A329 Test & Review PP

[Chuck McCoy]

I’ll wait on the telephoto 2ch a329 then.

The Telephoto is basically the same exact camera as the “rear” camera except it has a telephoto lens that is focus optimized at 20 to 40 Meters.
Which is the optimal distance to read license plates.
Also the A229 Pro Telephoto has a separate processor built into the camera.
The A329 Telephoto will not have a processor in it because all the processing is handled by the Front / Main unit.

Here’s my playlist of test footage form the A229 pro Telephoto;

Viofo A229 Pro Telephoto

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

youtube.com

Here’s some especially cool test videos;

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[Chuck McCoy]

Buying my SSD today

I hope it's a Samsung T7 Shield 4TB.
Go big, or go home.
Anything less is pointless.

 

[Augustus]

I hope it's a Samsung T7 Shield 4TB.
Go big, or go home.
Anything less else is pointless.

No sir lol. From what I've seen the T7 Shield seems to run cooler than other brands due to a better controller.

But I'm sure since it's such a mainstream model someone will post their experiences with it on the forums here. So I went for a different brand with different controller.

No point getting a 4TB storage model, too big for me haha, and also all these models are topping out at the 1000mb/sec max read/write speeds. If I bought an NVMe SSD and paired it with a SSD enclosure, the enclosure would drag the speed down to 1000mb/sec too.

In the same boat basically haha

 

[Chuck McCoy]

No point getting a 4TB storage model

Incorrect.
First, and foremost our job as testers is to confirm & verify manufacturer claims.
Anything less is dereliction of duty.

 

[Augustus]

Incorrect.
First, and foremost our job as testers is to confirm & verify manufacturer claims.
Anything less is dereliction of duty.

Lol it's literally just more memory chips on the same board for the SSD. Same controller, everything.

But sure why not, buy a 4TB and my daughter shall go starving this week LOL

 

[Chuck McCoy]

it's literally just more memory chips on the same board for the SSD. Same controller, everything.

Incorrect.
Here’s proof;

S

Thread 'How to format Samsung T7 4TB on a Mac for A329?'

Nov 20, 2024

Can someone post all the commands you used to format the drive on a Mac?

I'm trying to do it on a Mac, but the camera just wont recognize it no matter how I format it or not format it. I used the following to just create a partition but thats not working. I have used other ones to partition the disk for less than 2TB usage. But none of it is working.

diskutil partitionDisk /dev/disk2 GPT "Free Space" "" 100%

Thanks

• sf_pb
• Replies: 19
• Forum: A329

• 

 

[Bladex]

Odd that @viofo haven't sent any units to the UK (or anywhere in Europe) for testing that I have seen - least ways on here for feedback.

Do they anticipate that European sales will be good enough regardless?

I live in Spain, here the manufacturer Viofo has an excellent reputation and is well known.

But here in Spain, the sale of Viofo is basically done through Amazon.

The person in charge of distributing Viofo models at European level is Viofo Benelux, which has its own website and at the same time also distributes Viofo to Amazon.

As of today, it has not yet distributed anything from Viofo A329 on Amazon Spain, and I see this as a serious mistake because it is losing the opportunity for many sales ahead of Black Friday.

I have a viofo a329 with dual channel thanks to this forum that I realized that this new model had come out, I had just bought the A229 Pro model with dual channel on Amazon with an offer for €279 and when I found out about the existence of the new model I realized I returned and bought the model a329.

The A329 model is not for sale anywhere in Spain, I had to buy it directly from Viofo Benelux which is outside of Spain, in Holland (Netherlands).

I don't know how many people in Spain have the A329 model but seeing the difficulty in acquiring it here and its low promotion being a new model, I wouldn't be surprised if I were the only one who has it in Spain.

A shame.

 

[Augustus]

Incorrect.
Here’s proof;

S

Thread 'How to format Samsung T7 4TB on a Mac for A329?'

Nov 20, 2024

Can someone post all the commands you used to format the drive on a Mac?

I'm trying to do it on a Mac, but the camera just wont recognize it no matter how I format it or not format it. I used the following to just create a partition but thats not working. I have used other ones to partition the disk for less than 2TB usage. But none of it is working.

diskutil partitionDisk /dev/disk2 GPT "Free Space" "" 100%

Thanks

• sf_pb
• Replies: 19
• Forum: A329

• 

That's partitioning, that has nothing to do with how many discrete memory chips are on a board mate.

 

[Augustus]

Incorrect.
Here’s proof;

S

Thread 'How to format Samsung T7 4TB on a Mac for A329?'

Nov 20, 2024

Can someone post all the commands you used to format the drive on a Mac?

I'm trying to do it on a Mac, but the camera just wont recognize it no matter how I format it or not format it. I used the following to just create a partition but thats not working. I have used other ones to partition the disk for less than 2TB usage. But none of it is working.

diskutil partitionDisk /dev/disk2 GPT "Free Space" "" 100%

Thanks

• sf_pb
• Replies: 19
• Forum: A329

• 

Oh look who's correct lol.

AnandTech Forums: Technology, Hardware, Software, and Deals

Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

www.anandtech.com

 

[Bladex]

Didn't know about Sleep will check him out now 🙂

Correct on Nigel.

Buying my SSD today and then getting onto the A329 testing soon. Was going to get a SSD with an enclosure but then thought about the summer heat here and shat myself.

I understand that your fear of buying an MNVe SSD is because they heat up much more than a conventional SSD?

Do you think that the integrity of an MNVe used in a vehicle in a hot area could be jeopardized even when using an efficient cabinet with good heat dissipation?

Where I live it is a Mediterranean climate.
I'm waiting for Black Friday on Amazon to see if there's a good MNVe offer.

My inclination towards MNVe is because of the cheaper prices than SD and in theory greater reliability, and also lower energy consumption than a conventional SSD.

Although the difference in energy consumption between MNVe VS conventional SSD, I don't know what it is and if there really is a considerable difference?

 

[Augustus]

I understand that your fear of buying an MNVe SSD is because they heat up much more than a conventional SSD?

Do you think that the integrity of an MNVe used in a vehicle in a hot area could be jeopardized even when using an efficient cabinet with good heat dissipation?

Where I live it is a Mediterranean climate.
I'm waiting for Black Friday on Amazon to see if there's a good MNVe offer.

My inclination towards MNVe is because of the cheaper prices than SD and in theory greater reliability, and also lower energy consumption than a conventional SSD.

Although the difference in energy consumption between MNVe VS conventional SSD, I don't know what it is and if there really is a considerable difference?

By conventional SSD I'm guessing you're meaning SATA SSD? the portable SSDs I have use NVMe interface anyway.

Locally here its about the same to get a NVMe SSD with an enclosure, than it is to buy a portable external SSD. The reason I went with the PSSD is that the heatsink and everything else is already worked out by the manufacturer and ease of convenience. I don't have to bother checking that the heatsink /thermal pads are decent for heat dissipation when getting an enclosure etc.

To be honest, the results and reliability should be similar no matter what solution you go with. If storage was a lot cheaper then I would go the SSD+enclosure route.

 

[Bladex]

By conventional SSD I'm guessing you're meaning SATA SSD? the portable SSDs I have use NVMe interface anyway.

Locally here its about the same to get a NVMe SSD with an enclosure, than it is to buy a portable external SSD. The reason I went with the PSSD is that the heatsink and everything else is already worked out by the manufacturer and ease of convenience. I don't have to bother checking that the heatsink /thermal pads are decent for heat dissipation when getting an enclosure etc.

To be honest, the results and reliability should be similar no matter what solution you go with. If storage was a lot cheaper then I would go the SSD+enclosure route.

If indeed with conventional SSD I was referring to Sata, sorry if I am not very technical when describing and it creates confusion.

Regarding PSSD, do you mean Samsung T7 Shield?

I'm researching this SSD Shield and if I'm not confused, is it NMVe?

If so, it is very interesting since, as you say, it is already integrated into a cabinet designed to work efficiently by dissipating correctly.

In terms of power consumption, it would be noticeably superior to an SD with a cabinet to mount outside the camera? I guess so...

 

[Augustus]

If indeed with conventional SSD I was referring to Sata, sorry if I am not very technical when describing and it creates confusion.

Regarding PSSD, do you mean Samsung T7 Shield?

I'm researching this SSD Shield and if I'm not confused, is it NMVe?

If so, it is very interesting since, as you say, it is already integrated into a cabinet designed to work efficiently by dissipating correctly.

In terms of power consumption, it would be noticeably superior to an SD with a cabinet to mount outside the camera? I guess so...

No need to apologise, I understood perfectly what you meant, not technical terms required

PSSD I mean the T7 Shield correct - you are exactly correct in that the manufacturer decides the controller, the way the memory is allocated on the board and thermal dissipation of the heat.

Others on these forums have done testing with microSD in microSD card readers thru the USB-C data port on the A329 (labelled SSD but it's essentially power and data thru the USB PD standard). Those results showed that the heat generated by the dashcam itself was far far less.

I would presume the same would apply with the PSSD solution, though power consumption in parking mode has been shown to be more than what it is using microSD.

 

[Julian23]

You have low consumer standards.
Buying hardware with the promises of making it better / acceptable with a firmware update simply unwise.

Apple as well as Samsung also have issues when launching new products with features not working as intended or lacking performance.
This shouldn't happen of course.
It still shows that even the biggest companies fail to achieve this.

 

[Julian23]

Odd that @viofo haven't sent any units to the UK (or anywhere in Europe) for testing that I have seen - least ways on here for feedback.

Do they anticipate that European sales will be good enough regardless?

I have a feeling EU testers are not posting test feedback because they are waiting on the first official public firmware before they start burning gas gathering test footage.
Or, they see the amount of personal attacks lobbed at me for my unintelligent attempts, and do not want the anonymous internet hate. lol

Footage from me will be posted within the next few days.
I got delayed because of work and very bad weather with strong wind and rain that prevented me from mounting the camera unfortunately.
I also had to fabricate another rear camera mount for my car since I don't like pulling the cables through the trunk rubber grommet.
Maybe I make a post about this.

Please be patient, content is coming.

@Karagandinez has already posted some videos and screenshots about 2 weeks ago.

 

[Karagandinez]

I have a feeling EU testers are not posting test feedback because they are waiting on the first official public firmware before they start burning gas gathering test footage.

Thread 'VIOFO A329 / Telephoto Camera / Video and Screenshots'

Nov 7, 2024

Screenshots from the main camera A329_Night

FWA329_V1.0_241009
Resolution: 21:9 / 3840х1600
Bitrate = max
CPL = on
EV = -0,3







You can compare it with screenshots from the A229 Pro and from the additional camera with a telephoto lens here:

• Karagandinez
• Replies: 22
• Forum: A329

• 

I have a few shots, but no one notices them.

 

[SocialsFinest]

Hello,
Welcome to the club.
This thread is for my testing & review of the A329.
You are talking about the A229 Pro.
If you tag me @Panzer Platform I will come over and give you the explanation about the Type-C Cable for the Rear & Telephoto for the A229 Pro.
Or you can get an answer direct from Viofo here;

Submit a ticket

support.viofo.com

-Chuck

Lol, looks familiar. Déjà vu. Time flys

 

[lufa6977]

Thread 'VIOFO A329 / Telephoto Camera / Video and Screenshots'

Nov 7, 2024

Screenshots from the main camera A329_Night

FWA329_V1.0_241009
Resolution: 21:9 / 3840х1600
Bitrate = max
CPL = on
EV = -0,3







You can compare it with screenshots from the A229 Pro and from the additional camera with a telephoto lens here:

• Karagandinez
• Replies: 22
• Forum: A329

• 

I have a few shots, but no one notices them.

Ah....but they have been noticed and are appreciated. Your images are much better presented and more logical ( for me anyway ) than images posted by others.

 

[mobiledynamics]

purchasing a new 2025 Lexus rx350h luxury trim this week. Never owned a dashcam previously so this will be my first purchase. After reviewing this thread it’s making me pause on my purchase to hold out for telephoto on the new 329 lineup. I’m not interested in buying older tech and prefer to look forward. One thing I’m curious is if telephoto might be an option to add to the existing 329 that’s being sold now or does it utilize an entirely different camera? I just don’t want to have to buy twice if I can help it. I also don’t want to have to wait another 12 months before it’s released either. Feeling stuck.

But then what about when the 429 Pro comes out ;-)
I actually bought a dash cam when the most recent car was bought. Even bought the custom CNC bracket a 3rd party made that fit onto the review mount, etc....
Never got around to installing it as it I wasn't too keen on having all that stuff up front *clutter*.

Between how crazy insurance rates have gone upside down and continue to......finally bit the bullet and decided to install one

 

[inetjnky]

But then what about when the 429 Pro comes out ;-)
I actually bought a dash cam when the most recent car was bought. Even bought the custom CNC bracket a 3rd party made that fit onto the review mount, etc....
Never got around to installing it as it I wasn't too keen on having all that stuff up front *clutter*.

Between how crazy insurance rates have gone upside down and continue to......finally bit the bullet and decided to install one

Hopefully I won’t have to wait that long. I work from home and the car will be garage kept. My wife doesn’t like to drive at night or drive on the highway so I drive most of the time so until I can get a cam installed we can take her car. 😀