Complete Review BlackSys CF-100. 2Ch 1080p Sony Exmor CMOS + 720p, GPS, 24/7 Parking.

Yup. I searched around quite a bit and the Newegg one is the lowest price I've found with both cameras. Even then, I wasn't sure it would include the rear from the description. It was only when I found the single camera version for less and an alternate description for the 2 camera version at Newegg business site that stated it included the rear camera for the same price that I decided to take the chance and order one.

KuoH

but that one is only the front camera - no rear cam. the newegg one apparently has both cameras.
 
Yup. I searched around quite a bit and the Newegg one is the lowest price I've found with both cameras. Even then, I wasn't sure it would include the rear from the description. It was only when I found the single camera version for less and an alternate description for the 2 camera version at Newegg business site that stated it included the rear camera for the same price that I decided to take the chance and order one.

KuoH
by amazon its 139 both cameras and gps receiver please click on the amazon link i posted before after putting the item in cart it has a 30% discount making it 139 for both cams with gps receiver
 
by amazon its 139 both cameras and gps receiver please click on the amazon link i posted before after putting the item in cart it has a 30% discount making it 139 for both cams with gps receiver
sale must be over. just went back and clicked your link and it's showing 199.
 
sale must be over. just went back and clicked your link and it's showing 199.
no sale is not over please follow my instructions put item in cart to see the discount ! or buy from newegg and pay the same without the gps
 
ok i see. simply adding to cart isn't enough. you have to then "proceed to checkout", where it applies 2 promos without telling you what they are from. which is kinda weird, but can't complain about it!

Order Summary
Items: $199.00
Shipping & handling: $4.49
Promotion Applied: -$59.70
Promotion Applied: -$4.49
Total before tax: $139.30
Estimated tax to be collected:* $0.00
Order total: $139.30
Qualifying offers:
  • Promotion Applied
  • Promotion Applied
 
ok i see. simply adding to cart isn't enough. you have to then "proceed to checkout", where it applies 2 promos without telling you what they are from. which is kinda weird, but can't complain about it!
There you go!!! happy you got it I can confirm I bought it last week and it included both cams and gps
 
yup, just bought it via your amazon link (repeating it again just so people don't have to look as far for it). searched the ojocam store on amazon and they sure do have a lot of baby toys as well as a couple mini 0801s, but i couldn't find the fusebox tap + battery protector i found from them on newegg, only a 12v tap to mini-usb adapter like i already have for the a118, so i ended up buying that from newegg - $35, free ship, and no tax since I'm in TX and newegg isn't.
 
based on the pinouts of the 4-conductor 3.5mm jack, it wouldn't be very hard to make a Y-cable to be able to have video out and GPS at the same time. no mods necessary to the camera itself; just a custom cable.

so now that i've ordered one of these, i may make the Y-cable.

4-conductor 3.5mm male to 2x 4-conductor 3.5mm female splitter cable. i could easily cut off one of the female jacks and solder on a female RCA jack to have the video out. unfortunately this cable is sold out and can't be backordered from this company. but here's another which costs a bit more.

to keep it tidy near the camera itself, here's a 4-cond 3.5mm right angle adapter

or... roll your own cable instead of hacking up some other cable:
TRSS (3.5mm 4cond) male 90 degree plug - goes to camera: http://www.showmecables.com/product/3-5mm-Plug-TRRS-Right-Angle-Connector-Plastic.aspx?link=YMAL
TRSS female - goes to GPS: http://www.showmecables.com/product/3-5mm-Jack-TRRS-Connector-Plastic.aspx?link=YMAL
female RCA - video out: http://www.radioshack.com/inline-phono-jack-4-pack/2740337.html#q=rca+jack&start=7

i'm sure spending a little more time searching amazon, mouser, or monoprice would come up with better results. but you get the idea. easily hook up gps + video out at the same time, without voiding your warranty by hacking up the cables or devices that came with the camera.
 
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yup, just bought it via your amazon link (repeating it again just so people don't have to look as far for it). searched the ojocam store on amazon and they sure do have a lot of baby toys as well as a couple mini 0801s, but i couldn't find the fusebox tap + battery protector i found from them on newegg, only a 12v tap to mini-usb adapter like i already have for the a118, so i ended up buying that from newegg - $35, free ship, and no tax since I'm in TX and newegg isn't.
wow, even with free shipping, it got here in 2 days. does include both cameras and gps module. no video cable, but not real concerned about that since the only screen in the car is the dvd player in the ceiling. also ordered the battery protector hardwire kit from newegg/ojocam, and it came at the same time today, both via usps.

weather's beautiful today so will probably tackle the install soon.
 
Unfortunately the Amazon deal has expired (went all the way to the last confirmation for payment and the only promotion that was applied was less than $5), so I ordered the single channel CF-100 from Newegg, and the A118 for a rear dashcam. Really looking forward to it.

I was wondering what smartphone app do you need to view the videos? I have an HTC phone and a Nexus 7 tablet, could I view the video on both?

Also, I have an 'Aux' next to my USB and cigarette lighter in my car. Could I play the video on my car navigation through this? What cable would I need?
 
Unfortunately the Amazon deal has expired (went all the way to the last confirmation for payment and the only promotion that was applied was less than $5), so I ordered the single channel CF-100 from Newegg, and the A118 for a rear dashcam. Really looking forward to it.

I was wondering what smartphone app do you need to view the videos? I have an HTC phone and a Nexus 7 tablet, could I view the video on both?

Also, I have an 'Aux' next to my USB and cigarette lighter in my car. Could I play the video on my car navigation through this? What cable would I need?
It does not have a wifi or playback option. U can remove microsd, insert into smartphone for video playback.
 
It does not have a wifi or playback option. U can remove microsd, insert into smartphone for video playback.

In the promotional video at (3:05) where they show playback on a Samsung, it says OTG reader?
 
In the promotional video at (3:05) where they show playback on a Samsung, it says OTG reader?

Yes, you may playback microsd card on your smartphone via OTG card reader.

This is what I use:

My OTG.JPG
 
keep in mind not every phone supports otg. my samsung galaxy relay (basically a galaxy s3 with a sliding keyboard and smaller screen) doesnt do otg. but it does have a micro sd card slot.

i use mx player to view video on my android.

i havent tried to watch videos from the cf100 on it yet but apparently it only shows the front channel due to the way it embeds both front and rear into one file.
 
keep in mind not every phone supports otg. my samsung galaxy relay (basically a galaxy s3 with a sliding keyboard and smaller screen) doesnt do otg. but it does have a micro sd card slot.

i use mx player to view video on my android.

i havent tried to watch videos from the cf100 on it yet but apparently it only shows the front channel due to the way it embeds both front and rear into one file.
Yes, you right. Only front channel. MXPlayer is what I also use.
 
VLC will play both channels, but not at the same time. On my Galaxy S4, it plays one channel, then if you stop and replay the same file again, it plays the other channel. MX Player shows the other stream in the file details, but seems to lack a way to select it for playback. Also, my phone will not see the 64GB microsd directly through the OTG. Not sure if it's a file system limitation or the OTG port doesn't put out enough power for the microsd reader, but if I copy the file to a standard USB flash drive, then plug that into the phone, I can view the file. Not exactly handy, considering the CF100 has video out and should have some playback capability builtin.

Here are a few other observations on the CF100 while I'm at it:

1. The slow startup is annoying. I can be halfway out the parking lot before the recording kicks in, so if you get into a scrape while backing out, the camera won't help if you don't sit there and wait and wait and wait before pulling out. I'll have to seriously consider hard wiring, thought none of my previous cameras have taken more than 3-5 seconds to start.

2. The rear image is not mirrored using the video out, but is mirrored when playing back with the PC viewer. This should be a selectable option on the unit. The rear camera actually has quite a good viewing angle when mounted center high and can show the driver side blind spot quite well, if only the image were mirrored so it can show approaching cars on the correct side.

3. The G sensor setting applies to both driving and parking modes. This results in unnecessary "events" during driving over even small bumps, which can be mitigated by reducing sensitivity, but then it would not sense anything other than door crushing impacts in parking mode. The two modes should have separate G sensor settings.

4. The ball mount is too loose and may allow the camera to rotate when pushing a button or more importantly, during an impact, causing loss of view. This can be seen quite often in other crash videos where you basically just get a good view of the sky immediately after impact.

5. The vertical orientation puts the lens farther from the windshield, making it more susceptible to capturing reflections. I will have to look into a polarizer at some point.

6. Front and rear brightness are not independent. Some vehicles, like mine, have factory rear tint and the ability to increase rear brightness without over exposing the front channel would be useful.

7. Removing and inserting the microsd card on a daily basis is as much of a pain as I thought it would be. Big personal preference, but unless the camera is truly teeny tiny, use standard SD!

Despite all of the above, it is still a great camera for the price ($140) that has excellent image quality. I'm seeing perfect focus and very good clarity from both the front and rear sensors. Some of the issues I knew going in, but there was either no other choice or I thought it wouldn't be a big deal at time of purchase. Hopefully they can address some of the issues via firmware updates, or in the next generation of cameras.

KuoH

Yes, you right. Only front channel. MXPlayer is what I also use.
 
VLC will play both channels, but not at the same time. On my Galaxy S4, it plays one channel, then if you stop and replay the same file again, it plays the other channel. MX Player shows the other stream in the file details, but seems to lack a way to select it for playback. Also, my phone will not see the 64GB microsd directly through the OTG. Not sure if it's a file system limitation or the OTG port doesn't put out enough power for the microsd reader, but if I copy the file to a standard USB flash drive, then plug that into the phone, I can view the file. Not exactly handy, considering the CF100 has video out and should have some playback capability builtin.

vlc is still VERY beta on android. all it does is crash, no matter what file type i try to open with it - even mp3s make it crash. and it crashes so bad i have to reboot. uninstalled that real fast.

64gb is not a filesystem limitation - i have a 64gb sd card in my galaxy relay and it works fine. your s4 should have no issues with a 64gb card either, though it could be something w/ your otg adapter or card reader.

Here are a few other observations on the CF100 while I'm at it:

1. The slow startup is annoying. I can be halfway out the parking lot before the recording kicks in, so if you get into a scrape while backing out, the camera won't help if you don't sit there and wait and wait and wait before pulling out. I'll have to seriously consider hard wiring, thought none of my previous cameras have taken more than 3-5 seconds to start.

this is a non-issue when used for parking mode. i usually hear it say "parking mode is ending" as i get into the car, before i even put the key in.

2. The rear image is not mirrored using the video out, but is mirrored when playing back with the PC viewer. This should be a selectable option on the unit. The rear camera actually has quite a good viewing angle when mounted center high and can show the driver side blind spot quite well, if only the image were mirrored so it can show approaching cars on the correct side.

when viewing videos on the pc, mine is NOT mirrored - check out my install thread. you can see license plates the correct way. so i think either yours behaves differently, or your definition of mirrored isn't the same as mine.

3. The G sensor setting applies to both driving and parking modes. This results in unnecessary "events" during driving over even small bumps, which can be mitigated by reducing sensitivity, but then it would not sense anything other than door crushing impacts in parking mode. The two modes should have separate G sensor settings.

4. The ball mount is too loose and may allow the camera to rotate when pushing a button or more importantly, during an impact, causing loss of view. This can be seen quite often in other crash videos where you basically just get a good view of the sky immediately after impact.

I agree fully on these 2 points. g-sensor setting needs to be separate. i want it full sensitive for parking mode, and almost fully insensitive for driving. railroad tracks, potholes, and speedbumps often trigger it, which will end up filling the card with locked files. and since i'm not the one who drives that car the most (it's my wife's car) i won't know it's getting full unless she tells me or i check it regularly, and then if something DOES happen, it won't be recorded.

5. The vertical orientation puts the lens farther from the windshield, making it more susceptible to capturing reflections. I will have to look into a polarizer at some point.

6. Front and rear brightness are not independent. Some vehicles, like mine, have factory rear tint and the ability to increase rear brightness without over exposing the front channel would be useful.

7. Removing and inserting the microsd card on a daily basis is as much of a pain as I thought it would be. Big personal preference, but unless the camera is truly teeny tiny, use standard SD!
5 - I'll be experimenting with a PL filter soon as well.
6 - I don't care about teh brightness, as mine seems just fine on the default settings, even with the factory privacy glass in the rear. again, see my install thread for pics of that.
7 - i don't remove mine regularly, but when i do i often accidentally move it in the mount. i've thought about gluing the ball mount but my luck it'd finally cure with it out of alignment, which would be bad. maybe i could use something like silicone caulk, which would dry stiff enough, but i could still take it apart to re-aim if needed.
 
You're correct, my mind was playing tricks on me. For some reason, when I'm sitting at home viewing the videos, my brain knows a car approaching on the right side of the rear video will appear on the left side of the front video. However, when I'm in the driver seat looking at the monitor, it throws me off because the rear video is opposite of what's in the rear view mirror. I still think an option to mirror the direct rear video feed would be useful, but not critical.

The rear image is fine during the daytime even through the rear tint, but at night away from brightly lit streets, it leaves a bit to be desired. Honestly though, it's not a fault of the camera that my car comes with a fairly dark rear tint, but having the ability to compensate would be nice.

KuoH

when viewing videos on the pc, mine is NOT mirrored - check out my install thread. you can see license plates the correct way. so i think either yours behaves differently, or your definition of mirrored isn't the same as mine.
 
You're correct, my mind was playing tricks on me. For some reason, when I'm sitting at home viewing the videos, my brain knows a car approaching on the right side of the rear video will appear on the left side of the front video. However, when I'm in the driver seat looking at the monitor, it throws me off because the rear video is opposite of what's in the rear view mirror. I still think an option to mirror the direct rear video feed would be useful, but not critical.

The rear image is fine during the daytime even through the rear tint, but at night away from brightly lit streets, it leaves a bit to be desired. Honestly though, it's not a fault of the camera that my car comes with a fairly dark rear tint, but having the ability to compensate would be nice.

KuoH
some monitors have the option to flip the video. maybe yours does too? i haven't tried using the video out on my cf100 and probably never will. could be useful for hooking up a trailer or backing up, but even mounted high center in the back hatch, i still wouldnt be able to see a hitch or anything else within a few feet of the bumper even if i angled the lens down more. the back glass has a little angle (2008 toyota sienna) so the door itself gets in the way of seeing things immediately behind the van.

as for vlc - on my windows pc it plays both feeds at the same time, and since i have 2 monitors, it's super easy to watch that way. a little weird, but not hard to get used to.
 
The video out has the rear image as a PIP window that takes up the top left quarter of the image with the rest displaying the front channel. I did not find any option to change it to rear only or any other configuration. Mirroring the monitor display will make the front channel reversed, which is not ideal. They could either make a firmware option or add a switch on the rear camera, like the Prodriver I tested, that would allow the user to change between normal and mirrored output.

As for playing the videos on a normal PC, the included player seems to work fine, as well as VLC and MPC. The OEM player has the option to enable and disable either channel during playback, but its zoom functions are sorely lacking. It's not a big deal though, since hopefully I won't be watching any of these videos much. As for VLC on android, I'm not having any real issues with it, but this would be the only thing I'd use it for, since I normally use MX Player as well.

KuoH

some monitors have the option to flip the video. maybe yours does too?
 
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