DR970X Plus Series - Testing/Review - RCG

[rcg530]

During my morning trip into town, I stopped and captured thermal pics of a DR970X-2CH Plus camera. The max temp was on the right end (end with cables connections) at 116.2F/46.8C. The second hottest spot was located at the left edge of the mount for the front camera at 109.1F/42.8C. The coolest location was on the touch sensor end at 100.8F/38.2C. The outside temp was 66F/18.9C and the passenger compartment temp was 68F/20C.

The DR970X-2CH Plus has firmware v1.002 installed. It's recording H.265 video with the default video bitrate setting of "Extreme" to a BlackVue 256 GB memory card. I currently have multiple dash cameras drawing power from a BlackVue B-130X dash camera, so my power consumption reading in the app will be skewed to a high value. I'll have to fall back to my previous power consumption testing of this dash camera (see below).

DR970X Plus Firmware recording settings (click to expand)


Power consumption results (click to expand):


Thermal pics of the front camera:


Here are three thermal pics of the rear RC110F camera. I didn't have it mounted on any window glass in this vehicle (during this test), but I wanted to make sure it was connected to the front so the video processing load was as "high" as possible.

 

[rcg530]

In case anyone is wondering what that "block" is in between the DR970X Plus front camera mount and the windshield glass, it's a mounting block that I 3-D printed using ABS+ filament. It allows me to more tightly group the dash cameras on my car's windshield to avoid the dash camera blocking the driver's line of sight.

 

[shalamigri]

I just received this message from Blackvue support regarding the noise issue with the DR970x Box Plus:

According to our 2nd level support, the noise during parking mode can be due to the microphone level which is set to highest to support voice call.

They said that they are checking if they are able to reduce the mic level.

Customer can confirm that this noise is not present when the mic is off. (Audio recording).

So hopefully they'll have a patch in the works very soon because this is quite annoying.

 

[rcg530]

When my Pittasoft support contact was replying to my emails (he's ignoring my email again), he did state that the DR970X Box Plus microphone recording level was much higher than the other DR970X Plus series units. He stated they would be trying reduce the recording level to resolve the loud audio recording levels.

 

[bryanviper]

Hello,

I just ordered a new BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus 4K to reply my dying Blackvue DR650 (Old I know) it should use the same cables so just plug & play then turn on the power setting since I still have a powerMagic Pro hooked up.
Anyways I see this new dash cam has Bluetooth & Wifi. What is the bluetooth used for? Is it instead of wifi? If so is it any faster at transferring files?

Thanks

 

[Pinebaron]

Bluetooth is for direct connection from your phone app to camera you can use for configuration and download of file transfers, since no wifi involved it can only be used whilst you are in or very close to your vehicle. Transfer files is fast either way; on wifi your wifi speed is a factor although I doubt anyone has slow home wifi these days. To connect to Blackvue Cloud for upload/download of events, you will need a wifi connection or hotspot (since I noticed you don't have the LTE version).

 

[rcg530]

Hello,

I just ordered a new BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus 4K to reply my dying Blackvue DR650 (Old I know) it should use the same cables so just plug & play then turn on the power setting since I still have a powerMagic Pro hooked up.
Anyways I see this new dash cam has Bluetooth & Wifi. What is the bluetooth used for? Is it instead of wifi? If so is it any faster at transferring files?

Thanks

Bluetooth is used to allow the BlackVue app to connect more easily with the dash camera using the "Seamless Pairing" feature. A recent dash camera firmware update allows BlackVue Cloud connected units that are powered by a compatible BlackVue battery pack (like the B-130X) to monitor and report the battery pack's charge level.

The 12V barrel style power plug connector for the older DR650 (2-wire / 3.5mm x 1.35mm) is not the same as the 12V barrel style (3-wire / 3.5mm x 1.1mm) power connector for the more recent BlackVue dash cameras like the DR970X Plus series. You're going to have to swap out the cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) cable or hardwire cable that powered the DR650 with the CLA or hardwire cable provided with the DR970X Plus dash camera.

https://helpcenter.blackvue.com/hc/en-us/articles/360056111611-Accessories-Compatibility-across-Different-Camera-Models

This CLA compatibility chart is a bit dated (last updated before the DR970X Plus series was released). The DR970X and DR970X Plus have the same power and video cabling requirements.

Cigarette Power Cables​

The video cables used to connect the front and rear cameras are the same for the DR650 and the DR970X Plus dash cameras. Please remember this chart was updated before the DR970X Plus dash cameras were released, so those models don't appear in this chart. The DR970X and DR970X Plus use the same video cables so the info in this chart will apply to the DR970X Plus series dash cameras as well.

Video Cables​

The DR970X Plus supports 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz (default) Wi-Fi connections. You should see better file download speeds with the DR970X Plus.

 

[bryanviper]

Bluetooth is used to allow the BlackVue app to connect more easily with the dash camera using the "Seamless Pairing" feature. A recent dash camera firmware update allows BlackVue Cloud connected units that are powered by a compatible BlackVue battery pack (like the B-130X) to monitor and report the battery pack's charge level.

The 12V barrel style power plug connector for the older DR650 (2-wire / 3.5mm x 1.35mm) is not the same as the 12V barrel style (3-wire / 3.5mm x 1.1mm) power connector for the more recent BlackVue dash cameras like the DR970X Plus series. You're going to have to swap out the cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) cable or hardwire cable that powered the DR650 with the CLA or hardwire cable provided with the DR970X Plus dash camera.

https://helpcenter.blackvue.com/hc/en-us/articles/360056111611-Accessories-Compatibility-across-Different-Camera-Models

This CLA compatibility chart is a bit dated (last updated before the DR970X Plus series was released). The DR970X and DR970X Plus have the same power and video cabling requirements.

Cigarette Power Cables​

The video cables used to connect the front and rear cameras are the same for the DR650 and the DR970X Plus dash cameras. Please remember this chart was updated before the DR970X Plus dash cameras were released, so those models don't appear in this chart. The DR970X and DR970X Plus use the same video cables so the info in this chart will apply to the DR970X Plus series dash cameras as well.

Video Cables​

The DR970X Plus supports 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz (default) Wi-Fi connections. You should see better file download speeds with the DR970X Plus.

Thanks for the info, well at least the rear camera cable is the same that will save me a lot of time having to wire it all will just need to change out the power cable. The front camera mount is pretty close in size wonder if I can reuse it or if I have to remount with the new one. What a pain to take it off the glass as that adhesive is very strong!

Thank you.

 

[rcg530]

Thanks for the info, well at least the rear camera cable is the same that will save me a lot of time having to wire it all will just need to change out the power cable. The front camera mount is pretty close in size wonder if I can reuse it or if I have to remount with the new one. What a pain to take it off the glass as that adhesive is very strong!

Thank you.

It's not just the size that has changed with the 12V barrel connectors. The DR650S has a 2 connector version while the DR970X Plus has a 3 connector version. You cannot use the older power cable with the DR970X Plus.

 

[bryanviper]

It's not just the size that has changed with the 12V barrel connectors. The DR650S has a 2 connector version while the DR970X Plus has a 3 connector version. You cannot use the older power cable with the DR970X Plus.

Yes I understood, plan on changing out the power cable, have no choice. The size thing I'm talking about is the camera mount.

 

[Vortex Radar]

Yes I understood, plan on changing out the power cable, have no choice. The size thing I'm talking about is the camera mount.

You can reuse the mount. In fact I’m still using the mount from my old DR750S (same mount as the 650) in the rear of my car where I now run a 970 Plus.

 

[bryanviper]

So I got the BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus 4K installed on friday, ran the new power cable and reused the old mount and cable running to the back camera, thanks for the help/info.

New question, I just realized today that when quality is set to the highest I only get around I think 1-2hrs of saved clips on my 64gb card or at least it did not allow me to find anything else after that 1-2hr time frame. So because of this I clearly need a bigger memory card as I would want at least a day or so of saved recordings. Seems like the biggest I can go is 512GB any suggestions on brands to get best performance out of it? I know on some of the older cameras there was no point in getting the fastest card as it could not handle it and would actually be a little slower.

I'm thinking this card which is currently on special -

SanDisk 512GB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - Up to 190MB/s, C10, U3, V30, 4K, 5K, A2, Micro SD Card - SDSQXAV-512G-GN6MA
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/B09X7C2GBC
Thanks

 

[danlat1415]

I've been using the SanDisk 512GB High Endurance in the DR970X Plus, and DR970X Plus LTE for 2 months and no issues at all
I used to use the same card, but 256GB version in previous models for years and no issues

Yes, the 64GB is very small when set to extreme quality - definitely not suitable - likely why they increased capacity.

I can't vouch for the SanDisk Extreme as I've never used. I typically go for endurance based cards for CCTV/dash cams that are designed for 24/7 writing on them.

 

[rcg530]

So I got the BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus 4K installed on friday, ran the new power cable and reused the old mount and cable running to the back camera, thanks for the help/info.

New question, I just realized today that when quality is set to the highest I only get around I think 1-2hrs of saved clips on my 64gb card or at least it did not allow me to find anything else after that 1-2hr time frame. So because of this I clearly need a bigger memory card as I would want at least a day or so of saved recordings. Seems like the biggest I can go is 512GB any suggestions on brands to get best performance out of it? I know on some of the older cameras there was no point in getting the fastest card as it could not handle it and would actually be a little slower.

I'm thinking this card which is currently on special -

SanDisk 512GB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - Up to 190MB/s, C10, U3, V30, 4K, 5K, A2, Micro SD Card - SDSQXAV-512G-GN6MA
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/B09X7C2GBC
Thanks

I've used SanDisk Max Endurance cards with various BlackVue dash cameras including the DR970X Plus series. I was told by Pittasoft that they will be selling BlackVue branded 512 GB memory cards in the near future, but I was told that a couple of months ago and I still haven't seen any available.

 

[bryanviper]

I've been using the SanDisk 512GB High Endurance in the DR970X Plus, and DR970X Plus LTE for 2 months and no issues at all
I used to use the same card, but 256GB version in previous models for years and no issues

Yes, the 64GB is very small when set to extreme quality - definitely not suitable - likely why they increased capacity.

I can't vouch for the SanDisk Extreme as I've never used. I typically go for endurance based cards for CCTV/dash cams that are designed for 24/7 writing on them.

Thanks, yes true the endurance are usually better quality/life. Since I have not seen an issue with this one I think I'll give it a try since its on special. If it turns out to not be good I'll get an Endurance card next.

Thanks