs) all the exposure metering information, and other stuff.

Log profile - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I know what LOG is, have done colour grading in Premiere Pro for a few years now.

Thanks anyways.

 

[Deleted member 85644]

Today while driving my weekly grocery shopping trip route, I stopped at the same stop sign in a parking lot that triggered the A229 Pro front camera to change the brightness level of the sky a it also changed anything that was red in front of my car to have a muted red color for a few seconds during last week's drive. It happened again. This time there wasn't a red car moving within the field of view and it still happened.

A229 Pro Front - Just Before Color Change / During Color Change / After Color Change

View attachment 68818 View attachment 68817 View attachment 68816

That same location but screenshots from Thinkware U3000 / A139 Pro / A119 Mini 2. It looks like I need to realign my A139 Pro since it's aimed much further down for some reason.

View attachment 68821 View attachment 68820 View attachment 68819

VIOFO is sending me A229 Pro main (front) unit from the production batch to see if it's any better than the unit I have now which is from the "early sample batch".

Maybe it is my eyes but I think the A119 Mini 2 had the best colour, or perhaps the more accurate colour of all of the examples. The A229 Pro reminds me of when I used FUJI 35mm film years ago. The FUJI film always produced a more vivid and detailed image, though not always accurate.

 

[rcg530]

This happen to my A229 Duo Rear camera one time.
Ever since then I put a small piece of painters tape across the adjustment "joint" to prevent the camera from vibrating loose and changing the lens adjustment.
I haven't noticed this issue with any front / main cameras yet.

Just this past Thursday night, I used my laser level to get all of the front dash cameras adjust with the same vertical center line. When I checked the footage on the A139 Pro, it appears when I placed it on the GPS module mount, I somehow got to engage the mounting tabs but not all four correctly. That tilted down the front edge of the camera causing the vertical FOV to be shifted downward. It was a bit difficult to remove from the mount, but after removing it and installing it properly on the GPS module's mounting tabs, the alignment of the camera lens was as I had set it Thursday night.

I too use a small strip of black electrical tape to mark the "correct alignment" position of the lens. When I checked the A139 Pro, the tape was still in place, but that's when I found that I somehow reinstalled it on the GPS mount incorrectly.

 

[Panzer Platform]

When I checked the footage on the A139 Pro, it appears when I placed it on the GPS module mount, I somehow got to engage the mounting tabs but not all four correctly.

Oh my gosh, I did the same exact thing with my A139 Pro.
I could not figure out why the GPS coordinates, and speed was not being displayed on my recorded footage.
It took me an hour to figure out I only had the A139 Pro attached by the top two locking tabs on the GPS mount, not all four. LMAO.

 

[Mtz]

placed one of my A119 Mini 2 dash cameras on the rear window (as some have requested) to compare the video from the A229 Pro QHD rear camera and the A119 Mini 2.

If your Mini2 is some old version you have the old version of lens, actually the Mini2 has other lens.
Also people should consider that Mini2 image setup is for recording the front image. The rear cameras should have more brightness because there is less light. This is why comparing a rear camera with a front camera will give visible different results.

Just this past Thursday night, I used my laser level to get all of the front dash cameras adjust with the same vertical center line..

I asked few years ago Viofo to create the Horizon Line Adjustment (HLA). It was at the beginning of the A119 V3. They created a firmware based on my request and I was very satisfied about the result. Then this feature disappeared forever because some stupid idiots started to blame that they dont like that line.
One of the most important thing to do when installing a dashcam is to correct align the camera to have 50% sky and 50% road because the firmware creators are using the same percent. That HLA could help to correct adjust the camera position for almost all people and even the people who are recording too much sky because they dont like to record their car dashboard. Why to not record it? What is interesting on the sky? Nothing is important on the dashboard or on the sky but the image is well balanced when is using the correct alignment.

Back to your work, for cameras without display or even for all cameras, Viofo could create the HLA on the APP live image. When you have more cameras you can align all of them the same just by using that HLA.

Right now I am aligning camera by using live view from APP instead of HLA I am looking at the smartphone front camera hole to imagine that there is the middle of the image.
Then I am taking screenshots. I have one master screenshot with first camera aligned at desired and then I am taking screenshot with the next camera. Then align. Then delete old screenshot, then screenshot again, then align again and so on. I need to have patience to do this because it is very important when doing side by side comparisons.

 

[Deleted member 85644]

The HLA implementation is unique but is its effectiveness not driven by how high the dash cam is placed on the windscreen? This is one of those situations where perhaps VIOFO could have made it a software feature in the app that was seen on live view only and enabled only when setting up the camera?

 

[Karagandinez]

I asked few years ago Viofo to create the Horizon Line Adjustment (HLA). It was at the beginning of the A119 V3. They created a firmware based on my request and I was very satisfied about the result. Then this feature disappeared forever because some stupid idiots started to blame that they dont like that line.

This line was on MOD firmware for A119 V3 from the user "vvs49".
When the DVR was turned on, the line was on the screen and disappeared after 10-15 seconds.
This time was enough to adjust the lens horizontally.

 

[Mtz]

The vvs49 HLA implementation in his modded firmware was made after Viofo implemented it in a beta firmware. vvs49 did not created this function and was not his idea. The idea was 100% mine and created by Viofo after many requests from me. But is not important who had the idea, the most important is the result. I admire vvs49, I have nothing against him, he knows this. I don't want to take any credit from his work I am only telling the truth.

The HLA implementation is unique but is its effectiveness not driven by how high the dash cam is placed on the windscreen? This is one of those situations where perhaps VIOFO could have made it a software feature in the app that was seen on live view only and enabled only when setting up the camera?

No matter where you install the camera the percent of sky/road should be always the same. The dashboard is not important it should never be taken into considerations. I was mentioning it because the dashboard is the main reason people are pointing the camera to record the sky.
The A119 V3 implementation was the HLA appearing for 15 seconds at each start of the camera. It could be any color except red to not make people thinking their camera display is broken. Appearing at each start and not only after the reset to default was good because a smart user could always check the camera alignment.
Not forget that at that time the A119 V3 had also a suction cup as optional and people with suction cups had the biggest chance to destroy the alignment.

But because now all Viofo dashcams have APP this HLA can be implemented in the APP. I requested also this but not implemented and now I am tired to request in vain. I accepted that is not a good idea.
This HLA was not necessary for me because I know how to adjust my dashcam was more for Viofo because when people are posting poor videos with dashcams recording the sky and poor image exposure, people can say the Viofo is a poor dashcam recording poor videos.

Also having a feature which has a name is another reason for marketing to draw attention to the product. Because marketing must to find ideas to bring buyers attention and maybe because of this feature they will buy it. Maybe the buyer had a suction cup camera which was never properly aligned and now he found the camera he needs. Maybe... maybe...