VIOFO Improvement Wish List 2024

Agie said:
Sounds like he's copying the microSD card contents with the Viofo dashcam plugged into his computer via USB. Long laborious way of doing it :/
Click to expand...
What is the "best" recommended way?
I have always removed the SD Card from the camera, and inserted it into my Chromebook.
That's really the only way I know how.
 
Panzer Platform said:
What is the "best" recommended way?
I have always removed the SD Card from the camera, and inserted it into my Chromebook.
That's really the only way I know how.
Click to expand...
I just put mine into a microSD card reader, Satechi / lexar, whatever. Never thru the dashcam itself
 
Agie said:
I just put mine into a microSD card reader
Click to expand...
Every Chromebook I've had since 2014 had a Micro SD Card slot, (no need for adapter) except the very first one, ASUS C200.
It makes it easier so I don't have to fiddle with adapters, but at my age I'm embarrassed to admit I've had more than one premature / unintended ejection because it's so small. LMAO!
Looking at the invoice I haven't been "forced" to touch a Windows PC in 11 years, (this makes me happy). lol
 

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Panzer Platform said:
Every Chromebook I've had since 2014 had a Micro SD Card slot, (no need for adapter) except the very first one, ASUS C200.
It makes it easier so I don't have to fiddle with adapters, but at my age I'm embarrassed to admit I've had more than one premature / unintended ejection because it's so small. LMAO!
Looking at the invoice I haven't been "forced" to touch a Windows PC in 11 years, (this makes me happy). lol
Click to expand...
Haha well if it works for you it works for you. I've tried ChromeOS as a dual boot on windows laptops and it just hasn't worked for me so I've stuck with windows. In built memory card readers aren't always the fastest which is another reason I've steered away personally
 
Agie said:
...In built memory card readers aren't always the fastest which is another reason I've steered away personally
Click to expand...
I've found this to be true with every computer I've tested (versus every computer). I use a USB3 card adapter plugged into a USB3 port and for the most part cards I test are very close to factory specs in regards to read/write speeds - something that seldom, if ever, happens using the built-in card ports.

Just for jollies I ran tests using an old, slow 32GB Samsung EVO card I had laying around. Computer is a mid-range 1 year old Dell Core I7 laptop I'm using at the moment. First test using the build-in SD slot and the second using a USB3 SD adapter in a USB3 port. Even though I was testing using an old, slow card the SD slot was significantly slower than the USB3 port. The differences are even more dramatic when testing faster cards.

Built-in SD slot results:

CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 x64 (C) 2007-2021 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World: https://crystalmark.info/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 bytes/s [SATA/600 = 600,000,000 bytes/s]
* KB = 1000 bytes, KiB = 1024 bytes

[Read]
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 8, T= 1): 30.145 MB/s [ 28.7 IOPS] <269183.16 us>
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 29.910 MB/s [ 28.5 IOPS] < 34926.85 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 32, T= 1): 5.763 MB/s [ 1407.0 IOPS] < 12338.15 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 5.331 MB/s [ 1301.5 IOPS] < 767.28 us>

[Write]
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 8, T= 1): 25.166 MB/s [ 24.0 IOPS] <319925.18 us>
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 25.571 MB/s [ 24.4 IOPS] < 40789.12 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 32, T= 1): 1.385 MB/s [ 338.1 IOPS] < 45096.01 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 1.194 MB/s [ 291.5 IOPS] < 3423.88 us>

Profile: Default
Test: 1 GiB (x3) [D: 0% (0/30GiB)]
Mode: [Admin]
Time: Measure 5 sec / Interval 5 sec
Date: 2024/12/04 8:49:06
OS: Windows 11 [10.0 Build 22631] (x64)


USB3 port results:

CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 x64 (C) 2007-2021 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World: https://crystalmark.info/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 bytes/s [SATA/600 = 600,000,000 bytes/s]
* KB = 1000 bytes, KiB = 1024 bytes

[Read]
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 8, T= 1): 39.591 MB/s [ 37.8 IOPS] <207626.01 us>
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 39.388 MB/s [ 37.6 IOPS] < 26570.28 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 32, T= 1): 5.795 MB/s [ 1414.8 IOPS] < 22544.05 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 5.250 MB/s [ 1281.7 IOPS] < 778.98 us>

[Write]
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 8, T= 1): 29.916 MB/s [ 28.5 IOPS] <269324.73 us>
SEQ 1MiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 29.761 MB/s [ 28.4 IOPS] < 35074.39 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 32, T= 1): 1.729 MB/s [ 422.1 IOPS] < 74842.33 us>
RND 4KiB (Q= 1, T= 1): 1.563 MB/s [ 381.6 IOPS] < 2613.27 us>

Profile: Default
Test: 1 GiB (x3) [E: 0% (0/30GiB)]
Mode: [Admin]
Time: Measure 5 sec / Interval 5 sec
Date: 2024/12/04 8:54:39
OS: Windows 11 [10.0 Build 22631] (x64)
 
Agie said:
In built memory card readers aren't always the fastest
Click to expand...
DT MI said:
I've found this to be true with every computer I've tested
Click to expand...
Both my current Chromebooks also have USB3 Type-C inputs.
But, Iā€™ve been using the built-in Micro SD Card slot because I donā€™t have an SD Card Reader.
I the only reason I insert the SD Card into my Chromebook is to upload test footage directly to YouTube without any editing software.
Would there be any benefit of using an SD Card reader vs. what I have been doing?
I just realized I now have an SD Card reader thanks to GPak.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0BNBXVLZS
I just realized I can do a test.
I can upload the same video file to YouTube using the UGREEN card reader, and then the built-in sd card slot on my Chromebook, and see which one is faster to upload the video to YouTube.
Does that make sense?
 

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Panzer Platform said:
...I can upload the same video file to YouTube using the UGREEN card reader, and then the built-in sd card slot on my Chromebook, and see which one is faster to upload the video to YouTube.
Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
No, because the limiting factor will be the upload speed imposed by your ISP/YouTube which I'm sure will be considerable slower than what is possible. You will not be measuring the difference between the sd slot and USB port.
 
Panzer Platform said:
Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
It is a valid test, since that is what you will use it for.
It won't tell you how much faster the USB-3 card reader can be, but that is irrelevant if you will never use its speed!

Youtube can upload quite fast, so you may find there is an improvement, depending on your internet speed, but I doubt that an eg 10% faster upload time is of much importance to you.

For people who want to download an hour of video from an SD card for editing, then card reader speed becomes far more important.
For people who like to archive all their recorded video long term, it becomes very important.
If you are reviewing a dashcam, it is irrelevant, since the dashcam has no impact on the card reader speed... unless an improved codec can record the same image quality at lower bitrate, thus reducing file size.
 
Panzer Platform said:
Both my current Chromebooks also have USB3 Type-C inputs.
But, Iā€™ve been using the built-in Micro SD Card slot because I donā€™t have an SD Card Reader.
I the only reason I insert the SD Card into my Chromebook is to upload test footage directly to YouTube without any editing software.
Would there be any benefit of using an SD Card reader vs. what I have been doing?
I just realized I now have an SD Card reader thanks to GPak.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0BNBXVLZS
I just realized I can do a test.
I can upload the same video file to YouTube using the UGREEN card reader, and then the built-in sd card slot on my Chromebook, and see which one is faster to upload the video to YouTube.
Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
What the others have said below basically. It's not the most detailed test, but you can use a website like Speed test.net to test your ISP download speeds, or do the same for your phone network itself

I tend to just upload test footage using phone network, right after I've downloaded the test footage to my phone itself after driving around. If I forget and I'm near home then I use my home internet to do so
 
Panzer Platform said:
I agree 100%.
I think the reason they don't post previous firmware versions is because even breaching the subject can "open a can of worms".
I have a Retail / Production A119 Mini 2 (1st batch narrow FOV lens), and when I recently updated to the latest firmware it's been "acting wonky".
I wish I could go back to the "old" firmware when it was rock solid stable.
But I have decommissioned the camera to make room for new ones.
However, for a paying customer this could be maddening.
Click to expand...

I have a few old firmware versions of the A139, I was able to use a HEX editor to find the version/date string.

Previous versions of firmware + changelogs for each version and a cryptographic hash would be lovely please!

I would generally prefer viofo prioritise functionality improvements and bug fixes over image quality. eg. I would love the ability to turn off rear/interior cameras and GPS in parking mode to be available for all models.
 
Panzer Platform said:
I have a Retail / Production A119 Mini 2 (1st batch narrow FOV lens), and when I recently updated to the latest firmware it's been "acting wonky".
I wish I could go back to the "old" firmware when it was rock solid stable.
Click to expand...
This model works great on firmware: V1.0_231116. If you ask, I think Viofo will provide you with this firmware version.
And many users, like me, have it saved.
And there are complaints about the work of the latest official firmware for Mini 2 in the Mini 2 thread.
And this is in no way related to the installed lens.
 
joe384 said:
I would generally prefer viofo prioritise functionality improvements and bug fixes over image quality. eg. I would love the ability to turn off rear/interior cameras and GPS in parking mode to be available for all models.
Click to expand...
Since when did the functionality of a Dashcam become more important than the quality of the video?
You probably forgot what a Dashcam is for.
Video quality and reliability should always be the first priority for Dashcams.
It is because of the video quality and reliability that Viofo models have achieved such popularity.
 
M_B said:
I would like to see the ability to tilt the lens horizontally instead of having to angle the camera correctly while mounting.
Click to expand...
I seem to remember cameras of old having the ability to also be panned a little L or R on the lens, but that getting abandoned in favor of just up and down.
The old Zenfox T3 as i recall did have a little L/R motion possible as i recall.
 
I have a sneaky feeling it was easier to accommodate CPL filters with a lens that was only moveable in one direction.
My grey goo say a long long time ago, when CPL filters was a rare item even as a additional purchase.
 
M_B said:
@viofo @VIOFO-Support

I would like to see the ability to tilt the lens horizontally instead of having to angle the camera correctly while mounting.
Click to expand...

Not too long ago I made a request for VIOFO to put a 'leveling bubble' feature in. Brain dead simple to implement and the horizontal 'line bubble' can be made to appear on the phone app and not the dash cam screen. I generally mount the dash cam using the app anyway but a 'bubble' displayed in the app would be nice when in an awkward position while mounting the dash cam.
 
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kamkar said:
I have a sneaky feeling it was easier to accommodate CPL filters with a lens that was only moveable in one direction.
My grey goo say a long long time ago, when CPL filters was a rare item even as a additional purchase.
Click to expand...

I would suspect it came down to manufacturing and assembly costs. Up and down is simple enough, but add in the other axis of left and right and manufacturers are faced with other issues along the lines of cost, design, reliability and customer service. By removing left and right, they removed a manufacturing/cost annoyance as well as customer support and warranty for that feature should it fail.
 
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