VIOFO A329 2CH - Testing / Review - RCG

[Angus66]

And
PSSD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0CFZYG1D1
This PSSD is probably one of the most affordable 2TB and I like the following from 'About this item'

• ✅ RELIABLE AND DURABLE: It generates less heat and works quietly, it also offers better durability and power consumption, allowing you to keep running longer.

Have you read any of the (200) reviews for that PSSD you linked to? They're all for a different product(s) instead of what's shown/described.

The ratings for the original (scam) product (supposedly a 16tb external drive 🙄 or drone id cards) are pretty funny though.

Typical Amazon item rating bait-n-switch item.

 

[Augustus]

Here are the drives Western Digital has said are affected:

• SanDisk Extreme Portable 4TB (SDSSDE61-4T00)
• SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable 4TB (SDSSDE81-4T00)
• SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable 2TB (SDSSDE81-2T00)
• SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable 1TB (SDSSDE81-1T00)
• Western Digital My Passport 4TB (WDBAGF0040BGY).

Lol apparently some folks dissected it and it's a hardware issue rather than firmware being able to fix it, lawsuits flying around at the moment.

That's why I bought Samsung T7's instead of any SanDisk SSD when I saw the news last year haha

 

[lufa6977]

Lol apparently some folks dissected it and it's a hardware issue rather than firmware being able to fix it, lawsuits flying around at the moment.

That's why I bought Samsung T7's instead of any SanDisk SSD when I saw the news last year haha

Don't be too over confident about Samsung. They had their fair share of issues with NVMe boards for computers and even the T7. Dig a little deep and you will find the issues. I have moved to Crucial memory due to past issues with San Disk and Samsung. Not to say Crucial is error free, they just have not screwed me over yet like Samsung and San Disk have.

The range of San Disk Extreme drives that have issues, I think that within those model numbers there are a range of serial numbers that have to be checked. The issue I think were in the controllers and not so much the memory itself.

 

[GPak]

Have you read any of the (200) reviews for that PSSD you linked to? They're all for a different product(s) instead of what's shown/described.

The ratings for the original (scam) product (supposedly a 16tb external drive 🙄 or drone id cards) are pretty funny though.

Typical Amazon item rating bait-n-switch item.

Oops, it was a quick search, I only was going thru main descriptions.
I saw, prime, free delivery, free return, shipped from Amazon, 4.4 star rating, and even 5% coupon 😍, but did not read any reviews 😡

I just sent question to seller, will see if they respond.
For now I edited my post to remove the link

 

[Chuck McCoy]

$130 for a 512GB micro SD card is pretty steep

Official Viofo Brand SD Cards are like divorce;
Expensive, but worth every penny. lol

 

[Angus66]

Oops, it was a quick search, I only was going thru main descriptions.
I saw, prime, free delivery, free return, shipped from Amazon, 4.4 star rating, and even 5% coupon 😍, but did not read any reviews 😡

Honestly, I can't say that I haven't done the same myself

Amazon has definitely been going downhill as far as quality of their vendors for some time, and feels more like eBay everyday...

 

[Augustus]

Don't be too over confident about Samsung. They had their fair share of issues with NVMe boards for computers and even the T7. Dig a little deep and you will find the issues. I have moved to Crucial memory due to past issues with San Disk and Samsung. Not to say Crucial is error free, they just have not screwed me over yet like Samsung and San Disk have.

The range of San Disk Extreme drives that have issues, I think that within those model numbers there are a range of serial numbers that have to be checked. The issue I think were in the controllers and not so much the memory itself.

This is true, never had issues with any of my Samsung SSDs , even 960/970/970 Evo either. But then someone else would have had their issues with them too.


Can't win with any brand I think lol

 

[lufa6977]

This is true, never had issues with any of my Samsung SSDs , even 960/970/970 Evo either. But then someone else would have had their issues with them too.


Can't win with any brand I think lol

Very true, it is a crap shoot for the consumer. Some manufacturers use their in-shop home-grown controllers ( Samsung ), others us Asmedia, Phison, etc. Some, when they first release a new memory module/stick/SSD, the reviewers will see it is a Phison controller and write it up as so. Later the manufacturer will go to another brand controller and not tell anyone.

I would expect that users of the A329 and an SSD will likely have issues due to such controller issues. The fault really would not lie with VIOFO for these failures as much as it would be
with the SSD itself.

I helped a person on a new build where his Samsung 990 would not work on a ASUS motherboard. Moved back to the Samsung 970 and no problems. Go figure, was it the 990 NVMe or the motherboard? Probably both to some degree but, I sort of expect to see similar SSD issues with the A329.

 

[lufa6977]

Western Digital has a web site where the serial number for the affected San Disk drives can be checked.

San Disk Serial Number Check

I presume the tool works, but I won't swear to anything when it comes to San Disk or Western Digital.

 

[Augustus]

Western Digital has a web site where the serial number for the affected San Disk drives can be checked.

San Disk Serial Number Check

I presume the tool works, but I won't swear to anything when it comes to San Disk or Western Digital.

Moved over to Seagate myself when Western Digital started having problems years ago lol

 

[GPak]

Oops, it was a quick search, I only was going thru main descriptions.
I saw, prime, free delivery, free return, shipped from Amazon, 4.4 star rating, and even 5% coupon 😍, but did not read any reviews 😡

I just sent question to seller, will see if they respond.
For now I edited my post to remove the link

Really unexpected but I got the response from the seller, here it is:

I don't need SSD for dashcam, but I need to backup my phone videos and photos.
I am curious and tempted to buy one and check it, and if it is not as advertised, it easy to return to Amazon.

 

[Angus66]

I don't need SSD for dashcam, but I need to backup my phone videos and photos.
I am curious and tempted to buy one and check it, and if it is not as advertised, it easy to return

Their response has me even more curious as to what they're actually selling

 

[rcg530]

Here are some frame grabs from tonight's drive around town. The A229 Pro and A329 front cameras are mounted next to each other on the front windshield. The A329 is a unit I just received from VIOFO in the production/retail packaging. This A329 arrived with firmware v1.0_240913 installed. The A329 HDR implementation seems to capture the various illuminate roads signs a bit better than the A229 Pro.

A229 Pro Front vs A329 Front





A229 Pro Rear vs A329 Rear

 

[rcg530]

One thing I noticed with the v1.0_240913 firmware installed in the A329 is that I cannot get a live view in the beta/test Android VIOFO app (v3.2.17) that supports the A329 nor from the production iOS VIOFO app v4.2.5 (202409041614) that states it supports the A329. I've tried 60fps and 30fps resolutions and normal/maximum bitrate options.

 

[Augustus]

One thing I noticed with the v1.0_240913 firmware installed in the A329 is that I cannot get a live view in the beta/test Android VIOFO app (v3.2.17) that supports the A329 nor from the production iOS VIOFO app v4.2.5 (202409041614) that states it supports the A329. I've tried 60fps and 30fps resolutions and normal/maximum bitrate options.

For a shipping product the iOS version should be up to snuff you'd imagine at least. Or in the next week or so as it gets into the hands of paying consumers.

That version of the Android is the same one in the Google Play Store that was updated in June 2024, how is it beta?

 

[TonyM]

Here are some frame grabs from tonight's drive around town. The A229 Pro and A329 front cameras are mounted next to each other on the front windshield.

One thing I noticed is the difference in White Balance - I prefer the colors on the A329

 

[Mtz]

The A329 HDR implementation seems to capture the various illuminate roads signs a bit better than the A229 Pro

I hope Viofo will not modify again the image settings because somebody is not satisfied with the road signs. The report about road signs affected the legibility of license plates on A229 Pro. I dont give a cent to the road signs compared to plates legibility. Unfortunately Viofo is listening such stupid reports.

One thing I noticed is the difference in White Balance - I prefer the colors on the A329

Also I prefer the white balance of A329 but nobody guarantees it will remain the same because of other stupid reports.

 

[kamkar]

user choice over WB i would like to see, as i recall that was also possible on some dashcams in the old days.
And i cant see this being hard to implement.

 

[lufa6977]

Here are some frame grabs from tonight's drive around town. The A229 Pro and A329 front cameras are mounted next to each other on the front windshield. The A329 is a unit I just received from VIOFO in the production/retail packaging. This A329 arrived with firmware v1.0_240913 installed. The A329 HDR implementation seems to capture the various illuminate roads signs a bit better than the A229 Pro.

A229 Pro Front vs A329 Front


A229 Pro Rear vs A329 Rear
View attachment 74308View attachment 74307

Images 7 and 8, rear camera. Which image most accurately reflects the lighting in the overpass? Can you post the front camera images for the same overpass shots?

Thank you for the effort you put into these reviews and evaluations.

 

[lufa6977]

I hope Viofo will not modify again the image settings because somebody is not satisfied with the road signs. The report about road signs affected the legibility of license plates on A229 Pro. I dont give a cent to the road signs compared to plates legibility. Unfortunately Viofo is listening such stupid reports.

Also I prefer the white balance of A329 but nobody guarantees it will remain the same because of other stupid reports.

Therein is the issue. Everyone wants something different. In my case, I have nominal interest in license plates, and more interest in the entire view as a whole. I see greater value in having a record of what is in front, left and right of the vehicle as that is more likely where I need to record.

What @viofo could do, and I certainly doubt they will do this, is to offer two firmware versions that are optimised for license plate capture and a firmware optimised for over all image quality and license plate visibility. Basically the second one would be the base FW.