A139 Pro Test & Review PP

But when I turn on the high beams it all goes to heck. Lol
You don't often want to read a plate when you have your high beams on!
Any accident would probably be your fault for blinding the other drivers.

It seems like the A139 is winning just about every test too easily... you need to give it a more serious challenge...
 
You don't often want to read a plate when you have your high beams on!
Any accident would probably be your fault for blinding the other drivers.
C’mon Nigel, I’m well aware of the codified laws & regulations for the use of high beams in my home state.

High Beams;
CVC 24409. During darkness the driver shall use a distribution of light directed high enough to reveal persons, and vehicles at a safe distance in advance of the vehicle, subject to the following limitations;
(a) Whenever the driver approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, he shall use the lowermost distribution of light so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver
(b) Whenever the driver follows another vehicle within 300 feet, he shall use the lowermost distribution of light specified in this article.

Which is why I’m conducting this experiment under “controlled conditions” with both of my personal cars, not out in traffic. I engaged the high beams trying to test the limitations of the cameras. Please tuck your “boy cried wolf” exclamation points away for real emergencies. lol
I’m racking my brain with ways to test the new STARVIS 2 sensor. Can you point me in the right direction instead of an ellipsis. Lol
-Chuck
 
hehe you lit the back of that parked car up, and it also seemed to be too much of a good thing for all the cameras :)
 
hehe you lit the back of that parked car up, and it also seemed to be too much of a good thing for all the cameras :)
The parked car is mine too silly. lol
-Chuck
 
I’m racking my brain with ways to test the new STARVIS 2 sensor.
How about a scene where there's enough ambient light that you don't need headlights? Not bright sunlight, just an overcast day should do it. Without the 'bright' exposure for sharp details, I'm finding the 'dark exposure' is longer and more blurred than on some other cameras, closer to the A129 Pro. I expect the A229 might do better in that test.
 
External Microphone Demo

Thanks to a request from Shu Vang on YouTube I compared the internal & external Viofo microphones on the A139 Pro. Have a listen;
 
H.264 vs. H.265 Power Consumption & Heat & File Size Comparison

At the request of @Curious George I compared H.264 vs H.265 on the A139 Pro in relation to power consumption, heat, and file size.
My garage temp was 62℉ (16℃) 54% Humidity.

First I checked file size using an Official Viofo MLC 128GB SD Card. With the camera in 1-Channel configuration, normal recording mode, 4K 3840x2160P 30fps, Maximum Bitrate, 1 Minute Loop Record here are the results;
H.264 1 min = 437MB
H.265 1 min = 389.3MB (11% less)

Next using my official @rcg530 current measuring wire harness I connected the A139 Pro to my variable power supply with my Fluke 115 in circuit to measure power consumption. I let the camera run for 1 hour in normal recording mode Wi-Fi Off and measured an average of;
H.264 = 339mAh @ 12.60 Volts or 4.2714 Watts

I measured the temperature at;
H.264 = Temp 125℉ (51℃)

I enabled H.265, and let the camera run for another hour with identical settings.
I measured the power consumption at;
H.265 = 341mAh @ 12.60 Volts or 4.2966 Watts

I measured the temperature at;
H.265 = Temp 129℉ (53℃)
-Chuck
 

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HDR Daytime Limitations

I was watching my daytime test footage, and I discovered the HDR limitations of the A139 Pro. At the start of the video you can see the somewhat low position of the sun in the winter sky “in my face”.

At 0:47 in the video the sun is now “at my back” as I approach the stop sign. When I get behind the Nissan Altima the license plate becomes clearly visible. But as the Nissan makes the right turn it reflects the sun directly into the camera, and washes out the plate. Check out the 4 screenshots.

1.) Nissan is stopped at the stop sign.
2.) Nissan has begun right turn, and you can see the sun’s reflection on the bumper just to the left of the plate.
3.) Nissan plate is now directly aligned with the sun to reflect into the camera.
4.) Nissan continues to turn, and the plate is now visible again, and you can see the sun’s reflection on the bumper just to the right of the plate.
 

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HDR Daytime Limitations

I was watching my daytime test footage, and I discovered the HDR limitations of the A139 Pro. At the start of the video you can see the somewhat low position of the sun in the winter sky “in my face”.

At 0:47 in the video the sun is now “at my back” as I approach the stop sign. When I get behind the Nissan Altima the license plate becomes clearly visible. But as the Nissan makes the right turn it reflects the sun directly into the camera, and washes out the plate. Check out the 4 screenshots.

1.) Nissan is stopped at the stop sign.
2.) Nissan has begun right turn, and you can see the sun’s reflection on the bumper just to the left of the plate.
3.) Nissan plate is now directly aligned with the sun to reflect into the camera.
4.) Nissan continues to turn, and the plate is now visible again, and you can see the sun’s reflection on the bumper just to the right of the plate.
Nice write up.
In image 3 it's exactly what i would expect.
I am assuming that number plate has the reflective material so it reflects light at night.

Side note - interesting number plate number... Is it making a statement?

Also the hand written message in the grime on the boot lid, the dash cam has done an excellent job picking that up while the sun is directly reflecting off the number plate.

I'm impressed.
 
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.
 
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.
I definitely would do so if you're able to.
Starvis 2 is a big improvement.
 
I definitely would do so if you're able to.
Starvis 2 is a big improvement.
I can return it and the difference works out to about $70. Hard to pass up the fidelity of the new sensor for that... But I am a bit sad as I literally just installed the a229, my first dashcam and was pretty proud of the install I did. Now I get to do it again, I guess. Just placed my order.
 
I see a lot of your driving vids start at the Taco Bell...must love the place. :)
Since 2019 whenever I get a new dash cam I film the same designated test loop. In my small town population 12,000 it’s the busiest intersection to catch the most cars during “rush hour” also because I’m used to seeing the same test loop of scenery I can quickly compare with test samples of past cameras to get a good impression on overall camera performance.

The point of this post was about the "limitations of HDR".
In this post I showed how well the HDR works;

Obviously my flashlight is no match for the sun. lol
-Chuck
 
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I just got an A229 and haven't installed the rear cam yet. Should I return it and buy the A139 Pro
If it were my money I would return the A229, and buy a 1-CHANNEL A139 PRO.
After seeing the wonderful image quality of the front camera you may be disappointed at the rear & interior cameras.
I felt this way when I tested the A129 Pro in 2020.
After watching the front 4K footage, watching the 1080p rear footage was a major disappointment for me.
Now, not only are the A139 Pro's rear & interior cameras only 1080p, they are only STARVIS 1.
So if you're like me and you want maximum image quality I would run two separate A139 Pro's front & rear.
-Chuck
 
If it were my money I would return the A229, and buy a 1-CHANNEL A139 PRO.
After seeing the wonderful image quality of the front camera you may be disappointed at the rear & interior cameras.
I felt this way when I tested the A129 Pro in 2020.
After watching the front 4K footage, watching the 1080p rear footage was a major disappointment for me.
Now, not only are the A139 Pro's rear & interior cameras only 1080p, they are only STARVIS 1.
So if you're like me and you want maximum image quality I would run two separate A139 Pro's front & rear.
-Chuck
If I had the money I would do that. I'm going with the front and rear A139 Pro. It is disappointing the rear sensor isn't starvis2. Resolution I am less picky about. I'd have loved to see 2k starvis 2 front and back.
 
I'd have loved to see 2k starvis 2 front and back.
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
 
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