DR970X Plus Series - Testing/Review - RCG

[daves88]

Reading the above comments is leaving me to wonder what I should be purchasing...

It will be going in a BMW x5 with hopefully a battery backup pack. (Located in Australia)

 

[Phatboy64]

I should be able to. The issue is I am traveling for the next three months and the box that it came with is not with me. I have to get in touch with the Dash Cam Store today to see what my options are. I would have thought BlackVue would have replaced it but they had no interest in helping me.
I like the form factor of the BlackVue but too bad the quality is there.

 

[Will1688]

I should be able to. The issue is I am traveling for the next three months and the box that it came with is not with me. I have to get in touch with the Dash Cam Store today to see what my options are. I would have thought BlackVue would have replaced it but they had no interest in helping me.
I like the form factor of the BlackVue but too bad the quality is there.

Same here.. i like their form factor, but it seems every iteration has this focus issue still which is so dissapointing. So yeah, im still on the sidelines waiting for more people to chime in or i guess hope that the vendor i buy from will help with exchanges if there are focus issues..

 

[Phatboy64]

Same here.. i like their form factor, but it seems every iteration has this focus issue still which is so dissapointing. So yeah, im still on the sidelines waiting for more people to chime in or i guess hope that the vendor i buy from will help with exchanges if there are focus issues..

So I talked with the folks at the Dash Cam store and they have been very helpful. They went over some things that may be contributing to my focus issue, I also uploaded a clip for their review. They are more then happy to replace the camera but suggested we troubleshoot first so we can make sure we have the best plan moving forward. I don’t have any experience with other Dash Cam dealers but so far the Dash Cam Store has been great to deal with. I will keep you posted..

 

[rcg530]

While my primary test vehicle is down for repairs, I have my backup test vehicle setup with three dash cameras. BlackVue DR970X BOX-2CH Plus, BlackVue DR970X Plus and a VIOFO A229 Plus. I didn't have my VIOFO A229 Pro front camera in this test vehicle, but the A229 Plus does a decent job as far a video quality and good focus quality.

I wanted to see how out of focus the third BlackVue DR970X Plus front camera is compared to the only DR970X Plus series front camera that I've received that has a good focus quality (DR970X BOX Plus front). I've uploaded the raw videos to my channel.

BlackVue DR970X BOX Plus UHD Front:

BlackVue DR970X Plus UHD Front:

VIOFO A229 Plus QHD Front:

 

[Phatboy64]

The BlackVue Box with the 1.001 FW is a better then the Plus non box with the 1.000. VIOFO is better then both. Do you think the FW would make any difference?

 

[rcg530]

The BlackVue Box with the 1.001 FW is a better then the Plus non box with the 1.000. VIOFO is better then both. Do you think the FW would make any difference?

Pittasoft did have v1.001 firmware available for the DR970X Plus (non-box) starting on 07-Feb-2024. They withdrew that version a week or two later. I still don't know why. I did have firmware v1.001 in the my second DR970X Plus dash camera (my extremely out of focus DR970X Plus front camera) and the image quality was a little better (far less color/brightness flashes). The focus issues are a hardware issue.

 

[Phatboy64]

If it is HW is there a date range or SN range of affected units or is it hit or miss? I bought one that shipped on 2/19, it has some video quality issues. The place I ordered it from shipped me a new one on 3/7, I have been traveling and haven’t had a chance to open the box and test it. Hopefully this one is better…

 

[rcg530]

If it is HW is there a date range or SN range of affected units or is it hit or miss? I bought one that shipped on 2/19, it has some video quality issues. The place I ordered it from shipped me a new one on 3/7, I have been traveling and haven’t had a chance to open the box and test it. Hopefully this one is better…

I don't know if there's a S/N range to look for since I've yet to receive a DR970X Plus front camera or a DR970X LTE Plus front camera that has a good focus quality. The first couple units where pre-production units, but the DR970X-2CH Plus that I currently have should be a production unit. It has a serial number starting with 97XPK1N2E00'nnn'. The 'nnn' are the last three numeric digits.

 

[Phatboy64]

My first Cam has SN that starts with 97LPNA1N100nnn, same with the replacement cam they sent me. the 2 SN's, there is ~ 300 number difference between the to nnn'

This is a capture from my first Cam

 

[rcg530]

My first Cam has SN that starts with 97LPNA1N100nnn, same with the replacement cam they sent me. the 2 SN's, there is ~ 300 number difference between the to nnn'

This is a capture from my first Cam

The very first DR970X-2CH LTE Plus dash camera I received was a pre-production unit with a S/N of 97LPNA3MA00'nn'.

The replacement DR970X-2CH LTE Plus S/N is 97LPNA1N1008'nn'. The DR970X LTE Plus front camera has been less out of focus than the DR970X Plus front cameras. The second DR970X LTE Plus front camera almost has a decent focus quality, but not as good as the DR970X BOX Plus front camera.

Here's some frame grabs from when my primary test car with moderately out of focus DR970X Plus front camera (unit 3) in it comparing it to the other cameras. The Thinkware U3000 you see in the first frame grab was not powered due to a ongoing Thinkware iVolt Xtra BAB-95 battery pack failure investigation.

DR970X (non-plus) / DR970X LTE Plus (unit 2) / DR970X Plus (unit 3) / VIOFO A229 Pro - No CPL / 08-Mar-2024


I moved the DR970X Plus front camera (unit 2) to my second test car to compare it with the DR970X BOX Plus and a VIOFO A229 Plus front cameras on 15-Mar-2024.

DR970X BOX Plus / DR970X Plus (unit 3) / VIOFO A229 Plus - No CPL / 15-Mar-2024


I'm hoping your replacement DR970X-2CH LTE Plus front camera has a better focus quality than your first unit. The focus quality improved with my second DR970X-2CH LTE Plus front camera, but not quite what it should be for such an expensive dash camera.

 

[danlat1415]

Mine arrived yesterday from Seoul Korea (ordered on 12th March, arrived on 15th March).
It has serial number - 97XPK1N1E03***
So far I've not noticed any focus or quality issues. I've been able to compare it to my outgoings DR900X Plus and the picture quality is definitely better for me so far, although I've not been able to compare it with other brands which is always a better comparison.

 

[Phatboy64]

The very first DR970X-2CH LTE Plus dash camera I received was a pre-production unit with a S/N of 97LPNA3MA00'nn'.

The replacement DR970X-2CH LTE Plus S/N is 97LPNA1N1008'nn'. The DR970X LTE Plus front camera has been less out of focus than the DR970X Plus front cameras. The second DR970X LTE Plus front camera almost has a decent focus quality, but not as good as the DR970X BOX Plus front camera.

Here's some frame grabs from when my primary test car with moderately out of focus DR970X Plus front camera (unit 3) in it comparing it to the other cameras. The Thinkware U3000 you see in the first frame grab was not powered due to a ongoing Thinkware iVolt Xtra BAB-95 battery pack failure investigation.

DR970X (non-plus) / DR970X LTE Plus (unit 2) / DR970X Plus (unit 3) / VIOFO A229 Pro - No CPL / 08-Mar-2024
View attachment 71369View attachment 71372View attachment 71371View attachment 71370

I moved the DR970X Plus front camera (unit 2) to my second test car to compare it with the DR970X BOX Plus and a VIOFO A229 Plus front cameras on 15-Mar-2024.

DR970X BOX Plus / DR970X Plus (unit 3) / VIOFO A229 Plus - No CPL / 15-Mar-2024
View attachment 71375View attachment 71374View attachment 71373

I'm hoping your replacement DR970X-2CH LTE Plus front camera has a better focus quality than your first unit. The focus quality improved with my second DR970X-2CH LTE Plus front camera, but not quite what it should be for such an expensive dash camera.

Thanks, I hope so too. I would hate to keep swapping until I get a good one. I would consider a BOX version if that meant it would solve the issue. I am I correct that you need to put a GPS and a LTE antenna on the front windshield with the BOX version? Assuming you wanted cloud access .

 

[Phatboy64]

Mine arrived yesterday from Seoul Korea (ordered on 12th March, arrived on 15th March).
It has serial number - 97XPK1N1E03***
So far I've not noticed any focus or quality issues. I've been able to compare it to my outgoings DR900X Plus and the picture quality is definitely better for me so far, although I've not been able to compare it with other brands which is always a better comparison.

That is great!

I assume the PK in the SN has somthing to do with it being in Europe vs NA?

 

[danlat1415]

That is great!

I assume the PK in the SN has somthing to do with it being in Europe vs NA?

I'm not sure
I ordered from Blackvue.com (US site) because it's not available in UK at moment due to reseller stock issues.
So I ordered from US, got free CM100LTE module (already have one so will be selling to reduce cost of the DR900X Plus).
The dashcam was shipped direct from Blackvue in South Korea.

So their stock allocation/serial numbers may be linked to where they're shipped to rather than where they were bought.
Or the serial number lettering may have no relevance at all. Who knows....

 

[rcg530]

Thanks, I hope so too. I would hate to keep swapping until I get a good one. I would consider a BOX version if that meant it would solve the issue. I am I correct that you need to put a GPS and a LTE antenna on the front windshield with the BOX version? Assuming you wanted cloud access .

The DR970X-2CH BOX Plus unit comes with a GNSS receiver that needs to be mounted in a location so it can receive GPS signals. There's only one USB connection port on the main unit. You use the USB port to connect the GNSS receiver or the CM100GLTE connectivity module. If you decide to go with the CM100GLTE (not the older CM100LTE) connectivity module, it takes the place of the GNSS receiver for the GPS function. The CM100GLTE connectivity module will provide the GPS signal data and the LTE connectivity.

 

[Phatboy64]

Question for you, your earlier post (#85) where you have three video captures, I was trying to compare the middle one to my video to see how off mine is compared to others. I notice that in the bottom right it says UHD Off. Could that be affecting the focus quality?

 

[danlat1415]

Question for you, your earlier post (#85) where you have three video captures, I was trying to compare the middle one to my video to see how off mine is compared to others. I notice that in the bottom right it says UHD Off. Could that be affecting the focus quality?

the UHD-OFF is referencing the front and rear cameras.
UHD-FHD means front camera (UltraHD) and rear camera (FullHD) are operational.
UHD-OFF would just mean that the rear camera is off, but the front is still on and UltraHD.

 

[rcg530]

Question for you, your earlier post (#85) where you have three video captures, I was trying to compare the middle one to my video to see how off mine is compared to others. I notice that in the bottom right it says UHD Off. Could that be affecting the focus quality?

Just like @danlat1415 stated, the "UHD-OFF" means that the front camera is operational (Ultra HD) and the rear camera is not connected. There is no dynamic focus adjustment possible with the BlackVue cameras, so the number/type of cameras connected would not impact the focus quality.

 

[Phatboy64]

Thanks for the clarification.!