A229 Duo Test & Review PP

[CaptureYourAction]

As I recall, Viofo removed 5GHz in later firmware.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I wish the A229 REAR camera had a CPL Filter.
Take a look at these test videos I filmed today.
I had the A119 Mini, (CPL Filter Equipped) right next to the A229 rear cam.
Wow, what a difference.

Maybe my car has something to do with it?
My rear window is very upright at around 45 degrees.
I have a feeling most modern cars have a much sleeker rake at around 30 degrees.
Btw, both my cars are some what “identical” 2004 Ford Crown Victoria, 2010 Mercury Grand Marquis, (Ford’s Panther Platform).

Also, while reviewing the footage from the A229 I noticed the time on the text overlay skips 11:18:56.
It goes from 11:18:55 to 11:18:57.
What happened to the 56th second?
Is this what is referred to as a dropped frame?
-Chuck

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[rcg530]

Also, while reviewing the footage from the A229 I noticed the time on the text overlay skips 11:18:56.
It goes from 11:18:55 to 11:18:57.
What happened to the 56th second?
Is this what is referred to as a dropped frame?

I don't see any dropped video frames in the A229 Duo rear camera video around that timestamp. My best guess is that there was an A229 realtime clock adjustment to sync it with the GPS time.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I saved the raw footage just in case.
I've been dying to quote your usual;
"I have reported these findings to my representative, and I await their response"
I love that. lol
-Chuck

 

[Nigel]

Maybe my car has something to do with it?
My rear window is very upright at around 45 degrees.
I have a feeling most modern cars have a much sleeker rake at around 30 degrees.

45 degrees is the angle that CPLs work best, so your A119 Mini is working brilliantly! On a 30 degree car the A119 Mini CPL would only be 2/3rds working, and lots of modern cars are nearly vertical, which results in the CPLs only 1/3rd working or worse, which is why we tend not to recommend rear CPLs, they are often disappointing.

The other feature of your car is that the rear parcel shelf is unusually bright, so causing a lot of reflection. I don't know if it was made that way, or maybe it has faded a bit over time, wouldn't be surprising. It is not ideal for good visibility by the camera or the driver.

I'm not convinced that you have missed anything by not having a rear CPL on the A229? Other than the view into the car behind, which still isn't detailed enough to recognise faces. Certainly the view with the CPL looks better, but is the rear camera for evidence gathering, or movie making? If it is for evidence gathering then I think you are probably better off without the rear CPL, since your reflections are not interfering with detail, and you should be getting half the motion blur, which could be very useful. Some people have textured rear parcel shelves that reflect badly and do destroy detail, but for most people I think no rear CPL is better.

It would be nice to have the option though!

What happened to the 56th second?

The clock on the rear camera is being updated about every 1.03 seconds instead of exactly every second, the clock update is out of synchronisation with the frame rate. After a while it has missed a complete second, so we see it skip one second. If you watched for long enough and counted how long it takes between each skipping then then I think you would find it to be a regular occurance, and you could correct my 1.03 figure which is probably a little out because I didn't collect enough data to get it accurate.

Not sure if it counts as a fault, you could try reporting it.

It might be because the clock overlay is added by the rear camera, so maybe the front camera sends an update up the cable once a second, and maybe it can't be more accurate. I suspect not, but don't know.

 

[Panzer Platform]

It would be nice to have the option though!

I want my MTV! lol

 

[Nigel]

I want my MTV! lol

In UK, that might be a reference to colour being an extra on your TV image:

 

[Panzer Platform]

LMAO.
I meant it as a declaration of I'm not a subject of the USSR, and I demand more than one brand of toilet paper. lol

 

[Panzer Platform]

More useless “gentle” heat testing.

The next 5 days are forecast to be 100℉ - 105℉ (37℃ - 40℃).
I thought I would take advantage, and do more “gentle” heat testing on my Viofo A119 Mini, Viofo A229 Duo, and Vantrue Element E1 that are installed in my car.

My car is parked in the garage out of direct sunlight, but ambient temperature of my garage is almost identical to outside weather conditions. It does not simulate real world parking mode scenarios performed in direct sunlight, but it does offer insight how well the cameras dissipate heat, and how they compare to each other under identical test conditions.

I start the cameras at 6AM in normal recording mode, and let them run until 8PM non stop. I monitor them throughout the day checking for signs of overheating like shutting down, or recording stoppages, or any other malfunctions.
5PM - 6PM is when the cameras really start to cook, and the highest camera temps can be measured. I obtained the following temp measurements at 5:30PM.

Outside Temperature: 99℉ (37℃)
Ambient Garage Temp: 96℉ (36℃)
Garage Relative Humidity: 35%
A119 Mini: 145℉ (63℃)
A229 Front: 140℉ (60℃)
A229 Rear: 111℉ (44℃)
Element E1: 138℉ (59℃)

A119 Mini - Firmware V1.1 20220810
2560 x 1440P 60fps
High Bitrate
All other settings default.

A229 Duo - Firmware 1.0_0623
1440P 30 + 1440P 30
Maximum Bitrate
All other settings default.

Element E1 - Firmware EBH091 8/10/22
2560 x 1440P HDR 30fps
No bitrate options (16Mbps)
All other settings default.

 

[Lothar]

Noticed that you tested A119 Mini at "High Bitrate" vs "Maximum Bitrate" on the A229, so this is not an apple to apple comparison.
Any particular reason why? or is it that the A119 Mini couldn't stand the heat at "Maximum Bitrate" so you lowered it in the settings?

 

[Panzer Platform]

Noticed that you tested A119 Mini at "High Bitrate" vs "Maximum Bitrate" on the A229, so this is not an apple to apple comparison.
Any particular reason why? or is it that the A119 Mini couldn't stand the heat at "Maximum Bitrate" so you lowered it in the settings?

Right on Lothar,
Thanks for stopping in.
You are correct.
Good catch.

The A119 Mini has three Bitrate settings;
High: 30
Medium: 25
Low: 18

The A229 Duo has four Bitrate settings;
Maximum: Front 29 / Rear 25
High: Front 24 / Rear 19
Normal: Front 20 / Rear 16
Low: Front 17 / Rear 12
(all bitrates in Mbps)

I’m waiting for @kamkar to come in here any minute and say;
“Low, Medium, Normal, High, Maximum, what’s next LUDICROUS?!?”
LMAO
-Chuck

 

[kamkar]

I am polishing my big black helmet.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I am polishing my big black helmet.

lol

 

[Nigel]

The A119 Mini has three Bitrate settings;
High: 30
Medium: 25
Low: 18

The A229 Duo has four Bitrate settings;
Maximum: Front 29 / Rear 25
High: Front 24 / Rear 19
Normal: Front 20 / Rear 16
Low: Front 17 / Rear 12
(all bitrates in Mbps)

So are the settings named incorrectly on the A119 Mini, it should be Maximum, High and Low, so that the bitrates match those with the same names on the A229?

Or maybe the A229 settings should be High, Enhanced, Normal, Low...

 

[Karagandinez]

More useless “gentle” heat testing.

The next 5 days are forecast to be 100℉ - 105℉ (37℃ - 40℃).
I thought I would take advantage, and do more “gentle” heat testing on my Viofo A119 Mini, Viofo A229 Duo, and Vantrue Element E1 that are installed in my car.

My car is parked in the garage out of direct sunlight, but ambient temperature of my garage is almost identical to outside weather conditions. It does not simulate real world parking mode scenarios performed in direct sunlight, but it does offer insight how well the cameras dissipate heat, and how they compare to each other under identical test conditions.

I start the cameras at 6AM in normal recording mode, and let them run until 8PM non stop. I monitor them throughout the day checking for signs of overheating like shutting down, or recording stoppages, or any other malfunctions.
5PM - 6PM is when the cameras really start to cook, and the highest camera temps can be measured. I obtained the following temp measurements at 5:30PM.

Outside Temperature: 99℉ (37℃)
Ambient Garage Temp: 96℉ (36℃)
Garage Relative Humidity: 35%
A119 Mini: 145℉ (63℃)
A229 Front: 140℉ (60℃)
A229 Rear: 111℉ (44℃)
Element E1: 138℉ (59℃)

A119 Mini - Firmware V1.1 20220810
2560 x 1440P 60fps
High Bitrate
All other settings default.

A229 Duo - Firmware 1.0_0623
1440P 30 + 1440P 30
Maximum Bitrate
All other settings default.

Element E1 - Firmware EBH091 8/10/22
2560 x 1440P HDR 30fps
No bitrate options (16Mbps)
All other settings default.

Perhaps the temperature of the Mini case is higher than that of the A229 due to the better heat dissipation from the processor in the Mini ...
Thanks to the work of user Dex_ , I am able to see the temperature of the processor in the Mini and A229.
I also carried out a temperature test of processors on the Mini and A229 Duo and under equal conditions the temperature of the A119 Mini processor is lower than the temperature of the A229 Duo processor.

 

[Nigel]

under equal conditions the temperature of the A119 Mini processor is lower than the temperature of the A229 Duo processor.

Is that with both running a single channel?

 

[Karagandinez]

Is that with both running a single channel?

A229 Duo = This is a dual channel model.
Single channel=A229.

 

[Lothar]

So are the settings named incorrectly on the A119 Mini, it should be Maximum, High and Low, so that the bitrates match those with the same names on the A229?

Or maybe the A229 settings should be High, Enhanced, Normal, Low...

Or maybe they should stick to the same 4 settings standard that they use for their other cameras (low, normal, high, and maximum)...I remember the A139 having 4 setting toggles when I studied it way back when.
I don't recall if the A119 V3 that this A119 Mini replaces has 4 bitrate settings or only 3.

 

[Karagandinez]

I don't recall if the A119 V3 that this A119 Mini replaces has 4 bitrate settings or only 3.

A119 V3 has 3 bitrate settings, same as A119 Mini.

 

[Lothar]

Perhaps the temperature of the Mini case is higher than that of the A229 due to the better heat dissipation from the processor in the Mini ...
Thanks to the work of user Dex_ , I am able to see the temperature of the processor in the Mini and A229.
I also carried out a temperature test of processors on the Mini and A229 Duo and under equal conditions the temperature of the A119 Mini processor is lower than the temperature of the A229 Duo processor.

Based on your figures, the temperature of the Mini processor is lower than that on the A229 processor, but yet the temperature on the Mini case is hotter than the A229 case.
I wonder where all the extra heat that the A229 processor produces go that it does not show up on the case like the A119 Mini? The extra heat has to go somewhere...
Perhaps the A229 is constructed better with more ventilation holes placed strategically, better heat absorbing materials (such as copper vs aluminum/iron), etc...

Is the hard-coded thermal shutdown based on the "on-die" processor temperature sensor, or there is another temperature sensor somewhere else in the case that the decision to shutdown is based upon?
I wonder if the heat is more evenly distributed on the A229 vs the A119 Mini which may be coming out in one particular area/side or near where the a heat sensor is located if there is one located off-die. I don't have one of those fancy infrared thermometers that cost hundreds of dollars to find out.

The reason I ask is that I could have sworn that I read a review/test from someone here(don't remember who?) stating that the A119 Mini shutdown while the A229 (or was it an A119 V3 comparison?) kept on recording...or maybe it's just me imagining things?

A119 V3 has 3 bitrate settings, same as A119 Mini.

Good to know. I can understand why they stuck to these same exact settings for the A119 Mini then.