DVR 207 GS review

[tenthousandfeet]

I've been playing with my DVR 207 GS for a few days, and I've got some things to say about it! I bought from futuretrend01 on ebay for $50. It arrived way faster than expected! The video quality is as expected, though perhaps it's a bit harder to make out licence plates than I would like. See the sample video (through a slightly dirty windshield) below.

There are a few problems I am experiencing:

1. It will not start recording automatically when the charger is powered up. UNLESS motion detection is on, but... see my next problem...
2. Motion detection is TERRIBLE. It will sometimes not activate at all, and will sometimes stop recording when there is clearly motion on the screen.
3. Setting video length to any setting other than "OFF" means the camera stops recording after that length of time. Just stops recording - it doesn't start a new file with the same video length. With the "OFF" setting, I get neat, continuous, sequential 800mb files with little to no gap between. If motion detection worked properly I think it would start a new video after the first one ended.
4. It will not automatically erase older videos and overwrite when my 16gb SD card is full. Instead, I get a big red "F" on the screen until I reformat the card or delete files. Perhaps if it is set to a finite video length it would overwrite older videos...?

Other notes:

• I haven't noticed any FM radio interference, but I don't use an FM transmitter.
• The mount is really sturdy, but hangs the camera pretty low. It takes up a lot of windshield space.
• I was having problems getting it to boot up with my SD card installed, until I did a full card format in Windows.
• Supposedly, the G-sensor exists to lock a video file after it senses an impact (car crash) to prevent overwriting or deletion. There is a menu option to set the sensitivity of the G-sensor. It took me a while to figure out what purpose this feature serves.
• The view angle is great! You can see most of the cars around you, but it does create the illusion that they're much farther away than they really are.

UPDATE: problems solved. Read two posts down for the resolution.

 

[GnomeSteve]

I also just got the DVR 207GS a few days ago, but I paid $70 from estore009 on ebay. The only trouble I've had so far is formatting it. I had to format in Windows since the camera didn't detect any SD Card inserted unless I did a quick format despite the cards being previously used. I use the recommended settings from this page http://dashcamtalk.com/dvr-207/ and everything seems to work fine.Test video is linked below. Could it be that you got an older firmware?
Hope your troubles get resolved!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pao-0_zFL24

 

[tenthousandfeet]

Success! I did a reset of the settings, and it now works as it should (with the exception of poor motion detection). I think the problem was this:
-After powering on the camera, I set motion detection to ON to try it out
-When it stopped recording after a few minutes (due to crappy motion detection), I messed with the video length setting (changed to OFF) to fix the problem
-With video length set to OFF, the camera won't start recording automatically and won't loop over old recordings.

The moral of the story? Leave motion detection off, and don't use the "OFF" video length!

 

[LouieMondo]

Hey guys. I just got the DVR207GS, and I am having a problem getting it to record for longer than 2 minutes. No matter what setting I choose, it cuts off at 2 minutes. 2, 5, 10, off, nothing makes a difference.

Any help would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[AllStrobedUp]

Try resetting it.

 

[LouieMondo]

Ok, I figured out what was wrong, actually by re-reading this post. Having it on Motion Detection creates 2 minutes clips with large gaps in between. Turning that off and having a 5 or 10 minute clip works just fine. However, Now I have another issue.

I have the cam hardwired into my fuse box in a constant powered position, which means that it never turns off. However, this also means hat the camera continuously records, no matter what. I then tried putting into a switch fuse position which goes on and off with the car, however, this creates a new issue with the cam losing memory (if the battery is out). The way I see it, there are three options...

1) Have constant power running to the cam and have to manually start and stop recording when you get in and out of the car.
2) Have switched power (battery out) and have to reset the date/time every time you get in the car.
3) Have switched power (battery in) and have to manually start and stop recording...

Any input on a 4th option??

 

[AllStrobedUp]

When power is turned off from dc it should stop and turn off. And should turn on and record when power is applied to dc jack. Mine does at least.

 

[Gabolinche]

+1 on the turning on and off when DC power comes on and off. That's the way this model is supposed to behave: it turns on and automatically starts recording when it receives power, then it automatically saves video and shuts off when it stops receiving power.

If you're losing your time and date settings when you shut off the car then your camera's battery is probably not working. First try to see if it is sitting tightly in the battery compartment. Some users have reported the battery terminals need a little adjustment in order for the battery to have a tighter fit. If the battery is sitting properly then you must have a dead battery (these cameras are known for using the cheapest possible battery so that means very low quality). You can find replacement batteries of the same type (Nokia BL-4C or BL-5C, both will work) abundantly on ebay for very cheap prices.

There was a similar problem reported on this thread. That's where the correct battery type was mentioned before.