VIOFO A129 non-IR 1080p Modified Firmware MODs Archive

[Nigel]

Created A129 power consumption demonstration between single front camera then connecting original Rear Cam, IR Cam Mono / Auto / Color, pre-production non-IR Cam. Limited each camera test to 15 seconds revealing the peak Amp pattern, longer duration average will be slightly lower. As expected the IR Camera draws the most power when IR Lamps are activated in Mono Mode.

It is better if you give these figures in watts, not amps, because the amps depends on the voltage your power supply is providing which may be different to other peoples and wasn't even consistent during your test - when the IR lamps where on the voltage dropped, also the amps value will be half the amount if measured at 12v, either before the hardwire kit or because the camera runs on 12v. The watts is the actual amount of power used and should be fairly consistent with varying voltage.

What I learned from that video was that the IR lamps on your prototype use 0.4 watts of power. The production cameras may be different.

 

[BCHobbyist]

LOL

 

[Honzik1]

Hello here,
after long searching about dash cams, I found that dual cam A129 will be best for me. It came to me few days ago and before I will mount it, I wanted to test which modded firmware is the best. My most important parameter for me is readability of the car plates. I found opinions that 1440p cams have better focus during the day, but in the dark, they are much worse than 1080p cams, thats why I choosed Viofo A129 Dual and especially there is no camera in dual mode which can do 1440p and many of them have 1080p chip which interpolates to 1440p.

Directly to my test. I test all available modded firmwares till now (stock 1.5, 9Uo, 8Uo, 6Uo, 4Uo, 2Uo, 4Un, 9Uj, 4Um, 4Uk, 2Uk, 27W, 7Uj, 6Uj, 4Uj, 2Uj). I did all steps including reset to factory defaults after every flashing. I printed A4 paper with different size of font. I put there letters and numbers which looks similar (A4 B8 0C 3E) like on the car plates. I always put camera to the same place so I could compare the result between modded firmwares. Surprisingly there is no visible difference between firmwares in my test. It means, in terms of readability, there is no preffered firmware. Even in stock 1.5 firmware with set LOW bitrate, there is no difference in term of readability against 9Uo modded firmware.

My conclusion and opinion... Frames in the videos use compresion algorithms. Like JPEG or audio compression methods, they remove from the source anything what you cannot hear or see. Practicaly it means, you cannot see much difference for example between 100% quality JPEG and 80% quality JPEG, even that 80% JPEG file has half size in compare with 100% quality JPEG file. By increasing bitrate will most probably cause that video files will be bigger and camera will be hot, but improve of quality/readability will be barely visible.

During my test Viofo A129 Dual, I wanted to know answers to these questions:

1. Why is my front camera sharpened more than rear? Can be sharpness changed for rear and front unit independently?
2. Videos made by front and rear camera are processed by only front unit? Or rear camera process video and just copy file to the front camera by the USB cable?
3. Are there some scenarios where higher bitrate really helps with readability of car plates? Motion? Do you have some examples/comparison? Maybe lower bitrate will by compression cover for example dirty car plates (with low contrast between dirt and letters) in just one color and make impossible to read it?

Here is result of my test. Note that light condition changed a little during the test.

Front camera original 1.5 FW - high bitrate (16Mb/s):




Front camera original 1.5 FW - low bitrate (10Mb/s):




Front modded firmware 9Uo - low bitrate (29,6Mb/s):



Details 400%:

Front camera original 1.5 FW - high bitrate (16Mb/s):




Front camera original 1.5 FW - low bitrate (10Mb/s):




Front modded firmware 9Uo - low bitrate (29,6Mb/s) - here, you can see, transparent adhesive tape on the top, which holds the paper, but readability is same



Full test with original files. Files were captured with no compression format PNG from MPC-HC player to avoid reducing quality.

kamera-a129 - Google Drive

drive.google.com

 

[DarthMaul]

Created A129 power consumption demonstration between single front camera then connecting original Rear Cam, IR Cam Mono / Auto / Color, pre-production non-IR Cam. Limited each camera test to 15 seconds revealing the peak Amp pattern, longer duration average will be slightly lower. As expected the IR Camera draws the most power when IR Lamps are activated in Mono Mode.

Great job @BCHobbyist for showing the real consumption of this camera. Much easier now to calculate the power requirements for parking mode.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Hello here,
after long searching about dash cams, I found that dual cam A129 will be best for me. It came to me few days ago and before I will mount it, I wanted to test which modded firmware is the best. My most important parameter for me is readability of the car plates. I found opinions that 1440p cams have better focus during the day, but in the dark, they are much worse than 1080p cams, thats why I choosed Viofo A129 Dual and especially there is no camera in dual mode which can do 1440p and many of them have 1080p chip which interpolates to 1440p.

Directly to my test. I test all available modded firmwares till now (stock 1.5, 9Uo, 8Uo, 6Uo, 4Uo, 2Uo, 4Un, 9Uj, 4Um, 4Uk, 2Uk, 27W, 7Uj, 6Uj, 4Uj, 2Uj). I did all steps including reset to factory defaults after every flashing. I printed A4 paper with different size of font. I put there letters and numbers which looks similar (A4 B8 0C 3E) like on the car plates. I always put camera to the same place so I could compare the result between modded firmwares. Surprisingly there is no visible difference between firmwares in my test. It means, in terms of readability, there is no preffered firmware. Even in stock 1.5 firmware with set LOW bitrate, there is no difference in term of readability against 9Uo modded firmware.

My conclusion and opinion... Frames in the videos use compresion algorithms. Like JPEG or audio compression methods, they remove from the source anything what you cannot hear or see. Practicaly it means, you cannot see much difference for example between 100% quality JPEG and 80% quality JPEG, even that 80% JPEG file has half size in compare with 100% quality JPEG file. By increasing bitrate will most probably cause that video files will be bigger and camera will be hot, but improve of quality/readability will be barely visible.

During my test Viofo A129 Dual, I wanted to know answers to these questions:

1. Why is my front camera sharpened more than rear? Can be sharpness changed for rear and front unit independently?
2. Videos made by front and rear camera are processed by only front unit? Or rear camera process video and just copy file to the front camera by the USB cable?
3. Are there some scenarios where higher bitrate really helps with readability of car plates? Motion? Do you have some examples/comparison? Maybe lower bitrate will by compression cover for example dirty car plates (with low contrast between dirt and letters) in just one color and make impossible to read it?

Here is result of my test. Note that light condition changed a little during the test.

Front camera original 1.5 FW - high bitrate (16Mb/s):
View attachment 45165



Front camera original 1.5 FW - low bitrate (10Mb/s):
View attachment 45166



Front modded firmware 9Uo - low bitrate (29,6Mb/s):
View attachment 45167


Details 400%:

Front camera original 1.5 FW - high bitrate (16Mb/s):
View attachment 45168



Front camera original 1.5 FW - low bitrate (10Mb/s):
View attachment 45169



Front modded firmware 9Uo - low bitrate (29,6Mb/s) - here, you can see, transparent adhesive tape on the top, which holds the paper, but readability is same
View attachment 45171


Full test with original files. Files were captured with no compression format PNG from MPC-HC player to avoid reducing quality.

kamera-a129 - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Congratz on your A129 Duo selection.
Excellent detailed comparisons. I no longer use close range image quality testing and prefer accuracy of actual in vehicle through windshield imagery, its very different. All low light conditions reduce clarity including your indoor test shots.
1 - Front and Rear camera do infact have separate image controls for everything sharpness, saturation, bitrate and so on. These adjustments are on going and take time to sort requiring more Beta Testers.
2 - good question to ask manufacturer, most processing is done in main Front camera with the large Novatek chip, what is transmitted from Rear camera is out our control.
3 - higher bitrate only improves scenes with textured objects and surfaces, such as road surface, walls, trees, leaves, clouds. it doesn't do much for plates which have no texture or complex patterns. In my opinion 17 Mb/s on Front Cam is too low, minimum should be 24 and is noticeable at 26.6 Mb/s.
Majority of drivers are only interested in recording accident/crash/crime evidence and discard all other footage so the over-sharpened official firmware is acceptable for plate readability.
Always best for each owner to record there normal drive route and compare images on your Lens using RAW video fullscreen.

 

[HonestReview]

Question:

Doubt @BCHobbyist will answer this question for me but if anyone can chime in I'd appreciate it.

I'm noticing at night, a lot of silhouetting (daytime looks perfectly fine) especially around the outter areas. Using 27W mod. So stock image settings. I think I want to give one of the custom mods another shot. So my question as BC has released several more variations.

1. Are the UO versions for both 130 and 140 FOV? No description is given.
2. As is very apparent on my posts, my front window has 80% tint. So only 20% of light blocked.

So debating on the mods. Is it better to use a High or Medium Sharpness due to the window tint. Trying to determine which Mod I want to try out again for comparison. See if any reduce the visual effect I am seeing. I'm guessing the sharpness might be one issue so High or Medium?

And then what about color saturation? Do I want 34 or 36?

FYI: I tried capturing a snapshot and it isn't doing justice. It turns the very dark silhouetting into black so I can't get it to demonstrate what I see on the video. Tested on 2 different monitors.

So which

changed Sharpness from 128 to 120 to set Med/Normal level.

• increased Edge Detection from 128 to 132.
• increased Color Saturation from 32 to 36.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Question:

Doubt @BCHobbyist will answer this question for me but if anyone can chime in I'd appreciate it.

I'm noticing at night, a lot of silhouetting (daytime looks perfectly fine) especially around the outter areas. Using 27W mod. So stock image settings. I think I want to give one of the custom mods another shot. So my question as BC has released several more variations.

1. Are the UO versions for both 130 and 140 FOV? No description is given.
2. As is very apparent on my posts, my front window has 80% tint. So only 20% of light blocked.

So debating on the mods. Is it better to use a High or Medium Sharpness due to the window tint. Trying to determine which Mod I want to try out again for comparison. See if any reduce the visual effect I am seeing. I'm guessing the sharpness might be one issue so High or Medium?

And then what about color saturation? Do I want 34 or 36?

FYI: I tried capturing a snapshot and it isn't doing justice. It turns the very dark silhouetting into black so I can't get it to demonstrate what I see on the video. Tested on 2 different monitors.

So which

changed Sharpness from 128 to 120 to set Med/Normal level.

• increased Edge Detection from 128 to 132.
• increased Color Saturation from 32 to 36.

The Uo series MODs are now balanced for both Lens types, this is the reason it was created. Viofo doesn't create firmware for specific Lens, only I do when necessary.
None of my MODs for any Dashcam work well with Tinted windows, no CPL filter should be used with any tinted window unless you prefer increased motion blur.
All VIOFO firmware is over-sharpened for all Dashcam models, all my MODs reduce the sharpness values.
Color Saturation MODs will cause grainy images and less detail through tinted windows, its even noticeable with CPL attached and disappears when CPL is removed. Currently exploring vivid color saturation adjustments in all VIOFO Dashcams after perfecting it on A119S. The newer 1.50 Firmware uses a totally different GAMMA_LUT table than previous versions and very different from A119S. Its actually very good quality so my adjustments are very minor and don't mess with its balance.

Anyone with tinted front windshield will notice high bitrate MODs degrade image worse than official 16-24Mb/s firmware, most noticeable under low light conditions.
For maximum license plate readability use over-sharpened official firmware, that's why it was created.

 

[HonestReview]

The Uo series MODs are now balanced for both Lens types, this is the reason it was created. Viofo doesn't create firmware for specific Lens, only I do when necessary.
None of my MODs for any Dashcam work well with Tinted windows, no CPL filter should be used with any tinted window unless you prefer increased motion blur.
All VIOFO firmware is over-sharpened for all Dashcam models, all my MODs reduce the sharpness values.
Color Saturation MODs will cause grainy images and less detail through tinted windows, its even noticeable with CPL attached and disappears when CPL is removed. Currently exploring vivid color saturation adjustments in all VIOFO Dashcams after perfecting it on A119S. The newer 1.50 Firmware uses a totally different GAMMA_LUT table than previous versions and very different from A119S. Its actually very good quality so my adjustments are very minor and don't mess with its balance.

Anyone with tinted front windshield will notice high bitrate MODs degrade image worse than official 16-24Mb/s firmware, most noticeable under low light conditions.
For maximum license plate readability use over-sharpened official firmware, that's why it was created.

Thanks for explanation. So the high sharpness is the recommended route for tinted windows, correct? Will flash back to stock. It's a shame. The video in daytime is super crisp on 27Mbps. Tint really screws with the camera. FYI: My current description is without the CPL. So that hasn't been a factor in the above.

 

[BCHobbyist]

MODs or no MODs, that is the question.

• I recommend every A129 owner use official VIOFO Firmware for 2 weeks and review the recorded footage daily under all lighting conditions rain or shine.
• If official Firmware is lacking image quality in Detail, Sharpness or Color and unacceptable for your needs try lower 24Mb/s MODs to start working up to 30.
• If windshield is Tinted avoid image enhanced MODs and stay with official Firmware without CPL.
• If driving in extreme temperatures above 30C never use Bitrates Official or MODs above 24Mb/s.
• If Dash Cam's footage is only for accident/crash/crime evidence and all other footage deleted use over-sharpened official firmware.
• If Parking Modes 1-6 are preferred don't use MODs.
• If you prefer custom Logo, icons, embeded clip ID tags, increased detail, tweaked sharpness, and collect drive footage use MODs.

No Dash Cams have been destroyed using Modified Firmware, all MODs are tested by DCTeam worldwide.

 

[HonestReview]

MODs or no MODs, that is the question.

• I recommend every A129 owner use official VIOFO Firmware for 2 weeks and review the recorded footage daily under all lighting conditions rain or shine.
• If official Firmware is lacking image quality in Detail, Sharpness or Color and unacceptable for your needs try lower 24Mb/s MODs to start working up to 30.
• If windshield is Tinted avoid image enhanced MODs and stay with official Firmware without CPL.
• If driving in extreme temperatures above 30C never use Bitrates Official or MODs above 24Mb/s.
• If Dash Cam's footage is only for accident/crash/crime evidence and all other footage deleted use over-sharpened official firmware.
• If Parking Modes 1-6 are preferred don't use MODs.
• If you prefer custom Logo, icons, embeded clip ID tags, increased detail, tweaked sharpness, and collect drive footage use MODs.

No Dash Cams have been destroyed using Modified Firmware, all MODs are tested by DCTeam worldwide.

Thorough and descriptive. Thanks.

 

[mellda]

Guys. I am satisfied owner of A129 Duo (non IR, with wider lens) for couple of months. Today I downloaded a video and checked it's quality and I'm not sure if it is as it should be. I opened the video in SMPlayer in full screen on my monitor (FHD) and did screen shots of 10 frames. Then created this animated GIF in Photoshop. The licence plate is not readable. The settings is high and without any modification yet. No CPL filter. What do you think?

I had to copy the gif to my server because it there is an error while uploading it to my post.

https://mellda.asuscomm.com:7001/sharing/OOfaaFHCw

 

[HonestReview]

Guys. I am satisfied owner of A129 Duo (non IR, with wider lens) for couple of months. Today I downloaded a video and checked it's quality and I'm not sure if it is as it should be. I opened the video in SMPlayer in full screen on my monitor (FHD) and did screen shots of 10 frames. Then created this animated GIF in Photoshop. The licence plate is not readable. The settings is high and without any modification yet. No CPL filter. What do you think?

I had to copy the gif to my server because it there is an error while uploading it to my post.

https://mellda.asuscomm.com:7001/sharing/OOfaaFHCw

I assume that is the rear camera view? Mods here have been made that can improve image quality by upping the bitrate. I have tint and trying to find the best setup. I did a test yesterday on stock 1.5 Mod at night with WDR. Surrounding area was fine but plates and signs hard to read.

Going to do one without WDR today.

Is WDR enabled? It can cause images to be more grainy since it tries to even out the light settings. Try disabling WDR if so and see if image is any better. Otherwise, grab one of the mods that ups the rear camera bitrate (I.E. try a 24 front / 20 rear bitrate mod) and see if it helps.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Guys. I am satisfied owner of A129 Duo (non IR, with wider lens) for couple of months. Today I downloaded a video and checked it's quality and I'm not sure if it is as it should be. I opened the video in SMPlayer in full screen on my monitor (FHD) and did screen shots of 10 frames. Then created this animated GIF in Photoshop. The licence plate is not readable. The settings is high and without any modification yet. No CPL filter. What do you think?

I had to copy the gif to my server because it there is an error while uploading it to my post.

https://mellda.asuscomm.com:7001/sharing/OOfaaFHCw

Always disable WiFi before driving, if left on in Dual Camera Mode will drop official or MOD Bitrate from 30-16Mb/s down to 7Mb/s (less processor load to maintain WiFi LiveView connection).
Any video image with blocky / musky road surface is suffering from LOW Bitrate.
When A129 doesn't have Rear Camera connected my MODs boost Front Bitrate to 24Mb/s with WiFi enabled, its still locked at 7 Mb/s when both cameras are connected.

Watch my A129 Review at 4:01 mark for quick WiFi on/off control.

 

[Mtz]

It is better if you give these figures in watts, not amps, because the amps depends on the voltage your power supply is providing which may be different to other peoples and wasn't even consistent during your test - when the IR lamps where on the voltage dropped, also the amps value will be half the amount if measured at 12v, either before the hardwire kit or because the camera runs on 12v. The watts is the actual amount of power used and should be fairly consistent with varying voltage.

What I learned from that video was that the IR lamps on your prototype use 0.4 watts of power. The production cameras may be different.

I received more than a „LOL”, see here. So right now I am not the only stupid from DCT, we are at least two!

enjoy,
Mtz

 

[DarthMaul]

Well, I don't know... The measurements seem legit to me, since the dashcam is running at 5V all the time and he's measuring right before the dashcam's power port. I believe that hardwire kit's own consumption is negligible.

 

[jokiin]

Guys. I am satisfied owner of A129 Duo (non IR, with wider lens) for couple of months. Today I downloaded a video and checked it's quality and I'm not sure if it is as it should be. I opened the video in SMPlayer in full screen on my monitor (FHD) and did screen shots of 10 frames. Then created this animated GIF in Photoshop. The licence plate is not readable. The settings is high and without any modification yet. No CPL filter. What do you think?

I had to copy the gif to my server because it there is an error while uploading it to my post.

https://mellda.asuscomm.com:7001/sharing/OOfaaFHCw

very difficult conditions due to the amount of detail that needs encoding, the same car in a situation without those empty tree lined roads would yield different results

 

[jokiin]

Well, I don't know... The measurements seem legit to me, since the dashcam is running at 5V all the time and he's measuring right before the dashcam's power port. I believe that hardwire kit's own consumption is negligible.

very useful if you want to run the camera off a powerbank

 

[mellda]

I assume that is the rear camera view? Mods here have been made that can improve image quality by upping the bitrate. I have tint and trying to find the best setup. I did a test yesterday on stock 1.5 Mod at night with WDR. Surrounding area was fine but plates and signs hard to read.

Going to do one without WDR today.

Is WDR enabled? It can cause images to be more grainy since it tries to even out the light settings. Try disabling WDR if so and see if image is any better. Otherwise, grab one of the mods that ups the rear camera bitrate (I.E. try a 24 front / 20 rear bitrate mod) and see if it helps.

No, it was the front camera. The bitrate is 16 Mbps. I enabled the WDR. I will try without it next time and then the mod FW.

 

[mellda]

Always disable WiFi before driving, if left on in Dual Camera Mode will drop official or MOD Bitrate from 30-16Mb/s down to 7Mb/s (less processor load to maintain WiFi LiveView connection).
Any video image with blocky / musky road surface is suffering from LOW Bitrate.
When A129 doesn't have Rear Camera connected my MODs boost Front Bitrate to 24Mb/s with WiFi enabled, its still locked at 7 Mb/s when both cameras are connected.

Watch my A129 Review at 4:01 mark for quick WiFi on/off control.

I know that. The wifi is disabeled permanently. I use the rear camera as well. The bitrate is 16 mbps. I will try the modified firmware. I want the highest bitrate.

 

[jokiin]

No, it was the front camera. The bitrate is 16 Mbps. I enabled the WDR. I will try without it next time and then the mod FW.

a mod firmware with higher bitrate would help in a scene like that as there is a lot of encoding needed at the time