A229 Pro Test & Review PP

[Paul Iddon]

I prefer the smaller font on the 4k screen over the rear and interior cam sized fonts at their lower res. Looks far tideir the less pixelatted it is.


Paul.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I prefer the smaller font on the 4k screen over the rear and interior cam sized fonts at their lower res

This sounds like why my grandmother told me to marry a girl with small hands, to make my thing look bigger.

less pixelatted it is.

I knew you were going to say that.
I took that screenshot from an old YouTube video, and I could only adjust the resolution to 360p, instead of 1080p.
If you look at the 1080p Interior text overlay, it's not pixelated at all, (OK not as bad).

 

[Panzer Platform]

Let’s talk about Bitrate for a minute.
What is Bitrate, and why is it important?
The more Bitrate, the more fine detail in the recorded footage.
Running high Bitrates is Viofo’s secret sauce.
Based on my experience Viofo usually runs double, or triple the Bitrate of a competitor’s camera.
It’s part of the reason they are continually beating their competitor’s cameras in overall image quality.
This comes at an expense though, (extra heat).

The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 1-CH configuration is 430 MB.
430 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 57 Mbps



The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 2-CH Rear configuration is;
Front 430 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 57 Mbps
Rear 174 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 23 Mbps
This is a big deal the front camera can maintain its full quality Bitrate.
This is because they stuffed an extra processor inside the Rear camera.
I haven’t seen this tactic since the A129 Plus Duo.
Having an additional processor just for the Rear camera reduces the work load, and heat generation the for the main processor located in the Front camera.
This is a major advantage the A229 Pro has over the A139 Pro.



The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 2-CH Interior configuration is;
Front 260 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 35 Mbps
Interior 114 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 15 Mbps
This is where the A229 Pro goes south.
Chopping the Front camera’s Bitrate almost in half is unacceptable.
And it’s a shame, because the IR Interior camera is much improved over the A139 Pro’s IR Interior camera.



The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 3-CH configuration is;
Front 260 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 35 Mbps
Rear 172 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 23 Mbps
Interior 114 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 15 Mbps



Based on these Bitrate configurations I will only be able to recommend the A229 Pro in 1-CH, and 2-CH REAR configuration.
I will not recommend the A229 Pro in 2-CH INTERIOR, or 3-CH configuration.

 

[Paul Iddon]

3 channels is most likely aimed at Uber or taxi drivers etc, small passenger vehicles and I would hazard a guess most would not worry about bitrate too much.

In my car, where most of the time I am the only person in it, front and rear will suffice (plus I look awful especially in infra red mode) and would happily not look at myself.

Therefore a priority would be for me front and rear and with maximum bit rate where possible.


Oh and ignore the 2 tt's in pixilated lmao....

Paul

 

[Agie]

I prefer the smaller font on the 4k screen over the rear and interior cam sized fonts at their lower res. Looks far tideir the less pixelatted it is.


Paul.

Lol wait til you view it on a 2k screen like I do on my laptop and it gets quite annoying. Also annoying how I say use a program to edit RAW photos such as DxO PhotoLabs and the interface is tiny and doesn't scale properly to the display resolution.

Not all programs do that but it's annoying when text is too small

 

[Agie]

Let’s talk about Bitrate for a minute.
What is Bitrate, and why is it important?
The more Bitrate, the more fine detail in the recorded footage.
Running high Bitrates is Viofo’s secret sauce.
Based on my experience Viofo usually runs double, or triple the Bitrate of a competitor’s camera.
It’s part of the reason they are continually beating their competitor’s cameras in overall image quality.
This comes at an expense though, (extra heat).

The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 1-CH configuration is 430 MB.
430 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 57 Mbps

View attachment 67954

The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 2-CH Rear configuration is;
Front 430 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 57 Mbps
Rear 174 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 23 Mbps
This is a big deal the front camera can maintain its full quality Bitrate.
This is because they stuffed an extra processor inside the Rear camera.
I haven’t seen this tactic since the A129 Plus Duo.
Having an additional processor just for the Rear camera reduces the work load, and heat generation the for the main processor located in the Front camera.
This is a major advantage the A229 Pro has over the A139 Pro.

View attachment 67955

The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 2-CH Interior configuration is;
Front 260 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 35 Mbps
Interior 114 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 15 Mbps
This is where the A229 Pro goes south.
Chopping the Front camera’s Bitrate almost in half is unacceptable.
And it’s a shame, because the IR Interior camera is much improved over the A139 Pro’s IR Interior camera.

View attachment 67956

The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 3-CH configuration is;
Front 260 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 35 Mbps
Rear 172 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 23 Mbps
Interior 114 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 15 Mbps

View attachment 67957

Based on these Bitrate configurations I will only be able to recommend the A229 Pro in 1-CH, and 2-CH REAR configuration.
I will not recommend the A229 Pro in 2-CH INTERIOR, or 3-CH configuration.

Going on bitrate though and optimisations, even in 3 channel mode, I'm guessing it would be an easy recommendation over something like the Vantrue Nexus 4 Pro (yes, I know the rear cam isn't Starvis 2 on that one)

 

[Panzer Platform]

I’m pleased to report the A229 Pro does NOT have the super secret H.265 HEVC Codec by long pressing the MIC button, (I tried all buttons).
The only Codec available is H.264.
This means recorded footage will be accessible by EVERY computer / device.
If you didn’t know I have a strong aversion to H.265 for personal reasons. lol

 

[Agie]

I’m pleased to report the A229 Pro does NOT have the super secret H.265 HEVC Codec by long pressing the MIC button, (I tried all buttons).
The only Codec available is H.264.
This means recorded footage will be accessible by EVERY computer / device.
If you didn’t know I have a strong aversion to H.265 for personal reasons. lol

I love me my h.265 but can understand why others won't

 

[Agie]

Indoor Focus Check
Keep in mind I will follow up with an Outdoor focus check.
Take note how tiny the characters are in the text overlay at the bottom of the screen on the front camera compared to the others.
I’ve been complaining about this for the past 4 years, ever since the A129 Pro Duo was released October 2019
I always get the same response from Viofo;
“The smaller character size is due to the 4K resolution.”
That answer does not make any sense to me.
Does that mean when we get 8K cameras the characters will shrink even smaller?
I’m no engineer, or computer expert but this sounds like a lazy excuse, and it will take too much time, and effort to get the characters on the 4K cameras the same size as the 2K, and 1080p cameras.

View attachment 67930
View attachment 67931

Another Note:
It was explained to me the INTERIOR camera has a focal length that is designed to be used in a vehicle passenger compartment, (1 Meter).
Oh yeah, the IR LEDs are set to OFF for this check.

FRONT
View attachment 67932
REAR
View attachment 67933
INTERIOR
View attachment 67934

Sorry for the silly question, but can you confirm please if the front camera of the A229 Pro, the cable end that plugs into the 12V charger, is that a USB-A end and not USB-C?

I have a car charger that has one USB-A and one USB-C, so I'll have to rip out the cabling for my Nexus 4 Pro (since that's an integrated all in one car charger ending), and replace it with USB-C to USB-C cable. Then use the USB-C to USB-A with the A229 Pro..

 

[viofo]

Sorry for the silly question, but can you confirm please if the front camera of the A229 Pro, the cable end that plugs into the 12V charger, is that a USB-A end and not USB-C?

I have a car charger that has one USB-A and one USB-C, so I'll have to rip out the cabling for my Nexus 4 Pro (since that's an integrated all in one car charger ending), and replace it with USB-C to USB-C cable. Then use the USB-C to USB-A with the A229 Pro..

It is USB-A to USB-C.

 

[Agie]

It is USB-A to USB-C.

Ok thank you good to know

 

[Nigel]

Front 430 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 57 Mbps

Can you explain why you are dividing by 7.5?

The maximum file size for a 1-Minute clip from the A229 Pro in 3-CH configuration is;
Front 260 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 35 Mbps
Rear 172 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 23 Mbps
Interior 114 MB ⨸ 7.5 = Approximately 15 Mbps

Based on these Bitrate configurations I will only be able to recommend the A229 Pro in 1-CH, and 2-CH REAR configuration.
I will not recommend the A229 Pro in 2-CH INTERIOR, or 3-CH configuration.

And it’s a shame, because the IR Interior camera is much improved over the A139 Pro’s IR Interior camera.

15Mbps is high quality for an FHD dashcam

FHD has half the pixels of 2K and a quarter of the pixels of 4K, so to match the quality of the rear and front sensors, it should have 23/2= 11.5 or 35/4 = 8.75.

So that explains why the interior camaera looks good, it has a high quality bitrate while the front camera has a low quality bitrate, although still higher than most of the competition!

The Interior camera actually requires less bitrate since the interior of the car normally has very little movement, so it would make some sense to reallocate some of the bitrate from the interior camera to the front camera so that their qualities match.

Front 38,5, Rear 23, Interior 11.5 would give them all the same medium quality, not maximum movie quality, but excellent for a 3 channel dashcam. Recording accidents at these rates gives perfectly acceptable quality. If you want movie quality then yes, you need to sacrifice a channel.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Can you explain why you are dividing by 7.5?

You must have been absent that day. lol

How to calculate recording Bitrate from file size?

I just spent 15 minutes searching; “video bitrate calculator” on google, and I still can’t figure this out. Is there a simple way to calculate recording bitrate of a dash cam with only the file size from a 1 minute video clip? Kind of how you calculate Watts from Volt & Amps? (12.6 Volts x 250mA...

dashcamtalk.com

The Simple Formula to Calculate Video Bitrates - Frame.io Insider

Anyone who works with video needs to be able to understand and calculate video bitrates. Fortunately, it's very easy, and this article teaches you how.

blog.frame.io

Front 38,5, Rear 23, Interior 11.5 would give them all the same medium quality

Anything less than the “full quality” 57 Mbps Bitrate on the Front camera is unacceptable.
It’s like being short-changed at the cash register, and not finding out until it’s too late.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I have a car charger that has one USB-A and one USB-C, so I'll have to rip out the cabling for my Nexus 4 Pro (since that's an integrated all in one car charger ending),

This is why I detest the "one piece" power cables.
The usual two piece design (separate charger & Type-C cable) Viofo provides, (not WM1) is much more versatile for installations, and future faffing.

 

[Agie]

This is why I detest the "one piece" power cables.
The usual two piece design (separate charger & Type-C cable) Viofo provides, (not WM1) is much more versatile for installations, and future faffing.

That's exactly it. It's not quite a three-USB-A solution or even a 2C1A, but most people wouldn't have a use for that anyway apart from say us dedicated dashcam heads haha

I ended up purchasing a 3 metre USB-C to USB-C cable today, not quite the 3.5 metres that came in the box with the N4 Pro, but I'll make it work..

 

[Panzer Platform]

I ended up purchasing a 3 metre USB-C to USB-C cable today,

Does it do video, or just power.
I want a 1 meter short cable for the rear cameras of the A229 Pro & A229 Plus.

 

[MARTIN.BG]

What is the difference between the A229pro and the A229plus?

 

[Agie]

Does it do video, or just power.
I want a 1 meter short cable for the rear cameras of the A229 Pro & A229 Plus.

I've seen plenty of 1m ones here in-store in Australia, and some 0.5m as well

It's just doing power as I only need it for the power connection back to the USB-C 12V charger. Just tested the measurements now in the car and it's going to be fun putting it in tomorrow lol, gonna be a tight squeeze eep

 

[kamkar]

difference between the A229pro and the A229plus?

PRO is 4 K and Plus is 1440p both using the new starvis 2 sensors

At least that is the main thing, maybe smaller underlying differences too.

 

[Nigel]

PRO is 4 K and Plus is 1440p both using the new starvis 2 sensors

At least that is the main thing, maybe smaller underlying differences too.

Or slightly simpler: Pro records 2x the detail on the front view.