Dashcam Viewer for Mac and Windows

Currently, there is no option to export clips without sound. But this is a good idea so I'll add it to my list of future enhancements. In the mean time there are video editing softwares which can do the task. I use the old QuickTime Player 7 (Mac) to delete sound tracks and perform minor edits.
Thanks. I'm just thinking what features of RV I used tbh. I think that had the option to remove the speed overlay on export as well?

Also, I just updated my SG9663DC from FW V1.12 to 1.18 (which is a beta) and I noticed that the GPS logging isn't complete. On one clip I noticed no logging whatsoever and on another it disappeared after a minute into a 2 minute clip.

I've only just started using DV now that I've finally installed my cameras. When I click on the Edit button on the toolbar nothing happens and also clicking on a point in the mapping window doesn't take me to that point in the recording. I'm on Windows 10 btw.
 
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For the past few months I've focused my spare development time on reworking the low level video code in Dashcam Viewer to improve video playback performance, unify the Mac/Windows code base, and "future proof" the program in general. One goal is to bring the two versions into feature parity so PiP will work in both Mac and Windows. Currently this version is in the alpha stages, but I'm already seeing major improvements in 4K video playback performance on the Mac due to the updated video library (dashcams don't produce 4K yet, but UAV cams are already there). The refactoring effort stretches beyond just the video library. Other portions of the program are being updated to take advantage of newer APIs. Needless to say this will all take some time, but the result will be better performance and maintainability.

How's the new development coming along for the future advanced update? Are things coming along nicely or hit any major roadblocks? It sounds like a lot of work but should be worth it I think.
 
How's the new development coming along for the future advanced update? Are things coming along nicely or hit any major roadblocks? It sounds like a lot of work but should be worth it I think.

Development is coming along slow but steady. I've discovered a number of quirks in the new video library I'm using, most of which have workarounds. The one I'm having trouble with is that when a video is loaded it initially extends beyond the bounds of the window frame-- but only about 20% of the time. The rest of the time when you load a movie it is properly scaled to fit the window. A simple double-click in the window always resizes the video to fit the window, so that is the "workaround" but it's not seamless like I like. Other issues involve synchronizing the 2nd channel to the first, inverting movie selections, and reworking the Maps functionality. These are all things that work fine in v2.7.8, but need to be completely refactored for the new video architecture.

But for single-channel basic functionality the new version is working just like the old version only better. Certain dash cams models whose movies did not play in the Mac version of DCV, like the Thinkware F770, now work perfectly. Also 4K videos don't stutter anymore and Google Maps is working on the Mac version (Google changed something in their Maps API around Feb 14 which broke maps on all previous DCV Mac versions. The alternate Map option, MapQuest, still works fine.)

Once this new version has made it to beta, I will port it to Windows. Dual-channel functionality, which is the top new feature request, should come out in the wash at that point (famous last words). I'm very motivated to getting a beta version out ASAP, and I estimate about another month or two.

John
https://dashcamviewer.com
 
Is it possible to bring back Bing maps? For some reason it works better than Google maps on my two monitor set-up. I've mentioned previously in this thread that for some odd reason Google maps can be glitchy with vehicle movement on the map when on the second monitor while Bing tends to work more accurately and smoothly. (Recent versions of DCV have been much improved with this issue, however.) Also, on many occasions I've found Bing's satellite imagery to be superior to Google's. I kind of miss it.
 
QUOTE="traveler, post: 396939, member: 4689"]@Dashmellow I hear ya. I'll see what I can do.[/QUOTE]

@traveler, I'm wondering if there may have been any progress with the map sourcing or the Google Maps glitch (no placemarks or routes on the Mac version). Here's why I'm asking again so soon: I was reviewing some footage today when I noticed that my indicated GPS route using MapQuest was very inaccurate towards the end of my journey. In fact, it showed me as parking literally inside a large building. Knowing the location, something seemed "off" about the satellite image though. After further scrutiny I realized that the building I appeared to have parked inside of on MapQuest was actually demolished years ago and is now a parking lot, so the GPS route was indeed accurate after all. Then I noticed that the supermarket/housing complex I was planning to visit was shown in the satellite image as being in the early stages of construction. So, this means that MapQuest's satellite imagery in this case is at least eight years out-of-date. Bing Maps, Apple Maps and Google all show fairly up-to-date satellite images of this location. I'm still exploring how extensive this is but so far MapQuest's imagery often seems to be missing important recent changes to certain roads, bridges and buildings.

So, with all the polish and new features on DashCam Viewer, this now feels sort of like a downgrade. Hopefully, there will be some way to eventually get Google Maps working properly again and perhaps you can bring back Bing Maps on DCV as well.
 
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@Dashmellow, I agree that staleness of satellite imagery is an issue with all the slippy map service providers. I remember Google Maps showing our company's old HQ building on a map even though the building was turned into a parking lot many months earlier. Perhaps MapQuest is less up to date than the others overall, I don't know for sure.

In any case I can say that the Mac beta version of DCV I'm working on isn't affected by the Google Maps API glitch, so Google Maps and MapQuest Maps will both be options. I've looked back into Bing Maps V8 and I should be able to get it to work too, although this is less of a priority. As a user of somebody else's APIs (Google, Bing, Mapquest), you are always at their mercy if they decide to change something critical in their API (and they all have). So providing multiple map choices is make-work from a developer's point of view, but not doing so can leave the user with non-working software (which is even worse!).
 
@Dashmellow, I agree that staleness of satellite imagery is an issue with all the slippy map service providers. I remember Google Maps showing our company's old HQ building on a map even though the building was turned into a parking lot many months earlier. Perhaps MapQuest is less up to date than the others overall, I don't know for sure.

In any case I can say that the Mac beta version of DCV I'm working on isn't affected by the Google Maps API glitch, so Google Maps and MapQuest Maps will both be options. I've looked back into Bing Maps V8 and I should be able to get it to work too, although this is less of a priority. As a user of somebody else's APIs (Google, Bing, Mapquest), you are always at their mercy if they decide to change something critical in their API (and they all have). So providing multiple map choices is make-work from a developer's point of view, but not doing so can leave the user with non-working software (which is even worse!).

Thanks for the reply @traveler. I know you'll keep tinkering and polishing DCV as users report their experiences with it so it's much appreciated.

FWIW, my "research" seems to indicate that at this point the satellite imagery from Google Maps, Bing Maps and Apple Maps is much more up to date in most locations I've looked at than MapQuest. The example I provided above seems fairly typical. MapQuest shows the supermarket/housing complex under construction with just a freshly poured foundation eight years ago while Google Maps, Bing Maps and Apple Maps show the completed building with solar panels on the roof sometime within the last year or two.
 
Long shot here, and probably not enough demand. But since this runs on Mac, anyway this could be ported to Linux?
 
@krole, yes it's possible to port to Linux. Problem is it would be a bit of an undertaking and I don't have the down time at the moment.

Different topic: Although I haven't posted to this thread recently, rest assured I've been busy with improvements requested by users. I plan to have a beta of Dashcam Viewer 3 available soon, which will have a host of internal improvements. These include 2-channel Picture-in-Picture for Windows users (finally!) and better video playback performance utilizing a different video backend (both Windows and Mac). Also, the Google Maps "missing route" bug in the Mac version is addressed in the beta. Plan to have it available this month.

- John
Website: http://dashcamviewer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dashcamviewer
 
@kroleAlthough I haven't posted to this thread recently, rest assured I've been busy with improvements requested by users. I plan to have a beta of Dashcam Viewer 3 available soon, which will have a host of internal improvements. These include 2-channel Picture-in-Picture for Windows users (finally!) and better video playback performance utilizing a different video backend (both Windows and Mac). Also, the Google Maps "missing route" bug in the Mac version is addressed in the beta. Plan to have it available this month.

- John
Website: http://dashcamviewer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dashcamviewer

Nice keep up the good work!
 
@krole, yes it's possible to port to Linux. Problem is it would be a bit of an undertaking and I don't have the down time at the moment.

Different topic: Although I haven't posted to this thread recently, rest assured I've been busy with improvements requested by users. I plan to have a beta of Dashcam Viewer 3 available soon, which will have a host of internal improvements. These include 2-channel Picture-in-Picture for Windows users (finally!) and better video playback performance utilizing a different video backend (both Windows and Mac). Also, the Google Maps "missing route" bug in the Mac version is addressed in the beta. Plan to have it available this month.

- John
Website: http://dashcamviewer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dashcamviewer

awesome!
 
Dashcam Viewer v3.0.0 Released for Mac and Windows

Dashcam Viewer 3.0 is now available for download from our website. Although you might not initially notice any difference in outward appearance, Dashcam Viewer 3 is a major internal upgrade from version 2.x. Improvements include picture-in-picture (PiP) support on the Windows version, use of new video playback backends for both Mac and Windows versions, and adoption of a more modern web framework for the Map views. These changes result in better performance and modernization of the software.
A summary of the major new features are below:

Windows-specific New Features:
  • PiP is now available on Windows version.
  • Video playback performance is improved. Note: you must now install a codec pack to take advantage of video playback. DCV3 will direct you to the K-lite codec pack URLwhen you run it for the first time.
  • The occasional black screen issue is largely improved.
Mac-specific New Features:
  • Video playback is smoother, especially in accelerated modes
  • Max accelerated playback speed increased from 2x to 5x.
  • Vehicle position and route now display correctly in Google Maps option.
  • Now plays movies from Thinkware F750, F770 dashcams
  • Requires macOS 10.10 or higher
New Camera Supports:
  • Added support for Vantrue N2 Pro dashcam.
Minor Enhancements:
  • Fixed issue where using the mouse to zoom in the video would not work even if the mouse was in the movie frame window.
  • DCV3 no longer shows the annoying ‘A movie must be playing..’ error message.
  • Minor bug fixes to Movies and Geotags Window, Dashboard display.
  • The Export Movie window will now disappear after a movie clip is exported.
  • In Movies and Geotags Window, the currently-playing movie is highlighted in a brighter color.
  • Improved filtering of bad points in Viofo A119 series.
  • Fixed bug in processing GPS data for SONY AS100V.
  • Increased zoom rate.
Other Items:
  • This is a free upgrade for version 1 and 2 users.
  • macOS 10.10 is now the minimum system requirement.
  • On the Mac version, you may occasionally notice the video will appear zoomed-in when first loaded. If this happens, double-click in the movie window to properly size the movie for the window frame. This seems to be a glitch in the video backend framework.
  • DJI’s ‘SRT’ files are no longer processed in DCV3. This capability is being moved to a new product called DroneViewer. DroneViewer will be a fork of DCV3 and evolve to have UAV-specific features.
  • DCV3 is 64-bit. No 32-bit version available.
  • The first time you run DCV3 on the Mac, the system's gatekeeper will display "verifying..." for about a minute. This is normal.
dcv3_pip_win.jpg


Dashcam Viewer 3 showing picture-in-picture view of StreetGuardian SG9665DC on Windows 10

Due to the amount of source code changes in version 3.0.0, there are bound to be some bugs, nits, and quirks. Please email me with any significant issues and I will address these as fast as I can.

Dashcam Viewer is PC/Mac software that allows you to playback your dashcam’s videos while simultaneously viewing your vehicle’s location on a map. There are many other features in the software which are detailed on our website (http://dashcamviewer.com). The free version is fully-functional and allows the loading of up to 5 videos at a time.

Download the free version from our website.

- John
Website: http://dashcamviewer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dashcamviewer
 
Be aware the installer for the K-Lite codec pack will offer to also install a browser security add-on and the default is to accept the offer. Just an FYI.
 
I just installed and ran a cursory test on DCV V3 and to say that the performance on my system(s) is better would be a gross understatement - performance is orders of magnitude improved. Good job on that front.

I've not had any time to play with the functionality but will be doing so over the next few days. I can say that it handles SG9663DC and SGGCX2 files without any apparent problems.
 
Just downloaded V3 and tried it on my Windows 10 machine with my SG DC cams. All I can say is wow! Seems so much slicker than before and PiP is an absolute godsend. Thanks for finally adding it!

The only issue I have is that sometimes the files aren't named exactly the same front and rear, with the seconds being slightly out by 1 or 2 and therefore the files don't sync up and PiP isn't available for such files. Please can you sort this out?
This is the only thing I've noticed in the 10 mins I've been playing with it....
 
Still waiting for compatibility with the DOD RC500S.
 
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