Vortex's Viofo A329 Review

[Augustus]

1.) Do you have any plans to publish a list of Recommended, and NOT Recommended;
a.) SSD
b.) Type-C to Type-C Cable Minimum Specifications
c.) Type-C to Type-C Cable Maximum Length
Just like to did for Micro SD Cards.
I can already see customers buying the cheapest SSD’s, and cables and then blaming the camera for malfunctions / incompatibility.

2.) Do you have any plans to add 1TB Micro SD Card support?


View attachment 74224

Pretty much cheap SSDs are reliable, much more so than microSD and previous mechanical HDDs. a Few studies out there, one by Backblaze that go into annual failure rates and SSDs are at like 1% over a five year span, while HDDs go up to 6/7/8%. Backblaze is pretty much one of the most reliable indicators over the years (look it up if you don't know who they are over the years)

That's why I think Viofo seems pretty confident not to have a list of SSD brands for compatibility. If you check this article here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solid-state_drive_manufacturers I've heard of pretty much all these manufacturers over the years in the PC space, and all they make decent quality components so I suspect users won't run into issues.

 

[viofo]

If user buy SSD and Enclosure separately, I am afraid there may be some low-quality enclosures in the market. I saw there are lots of different disk enclosures from different brands.

 

[Augustus]

If user buy SSD and Enclosure separately, I am afraid there may be some low-quality enclosures in the market. I saw there are lots of different disk enclosures from different brands.

Correct, something I pointed out a while ago that a best solution would be just PSSDs rather than messing around with enclosures. The price difference at times can be marginal between the two.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

We suggest buying PSSD and using it with the official 1.8-meter cable.

I cut a piece of string 1.8 Meters long, (71 inches) and tried to run it from my glove box to all the cameras on my windshield as if behind trim pieces, and tucked in headliner.
1.8 Meters is not long enough.
It looks like I need a 3 Meter cable.

1.) Do you have plans to make an Official Viofo 3 Meter Type-C to Type-C cable for the SSD, or is that too long?

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Pretty much cheap SSDs are reliable,

Do you think this would be compatible?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0C9J4ZXN9
Then I won’t need a cable at all.
It will just stick out the side of the camera.

 

[TonyM]

It will just stick out the side of the camera

If you have an SSD thumb drive sticking out of the side of the camera, held in place only by friction within the USB-C socket, consider what could happen if your car hits or is hit by another car.

If the thumb drive falls out at the point of impact, you will lose the video file currently being recorded.

 

[Augustus]

Do you think this would be compatible?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0C9J4ZXN9
Then I won’t need a cable at all.
It will just stick out the side of the camera.

Its an older SATA III SSD not NVMe, at those speeds you may as well get a proper NVMe. Seems a bit pricey for what it is to be honest, but it is perfectly functional.

This is the one I have here (sticking point may be it's only 1TB), almost double the speeds: https://www.ple.com.au/Products/664...b-usb-type-c-a-32-gen-2-ssd-flash-drive-black

Depends how fast you want to get the files off the drive haha

 

[SR14626]

Perhaps A339 next year then ..

Perhaps you’re right. I can’t send back my old A229 pro now but I do like the additional vents for cooling.

 

[kamkar]

60 / 30 FPS debacle, that's what i have been saying for a decade.

Also 60 FPS, fortunately as i understand it, these can change to 30 FPS / HDR for the night recordings, and that is nice, it would be uncool to be stuck on 60
I personally think i would stick with just 30 FPS though, day or night.

 

[Vortex Radar]

I'm working on a quick followup video to the A329 discussing whether or not upgrading is worth it. Some people asked about using the HDMI port as a backup cam, and assuming you have a display for it, yeah it'd work for that.

The "Video OSD" option lets you choose whether or not you want all the same text displayed on the dashcam's display to also show up on the external display. I prefer it off to better use it as a backup cam.

 

[Nigel]

Some people asked about using the HDMI port as a backup cam, and assuming you have a display for it, yeah it'd work for that.

Based on those photos, you are going to need a forwards cam as well as a backup cam, there is no windscreen left to look through!
I'm sure some people will put the HDMI to good use. Professional use, and disability use, but probably not the average car driver.

 

[Vortex Radar]

Based on those photos, you are going to need a forwards cam as well as a backup cam, there is no windscreen left to look through!

I specifically held the display close to the camera so that you could see it as a proof of concept. It's the same thing as putting a camera right up to a dashcam to show the detail up close and then claiming that you can't see out the windshield because the dashcam takes up the entire windshield.

 

[Vortex Radar]

So I saw a number of YouTube comments that made for good further discussion so I did a followup video this morning talking about my thoughts on the A329 a bit more.

 

[kamkar]

The TXT color i find is a none issue, CUZ with a correct installed camera, well in my car at least, the text is overlaid on the part of the dashboard visible in the footage.
SO for your car color to be a issue with the text color, you should probably aim your camera a bit lower.

Only with a tele camera can i see a slight issue.

 

[Augustus]

Do you think this would be compatible?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0C9J4ZXN9
Then I won’t need a cable at all.
It will just stick out the side of the camera.

Another option is the Silicon Power PX10, it's a shame it doesn't have Usb-C connector to connect it directly to the A329, so you'd have to run a USB-C cable to it instead.

However it does have larger storage capacities and MIL STD 810 durability, which could tip it in it's favour...

 

[Mtz]

When recording 1fps timelapse in SNV mode, does the rear camera have the same exposure increase as the front camera?

Starting with firmware from September 29, also the rear camera have Night Vision (SNV).
Looking at these screenshots it is like the night is day.


If you will look at the filename of the original video you will see that I already recorded more than 41,000 videos on my SSD during A329 tests.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

The TXT color i find is a none issue, CUZ with a correct installed camera, well in my car at least, the text is overlaid on the part of the dashboard visible in the footage.
SO for your car color to be a issue with the text color, you should probably aim your camera a bit lower.

My request for colored TXT to make them more legible was not for car hood color.
It's because during sunrise / sunset lighting conditions it washes out the TXT like this;

I also requested the option to choose the TXT at the top, or bottom of the screen like this;

I also requested a black background on the TXT like this;

 

[kamkar]

A truck & some trucks maybe also a problem with TXT and color.

TXT on top i would have to get used to, but not a deal breaker, there is nothing but blue or grey up there so im god

A contrasting background like it have been seen on some systems over a decade ago, also OK in my book.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

TXT on top i would have to get used to, but not a deal breaker, there is nothing but blue or grey up there so im god

Would you be happy if you could select top, or bottom in the settings?

 

[gordon861]

If they are going to enable storage to SSD etc then they need to look at moving the recorder from the screen to a separate box, and just mount the camera on the window. There should be no problem feeding the image to the box and it would allow users to hide the storage somewhere safe.

This would make the dashcam setups more like a traditional camera/NVR setup. They could sell recorders able to accept 1/2/4 camera inputs and users could pick the cameras that suit their use case, and be much more flexible.