Viofo A129 Pro - the first Novatek dashcam with 21:9 UltraWide aspect ratio?

Mtz

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Viofo A229 Pro TeleQuad
In a beta firmware Viofo is offering the 4K Ultrawide resolution as 3840x1600 which means 2.4 or 21:9 aspect ratio described on Wikipedia as UW 1600.


Usually the sky or dashboard or car hood is not useful as informations in a dashcam video so the bitrate is used more for the needed image.
For the people which want 16:9 resolution, the 3840x2160 resolution is still available so is no reason to explain why is not good for them the 21:9 aspect ratio.

List of ultrawide "21:9" monitor resolutions
Common nameTechnical nameAspect ratioResolution
WHDultrawide 72043∶1821½∶92.381720 × 720
WHD+ultrawide 90012∶521⅗∶92.42160 × 900
WFHDultrawide 108064∶2721⅓∶92.3702560 × 1080
WFHD+ultrawide 120012∶521⅗∶92.42880 × 1200
WQHDultrawide 144043∶1821½∶92.383440 × 1440
UW 1600ultrawide 160012∶521⅗∶92.43840 × 1600
WQHD+ultrawide 180012∶521⅗∶92.44320 × 1800
WUHDultrawide 216064∶2721⅓∶92.3705120 × 2160
UW 5Kultrawide 240012∶521⅗∶92.45760 × 2400
UW 6Kultrawide 288043∶1821½∶92.386880 × 2880
UW 10Kultrawide 432064∶2721⅓∶92.37010240 × 4320

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Is it using the same bitrate with 25% more detail, or giving 25% extra recording time?
 
My usual complaint of 'wide angle' formats is that you may not capture traffic lights which are frequently strung up high above intersections here in the US. And there's usually more edge distortion than I care to see.

But this looks great!
Thanks for sharing the vid with us, and hoping it goes into regular firmware soon(y)

Phil
 
I see black bars top and bottom. Are they added by youtube or my video player?

Can all players handle ultra wide video without distortion to fit the screen?
 
I see black bars top and bottom. Are they added by youtube or my video player?

Can all players handle ultra wide video without distortion to fit the screen?
the black bars are replacing the video that would be there if it was 16:9, same effect as watching a 2.35:1 video on your TV at home, it's to maintain aspect ratio, basically it's no data in that space, there will be an aspect ratio flag in the file to tell the player how to handle it, if it didn't it would stretch the picture to fit
 
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I see black bars top and bottom. Are they added by youtube or my video player?

Can all players handle ultra wide video without distortion to fit the screen?
They appear to be added by the player. Yes, all modern players will play it fine.
 
That is nice, even if no screen of mine support the 21:9 format
 
Has that camera got focus issues - looks like the focal point is set too close. Or have you got sharpness turned right down or something as a test?

How's stability?
 
Smaller resolution means smaller file more recording time, and less heat generated as less work to do.

Where can we get this beta firmware for testing?
 
The IMX317 does not have 3840x1600 as a native resolution output. So the sensor will still be recording in 4K and the firmware crops the video to 21:9. That doesn't sound like much less work to do, or heat to be generated?
 
They appear to be added by the player. Yes, all modern players will play it fine.
I was thinking about compatibility with older computers used by police, lawyers etc.
 
The IMX317 does not have 3840x1600 as a native resolution output. So the sensor will still be recording in 4K and the firmware crops the video to 21:9. That doesn't sound like much less work to do, or heat to be generated?
Less to be compressed, less to write to SD card (if you are using less bitrate). Probably the sensor doesn't need to collect and scan the top and bottom, so the sensor actually does less work too.

Just need someone to measure the difference in power consumption, then we will know...
 
I was thinking about compatibility with older computers used by police, lawyers etc.
Maybe depends on what country you are in, but I don't think the UK police would have any issue. Possibly the insurance companies still have some ancient hardware that wouldn't cope, but for them you can always send them a youtube link, or convert it to standard FHD first.

There was never an issue with the old mini 0806 video!
 
I expect all players in the world released in latest 15-20 years to play correctly the 21:9 format.
Is it using the same bitrate with 25% more detail, or giving 25% extra recording time?
Bitrate is 60mbps, same as 3840x2160 so it is expected to have 25% more details like you said.

Code:
General
Complete name                            : E:\DCIM\Movie\20200312_123553_00687F.MP4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID                                 : mp42 (isom/avc1/mp42)
File size                                : 492 MiB
Duration                                 : 1 min 9 s
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 59.2 Mb/s
Encoded date                             : UTC 2020-03-12 12:37:02
Tagged date                              : UTC 2020-03-12 12:37:02

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L5.1
Format settings                          : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, RefFrames               : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP                     : M=1, N=15
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 1 min 9 s
Bit rate                                 : 59.0 Mb/s
Width                                    : 3 840 pixels
Height                                   : 1 600 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 2.40:1
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 30.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.320
Stream size                              : 490 MiB (99%)
Language                                 : English
Encoded date                             : UTC 2020-03-12 12:37:02
Tagged date                              : UTC 2020-03-12 12:37:02
Color range                              : Full
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709
Codec configuration box                  : avcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 1 min 9 s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 96.0 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 1 channel
Channel layout                           : C
Sampling rate                            : 32.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 31.250 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 818 KiB (0%)
Language                                 : English
Encoded date                             : UTC 2020-03-12 12:37:02
Tagged date                              : UTC 2020-03-12 12:37:02
Has that camera got focus issues - looks like the focal point is set too close. Or have you got sharpness turned right down or something as a test?
How's stability?
My sample is very early sample of camera, it can have some problems. I wasn't using CPL and the dashboard is reflecting into the windshield, making things harder. Usually I am testing without CPL even Viofo is releasing the firmwares based on CPL usage to avoid people complaining about too dark videos. I observed that without CPL, all Viofo firmwares to offer too bright image in some situations, like mine, above.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Bitrate is 60mbps, same as 3840x2160 so it is expected to have 25% more details like you said.
Good, we can always turn the bitrate down to high if we want the 25% more record time, and it will still have the same quality as normal video at maximum bitrate.
 
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But can it do Ultra - Ultra Wide 32:10. :)

1584114897120.jpeg
 
The issue someone mentioned by light buckets in intersections suspended up high over the intersection, that problem we dont have here, by now it is rare you see any form of light suspended in the air.
That was something we did in the old days in Denmark, but Americans and others it seem are happy with a view to the sky obstructed by spaghetti cables all over the place.
Cables belong in the ground.
 
We probably don't need to go over the 32:9 discussion again since there's already a good thread for that: 1920x800/540 video mode?

It's nice to see Viofo doing something a little bit different with this wide aspect ratio
 
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