Cowon AW2, 2ch 1080p / 30Fps + 1080p / 30Fps WiFi, GPS, WDR, Android, iOs

There are some side-by-side comparison videos on YouTube showing the BlackVue 500, BlackSys CF100, iTronics ITB100HD, and COWON AW1 (same camera specs, but single unit). In my opinion, the AW1 (and presumably the AW2) videos are far better than BlackVue's for clarity, especially at night. I'm *nearly* sold on the idea, and I'm probably gonna buy it in the next few days.

Here are those videos:

In the meantime, I was hoping someone could answer a few remaining questions.

1. In gs1000flash's video of the PC software posted on Dec 30, it shows the user can change the language setting to English. Does this also affect the voice prompts? I asked this question of one seller (apple-ct on eBay) and he seems to think it doesn't; that they're only available in Korean. I did find another seller (gabin-word on eBay) that is selling one that specifically says "English firmware" and "English prompts", but I'm wondering if this is a firmware hack, or if it's legitimately from the manufacturer. Does anyone have any info on this?

2. Did anyone find out the actual bitrates? apple-ct just responded "AW2 is the latest model and the best quality", but didn't actually say the bitrate. Does anyone have raw video files, recorded at the highest quality?

3. Does the button on the front camera allow the user to "protect the current video" on both front & back cameras, like an emergency, or SOS button? I didn't see this mentioned in Niko's translated PDF (thanks for that, BTW!). I suppose I can just physically slap the camera, in order to cause the G-sensor to think it was in an accident, but I don't know if this also causes the rear camera to mark its video the same way.

If I do buy it, I'll post a review. Thanks for any help!
Dan.
 
I just got Cowon AW1. It will take me some time to get to know it better, fully test and post a review, but I think it is too early to speculate if AW2 and AW1 ( front ) cameras are the same specs in regards to bit-rate. Some time companies use same shell but newer hardware / firmware ? So, it is best to wait until somebody will get hands on AW2 for full test in order to make a true conclusions.
 
No doubt it will be easy to do a stealthy install with these, and the chance for doing that in more cars is higher than with the Finevu CR 2000S.
I allso doubt the AW2 will have a mutch better video compared to the finevu CR2000S or the vicovation markus5

But that do not warrent the higher prize for me, and beside from lining up the cameras i see no use for the WIFI part. ( and i cant even use that as i have a Windows phone )
I am Lucky to have plenty of room in front of my mirror in my Little Suzuki, so i can make a fairly stealthy install with just about any camera.
But i have seen many cars witch will have problems doing the same with larger bulky cameras, due to the way the cars are built around the rear mirror.
 
I allso doubt the AW2 will have a mutch better video compared to the finevu CR2000S or the vicovation markus5.

This can be fully confirmed only from side by side comparison tests ;)

These days all competitors want to deliver the best possible result. So we have to wait and see.
 
True true.

But even with the dedicated Dashcam fanatics we have here on this site i af affraid it will be a long time before we see those tests, or just compare them to the good 2013 single cameras ( witch i think is fair to do )

If these new cameras stack up to my lukas with release firmware, i would feel good about getting one, especially from a Company witch are serious about support / new firmware releases.

I do not expect monumental improvements in dashcam video, not even at the high prize range, but i do expect that what is good video today to be more and more common and filter Down to low prize cameras.
 
I am happy to report that I have finally received my AW2, and it seems great so far! I'll be uploading sample videos soon, and a more detailed review. But I can at least confirm that the voice prompts and software are indeed available in English, and that both front and back cameras are recording at about 7,500kbps. That's each camera, not combined! Very nice. (Each camera has its own microSD card, up to 32GB each).

My biggest the complaints so far, however, are:
1. I had a very difficult time getting WiFi streaming of the rear camera while sitting in the back seat. This might be because my car is full of tech, & might be producing interference. No problem while I was sitting in the front seat.
2. The micro USB cable used to connect the rear and front cameras is very thick, making a clean installation very difficult. I finally got it, but I'll probably be replacing it with a shorter and thinner cable. It also has straight connectors, which is unfortunate. I'd much rather have 90 degree connectors, but that's mostly aesthetic.
3. The power cable's connection is very loose at the front camera, and I fear will unplug itself over time with the car's vibrations.

Overall though, I'm much happier with these cameras that with the BlackVue 500 2ch.
 
Overall though, I'm much happier with these cameras that with the BlackVue 500 2ch.
Originals video (day / night) please put on file sharing.
Thank you.
 
Niko, how are you getting on with the Cowon AW1? is it same spec as AW2?
 
Niko, how are you getting on with the Cowon AW1? is it same spec as AW2?

I dont want to post so called quick-overview, - its not my style. I prefer to get to know product, to fully test it and only then to post complete review, but its all takes time. Dont know yet how can compare aw1 vs aw2, need to have both producuts side by side.
 
I still haven't had time to properly review the camera, but I've at least uploaded a total of 8 sample videos (directly as-is from the camera; no editing, no re-encoding), from daytime and nighttime. The bitrate is about 7400kbps for each file.

Note: I'm using Google Drive to share the files, which will attempt to play it in an embedded player if you just click on each file. To view the actual original quality, you'll need to download the .mp4 files and play them from your drive. (Click on the video, and then click on the Download button near the bottom-right.)

I've also uploaded the AW1's English manual, since I haven't found the AW2 manual in English yet. It's still possible that the AW1/AW2 differ in the specs, but the grand majority of the AW1's manual applies to the AW2. I hope this helps.
 
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I still haven't had time to properly review the camera, but I've at least uploaded a total of 8 sample videos (directly as-is from the camera; no editing, no re-encoding), from daytime and nighttime. The bitrate is about 7400kbps for each file.

Note: I'm using Google Drive to share the files, which will attempt to play it in an embedded player if you just click on each file. To view the actual original quality, you'll need to download the .mp4 files and play them from your drive. (Click on the video, and then click on the Download button near the bottom-right.)

I've also uploaded the AW1's English manual, since I haven't found the AW2 manual in English yet. It's still possible that the AW1/AW2 differ in the specs, but the grand majority of the AW1's manual applies to the AW2. I hope this helps.
so where did you buy it from and could I get one in the UK

Oh and I notice the voltage thing, it was at 14 volts when you started then dropped to 12 volts if that's the cars voltage then you might want to get the fan belts / alternator looked at. Might be slipping or may have a regulator problem.
 
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Niko, how are you getting on with the Cowon AW1? is it same spec as AW2?

As per AW1 ( which is supposed to be same as AW2? - don't know, this need to be yet confirmed ), I have made few side by side tests with Panorama II, but now they released a new firmware that fixed few bugs, - now I need to do all test all over again, ehhhh :)
 
New price from Jae 18.02.2014
1. Added:
COWON Auto Capsule AW2 - $385
COWON Auto Capsule AF2 - $291
COWON Auto Capsule AE2 - $181

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Aww man, I just bought an AW2 on eBay a few days ago for $489.
 
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Is the quality better then blackvue 550 ?
 
Is the quality better then blackvue 550 ?

It's good that @rickyaswell can do side by side Cowon AW2 vis 550, - then we can see real result.
If to believe my eyes what I sew from raw / original files of 550 vs AW1, - then Cowon at this time has slightly dull colours compare to 550 and Cowon need to adjust colour settings. Also 550 has slightly better sharpness, but it's not because of focus ( focus is OK ), but from default sharpness settings of firmware. All this can be adjusted with new FW ( if / when it will be released ).
 

same I assumed with my above replay. Cowon need to play with some settings adjustments in order to be on same level as 550.
Also at the moment 550 has advantage of custom firmware with higher bit-rate. If over some test and try period it will be proven to work reliable, - then for Cowon there will be no other chance than also rising a bit-rate ( + also working on some other colour / sharpness adjustments ) in order to be competitive with 550.
 
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