3 lights on solid

jokiin said:
Pier28, Jon, and @Street Guardian USA are completely independent from our company, we talk most days and he is privy to information about development and testing of future products, some of which he shares from time to time, he does often say "we" but that just speaks volumes about his commitment to supporting the products and the general enthusiasm he has, although there is no financial connection he certainly has invested a great deal of his own time in what we are doing, I guess he feels a sense of ownership, it's a long and difficult road to do what we are doing and he's very committed to the long term goals of the brand and for that we are thankful for his support
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Thank you for the explanation.

It is highly unusual for a company to allow an independent entity to use their registered trademarked name and for that matter even an identical forum avatar image to yours which includes your corporate logo, hence the question. Whatever the explanation, without doubt it creates a misleading impression to anyone who is unaware of the history here. Repeatedly speaking in terms of "we" on this forum in regard to product or firmware development also confuses the issue.

I guess some of us who have been here since the beginning sometimes wonder about the constant shape shifting and blurring of lines we see so often around here. With Jon as an example we have witnessed four different identity changes from @JazJon, to @RoadCam, to @Pier28 and now Street Guardian USA. Most members here would not be aware of that. Certain parties here have a habit of blurring the lines between being regular happy-go-lucky civilian members on this forum as seperate from someone with a sales agenda when they offer advice and council. Blurring the lines with corporate affiliation has a similar feel to it.
 
It's a Global Team effort (@niko + @alexsoll + @DashCamOwnersAustralia & @jokiin) and as sellers, we all are invested enough to say "we" once in awhile after so much time has been invested. (6 trips to China myself so far) I just happen to be ready to specialize in Street Guardian in North America after some evolving.
 
Street Guardian USA said:
It's a Global Team effort (@niko + @alexsoll + @DashCamOwnersAustralia & @jokiin) and as sellers, we all are invested enough to say "we" once in awhile after so much time has been invested. (6 trips to China myself so far) I just happen to be ready to specialize in Street Guardian in North America after some evolving.
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Speaking of which, in over twenty years of frequenting web forums, I have never witnessed a forum that allows a specific commercial brand interest to so completely dominate a forum the way Street Guardian does as basically its primary worldwide sales promotion and customer support tool. The three top posting members on this forum are all affiliated with Street Guardian and people like you, jokiin and niko pervade what seems like virtually every nook and cranny of this place with "tag team" advice, support, product promotion, reassurance and what I call,"the tamping down of brush fires". Indeed, when I have sent friends and acquaintances here to DCT they almost universally come away with the impression that Street Guardian is the owner of this forum as @DashCamMan doesn't identify himself personally or by avatar name on this forum as the owner of this site even on the "About" page and he rarely even posts anymore like he did during the early days here on DCT. One wonders why a forum owner would foot the entire bill and labor to create a platform for others to profit from so handsomely in this manner. Many questions are raised.
 
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Sutton said:
May I ask with all due respect to you, what is your agenda with all these posts? Jon is a nice guy regardless if he is a partner or on salary or just a guy that loves to help people with dash cams . All I know is that Jon was always there to help me with my SG night and day with emails. Give them all a break "live and let live"
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With all due respect, what is with your repeated use of demeaning and racist avatar images? Your first one (especially considering you are a Canadian citizen) was insulting to our black President, as is this image of a black guy with exaggerated features and a fast food fried chicken bucket on his head or your last insulting image of an ugly man with very stereotypical Jewish features. Are you a bigot? It sure looks that way.

I speak as someone who has been visiting DashCamTalk since the day it went live in July of 2012 and who has been involved as a member here for three years and has known the parties involved this whole time. You are someone who has been a member here for less than two weeks and has no perspective on the history of this website or of the various parties involved and apparently has no clue. As you readily admit, "All I know is"............and that is apparently about it.
 
Sutton said:
I am sure that if u asked the regulars here about what u are posting most would say to lay off Pier28 and its associates
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What others think is not really my concern. Many people contact me privately to thank me for speaking the truth about certain obvious matters that get suppressed here on the forums and to offer support. So, as for allegedly being the "mosted hated person on the forum" I guess that must be how I came to have the fourth highest number of "likes" of anyone else here on the forum and of those four members I am the only one with no commercial or profit motive.

Speaking of truths your avatars are indeed offensive and racist. Aside from that you now appear to be outright trolling me and that might actually get you "taken" down even more-so than the racist avatars.
 
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Dashmellow said:
Thank you for the explanation.

It is highly unusual for a company to allow an independent entity to use their registered trademarked name and for that matter even an identical forum avatar image to yours which includes your corporate logo, hence the question. Whatever the explanation, without doubt it creates a misleading impression to anyone who is unaware of the history here. Repeatedly speaking in terms of "we" on this forum in regard to product or firmware development also confuses the issue.

I guess some of us who have been here since the beginning sometimes wonder about the constant shape shifting and blurring of lines we see so often around here. With Jon as an example we have witnessed four different identity changes from @JazJon, to @RoadCam, to @Pier28 and now Street Guardian USA. Most members here would not be aware of that. Certain parties here have a habit of blurring the lines between being regular happy-go-lucky civilian members on this forum as seperate from someone with a sales agenda when they offer advice and council. Blurring the lines with corporate affiliation has a similar feel to it.
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I personally see it as a good move an in MY opinion gave me the impression of expansion and so people know Jon is not just an end user butting in but someone with more authority and people will be more inclined to goto for help and sales. I'm all for it myself. but hey everyone is entitled to their OWN opinion, its a free world.

Sutton said:
Maybe u should get another profession, maybe the photography field is making u so mean and the long dusty trips back and forth to work is taking a toll on ur nerves.
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I think he is waiting for jokiin to make the camera that good for professional photography at a cheap price so he doesn't have to spend $75,000 on that pro camera to do it.
 
Firstly, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with Jon expanding his business. My comments were more about the blurring of lines and boundaries between the role of manufacturers, retailers and regular members that we so often witness here on DCT in ways that are generally forbidden on other forums because among other things it creates conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest and can lead to confusion and manipulation of the buying public. I could cite specific examples and offer links to them but I will refrain from that in the spirit wishing not to be unnecessarily inflammatory.

As for this absurd notion of seeking a "camera that good for professional photography at a cheap price", what I seek is a dash camera that will not completely fail to capture vital details of traffic incidents because the image can get so lost in blown out bright glare as to be useless or as it stands now, sometimes so dark that you can't see important details of what is happening. This is a camera touted by the owner of this forum on its front page as, "Overall one of the best cameras on the market today for video quality", which it is striving to be, but clearly is not when compared with others on the market.

What the SG9665GC is, is a very well made, VERY reliable and trustworthy camera that NEVER fails to capture files,(unlike some cameras) has an excellent, well chosen fast lens of the proper focal length that holds up well to most temperature extremes, one of the best, fastest satellite acquiring GPS units I've seen and as we all know comes with the best customer service and support of any other camera available. When the issues I've been major image quality concerns I've been complaining about for a year an half finally (hopefully) get fully resolved, I will become an enthusiastic fanboy too.
 
Dashmellow said:
Firstly, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with Jon expanding his business. My comments were more about the blurring of lines and boundaries between the role of manufacturers, retailers and regular members that we so often witness here on DCT in ways that are generally forbidden on other forums because among other things it creates conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest and can lead to confusion and manipulation of the buying public. I could cite specific examples and offer links to them but I will refrain from that in the spirit wishing not to be unnecessarily inflammatory.
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No lines are blurred. All manufacturers and retailers are clearly identified and everyone is free to post as per the rules. If you read a post from a manufacturer or retailer that is clearly tagged as such, how is that a conflict of interest?

What is usually forbidden on other forums, from an example that you previously provided, was the limiting of posts from non-sponsoring vendors, while giving special privilege to the forum sponsors. Dashcamtalk has no sponsoring manufacturers or retailers. Everyone is free to post as per the rules. I don't encourage or discourage any vendors or members to post.

As for the video quality issues with the SG9665GC, I don't have evidence that it is as widespread as you claim. In fact, the SG9665GC page clearly mentions the issue you have and points to the forum topic that you created. No hiding of any info, just laying out the facts for interested purchasers.
 
DashCamMan said:
No lines are blurred. All manufacturers and retailers are clearly identified and everyone is free to post as per the rules. If you read a post from a manufacturer or retailer that is clearly tagged as such, how is that a conflict of interest?

What is usually forbidden on other forums, from an example that you previously provided, was the limiting of posts from non-sponsoring vendors, while giving special privilege to the forum sponsors. Dashcamtalk has no sponsoring manufacturers or retailers. Everyone is free to post as per the rules. I don't encourage or discourage any vendors or members to post.

As for the video quality issues with the SG9665GC, I don't have evidence that it is as widespread as you claim. In fact, the SG9665GC page clearly mentions the issue you have and points to the forum topic that you created. No hiding of any info, just laying out the facts for interested purchasers.
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I've not said anything is hidden, nor am I referring to limiting posts from non-sponsoring vendors. That was a different matter. That has nothing to do with this. The issue of what is "forbidden" on other forums is a complex one that I'm afraid I will probably have to address more fully at another time as I need to go fulfill another obligation at the moment.

In the meantime have a look at some of the posts from @Feitelijk showing how very dark his video is often looking or this example of driving under some trees on a bright summer evening at 6PM. There is clearly an issue here, whether anyone wishes to acknowledge it or not. If you can not see what is happening with a dash cam in daylight because things are way too dark, there is a problem.

The SG9665GC page acknowledges some of these IQ issues but the front page listing claims, "one of the best cameras on the market today for video quality".

As has been said many times now, the issues seem to be related to having a dark colored vehicle and a driving environment with many trees although many like @Feitelijk (and others) have reported the same problems in more urban and suburban environments. Unfortunately, as has been demonstrated on numerous occasions, the GS has trouble with this scenario where many other cameras do not. Nobody ever said the issue is "widespread" but many of us have struggled with the problem and some of get attacked for even mentioning it. As it happens I live in a part of the USA that has 77% forest coverage and that includes at least three Northeastern states representing millions of cars and potential dash cam customers. Interestingly 77% is a low number because it doesn't just include forest, it also includes timber coverage which is a different designation.
toodark.jpg
 
DashCamMan said:
No lines are blurred. All manufacturers and retailers are clearly identified and everyone is free to post as per the rules. If you read a post from a manufacturer or retailer that is clearly tagged as such, how is that a conflict of interest?

What is usually forbidden on other forums, from an example that you previously provided, was the limiting of posts from non-sponsoring vendors, while giving special privilege to the forum sponsors. Dashcamtalk has no sponsoring manufacturers or retailers. Everyone is free to post as per the rules. I don't encourage or discourage any vendors or members to post.

As for the video quality issues with the SG9665GC, I don't have evidence that it is as widespread as you claim. In fact, the SG9665GC page clearly mentions the issue you have and points to the forum topic that you created. No hiding of any info, just laying out the facts for interested purchasers.
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I have to say I appreciate the fact that the forum is here, it's here for everyone though, any manufacturer is free to post here and they are welcome to do so I'm sure, point remains that overwhelmingly they don't, plenty of them know about it and still don't, forums are only successful when they are active, sure I post a lot but the majority of my posts are not even in our section, I help a lot of people that don't even have our product, if I stuck purely to our section of the forum a lot of those questions would go unanswered or worse be full of misinformation, the reason I joined this forum in the first place is another forum I was on there were members that kept quoting things from here in the early days of the forum that were blatantly incorrect and to be honest I got tired of correcting people all the time so I joined and made an effort to correct misinformation that if left alone people start to believe to be correct

To be accused of this being some sort of pseudo sales and marketing channel that we exploit to be honest is offensive to me, I give up a lot of time to help end users, I don't recommend my own products when people are asking what to buy etc, time and time again I have asked end users to short list what 'they' like and I can offer some input on which is the better of 'their' choices and anything they should avoid and why, it's not a support channel for us but if users are here asking questions or having problems we help them, we answer questions on Facebook, we have a support ticket system, we get email enquiries, none of that is transparent to end users but this is not the only channel where we actively support customers, it's just the only one where everyone can see how we respond, I can tell you for a fact that the other channels we support get the same sort of responses

I've been asked previously why we don't just have our own forum, I can tell you right now I have no issues generating enough content for that to happen but I find manufacturers forums to be too limiting, they get accused of deleting posts, of hiding the truth etc, I'd rather it be out in the open, if you have a problem you see how it gets dealt with, there's no hiding or deleting of information, compare some of the other brands around here and see how they respond to problems but somehow they are just busy or whatever and it's all ok
 
you never know there might be a kid in them bushes hiding throwing rocks at you when you drive past and you need to catch their face
 
I don't take issue with much of what you say in your post but I do take issue with some of it but I will have to take this up at another time.

In the meantime, to answer your question, I don't exactly remember which version but it was probably beta 22 in that dark image posted above. Here is another one from beta 26 several days ago at 4:16 in the afternoon. It was hardly that dark out in real life.

The firmware has come along way towards curing the tendency to blow out the upper tonal range and for that I am grateful, only now as quite a few people have noticed, there is a tendency to render imagery that is too dark when the camera is presented with contrast extremes as if it overcompensates. The firmware seems one or two steps away from being perfected. I hope we see it happen soon.

darktoo.jpg
 
Dashmellow said:
The firmware seems one or two steps away from being perfected. I hope we see it happen soon.
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it would be far more helpful to stick to current firmware and current results, posting them in the actual beta firmware thread would be far more appropriate also, it's very hard to judge progress when things get dragged backwards into how things were for you at some other point in the development cycle :)
 
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