A229 Pro Test & Review PP

[Agie]

Here’s another example of the A229 Pro’s improved clarity & low light sensitivity.
I don’t know how to explain this, usually the A119 Mini 2 has better low light sensitivity.
It must be something how the A229 Pro’s firmware is working to resolve these specific lighting conditions.
Where is @Nigel when I need him most to explain what is going on here?

Cameras on the rig;
A229 Pro 3-CH ..(IMX678)
A139 Pro 1-CH ..(IMX678)
A229 Plus 3-CH.(IMX678)
A119 Mini 2 ……(IMX675)

Camera Settings;
Bitrate: …..Maximum
HDR: ……..On
IR LEDs: …Off
CPL Filter: Off

Camera Firmware;
A229 Pro Front: ...V1.0 0925
A139 Pro: ………..V1.1 0629
A229 Plus Front…V1.0 0922
A119 Mini 2: ……..V1.0 0605

1.) A229 Pro Front vs. A139 Pro 1-CH
1a.) Take note of the wild grass in the foreground, it looks like a completely different species.
1b.) Take note of the headlights, and yellow clearance lights on the fuel tanker in the background, thay are sharp as a tack compared to the A139 Pro.
1.c) Take note of the written text on the illuminated sign.
1d.) Take note of my car parked at the fuel pumps.
This is a fantastic example of the A229 Pro’s potential.
2.) The A229 Plus Front is brighter than the A229 Pro, but it’s also overexposed.
3.) What happened to the Might Mini 2?
Everything is legible, but it’s just too darn dark.

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Here’s the test footage I took the screenshots from;

A229 Pro Front;

A139 Pro 1-CH;

A229 Plus Front;

A119 Mini 2;

This feels like the lenses they put in front of your eyes when you go to the optometrist to get your eyes tested. A229 Pro seems quite clear for the sign and the grass.

 

[SergiuC]

FOV COMPARISON - CONFIRM & VERIFY
In this post I would like to call attention to the false & misleading FOV specifications of the A229 Pro & A229 Plus.
Q: What is FOV, and why is it important?
A: FOV or technically AOV, or “viewing angle” is a specification consumers use to make an informed decision.
Narrow FOV’s are usually around 120°-140°.
Wider FOV’s are usually 170° or greater.
Narrow FOV’s make the center of the image appear larger, and it’s easier to see fine details like license plates.
Wider FOV’s provide overall more information in a given scene, however objects appear smaller, and warpage / barrel distortion is greater on the edges of the image.
I prefer 120°-140° FOV because it’s easier to make out fine details like license plates, and anything missed outside of view can be captured by auxiliary left & right cameras.
Because, why not add more cameras to cover all blind spots? lol

Both the A229 Pro & A229 Plus 3-CH have listed specifications of;
140° Front + 160° Rear + 150° Interior Viewing Angle.
Based on these screenshots the true FOV is closer to;
A229 Pro: 160° Front + 160° Rear + 170° Interior
A229 Plus: 145° Front + 160° Rear + 170° Interior
It’s been explained to me the FOV specifications are provided by the lens manufacturer to Viofo.
If Viofo fails to confirm & verify actual FOV of their dash cams after final assembly this is a deficiency of minimum standards for quality control in my opinion.
The name on the dash cam is Viofo, and they are ultimately responsible for providing true & correct specifications to consumers.

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Here’s the test footage I took the screenshots from;

A229 Pro Front;

A139 Pro 1-CH;

A229 Plus Front;

A119 Mini 2;

A229 Pro Rear;

A229 Plus Rear;

A229 Pro Interior;

A229 Plus Interior;

I don't know if everybody realise but the record on microphone on 229Plus is better than 229Pro. I think is not an hardware difference, it's possible to be a software improvement +1 or 2dB in the level of record. It will be nice if you can talk also with the guys from Viofo to make the record of sound on 229Pro at least like on 229Plus. It's not normal to be the sound worst on the Pro than Plus.

What do you think?

 

[Panzer Platform]

microphone on 229Plus is better than 229Pro.

Incorrect.
The reason the A229 Plus sounds louder than the A229 Pro in these test footage clips is because of their location on the test rig.
The A229 Pro’s speaker is blaring into the A229 Plus’ microphone.
I will confirm & verify this with an audio test in a future post.

 

[SergiuC]

Incorrect.
The reason the A229 Plus sounds louder than the A229 Pro in these test footage clips is because of their location on the test rig.
The A229 Pro’s speaker is blaring into the A229 Plus’ microphone.
I will confirm & verify this with an audio test in a future post.

Thank you for the video! but I don't refer on the sound that make the dash cams, I refer to the background noise ( cars, road noise etc) that camera record with microphone.

These difference can be heard in each video that you posted it before.

I consider also the " microphone/level of sound recorder" it's also important topic, not as much as image quality and record of the number plates, but depends also in what circumstances will use them.

Nevermind it was just a point, you will check later, still I maintain my point my opinion about this.

P.s - you make a verry verry great job and deliver a super profi content ! Keep going and wish you luck in every aspect of your life

 

[Panzer Platform]

These difference can be heard in each video

They sound different because of the way they are mounted on my test rig.
I understand your concern for good audio quality, (I’m the same way).
Once I get both cameras mounted on my front windshield (in my car) I will perform a real audio test with my voice talking to the cameras similar to this;

The A229 Duo, and A229 Pro have the best audio quality from the BUILT-IN microphone from any Viofo dash cam.
I still need to test the A229 Plus to confirm & verify they uses the same microphone.

 

[Panzer Platform]

IR INTERIOR CAMERA - DIFFERENCES & IMPROVEMENTS
Keep in mind the IR Interior camera is identical in hardware & image quality for the A229 Plus.
In this post I would like to talk about the differences, and improvements of the IR Interior camera compared to the IR Interior camera of the A139 Pro.
Long story short I like all they’ve done hardware wise, but I can see why @rcg530 said; “He’s not a fan of the interior nighttime image quality”.
I’m hopeful some fine tuning with it’s firmware can fix this.

I’ve found the A229 Pro & A229 Plus IR Interior camera to be much improved over the A139 Pro’s IR Interior camera for three reasons.
1.) Image Sensor upgraded from STARVIS IMX291 to STARVIS IMX307
2.) HDR Support
3.) Built-in Light Sensor with IR Cut Filter
They reduced the number of IR LED emitters from 6 to 4 to make room for the light sensor & IR cut filter.
It appears to be a good trade off because the upgraded sensor has better low light sensitivity so it can maintain full color until lighting conditions drop so low that it illuminates the IR LED Emitters, and switches to black & white.
The HDR works fantastic.
The built-in light sensor is more accurate, and quicker to respond to changes in ambient lighting conditions, (switching back and forth between color & black and white).
And the IR Cut Filter has gotten rid of that annoying purple hue on dark colored objects during daytime recordings.

Camera Settings & Firmware;
Bitrate: …..Maximum
HDR: ……..On (A229 Pro)
IR LED: ..…Auto
A229 Pro ...V1.0 0915
A139 Pro: ..V1.1 0629

1.) Take note of the HDR performance of the A229 Pro in the dome light, and door panel courtesy lights.
2.) Take note the IR LED’s are set to AUTO, but only the A139 Pro has them illuminated.
Even under these “bright” conditions with the dome light, and my garage lighting it still thinks its dark enough that it has to illuminate the IR LED emitters.
You can see the the purple glow of the emitters on the sun visor in the image recorded by the A139 Pro, and you can also see the IR LED’s are illuminated in the image recorded by the A229 Pro by looking across the passenger compartment.
At the same time you can see the IR LED’s are not illuminated on the A229 Pro.
3.) I do like the more natural appearance of the A139 Pro, however it’s been explained to me the buzzy appearance of the A229 Pro is designed for better low light performance.
Maybe that needs more fine tuning, not sure.
4.) Unrelated note: my car is a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria with 162K Miles, and I’ve been able to keep the interior in somewhat good condition for this almost 20 year old car. Lol
In the next post I’ll present some test footage of a mock traffic stop.

 

[speedingcheetah]

Incorrect.
The reason the A229 Plus sounds louder than the A229 Pro in these test footage clips is because of their location on the test rig.
The A229 Pro’s speaker is blaring into the A229 Plus’ microphone.
I will confirm & verify this with an audio test in a future post.

Seeing this vid, first time i realize, just how "Mini" the Mini 2 is. Wow, the "Higher End Models" are HUGE in comparison.
The Mini 2 stacks up very very well to it big brothers, even if it lack 4K resolution.

 

[kamkar]

The Viofo mini 2 is the Denmark of Dashcams, punching well over its weight.

 

[Deleted member 85644]

@Panzer Platform , what is the mounting adapter you are using for the IR camera that is mounted on the passenger side. I am now looking for a mount that has the ability
to adjust on at least two planes.

 

[Agie]

Anyone else have wifi issues with their A229 Pro?

Almost everytime I enable wifi (when the dashcam is recording in 3-Ch mode), and then use Viofo app to view footage, it reboots the dash cam itself. Doesn't do it if I turn off recording first, strange.

Am on 230928 firmware.

 

[Panzer Platform]

what is the mounting adapter you are using for the IR camera that is mounted on the passenger side.

I thought you would never ask. Lol

A139 Pro Test & Review PP

Viofo and A139 Pro, A119 Mini and A229 users all state they do not work well. I believe it's something to do with the new chipset and may be something Novatek/Viofo can "fix" at some point. Time will tell. There is a standard specification for SD cards. If a particular card is not compatible...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[Panzer Platform]

Almost everytime I enable wifi (when the dashcam is recording in 3-Ch mode), and then use Viofo app to view footage, it reboots the dash cam itself.

Almost sounds like a power starvation issue.
Are you using the included factory charger & power cable or a USB power bank?
This is where that handy little USB power tester would come in handy. lol

 

[Agie]

Almost sounds like a power starvation issue.
Are you using the included factory charger & power cable or a USB power bank?
This is where that handy little USB power tester would come in handy. lol

Lol yeah using factory cabes

 

[Panzer Platform]

IR INTERIOR CAMERA - MOCK TRAFFIC STOP
I wanted to see how the IR Interior camera would perform in the different lighting conditions of a potential traffic stop.
After filming this, and watching the footage I realized I should have filmed these two clips consecutively, not simultaneously because there are times when both cameras have their IR LED emitters illuminated providing “double” the IR illumination.
I’ll refilm this separately for my final review, however it’s still nice to see how the cameras react / adjust to the change in lighting conditions.

Camera Settings & Firmware;
Bitrate: …..Maximum
HDR: ……..On (A229 Pro)
IR LED: ..…Auto
A229 Pro ...V1.0 0915
A139 Pro: ..V1.1 0629

1.) Take note the A139 Pro is never able to achieve full color mode, and the IR LEDs are always illuminated.
Conversely the A229 Pro’s camera switches between full color, and black & white when the dome light is illuminated on/off.
2.) Take note of the difference in audio volume level from the A139 Pro vs, A229 Pro.
Both cameras are using the built-in microphones.
I’m pleased to report it sounds like the audio quality, and volume level of the original A229 Duo has carried over to the A229 Pro.
3.) Bonus points if you can name the movie quote.

 

[Nigel]

1.) Take note the A139 Pro is never able to achieve full color mode, and the IR LEDs are always illuminated.

It choses not to use full colour mode rather than not being able to do it. Not sure why we need to use monochrome at night when full colour mode would work perfectly well?

I note that neither camera can read the plate in the dark without additional illumination, disappointing given the size of the text!

 

[TonyM]

2.) Take note the IR LED’s are set to AUTO, but only the A139 Pro has them illuminated.
Even under these “bright” conditions with the dome light, and my garage lighting it still thinks its dark enough that it has to illuminate the IR LED emitters.

When I was running a rear and interior camera together side-by-side on my A139 Pro, both facing the glass, with IR illumination set to OFF, I noticed that the rear camera picked up a purple glow from the interior camera. So I wonder whether the A139 Pro IR LEDs are always-on?

 

[Nigel]

Although the A229 HDR is working nicely for the dome light, it is not working for the A139 IR light at the start of the video... why not?

 

[TonyM]

I note that neither camera can read the plate in the dark without additional illumination, disappointing given the size of the text!

Looks like glare from the opposing IR LEDs. Should be a different result when PP runs his consecutive rather than simultaneous tests.

 

[Panzer Platform]

neither camera can read the plate in the dark

The reason neither camera can read the plate when IR LEDs are illuminated is because it’s not a real license plate.
It’s a “novelty” plate that was sent to me by one of my YouTube channel subscribers.

Although the A229 HDR is working nicely for the dome light, it is not working for the A139 IR light at the start of the video... why not?

Why would you ask me?
I just observe & report. lol
You're the expert.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I wonder whether the A139 Pro IR LEDs are always-on?

I've been running the A139 Pro IR Interior as my regular interior camera for the past 8 months.
I always set the IR LEDs to OFF even at night.
I have periodically checked the footage and they stay off.
Once I get the cameras re-installed in the car I will conform & verify.