Blackvue DR970x Box 2-CH Plus Review

[DrekiTech]

Please note: this camera was provided by Blackvue for testing.



There is a ton to like about this camera:

• The design separates the bulk of the processing power from the windscreen to a box that goes under the dash. I have been saying for years this is how dashcams should be built. The main upside is that the "box" can be larger for better heat dissipation. This would result in higher longevity of the camera system and memory cards, as well, future cameras could have more powerful features since the processors are not getting cooked in direct sunlight. I could even see the main camera(s) being swapped out with better models down the line since they're not an "all in one" solution - or even maybe future models could have active cooling.
• The front camera is quite a bit more compact than other 4K Starvis 2 cameras
• The video quality (front/daytime) is overall decent, although do see my notes in criticisms
• The app and cloud features are ahead of other brands I've tested
• The camera locks in place with a hex key wrench, and the box locks up tight, so it would be hard to unplug the cameras once they are installed.

What is notably missing:

• Where is the Starvis2 HDR feature? HDR Timer?
• Despite the fully featured app, I couldn't find settings to adjust exposure compensation. Highlights were often a bit too bright.

What needs improvement:

• The video quality is pretty grainy, especially in low light.
• The rear camera is unacceptably poor quality. This is 2024, even the first dashcam I reviewed, a G1W, had better video quality than this. The rear camera works as a supplement, but that's about it.
• The audio quality is a bit hot, and picks up a lot of road noise

Other interesting observations:

• I notice that they seem to be using a higher ISO for a faster shutter speed, which is darker video quality but has better motion capture than Non-HDR cameras in low light I've used
• The hit detection sensitivity is very high by default
• The night comparisons are particularly interesting to me, as the 70mai has better readability in bright highlights (they're not blown out and are captured at a higher shutter speed with HDR), versus the XBOX which better readability in darker sections (due to higher shutter speed for overall)

 

[Dan2]

Dumb question: since the rear cam is so bad, could one plug in another front cam in its place?