A229 Pro Test & Review PP

[Panzer Platform]

IR Interior Comparison - A229 Pro vs. A139 Pro @viofo @VIOFO-Support

Configuration & Settings:
A229 Pro 3-CH (IR LED’s AUTO)
A139 Pro 2-CH (IR LED’s AUTO)
I re-filmed this comparison with 3 changes that should make @Nigel and @TonyM happy.
1.) Filmed consecutively, instead of simultaneously.
Previously I filmed this comparison simultaneously, and the IR LED Emitters interfered with the opposing camera.
2.) I used the real license plate from the front of my car, instead of the novelty personalized one.
3. Since the A229 Pro Rear camera was installed I included that footage to add context of the demo because @Vortex Radar would say; “Why not?!?” lol
The A229 Rear has a vantage point to show when each of the IR Interior camera’s IR LED’s are illuminated.
Special shoutout to @rcg530 for taking my raw footage, and editing a nifty quad screen video.
I will also include the separate 4 videos so you can hear the difference of the audio volume level of someone speak outside the car.
This was an attempt to demonstrate a mock traffic stop.

After reviewing the footage a couple things stand out at me;
1.) The HDR of the A229 Pro works well as seen when I illuminate objects with my flashlight.
It has no problem resolving the license plate, that is overexposed with the A139 pro.
It also works well when the flashlight is pointed directly at the camera, (A139 Pro not so much).
2.) The A139 is never able to achieve full color mode, and the IR LEDs are always illuminated, (until I shine my flashlight directly into the camera).
Conversely the A229 Pro’s camera switches between full color, and black & white when the dome light is illuminated on/off.

This screenshot shows the A229 Pro IR Interior camera installed at the top of the DRIVER side A-Pillar, and the A139 Pro IR Interior camera installed at the top of the PASSENGER side A-Pillar



This screenshot shows the IR LED Emitters illuminated on the A229 Pro.


This screenshot shows the IR LED Emitters illuminated on the A139 Pro.



These two screenshots show the HDR working on the license plate, and the non-existent HDR on the A139 Pro.




These two screenshots show the flashlight being pointed directly at the A229 Pro & A139 Pro.




Here is RCG530’s quad screen edited video, (the audio is only from the A229 Pro);

Here are the 4 separate videos, (you can hear how much lower the audio volume level is on the A139 Pro);

 

[Agie]

Eat your heart out, Mister. Lol
I’ve been using this action cam since 2015.
All my YouTube videos are filmed with it.
It just won’t die.

This. Absolutely this. Surely it doesn't add THAT much to the BOM to add a stereo mic, someone's gotta start it off, come on @viofo !

At least we're not getting poor audio processing with dash cams. If those days happen, I'm out. As much as I loved editing podcasts with poor audio in Audition, those days are behind me haha

 

[Agie]

No idea where your A139 Pro is mounted but I can light up the A229 Pro so bad with night time footage. I have moved the A229 Pro 3 different locations on windshield plus who know how many firmwares I have updated to now.

I am going to say this on record “The Vantrue N4 Pro has better night vision than A229 Pro” i got lots of footage to prove it.

I am a Viofo reseller so it’s a bold statement.

It is taking 5 seconds to adapt when entering a tunnel. The main problem is HDR. When you even look @Panzer Platform videos in his garage you can tell it is not working well.

But who knows. Like I said to Bill @viofo maybe this first run they sent us is not performing well.

I am waiting to hear back as I have sent them more raw video files.

Hard disagree on the N4 Pro being better than the A229 Pro at night, however I could have got a dud unit so the exact experience between us testers could have variables at play. Or someone else could agree with your take on it too.

You just aim and hope that the units you get are decent and improved by the manufacturer to the state that they hope the consumer sees (and is happy with).

 

[Nigel]

But I didn't use the External mic on the A139 Pro is this comparison because it wouldn't be fair.

Why would it not be fair? A taxi driver might be very interested in that comparison, having an external mic option to record what is said in the back seats might be a very good reason to buy an A139 instead of an A229 Pro/Plus.

Obviously it would but honestly it's not a hard ask to get a stereo mic put in a dashcam, surely. The focus isn't audio so of course has been overlooked for all these years. We can put them in phones yet not dash cams.

Why do you want stereo?
How does it improve the recorded evidence?

 

[DT MI]

Surely it doesn't add THAT much to the BOM to add a stereo mic, someone's gotta start it off, come on @viofo !

While I'm 100% in favor of improving any product as much as it can be improved I see absolutely no value in stereo audio in a dash cam. Whatever resources that would be expended on that would, IMO, be wasted. Just because something can be done from a technological perspective doesn't mean there's a logical, 'real world' reason to do it.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Why would it not be fair?

Because the A229 Pro & Plus don't have external mic capability.

A taxi driver might be very interested in that comparison

I already have the A139 Pro external mic demo in that thread;

A139 Pro Test & Review PP

and share as i please without bluring licence plates ASO The purpose of license plates is to be seen by the public, showing them should not be a crime!

dashcamtalk.com

 

[Agie]

While I'm 100% in favor of improving any product as much as it can be improved I see absolutely no value in stereo audio in a dash cam. Whatever resources that would be expended on that would, IMO, be wasted. Just because something can be done from a technological perspective doesn't mean there's a logical, 'real world' reason to do it.

Nigel has a habit of being negative, living in the past and that dreary United Kingdom weather must be really getting to him.

Now back to the audio, stereo at least affords the advantage of knowing where the sound came from in the recording, whether it's to the left or right front or behind. Gives that extra dimension. Whether that is useful or not when you have a two or channel setup already may be up for debate, but at least if the option is there in the settings to use Mono or Stereo...

 

[Karagandinez]

When I had to provide a recording of the incident from my V3, no one was interested in recording the audio. The video was enough.
I turn on audio recording on my copies very rarely.

 

[Nigel]

Nigel has a habit of being negative, living in the past and that dreary United Kingdom weather must be really getting to him.

Now back to the audio, stereo at least affords the advantage of knowing where the sound came from in the recording, whether it's to the left or right front or behind. Gives that extra dimension. Whether that is useful or not when you have a two or channel setup already may be up for debate, but at least if the option is there in the settings to use Mono or Stereo...

Not being negative, just asking a question because I was interested to hear the answer.

I don't see how a stereo mic in the main front dashcam can record information on if the sound comes from front or rear when you only have two channel sound. I am very doubtful it can record left or right with any accuracy when inside the cabin of a car with all the echos, sound deadening, indirect sound paths and other issues. Even my ears have great difficulty working out which direction the police siren is coming from until I turn my head to generate a 3D sound view, especially with the newer nose sirens that are supposed to make it easier to tell directions!

In the right circumstances then yes, stereo sound from a dashcam can be fantastic, here is my Viofo A129 mounted outside on a tripod instead of inside the car, with triphonic sound:

So why do you want stereo and not quadraphonic, so that you can tell front from rear as well as left from right?

 

[safedrivesolutions]

Hard disagree on the N4 Pro being better than the A229 Pro at night, however I could have got a dud unit so the exact experience between us testers could have variables at play. Or someone else could agree with your take on it too.

You just aim and hope that the units you get are decent and improved by the manufacturer to the state that they hope the consumer sees (and is happy with).

All I know is the front camera is not operating as good as it should at night

 

[safedrivesolutions]

When I had to provide a recording of the incident from my V3, no one was interested in recording the audio. The video was enough.
I turn on audio recording on my copies very rarely.

I actually had someone who hit my vehicle admit to fault on dash camera. I used that as video and audio evidence.

 

[Agie]

I actually had someone who hit my vehicle admit to fault on dash camera. I used that as video and audio evidence.

Same! was a year ago or so back

 

[Agie]

All I know is the front camera is not operating as good as it should at night

Interesting months ahead for sure with both cameras. Hopefully Vantrue has some more firmware updates in the pipeline too..

 

[safedrivesolutions]

Which of these 3 pictures looks best to you?

It is 3 different cameras.
WHich is Camera 1, Camera 2 and Camera 3

These are Vantrue N4 Pro, A 139 Pro and A229 Pro.
Guess which is which?

 

[speedingcheetah]

While I'm 100% in favor of improving any product as much as it can be improved I see absolutely no value in stereo audio in a dash cam. Whatever resources that would be expended on that would, IMO, be wasted. Just because something can be done from a technological perspective doesn't mean there's a logical, 'real world' reason to do it.

I only can think that having channel separation, might be nice or useful. Driver voice left channel, passenger right channel (for those of use that are left side drive).
But, ultimately, it not a major concern for most.

I much rather have much better audio quality/clarity. Higher sample rate 48khz vs 16hkz and higher bitrate, 128k vs 64k... etc.
Or, at least, they could tweak their audio processing/EQ a tad.
Maybe add a user selectable option to increase clarity(treble), I find the audio on my A119 Mini2 to be a tad muffled, but may be due to the very low sample rate.
The samples of these higher model cams also sound muffled to me, still are far better than my old A119 v1, or older Mini 0826.

 

[Dashmellow]

When I had to provide a recording of the incident from my V3, no one was interested in recording the audio. The video was enough.
I turn on audio recording on my copies very rarely.

Although no one was interested in your V3 audio, another person's situation might be different.

Documenting that you hit your horn or someone near you did or that you used your turn signal are a few small examples.

I recall a story and video that was posted to DCT some years back where a member reported that a number of cars in his apartment building's parking garage were being repeatedly vandalized, including his.

This was back before parking modes became widely available so he was running his camera with a powerbank. He was able to capture a man, whom he was able to identify as one of the other tenants in the building walking towards his car. As he walks by the car you can't really see what he was doing but the camera's microphone captured the very loud sound of the guy keying the entire side of his car. The video, along with the audio was enough to get the culprit busted.

Personally, I favor having audio, the higher the quality the better. I don't care if it is mono or stereo but either one would be ok with me.

 

[Agie]

I only can think that having channel separation, might be nice or useful. Driver voice left channel, passenger right channel (for those of use that are left side drive).
But, ultimately, it not a major concern for most.

I much rather have much better audio quality/clarity. Higher sample rate 48khz vs 16hkz and higher bitrate, 128k vs 64k... etc.
Or, at least, they could tweak their audio processing/EQ a tad.
Maybe add a user selectable option to increase clarity(treble), I find the audio on my A119 Mini2 to be a tad muffled, but may be due to the very low sample rate.
The samples of these higher model cams also sound muffled to me, still are far better than my old A119 v1, or older Mini 0826.

There's only so much you can do with audio processing/EQ'ing when your source audio is recorded at low sampling and bitrates. Having experienced this first hand recording and editing podcasts over the years.

Audio settings I think would confuse the end user of Dashcams, even with something as innocent as a treble setting. That being said, one option is better than no option at all.

 

[Agie]

Which of these 3 pictures looks best to you?

It is 3 different cameras.
WHich is Camera 1, Camera 2 and Camera 3

These are Vantrue N4 Pro, A 139 Pro and A229 Pro.
Guess which is which?

Camera 1 for sure. Not even going to hazard a guess which is which model, but I may have an idea

 

[Panzer Platform]

When I had to provide a recording of the incident from my V3, no one was interested in recording the audio. The video was enough.
I turn on audio recording on my copies very rarely.

Audio is 50% of recorded evidence.
Video is the other 50%.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Guess which is which?

This Pepsi Challenge is too hard, I quit.
I need videos with the text overlays removed. lol