[Gsport]

Originally Posted by SimonB

Gsport, I would wait for a bit. There's an Australian developed Dashcam coming onto the market soon that looks very interesting. I've liked their FB page, to get updates, which I do, but I can't find any of the posts at the moment. I'll update this when I find it!

Ok thank you. No rush as I haven't collected my car as yet. The dealer indicated 20th with some prospect of a bit earlier so I am hoping I'll get her later this week.
Thanks again
Cheers
G

[SimonB]

Guardtrak is the name I was looking for. Just saw a post from them now, search for that on Facebook or Internet.

[Gsport]

Originally Posted by SimonB

Guardtrak is the name I was looking for. Just saw a post from them now, search for that on Facebook or Internet.

Ok thank you
Cheers
G

[SteveAus]

Thanks guys for the chat on dashcams. This is something I have also been considering for my car and for my wife's car.

GuardTrack GTS2 is the new Aussie Dashcam. Unfortunately, the site I looked at didn't say when it would be released to the public or what the price is likely to be.

A few points about the design (from the InterWeb).

The mount bracket contains the GPS and the 12v/24v power supply
The design gets the GPS up against the glass for the best possible reception
This also gets the camera lens as close as physically possible to the window to minimize reflections
There are no batteries inside, LiPo batteries baking in the sun are not safe, regardless of cell quality
The front facing side is all black to make it as discrete as possible
The height and width is a little bigger than a credit card, (tried to keep it as small as possible)
Using a German composite plastic that is fire safe rated, good for 100c plus degrees
Finish is lightly textured to minimize fingerprints and to avoid reflecting from outside
Because it mounts directly to the window it actually takes up less space than a lot of other models do

Basic spec
Full HD 1080p30
2nd generation ARM9 Ambarella A2 processor (USA)
Aptina AR-0330 CMOS (USA)
7 element all glass lens (6 Glass + IR cut filter)
Dual MicroSDHC memory (2 x 32GB, 64GB total)
U-Blox G7020 GPS (Switzerland)
ChipSip MCP memory (Taiwan)
Domintech DMARD07 G-Sensor with power save function (Taiwan)
ASAHI KASEI Delta-Sigma audio control circuit (Japan)
12/24 volt direct input
CELL=POWER low battery safety cut off module
High Definition 2” LCD display (Taiwan)
Super capacitor safety power supply (Korea)
High Density ABS+PC composite chassis (Germany)
Designed for high temperature, high humidity environments
Quick release mount bracket
Screen mounted design to cut unwanted reflection
All black design for discrete installation

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Firmware
Below is a list of all the standard stuff we do, pretty close to what we had in our last product as a starting point, some of this will have some further refinement still, we generally do a firmware update every 4 to 6 weeks with any changes, improvements etc so will still evolve beyond this I'm sure

OSD Settings

ALL OSD – ON/OFF. Default Value = ON
USER TEXT – 10 characters available to add to recording, license number, vehicle type etc. Default Value = REG ABC123
SHOW USER TEXT – ON/OFF. Default Value = ON
DISPLAY BRAND – ON/OFF. The DISPLAY BRAND setting allows you to display or not the watermark brand logo. Default Value = ON
SPEED UNIT – KM/H or MP/H. Default Value = KM/H
SHOW SPEED - ON/OFF. Default Value = ON
TIME FORMAT – select the desired time format, 24 hour time or 12 hour time (am/pm) for the on screen display. Default Value = 24h
DATE DISPLAY – Select the desired display format, YYYY/MM/DD, MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY. Default Value = YYYY/MM/DD
SHOW DATE - ON/OFF. Default Value = ON
DATE – shows current time and date (updated once GPS signal is received)
The DATE is automatically updated once GPS signal is received
SHOW GPS DATA – ON/OFF. Default Value = ON
GPS DATA FORMAT – selectable view. Default Value = 12.345678

Video Settings
VIDEO QUALITY – Bitrate selectable from minimum 10MB/SEC through to maximum 15MB/SEC. Default Value = 12MB/SEC
RECYCLE – Recording split point, OFF, 30 sec, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15 minutes.
Default Value = 2 Minutes
VIDEO FORMAT – Selectable output type MP4 or MOV. Default Value = MP4
EV – Adjustable, from -2 through to +2, default value 0. Default Value = 0
WHITE B – Selectable white balance. Default Value = AUTO
CONTRAST – HARD/SOFT/STANDARD. Default Value = STANDARD
SHARPNESS – HARD/SOFT/STANDARD. Default Value = STANDARD
EFFECT – VIVID/MONOCHROME/NEGATIVE/SEPIA/ART. Default Value= OFF
AUDIO – ON/OFF selectable default for recording. Default Value = ON
SIZE – 1920x1080 (1080p). Default Value = 1920x1080 (1080P)

System Settings
LANGUAGE –CHINESE, ENGLISH, ITALIAN, JAPANESE, RUSSIAN, SPANISH. Default Value = ENGLISH
LOAD DEFAULTS – YES/NO. Default Value = NO
FORMAT – YES/NO. Default Value = NO
MEMORY CARD – CARD A/B/AUTO. Default Value = AUTO
TIME ZONE – The time zone can be automatically calculated from the GPS or can be selected manually. Default Value = AUTO
DST OFFSET– OFF/+1Hour. Option to add 1 hour for Summer time offset
Default Value = OFF
G-SENSOR – Sensitivity adjustable from -5 through to +5. Default Value = NORMAL
MOTION DETECT - ON/OFF. Default Value = OFF
DELAY ON – User selectable power on delay of 5, 15, 30 seconds, 1 minute or OFF. Default Value = OFF
LCD OFF – Selectable 15 seconds, 1 Minute, 3 Minutes or OFF for continual operation. The LCD OFF setting allows you to decide how long the LCD display will stay illuminated. Default Value = 1 Minute
AUTO OFF – Selectable 1/3/5 minutes or OFF for continual operation. Default Value = 5 Minutes
VOLUME – Adjustable from 0 through to 7. Default Value = 3
LIGHT FREQ – 50Hz/60Hz. Default Value = 50Hz
TV OUT – PAL/NTSC. Default Value = PAL
VERSION – Shows current firmware version number

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What other firmware things are we working on at the moment?

These are things we're working in to implement in the firmware and will update as we go, some will be ready for release, others we may still be refining

Add a 5Mb/sec Economy record mode

Add a 20Mb/sec Extreme record mode

Adding a data logging function (suitable for business users) one memory card used as per normal to record video and GPS data, the second card to archive all GPS data for logging purposes

Improved parking mode function, using the G-Sensor and GPS data to know when the car has stopped moving, how long it should record for after no movement and when it should change from regular recording mode to parking mode, and how that should change back to regular recording mode, what options for this we can add as user menu options, timeout before parking, G-Sensor sensitivity when parked etc, some customers like the G-Sensor to be more sensitive when in parking mode but less sensitive for regular driving, how soon after no change from driving mode to parking mode, if it can have some user adjustable amount is desirable, if we can have some user adjustable options with the parking function

Investigating if we can add a user selectable timer cutoff in firmware for the parking mode

Need to add some menu function for copy files from one memory card to other memory card

Working on a VALET MODE function, can leave the camera working when the car is being driven by someone else, car service, parking attendant etc

VALET MODE should turn off all lights and sounds, no LED, no speaker sound, no LCD display, camera to work as normal but no audible or visual confirmation to indicate that there is a camera in the car recording, this function to remain even if powered off and on until the VALET MODE is switched off by the customer

Looking to add an option to have a passcode option for the menu so customers can protect the menu functions from being changed easily, would need to be able to reset to default of no passcode though

Looking at having option to password protect the recordings

Looking to have a NIGHT MODE function with adjustable start and finish time option with adjustable EV, for example maybe NIGHT MODE start time 21:00 finish time 06:00, NIGHT MODE EV +1, something like this

Looking to increase the user text field to 12 characters, looking to add special characters as well

Looking to use an updated OSD font

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What happens next?

At the moment we're getting out tooling made, because we're using a special type of plastic our dies need to be cut from S136 Stainless Steel, harder to work with, takes longer and costs more, 3 things we don't to hear but the reality of making a product to tolerate high heat means we don't really have other options

Once that's done we will be doing a small production run and will send some of the first completed product out to the people that will be assisting with some field testing, we'll look for any anomalies and anything we need to fine tune before we get stuck into mass production, I'd expect we'll possibly be a few firmware versions in by that stage and will have some of the things mentioned that we're working on already completed, priority is always stability and then add features as we go, I know we have the basics covered already and already have a lot more functionality than a lot of other products out there



And NO, I do not work for GuardTrack!

[SteveAus]

Originally Posted by SimonB

Hi guys, I installed my Blackvue dash camera today and plugged it into the lighter point under the glovebox. 2 questions, if anyone knows the answer:

1) Is that socket live all the time? It certainly is for some time after turning off ignition, but I haven't tested it for hours afterwards.

2) Does the F30 have it's own battery voltage protection? I read somewhere that it does, but I haven't seen that corroborated anywhere.

Simon....

Simon,
It's been a month or so since you installed your BlackVue.
Did you get the front facing camera, or the dual front and rear cameras?
How do you rate it?
Apart from the initial problems with the GPS, has it lived up to expectations?
Did you install a Power Magic Pro to solve your parking requirements?

[knightsabers]

In parking mode, does Blackvue's LED turn on or flash? If so wouldn't that attract thieves to break into the vehicle.

[GAV-F30]

I can tell you in South Korea they have heaps of brands full hd 24/7 recording with motion sensor so while you park your car and someone walk's past a blue light turns on it's recording. They are way better than are shit here.

Thought Ill Just Share What I've seen

[knightsabers]

Actually, just purchased one today made in South Korea. Spent a few days researching and comparing their day/night quality. Came down to a few choices.

-----
Cowon AW1
Blackvue DR550GW
iTronics ITB-100HD
Finevu CR-2000S
Powerucc Panorama II

In the end decided to get the Cowon AW1, similar to Blackvue's discreet design. It has slightly better image quality in day/night conditions.

[Spikey]

Originally Posted by knightsabers

Cowon AW1
Blackvue DR550GW
iTronics ITB-100HD
Finevu CR-2000S
Powerucc Panorama II

In the end decided to get the Cowon AW1, similar to Blackvue's discreet design. It has slightly better image quality in day/night conditions.

Did you purchase from a local reseller or online? mind if I ask the price? I'm kinda looking for one to put in the front too..

[knightsabers]

Originally Posted by Spikey

Did you purchase from a local reseller or online? mind if I ask the price? I'm kinda looking for one to put in the front too..

I got it online from Amazon for about $240 - Cowon AW1. There's also a Front & Rear version package version, Cowon AW2 for $480.

Some overview of my findings from reviews:
The Cowon AW1, supports live feeds via it's iOS or Android App, Capability for parking mode recording when connected to it's optional uninterrupted power supply. Great low light & rain condition recording. However, images tend to come out washed out or over exposed in some situations, the capsule like design tends to get quite hot like similar to Blackvue's dashcams and lack of inbuilt GPS receiver (optional GPS Receiver). Quite pricey for a discreet solid designed dashcam.

[knightsabers]

It arrived after a week of shipping from Japan. Overall build quality & packaging is exceptional.

[Sherweeeny]

Originally Posted by knightsabers

It arrived after a week of shipping from Japan. Overall build quality & packaging is exceptional.

Mate how big is that thing? It looks awesome!

[knightsabers]

Originally Posted by Sherweeeny

Mate how big is that thing? It looks awesome!

Roughly 10.2 cm long, 3.8 cm wide & weighs 76 grams.

http://www.cowonglobal.com/product_w...uct_page_1.php

[GAV-F30]

Originally Posted by Gsport

Thanks Simon, very helpful. I have been very impressed with the GoPro video but can also see the advantage in something more specialized. Ill go do some price hunting.
Cheers
G

Please share what prices you got