A329 Test & Review PP

Panzer Platform said:
1.) A229 Pro Front (60Mbps)
2.) A229 Pro Telephoto
3.) A329
4.) A119 Mini 2 (should be interesting to compare DAYTIME 60fps with A329)
5.) A229 Pro 3-CH (36Mbps) IR Interior + Rear
Click to expand...
Aaaaa the memories, these days i do not get forwarded as much stuff to try out.

Seem like i have been taking out more than i put in, and that is about to change too CUZ just 2 systems in my car now.
 
Panzer Platform said:
1.) Is the parking mode timer set?
2.) Are you using the HK4 hardwire kit, or the included CLA & power cable in the box, or some other power supply?
3.) Is it powering down because the Low Voltage Cut Off is being activated?
I would connect a multimeter to the battery, and place it in view of one the cameras.
Right before the camera powers down it will show you the battery voltage.
What kind of car, (year / make / model)?
I would reset the camera to default settings, and check to see if it shuts off again.
Click to expand...

1. First thing I did was to check all the settings. Parking mode timer off. Enter-parking mode timer off too, for what it's worth. (I have tried turning those both ON, too. 48 Hrs for the parking mode timer. No change.) I have tried different parking modes including time-lapse, low bit rate, impact. It shuts off dependably in every mode.
2. I am using the HK4 hardwire kit. Installed it for my A229 Pro. The 229 works perfectly. Will record all night in any mode. No issues. I am not re-using the old GPS mount because I wanted to change the camera position and just kept the old mount with the old camera.
3. Good question, hadn't considered this because the car and battery are just six months old ('24 Genesis G70), and because of another thing... sometimes the camera will power off about 90 seconds after the camera powers down. I checked this time interval five times in a row, and I don't think the battery would happen to drop below the cutoff every time in 90 seconds, but I will check this.

I'll also try resetting and checking its idea of power-down voltage.

I think I've covered the basics, but this is great feedback, thank you!
 
In Modern cars the wire harness have gotten smart, in some cases also too smart it seem, at least in regard to putting in a dashcam
This have caused problems for many PPL over the years, but i do think if it is something " smart " then you would also see the exact same behaviour over and over again.
This could be a circuit turning off after a set time, but i also think some will detect a "parasitic " load and so choose to turn off that circuit.

If you are able to it could be a good idea to try another fuse, at least the 12 V always on one
 
kamkar said:
In Modern cars the wire harness have gotten smart, in some cases also too smart it seem, at least in regard to putting in a dashcam
This have caused problems for many PPL over the years, but i do think if it is something " smart " then you would also see the exact same behaviour over and over again.
This could be a circuit turning off after a set time, but i also think some will detect a "parasitic " load and so choose to turn off that circuit.

If you are able to it could be a good idea to try another fuse, at least the 12 V always on one
Click to expand...

Yeah, good points about too-smart cars, but because I've been using this hardwire kit for months with my A229 without any issue at all, doubt it's the circuit. But if all else fails, I will check that too. Thanks.
 
Manual HDR-Set the recording to 4K @ 60fps and then turn the HDR on, it should default to 4K @ 30fps; then turn HDR off and see what the recording returns to. Same for the remote control button programmed to turn the HDR on and off.
Auto HDR (this has three parts) -
1) Set the time for HDR Auto turn on and off, then set the recording to 4K @ 60fps and see what the recording returns to once Auto HDR is off.
2) Like rgc530 said Does the Auto HDR keep track of time when it is off or do you need to constantly reset the time and date stamp for it to not only record the correct time and date but to make the HDR work as well? IF it does keep the correct time and date then how as it has a capacitor versus a battery? What does the recording return to under this scenario? 60 or 30fps?
3) Again like rgc530 said, if the HDR was off or on when the A329 was powered down, now the A329 is powered up during the time HDR should be automatically turned on or off due to the auto time set before. Does the HDR actually turn on or off and if so, does the A329 revert to recording at 60fps or 30fps? This can be the reverse as well, HDR on when A329 powered off and then HDR should be off when repowered. What is the recording situation then?
 
Rollingrock said:
Manual HDR-Set the recording to 4K @ 60fps and then turn the HDR on, it should default to 4K @ 30fps; then turn HDR off and see what the recording returns to. Same for the remote control button programmed to turn the HDR on and off.
Auto HDR (this has three parts) -
1) Set the time for HDR Auto turn on and off, then set the recording to 4K @ 60fps and see what the recording returns to once Auto HDR is off.
2) Like rgc530 said Does the Auto HDR keep track of time when it is off or do you need to constantly reset the time and date stamp for it to not only record the correct time and date but to make the HDR work as well? IF it does keep the correct time and date then how as it has a capacitor versus a battery? What does the recording return to under this scenario? 60 or 30fps?
3) Again like rgc530 said, if the HDR was off or on when the A329 was powered down, now the A329 is powered up during the time HDR should be automatically turned on or off due to the auto time set before. Does the HDR actually turn on or off and if so, does the A329 revert to recording at 60fps or 30fps? This can be the reverse as well, HDR on when A329 powered off and then HDR should be off when repowered. What is the recording situation then?
Click to expand...
I'm testing an updated firmware for the A329. I installed it two days ago. I configured the front camera to record at 4K 60fps and I let it start recording video files. I paused video recordings and then configured the Auto HDR feature to turn on HDR at 18:00 and off at 07:00. I let the A329 start recording again and since the time was 17:30 the resolution was correctly set to 4K 60fps and HDR was turned off. I then powered down the A329. I powered up the A329 again and it remained configured as 4K 60fps and HDR off. I powered it down again.

Last night at 18:30, I powered up the A329 and it correctly adjusted the resolution to 4K 30fps and it enabled HDR. In a couple of hours, I will be driving that car. I'll see if it correctly turns the HDR feature off and sets the video resolution for the front camera to 4K 60fps. When I had the A329 v1.0_241009 firmware installed, the A329 Auto HDR feature was not switching the resolution nor toggling the HDR on / off correctly in those same situations.
 
blinkenjim said:
1. First thing I did was to check all the settings. Parking mode timer off. Enter-parking mode timer off too, for what it's worth. (I have tried turning those both ON, too. 48 Hrs for the parking mode timer. No change.) I have tried different parking modes including time-lapse, low bit rate, impact. It shuts off dependably in every mode.
2. I am using the HK4 hardwire kit. Installed it for my A229 Pro. The 229 works perfectly. Will record all night in any mode. No issues. I am not re-using the old GPS mount because I wanted to change the camera position and just kept the old mount with the old camera.
3. Good question, hadn't considered this because the car and battery are just six months old ('24 Genesis G70), and because of another thing... sometimes the camera will power off about 90 seconds after the camera powers down. I checked this time interval five times in a row, and I don't think the battery would happen to drop below the cutoff every time in 90 seconds, but I will check this.

I'll also try resetting and checking its idea of power-down voltage.

I think I've covered the basics, but this is great feedback, thank you!
Click to expand...
There is a 90 second delay between when the hardwire kit senses voltage below the set point and when it actually shut down the camera.
 
Panzer Platform said:
1.) Is the parking mode timer set?
2.) Are you using the HK4 hardwire kit, or the included CLA & power cable in the box, or some other power supply?
3.) Is it powering down because the Low Voltage Cut Off is being activated?
I would connect a multimeter to the battery, and place it in view of one the cameras.
Right before the camera powers down it will show you the battery voltage.
What kind of car, (year / make / model)?
I would reset the camera to default settings, and check to see if it shuts off again.
Click to expand...

I’m not seeing the voltage display at shutdown. Tried several times. Is there something in the settings to enable that?
 
rcg530 said:
When I had the A329 v1.0_241009 firmware installed, the A329 Auto HDR feature was not switching the resolution nor toggling the HDR on / off correctly in those same situations.
Click to expand...
I have the firmware: V1.0_241009 and HDR is set to Auto.
After reading your post I went to the car to check the Auto HDR.
When I turned off the A329 2 hours before, HDR was turned off by time.
When I turned off the A329, HDR was already on as it should be.
 
CaptureYourAction said:
There is a 90 second delay between when the hardwire kit senses voltage below the set point and when it actually shut down the camera.
Click to expand...

Aha, light is shed! This explains something I just noticed. I snuck down to my car for a half hour and ran some tests. I was trying to capture the voltage display on the shutdown screen, so I use my phone to make a slo-mo video at shutdown. (It goes away faster than I can read or even photograph it). What I noticed was that the shutdown always occurs at 0:01:22. Five times in a row. I thought to myself "That has to be a software function."

With everyone's help I think I understand what's going on. My voltage is low when I turn off the car, and the camera transitions to Parking mode. The camera delays 90 seconds (well, 82 seconds) and then shuts down. So there's a hardware element, the voltage, and a software element, the 90-second delay. Sound right to y'all?
 
blinkenjim said:
Aha, light is shed! This explains something I just noticed. I snuck down to my car for a half hour and ran some tests. I was trying to capture the voltage display on the shutdown screen, so I use my phone to make a slo-mo video at shutdown. (It goes away faster than I can read or even photograph it). What I noticed was that the shutdown always occurs at 0:01:22. Five times in a row. I thought to myself "That has to be a software function."

With everyone's help I think I understand what's going on. My voltage is low when I turn off the car, and the camera transitions to Parking mode. The camera delays 90 seconds (well, 82 seconds) and then shuts down. So there's a hardware element, the voltage, and a software element, the 90-second delay. Sound right to y'all?
Click to expand...
Have you tried lowering the cutoff setting?
 
rcg530 said:
I'm testing an updated firmware for the A329. I installed it two days ago. I configured the front camera to record at 4K 60fps and I let it start recording video files. I paused video recordings and then configured the Auto HDR feature to turn on HDR at 18:00 and off at 07:00. I let the A329 start recording again and since the time was 17:30 the resolution was correctly set to 4K 60fps and HDR was turned off. I then powered down the A329. I powered up the A329 again and it remained configured as 4K 60fps and HDR off. I powered it down again.

Last night at 18:30, I powered up the A329 and it correctly adjusted the resolution to 4K 30fps and it enabled HDR. In a couple of hours, I will be driving that car. I'll see if it correctly turns the HDR feature off and sets the video resolution for the front camera to 4K 60fps. When I had the A329 v1.0_241009 firmware installed, the A329 Auto HDR feature was not switching the resolution nor toggling the HDR on / off correctly in those same situations.
Click to expand...
So far so good! Thanks
 
blinkenjim said:
I’m not seeing the voltage display at shutdown. Tried several times. Is there something in the settings to enable that?
Click to expand...
There is no vehicle starter battery voltage (12V) display on Viofo dash cams they use 5V USB.
These usually appear on the Korean Brands that use a 12V barrel connector in the text overlay on the recorded footage.
I was talking about aiming the camera at a multimeter connected to your car battery.
However, Vantrue makes a hardwire kit with a built-in digital voltmeter for 12V battery voltage.
Maybe whe need a Viofo version. lol
Also with additional setting to disable Low Voltage Cut Off for use with dash cam battery packs.
OK, maybe I'm asking too much. lol

Vantrue .webp
GNET .png
 
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Today's test of the test firmware I was given for the A329 was successful with regard to powering up the A329 and the Auto HDR correctly reconfigured the HDR to off and the resolution was set correctly to 4K 60FPS (front) + 2K 30fps (rear).

I've mentioned to VIOFO for the past few months (I received the prototype A329 back in mid-July), that I was observing the Auto HDR feature not setting the resolution and/or HDR setting to what it should be. When the prototype unit was replaced by a "production" unit with firmware v1.0_241009 installed, I was still seeing the same odd behavior. VIOFO stated that one other person had reported a similar issue with the Auto HDR feature. So far, the test firmware is "working".
 
Panzer Platform said:
Also with additional setting to disable Low Voltage Cut Off for use with dash cam battery packs.
OK, maybe I'm asking too much. lol
Click to expand...
I'm still waiting for a switch that completely stops any current draw to preserve the battery when the camera is not needed.
 
Night Time HDR Comparison - City Test Loop

A329 1-CH:
V1.0 20241009
4K 16:9
HDR On
Max Bitrate (65 Mbps)
All other settings default

A229 Pro 2-CH Telephoto:
V1.3.1 20241024
4K 16:9 + 2K 16:9
HDR On
Max Bitrate (60 Mbps + 26 Mbps)
All other settings default

I’m seeing definite HDR performance improvement from the A329 Front over the A229 Pro Front.
However, the A229 Pro Telephoto is just unstoppable.
We really need the A329 Telephoto camera.


Next comparison will be Night Time HDR Highway test loop
 
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