A119 V3: File names, capacitor/battery life, and viewing software

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Dash Cam
RoadHawk DC3 (x1), RoadHawk HD2 (x3)
Hi,

I'm thinking of buying an A119 V3. I have a few questions:
  1. How long does the unit remember the date and time before the capacitor/battery is fully drained?
  2. What's the file naming convention? Are the date and time prefixed or suffixed?
  3. I use Dashcam Viewer for Mac by Earthshine Software, will it read al of the A119 V3 data?
Up until now, I've used just RoadHawk dashcams and some of the units that I've had lose the date and time as soon as they were switched off. Other units could last 24 to 36 hours without power. They do of course regain the date and time once they get a GPS signal.

The RoadHawk file name convention is mmddhhmm_####.mp4 with #### being a four-digit number increasing by 1 for each video. Unfortunately, if the date and time are lost then the file name becomes 01010000_####.mp4, i.e. starts on 1st January. If the dashcam isn't used enough then I get incorrectly named files until the unit gains a GPS signal so that it knows the correct date and time. It would, of course, be easier if the four-digit number was first for continuity of files regardless of known date and time.

Thanks,
 
1. Many months, don't know how many. It has a rechargeable lithium button cell battery as backup for the clock.
2. 20191027173744_000857.MP4
3. Should do, certainly the GPS, but I don't actually use that software so I'm not certain all data is there.

Losing the time would be a problem if it happened, the loop recording gets screwed up, but it shouldn't happen.
 
I use Earthshine Dashcam Viewer Ver 3.3.1 and it does display all the data from the A119 V3 including GPS position, speed and heading.
 
I normally just use either VLC or Win 10 own media player or the enhanced WMP given it's a .MP4 file and your GPS position is displayed within the video anyway. If I want to see my position on a map then I use either Dashcam Viewer or Nextbase Replay.

Don't use the latest Nextbase series 2 player because the Google mapping function doesn't link properly.

Earthshine, never heard of it, must download a copy ......
 
Ta, I never associated Earthshine with Dashcam Viewer. I just knew it as Dashcam Viewer.
 
Hi Nigel, TexBolt, and Kremmen,

Many thanks for your answers.

RoadHawk measures its clock backup in hours and Viofo measures it in months! :eek:

Viofo seems much more advanced than RoadHawk with better features and cheaper. Sorry RoadHawk, but I think that your days are numbered in my vehicles!
 
I agree. I used to be a Nextbase fan but Viofo have designed the perfect solution for me.

Amongst the best resolution (1440@30 or 1080@60) QuadHD
Super capacitor power
Easily solidly mounted one handed without altering the lens angle
Loads of configurations/options
No unnecessary options or gimics
Good price
 
I would add one additional "good feature" for the Viofo: it is very inconspicuous when mounted up near the rearview mirror on most cars. My older previous dash cams all have bulky suction cup mounts. The camera hangs down off the mount and can be seen very easily standing outside the car. I much prefer the "stealthy" mounting system of the Viofo A119 V3. And, of course, it is also MUCH more stable and shimmy-free.
 
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Agreed.

I noticed early on with my previous make that the stalk mounting style was causing vibration over less than perfect surfaces that was degrading the footage. The stalk and ball joint also meant the cam had to be realigned each time it was mounted.
 
The more I look at it, the Viofo A119 V3 does seem to be the perfect solution for me as well. I particularly like the idea of resolution of 1440@30 against my standard 1080@30. The only issue is the larger file size per minute. I suspect that I might be able to experiment with lowering bitrate sightly to optimise the footage quality vs file storage.

The only other problem and a reason for me to stay with RoadHawk for so long is that RoadHawks use standard-sized SD cards and all other dashcams use micro SD cards. I have around 26 SD cards (all 64GB) so that I can swap them for new ones each day when on holiday and then copy them all to a portable hard drive when I get home. I guess that I will be building up a library of 128GB micro SD cards.

I agree on the stealth aspect of the Viofo A119 V3. The Roadhawks have a large physical presence which is not helped by their name being written in white on the front. I have used black electrical tape to cover the name and logo to make the RoadHawk less conspicuous.

Regards,
 
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