A139 Pro Test & Review PP

[marcusb]

What if after you get the A139 Pro installed, VIOFO releases the A229 Pro Duo (4K STARVIS 2 both channels)?
How hard would you want to kick yourself in the rear? lol
-Chuck

There's never a great time to buy if you are worried about what's coming out next. At some point you just have to choose.

What I will probably do is use this A139 Pro duo set up for a couple of years and upgrade the front cam at some point and just move the a139 pro to the rear. Or move it to my wife's car, she's resistant to dashcams right now.

 

[Lothar]

What if after you get the A139 Pro installed, VIOFO releases the A229 Pro Duo (4K STARVIS 2 both channels)?
How hard would you want to kick yourself in the rear? lol
-Chuck

I doubt that the A229 Pro would be 4K Starvis 2 on both channels, but who knows?
I think 4K Starvis 2 for the front and 2K Starvis 2 for the rear is more likely than 4K all around.

 

[marcusb]

I doubt that the A229 Pro would be 4K Starvis 2 on both channels, but who knows?
I think 4K Starvis 2 for the front and 2K Starvis 2 for the rear is more likely than 4K all around.

I feel like there are data transfer issues with 2 4k streams to one SD card.

 

[Mtz]

I just got an A229 and haven't installed the rear cam yet. Should I return it and buy the A139 Pro and the HK3 cable? I have the HK4 installed right now.

If you want A139 Pro 1CH or 2CH you can keep the HK4. If you want to buy A139 Pro 3CH you need to buy the HK3-C when placing the order.

There's never a great time to buy if you are worried about what's coming out next. At some point you just have to choose.

If buying A139 Pro or A229 Pro for sure you can wait 2-3 years for the next dashcam. The only improvement which can be over IMX678 is the 1/1.2 IMX675. If DJI will not start making dashcams I cant see any actual dashcam manufacturer to use an 1/1.2 CMOS. Viofo prepared for about 4 years to use a bigger sensor, the actual 1/1.8 IMX678.

I doubt that the A229 Pro would be 4K Starvis 2 on both channels, but who knows?

Starvis 2 needs good light over the car license plates for Clear HDR to become effective. On the rear of your car will be no lights from your car but only the brake lights, if applied. The advantage of A139 Pro front camera is not only the Starvis 2 technology but the size of the sensor. So if A229 Pro will use the 2K IMX675 on the rear, it will be the same 1/2.8 size of actual IMX335. But I am sure that IMX675 is better than IMX335. Based on my experience with IMX335 I hope Viofo will stop using it on all future cameras and move to IMX675.
Rear means more dark. To have brighter image you need a smaller resolution or a bigger sizd CMOS. I don't see any actual manufacturer to put a bigger CMOS on rear camera. On rear cameras I would use IMX662 which is Full HD Starvis 2.

I feel like there are data transfer issues with 2 4k streams to one SD card.

45mbs + 45mbps is not a problem with actual cards. It is not a problem for A139 Pro 3CH right now.
For sure on A229 Pro will be not 2 * 4K. There is no reason to put 4K on rear. The only hope is Starvis 2 on front and rear. Yes, this is possible.

 

[Panzer Platform]

If you want A139 Pro 1CH or 2CH you can keep the HK4. If you want to buy A139 Pro 3CH you need to buy the HK3-C when placing the order.

If buying A139 Pro or A229 Pro for sure you can wait 2-3 years for the next dashcam. The only improvement which can be over IMX678 is the 1/1.2 IMX675. If DJI will not start making dashcams I cant see any actual dashcam manufacturer to use an 1/1.2 CMOS. Viofo prepared for about 4 years to use a bigger sensor, the actual 1/1.8 IMX678.

Starvis 2 needs good light over the car license plates for Clear HDR to become effective. On the rear of your car will be no lights from your car but only the brake lights, if applied. The advantage of A139 Pro front camera is not only the Starvis 2 technology but the size of the sensor. So if A229 Pro will use the 2K IMX675 on the rear, it will be the same 1/2.8 size of actual IMX335. But I am sure that IMX675 is better than IMX335. Based on my experience with IMX335 I hope Viofo will stop using it on all future cameras and move to IMX675.
Rear means more dark. To have brighter image you need a smaller resolution or a bigger sizd CMOS. I don't see any actual manufacturer to put a bigger CMOS on rear camera. On rear cameras I would use IMX662 which is Full HD Starvis 2.


45mbs + 45mbps is not a problem with actual cards. It is not a problem for A139 Pro 3CH right now.
For sure on A229 Pro will be not 2 * 4K. There is no reason to put 4K on rear. The only hope is Starvis 2 on front and rear. Yes, this is possible.

Yo MTZ,
I love it when you stop by to set us straight. lol
-Chuck

 

[Panzer Platform]

Blown Speaker

About a month ago I noticed the speaker on my A229 was sounding different / distorted during the start up chime, and voice notifications. Now the speaker is blown. Of course when I try to get the malfunction recorded on film it doesn't capture the audio distortion. lol

As a preventative measure I have adjusted the voice notification volume level to Medium on my A139 Pro. In the hopes the speaker doen’t blow on it as well. Since I get these cameras for free as test samples I don’t think I have a right to complain. However, if I was a paying customer I would most likely return the camera as defective within the 30-day return policy, or file a warranty claim with the 1-year warranty, or 18-month extended warranty with registration.

Hopefully @viofo will get around to adding the Voice Notification Volume level in APP for the A229, A119 Mini, and any other cameras with voice notifications. But I hate bothering them with APP firmware update requests that don’t have anything to do with image quality, or reliability.

 

[Lothar]

I feel like there are data transfer issues with 2 4k streams to one SD card.

Data transfer won't be a problem at all. See my previous post below for an explanation:

Memory Cards Confirmed Working/Not Working?

So update: for some reason my live USB with Linux mint wouldn't open up terminal so I couldnt download the formating tool that I wanted to use. I didn't have enough time to do a complete install of Linux so I decided to load up my bootable GParted USB stick and mounted the sdcard to the...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[ogzogz]

Blown Speaker

About a month ago I noticed the speaker on my A229 was sounding different / distorted during the start up chime, and voice notifications. Now the speaker is blown. Of course when I try to get the malfunction recorded on film it doesn't capture the audio distortion. lol

As a preventative measure I have adjusted the voice notification volume level to Medium on my A139 Pro. In the hopes the speaker doen’t blow on it as well. Since I get these cameras for free as test samples I don’t think I have a right to complain. However, if I was a paying customer I would most likely return the camera as defective within the 30-day return policy, or file a warranty claim with the 1-year warranty, or 18-month extended warranty with registration.

Hopefully @viofo will get around to adding the Voice Notification Volume level in APP for the A229, A119 Mini, and any other cameras with voice notifications. But I hate bothering them with APP firmware update requests that don’t have anything to do with image quality, or reliability.

I agree the same.
I opened a similar thread for this. but for some reason the comments went the other way and there was no support.

Beep and voice notification volume

I would have preferred the beep sound and voice notification volume to be changeable. With the latest A119 mini update, the volume has increased and the speaker gives notification with maximum performance. If it is possible to select low-mid and high volume in the menu, drivers of a very noisy...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[Lothar]

If buying A139 Pro or A229 Pro for sure you can wait 2-3 years for the next dashcam. The only improvement which can be over IMX678 is the 1/1.2 IMX675. If DJI will not start making dashcams I cant see any actual dashcam manufacturer to use an 1/1.2 CMOS. Viofo prepared for about 4 years to use a bigger sensor, the actual 1/1.8 IMX678.

Starvis 2 needs good light over the car license plates for Clear HDR to become effective. On the rear of your car will be no lights from your car but only the brake lights, if applied. The advantage of A139 Pro front camera is not only the Starvis 2 technology but the size of the sensor. So if A229 Pro will use the 2K IMX675 on the rear, it will be the same 1/2.8 size of actual IMX335. But I am sure that IMX675 is better than IMX335. Based on my experience with IMX335 I hope Viofo will stop using it on all future cameras and move to IMX675.
Rear means more dark. To have brighter image you need a smaller resolution or a bigger sizd CMOS. I don't see any actual manufacturer to put a bigger CMOS on rear camera. On rear cameras I would use IMX662 which is Full HD Starvis 2.

IMX675 is very new...Likely has not even reached mass production yet and is still a sample product.
It is still on version 0.1, unlike IMX662 which is on version 1.0, and IMX678 which is on version 2.0 and has therefore had multiple revisions/silicon tapeouts.

IMX662 is more likely than IMX675...which is more likely than IMX664...which is more likely than IMX678 for the A229 Pro for the rear.
IMX327 was the true successor to the IMX291 but very few companies adopted it and most of them skipped it or stayed with IMX291 due to pricing.

They don't really have to go with IMX675 either. They can also use IMX664 which has a larger pixel size.
If they go with IMX664 for the rear, that will certainly future proof the dashcam for many years to come...

 

[TonyM]

If it were my money I would return the A229, and buy a 1-CHANNEL A139 PRO.

If I had the money I would do that. I'm going with the front and rear A139 Pro.

Note that the front 4K camera bitrate is reduced when you connect a second channel to the A139 Pro. To get the best out of it, I would agree with @Panzer Platform and buy the 1-channel version which is what I did. I have tried 2CH mode and personally I'm not so happy with the results.

 

[marcusb]

Note that the front 4K camera bitrate is reduced when you connect a second channel to the A139 Pro. To get the best out of it, I would agree with @Panzer Platform and buy the 1-channel version which is what I did. I have tried 2CH mode and personally I'm not so happy with the results.

I may run it in 2k then. Either way, im getting starvis2 for only a bit more.

 

[Deleted member 64174]

....

 

[Lothar]

Note that the front 4K camera bitrate is reduced when you connect a second channel to the A139 Pro. To get the best out of it, I would agree with @Panzer Platform and buy the 1-channel version which is what I did. I have tried 2CH mode and personally I'm not so happy with the results.

Was this 2CH mode that you tried at 1600P (28.06Mbps bitrate handicap issue which I have mentioned several times), 2160P (44.86Mbps bitrate), or both?
If there is still a big noticeable difference between 45Mbps bitrate(2CH mode) vs 60Mbps bitrate (1CH mode) in the front camera, then we are not anywhere close to diminishing returns yet where people say higher bitrates don't matter.
I have always supported running dashcams at the maximum bitrate/area possible and that is the first thing I evaluate in choosing any dashcam...

 

[TonyM]

Was this 2CH mode that you tried at 1600P (28.06Mbps bitrate handicap issue which I have mentioned several times), 2160P (44.86Mbps bitrate), or both?
If there is still a big noticeable difference between 45Mbps bitrate(2CH mode) vs 60Mbps bitrate (1CH mode) in the front camera, then we are not anywhere close to diminishing returns yet where people say higher bitrates don't matter.
I have always supported running dashcams at the maximum bitrate/area possible and that is the first thing I evaluate in choosing any dashcam...

Lately it was in 1600p and I thought it did look bit-starved, turning blocky etc. which it doesn't do in 1CH mode. I think 2CH 2160p looked a bit better, but I don't have any examples to compare directly.

 

[Lothar]

Dash cams have reached such a mainstream level that VIOFO and others really have little choice but to take a large leap forward and change their product line and market. The day of accepting reduced bitrates, non-adjustable volume, and more, are close to being over. Many users want the best image quality possible but there are a small vocal group here, and no doubt at other sites, that convince the user and dash cams manufacturers that less is better. @viofo and other manufacturers should understand that a small number of testers at various websites do not inclusively speak for the majority of the users. Dash cam attributes such as adjustable volume and LCD's are important...in my case, I just do not want a dashcam that does not permit me to interface it with a LCD as I do not take my cell phone with me every where I go. I also do not need the complexity of these Cloud features. I simply do not and I view them as gimmicks that add cost to the end product. My opinion only but I expect that many others do not give a care about Cloud features.

@viofo at present has a too "busy" product line with a several offerings named with too similar names. It is time for them to seriously rethink their product line and leap ahead of the other manufacturers. That means better heat management via better designed cases with better ventilation, more powerful processing of data streams, no reducing bitrates due to multiple streams of data, devices with onboard LCD, etc. Better software design utilizing any SDK provided by SONY...it means paying for high quality, professional programmers and not "adequate" programmers.

I view @viofo as having the will and drive to be the market leader and driver...they just need to take the steps to do so and be aggressive with their product line. I would gladly pay $400 to $500 USD for a high quality dash cam that did what a dash cam should do...provide multiple max quality image streams, LCD, adjustable volume, and full customisation via an app.

Viofo makes several products that appeal to all sorts of people at different price points, you have to pick based on the features and price point that you want. They are already ahead of other manufacturers(especially the Korean big name ones) and are the market leader.
Mathematically, there is no way to not have reduced bitrate from multiple data streams. If a camera achieves that, then it means that they handicapped the bitrate on their single data stream.
The question here is what is an acceptable level that the product can handle...I personally would not do 28.06Mbps bitrate in a 4K camera running in 2CH mode.

I personally don't know of any dashcam manufacturer that is more aggressive than Viofo.
Then wait for the A229 Pro line (better heat management/ventilation [I don't remember anyone complaining about this in the regular A229 which will possibly share the same housing], LCD screen, customization via app). It should have most of the features that you outlined (I don't know about the adjustable volume part).
That is what I'm waiting to see.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Note that the front 4K camera bitrate is reduced when you connect a second channel to the A139 Pro. To get the best out of it, I would agree with @Panzer Platform and buy the 1-channel version which is what I did. I have tried 2CH mode and personally I'm not so happy with the results.

I think their are 2 kinds of dash cam users.
You, and I Tony are interested in maximum image quality without any compromise whatsoever.
The others are like marcusb who are more interested in convenience, and are willing to compromise image quality to achieve that.
I think we wasted our breath pushing the use of the A139 Pro as a 1-Channel only camera. lol

 

[Panzer Platform]

I also do not need the complexity of these Cloud features.

I hope, and pray Viofo never tries to add cloud recording to their cameras, and leaves that game to BlackVue & Thinkware etc.

 

[marcusb]

I think their are 2 kinds of dash cam users.
You, and I Tony are interested in maximum image quality without any compromise whatsoever.
The others are like marcusb who are more interested in convenience, and are willing to compromise image quality to achieve that.
I think we wasted our breath pushing the use of the A139 Pro as a 1-Channel only camera. lol

I want the best image quality, but have accepted at this time I will have to settle for less than the best.

It's not that I don't appreciate the importance of bit rate and resolution.

 

[Lothar]

Lately it was in 1600p and I thought it did look bit-starved, turning blocky etc. which it doesn't do in 1CH mode. I think 2CH 2160p looked a bit better, but I don't have any examples to compare directly.

No need to compare directly...
I can already tell that 28.06Mbps bitrate in a 4K 1600p camera would be horrible based on my previous mathematical calculations. That maybe acceptable to the likes of Blackvue and a few others that have been running their 4K cameras at that bitrate level for a while now, but not for me.

I'm just wondering about the difference between 2CH 2160p (44.86Mbps) and 1CH 2160p (58-60Mbps)...and whether such a bitrate difference is still noticeable. I would guess that yes it is noticable

 

[TonyM]

I'm just wondering about the difference between 2CH 2160p (44.86Mbps) and 1CH 2160p (58-60Mbps)...and whether such a bitrate difference is still noticeable. I would guess that yes it is noticable

Noticeable - maybe. Might depend on the scene.