A229 Duo Test & Review PP

[Panzer Platform]

Any clue when would next firmware be released?

I'm sorry, I do not.
Maybe ask Viofo.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Here is my usual test loop I’ve been using to test, and evaluate all dash cams since 2019.
This time I had the A119 Mini 2, Original A119 Mini, A139 Pro, and A229 on the front windshield.
Keep in mind my car is a 2004 model year with original windshield so it has plenty of rock chips from 19 years of highway driving.
You can really see the artifacts when I pass under street lamps.
Here are the settings & firmware levels for the four cameras.

A119 Mini 2: 2023_0509 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: On CPL Filter: Off
A119 Mini: 2023_0420 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: On CPL Filter: Off
A139 Pro: 2023_0321 (3840 x 2160) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 60Mbps HDR: On CPL Filter: Off
A229 Duo: 2023_0413 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 30Mbps WDR: Off CPL Filter: Off



As an interesting side note take a look at the difference in file size for these 3 minute clips.
A139 Pro: 1.2 GB
A229 Duo: 640 MB
A119 Mini 2: 606 MB
A119 Mini: 390 MB

 

[Panzer Platform]

Here’s some daytime test footage of the A119 Mini 2, Original A119 Mini, A139 Pro, and A229 on the front windshield.

Here are the settings & firmware levels for the four cameras.
A119 Mini 2: 2023_0509 (2560 x 1440) 60fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: Off CPL Filter: On
A119 Mini: 2023_0420 (2560 x 1440) 60fps Bitrate: High 30Mbps HDR: Off CPL Filter: On
A139 Pro: 2023_0321 (3840 x 2160) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 60Mbps HDR: Off CPL Filter: On
A229 Duo: 2023_0413 (2560 x 1440) 30fps Bitrate: Maximum 30Mbps WDR: Off CPL Filter: On

As an interesting side note take a look at the difference in file size for these 3 minute clips.
A139 Pro: 1.3 GB
A229 Duo: 674 MB
A119 Mini: 577.7 MB
A119 Mini 2: 577 MB

 

[Panzer Platform]

Here’s some daytime Highway test footage of the A119 Mini 2, Original A119 Mini, A139 Pro, and A229 on the front windshield.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Check out these screenshots from the A119 Mini 2, Original Mini, A139 Pro, A229.
I really like the narrow FOV of the Original Mini.
I wish all my dash cams were that narrow.

 

[kamkar]

I agree, no reason to get into a FOV race, better to stay with a lesser FOV lens that is good

 

[CoreForce]

So I was just thinking a bit this morning about the differences between the A129 Plus Duo, and the A229 Duo.
...
Rear Cable: Super Slim Coaxial

This feature is highly appreciated, I was able to run both cables unter the A-pillar covers, compared to with the previous A129duo, where one cable was aligned and clipped on the windshield. Also on other places like door sill, it tucks away much easier now.

External Microphone (optional)

I went for the external mic, since audio quality appears to be reduced with A229duo in my scenario (open roof). There is much more fluctuation in the audio levels with the A229.
However, the mic did not bring an improvement here. It seems this mic would need to be attached close to your neck in order to be useful. But I would have wanted to pick up voices from both seats.

 

[Batish]

Guys, there is an issue which is constantly bugging me these days. Before this I did not pay much heed to this problem, but after hearing few instances which were terrible this is a worrying aspect now. I have done all the remedial steps which I could possibly do - changed headlamp bulbs twice. I have even changed the headlamps thinking they were the culprit. None of these solved this issue. Please check this footage which I have uploaded. No registration plates are visible in these clips. This is a well lit road and even the headlamps are adequately lit and well adjusted according to the height and weight of the car. I have even repositioned the fog lamp throw to make sure if that is the culprit. Nope. All my tries have been in vain.

I am even attaching the settings and firmware info for your reference. @viofo Please, for heaven's sake sort this thing out. It is a terrible to sell it half baked - without HDR fully knowing its usage and the role it has in accidents and other unfortunate events.



You can see the image, nothing is legible on those registration plates. This image was taken when both vehicles were stationary. I have even uploaded videos for the same. Please have a look @viofo , need to sort this thing out.

 

[Karagandinez]

You can see the image, nothing is legible on those registration plates. This image was taken when both vehicles were stationary.

A229 does not have HDR, and without it reading license plates at night is not possible.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Guys, there is an issue which is constantly bugging me these days. Before this I did not pay much heed to this problem, but after hearing few instances which were terrible this is a worrying aspect now. I have done all the remedial steps which I could possibly do - changed headlamp bulbs twice. I have even changed the headlamps thinking they were the culprit. None of these solved this issue. Please check this footage which I have uploaded. No registration plates are visible in these clips. This is a well lit road and even the headlamps are adequately lit and well adjusted according to the height and weight of the car. I have even repositioned the fog lamp throw to make sure if that is the culprit. Nope. All my tries have been in vain.

I am even attaching the settings and firmware info for your reference. @viofo Please, for heaven's sake sort this thing out. It is a terrible to sell it half baked - without HDR fully knowing its usage and the role it has in accidents and other unfortunate events.

View attachment 65967View attachment 65968View attachment 65969View attachment 65967

You can see the image, nothing is legible on those registration plates. This image was taken when both vehicles were stationary. I have even uploaded videos for the same. Please have a look @viofo , need to sort this thing out.

This is normal.
Your A229 is performing as advertised.
A229 does not have HDR.
A229 never claimed to have HDR.
A229 never claimed to implement HDR.
Your expectations of the A229 are unreasonable.
You should try the A119 Mini 2.
-Chuck

 

[Panzer Platform]

@Batish
This is the difference between A229, and STARVIS 2 with HDR.

 

[Batish]

This is normal.
Your A229 is performing as advertised.

True. So essentially they are still selling something which cannot read plates at night, even in well lit road conditions.

A229 does not have HDR.

Unfortunately. Realised this after buying the camera and here we do not have any return policy. At first I thought it is because of my car headlamps as I have been using A119 and A119S and never it has been this terrible.

A229 never claimed to have HDR.
A229 never claimed to implement HDR.

Apparently, A119v3 has HDR but its successor does not.

Your expectations of the A229 are unreasonable.

Not at all. This is by no means cheap dashcam in my country. Had I known this before I would not even have bothered with this model. They are producing a model which has absolutely bad night quality recording. So, what exactly is the point of having it. It costs $329.5 USD just for the dashcam not including card, CPL filter or hardwiring kit. There are no discounts here, ever. Just one-single seller. You're saying my expectation are low for this price range? I am just asking for decent night time footage, nothing special.

You should try the A119 Mini 2.
-Chuck

Need a dual dashcam. Viofo is not cheap in my country. They present themselves as a premium brand these days. Even A119 Mini 2 is $183 USD without any accessories. No discounts or sale promotions, ever.

@Batish
This is the difference between A229, and STARVIS 2 with HDR.

Yes Sir. I follow your channel.

I am disappointed with the quality. No matter what anybody says it is not worth the price they command here.

What exactly is the point of advertising this for a layman when it cannot figure out the registration plates? What exactly do I have to do with the sensor as a layman? I just want the plates to be legible.

 

[Karagandinez]

Apparently, A119v3 has HDR but its successor does not.

Since when is the A229 the successor to the A119V3?
The successor to the A119V3 is the A119 Mini.
But the A229 is a continuation of the A129 line.
No need to compare the A229 with the A119 line, compare it with the A129.

 

[Batish]

Since when is the A229 the successor to the A119V3?
The successor to the A119V3 is the A119 Mini.
But the A229 is a continuation of the A129 line.
No need to compare the A229 with the A119 line, compare it with the A129.

Isn't the only difference A119 and A129 is of channels? A119 being single channel and A129 being dual?
Second digit being the number of channels in model name - 1 for single channel, 2 for dual and 3 for three channel - A139?

A119v3 and A129 have the same sensor.

Anyway, you're missing the point. Merit of a product is based on price and features. Features are same throughout countries but price varies a lot. If this was for $100, I would have gladly accepted how it is. Consider the price here and see what it offers, it hurts to see this quality.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

Guys, there is an issue which is constantly bugging me these days. Before this I did not pay much heed to this problem, but after hearing few instances which were terrible this is a worrying aspect now. I have done all the remedial steps which I could possibly do - changed headlamp bulbs twice. I have even changed the headlamps thinking they were the culprit. None of these solved this issue. Please check this footage which I have uploaded. No registration plates are visible in these clips. This is a well lit road and even the headlamps are adequately lit and well adjusted according to the height and weight of the car. I have even repositioned the fog lamp throw to make sure if that is the culprit. Nope. All my tries have been in vain.

I am even attaching the settings and firmware info for your reference. @viofo Please, for heaven's sake sort this thing out. It is a terrible to sell it half baked - without HDR fully knowing its usage and the role it has in accidents and other unfortunate events.

View attachment 65967View attachment 65968View attachment 65969View attachment 65967

You can see the image, nothing is legible on those registration plates. This image was taken when both vehicles were stationary. I have even uploaded videos for the same. Please have a look @viofo , need to sort this thing out.

So sorry that A229 has no HDR. We have watched your videos and found that the plates cannot be seen at all due to the headlamp, which causes overexposure. We have added a screenshot from your video, where you can notice that the plate can be seen when the car is not in front of your car directly.

 

[Batish]

We have watched your videos and found that the plates cannot be seen at all due to the headlamp, which causes overexposure.

So, what exactly is the solution? I have changed the bulbs as well as headlamps just because of this. I have tried using this dashcam on my other car as well, the results were almost the same.

We have added a screenshot from your video, where you can notice that the plate can be seen when the car is not in front of your car directly.

Yes, there are places where plates are visible but if you look closely even cars which have LED rear plate lights, their numbers are not legible too. I understand, since it is a moving vehicle 100% visibility is not possible but I have observed this at speeds <30 kmph.

See this white vehicle, it comes with white LED Plates.


Check this white vehicle as well. This is with just the low beams on.

I even had asked the seller about this issue before posting here. He said this is very much present in this dashcam irrespective of vehicle or headlamps.

I have even posted the settings above, this is with WDR on and even the roads are properly lit. You can imagine how it fares on roads which have no street lighting. I need a solution to this.

 

[ogzogz]

Yes, A229 does not support hdr.

as a recommendation; you can have your headlights checked.
Also, if your vehicle has a load and has an adjustable height button, position your headlights down.

The cpl filter will also provide extra clarity.

Also try the camera exposure setting as -1.

Although not as hdr, you can get a better result from the sample images.

 

[Batish]

as a recommendation; you can have your headlights checked.
Also, if your vehicle has a load and has an adjustable height button, position your headlights down.

They are almost new. Installed them a few months back. Bulbs are from OSRAM.
Yes, it has adjustable beam height but it has been aptly set. Any changes would affect road visibility for me.

The cpl filter will also provide extra clarity.

Already installed. The videos you saw were of yesterday with CPL Filter installed.

Also try the camera exposure setting as -1.

Cannot. There are several roads which are poorly lit or not lit at all.

Although not as hdr, you can get a better result from the sample images.

I have tried everything. As a last resort I had to tag viofo. There is nothing more I could possibly do.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

So, what exactly is the solution? I have changed the bulbs as well as headlamps just because of this. I have tried using this dashcam on my other car as well, the results were almost the same.


Yes, there are places where plates are visible but if you look closely even cars which have LED rear plate lights, their numbers are not legible too. I understand, since it is a moving vehicle 100% visibility is not possible but I have observed this at speeds <30 kmph.
View attachment 65979
See this white vehicle, it comes with white LED Plates.

View attachment 65980
Check this white vehicle as well. This is with just the low beams on.

I even had asked the seller about this issue before posting here. He said this is very much present in this dashcam irrespective of vehicle or headlamps.

I have even posted the settings above, this is with WDR on and even the roads are properly lit. You can imagine how it fares on roads which have no street lighting. I need a solution to this.

It is hard to confirm if the focus of your camera is bad or not through the footage or videos at night. Since the A229 has no HDR and the night condition is not so good, the performance of the camera will not be as good as in the daytime. It is better to send us a video during the day. Would you mind opening a ticket here to get further help? https://support.viofo.com/support/tickets/new

 

[AS87]

They are almost new. Installed them a few months back. Bulbs are from OSRAM.
Yes, it has adjustable beam height but it has been aptly set. Any changes would affect road visibility for me.

Already installed. The videos you saw were of yesterday with CPL Filter installed.

Cannot. There are several roads which are poorly lit or not lit at all.

I have tried everything. As a last resort I had to tag viofo. There is nothing more I could possibly do.

There is nothing much that we can do with the A229 Duo. I have HID's in my Creta and the dashcam is just not able to manage the lighting when there is a car in front. Exposure is high so everything looks bright and no registration plate can be read.

For a dashcam with HDR, the only choice is A139 Pro which comes with the Starvis 2 sensor & HDR enabled it costs around 35K in India.

It is hard to confirm if the focus of your camera is bad or not through the footage or videos at night. Since the A229 has no HDR and the night condition is not so good, the performance of the camera will not be as good as in the daytime. It is better to send us a video during the day. Would you mind opening a ticket here to get further help? https://support.viofo.com/support/tickets/new

I don't think it is focus related as I own the same dashcam and night footage is not as great as daytime.