GT880S: review

Spyman99

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Dash Cam
DR600GW, A118, Mini 0806 and more...
Hello everybody,

Let me introduce you, with our partner GearBest, the Shadow GT880S. The first dashcam by Seezeus with OBD connection to the vehicle.

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This dashcam offers a maximum recording resolution of 1080p at 30fps with WDR. The generated videos are in MOV format.
The viewing angle is 148 ° and the lens offers an aperture of f1.6 assisted by a 1/3 " CMOS sensor .

It is equipped with a GPS, a 3-axis accelerometer, a microphone and a speaker.

It also has a HDMI video output for a direct view on your TV screen.

The storage is done on an external memory card by a MicroSD slot. The maximum capacity is 32 GB.

The menus of the GT880S are multilingual including English of course (and French for me :p ).
The GT880S also offers other features such as Fatigue Driving Warning, Speed Limit Warning but also a Parking Mode.

The parking mode shoots in low frame rate in order to limit the space on the memory card. You can choose a rate of 1, 2 or 5 frames / sec.

Regarding the videos, the GT880S allows to record data such GPS coordinates, date / time and plate number or personal information.
But the interesting thing is that it can also include data from information supplied by the OBD connection.

On its 2.7’’ LCD display, the GT880S also displays, in screen saver mode, some parameters of the OBD (engine load, coolant temperature, error code, speed, mileage, the battery voltage and the stroke of the accelerator) or GPS speed with a compass and GPS coordinates. Otherwise, the display can also be turned off.

An image reversal function is also available: you can also use the camera placed on the dashboard for example.

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Back to the OBD function:

What is the OBD? ?
For this, I invite you to read the following link for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-board_diagnostics

OBD cable is supplied with the dashcam and is used to supply power. The male connector is connected to the diagnostic female plug of your vehicle.

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Then the GT880S is able to record information on the videos as battery voltage, speed, engine rpm, coolant temperature, ...
15 parameters can be shown on the videos. These parameters may or may not appear depending on the brand / model of the vehicle because despite the OBD protocol is a standard: it may happen that the GT880S can not read certain data.

Below the 15 concerned parameters:
1.Battery Voltage (V)
2. Engine Revolution Speed (rpm)
3. Driving Speed (Km/h)
4. Throttle Percentage (%)
5. Engine Load (%)
6. Coolant Temperature (°C)
7. Average Fuel consumption (L/h)
8. Instantaneous Fuel consumption (L/100km)
9. Current Mileage (km)
10. Total Mileage (km)
11. Fuel Consumption (L)
12. Accumulated Fuel Consumption (L)
13. Fault Quantity
14. The times of urgent Acceleration (Times)
15. The times of sharp slow down (Rapid Deceleration) (Times)

If possible, the GT880S is able to display and erase error codes of the vehicle but only the codes without gravity. If you have an injection issue, for example, the GT880S will not be able to indicate.

For example, here is a screenshot realized with my Renault Laguna 3 car :



As said earlier, you will notice that there are only 12 listed parameters and one of them remains at 0: Percentage Throttle. This confirms that all parameters are not accessible / enabled depending of the brand / model of the vehicle.

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Other photos:

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[size=8pt]Photo credit: Spyman99[/size]

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Features:

Sensor: 1/3" CMOS
View angle: 148°
LCD Display: 2.7" TFT
Aperture: f1.6
Resolution:
1920x1080p@30fps
1280x720p@30fps et @60fps
848x480p@30fps
640x480p@30fps
WDR: yes
G sensor: yes, 3 axis
Video format: MOV
Connection port: USB 2.0 and HDMI out
GPS: yes
OBD: yes
Storage: MicroSDHC up to 32Gb
Battery: 300mAh
Size: 113mm(L) x 32mm(P) x 45.5mm(H), weigth: 103gr
T° storage: -20°C~85°C
Accessories: 1x HDMI cable, 1x OBD cable, 1x suction mount, 1x adhesive mount, 1x USB MicroSD memory card reader, 1x manual, 1x installation CD

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Videos:

By day:



twilight:


By night:


 
The test:

Let's go for the test of this GT880S.

unpacking:

It comes in a strong cardboard box with a wood imitation decor.

Inside, we find the camera in a plastic compartment. Under this compartment includes all accessories such as OBD cable, HDMI cable, the suction mount and adhesive mount, USB MicroSD card reader, a manual and a small CD containing the Shadow's video player.



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Construction feeling:

The camera is well built, good plastic quality . Nothing to say on that side.

Looking at the front, we could find some similarity with calenders of a famous German car brand, the brand with the silver star. ^^
Also on the front, there is a chromed aeration grid .
However, around the front, a white screen printing is omnipresent in the four corners and does not make the camera discreet as the chromed aeration grid.
A black pen or black rib can hide that, but not to put on the air vent.
Ideally, I would have preferred to have this.

On top of the camera, there is a square form that houses the GPS and also serves to grip the suction mount or adhesive mount through a ball joint. Besides, I would have preferred a fast flying system in order to remove the camera without its support because here it forces to remake the framing each time the camera is put back.

At the rear, the buttons are well placed and readable: 2 navigation buttons to the left of the screen, two other right for the menu / emergency recording and mode / microphone.
Above is the Start button and the start / stop recording. The USB port is located on the other side.
The memory card slot is placed on one of the sides of the camera: the insertion and extraction of the memory card is easy because it is slightly prominent. On the opposite is the HDMI port and a small hole for the reset of the camera in case of freeze.

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Setting menu :

A little video to show you the different setting menus of this GT880S (in french):


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Installation in the car:

So there is a choice between the suction mount or the adhesive. The adhesive mount is a little smaller, we can earn a few millimeters in height.

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For connection of GT880S, so use that famous OBD cable and plug it into the diagnostic socket of the vehicle. For my car, it is located in the center armrest but its location may vary depends of the vehicle models: in general, it is around the interiors fuse under the steering column or on the central tunnel to the ashtray.

Location of the diagnostic socket (Renault Laguna 3):

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Then it only remains to run the cord in trim, door seal and roof up to the camera.
 
The videos tests:

I have tested only one resolution: 1080p @ 30fps, the others are not interesting in my opinion. WDR mode enabled and all other default settings.

By day, sunny weather:


By day, rainy weather:


By night, rainy weather:



The conclusion is quite positive: the image is pretty good but lacking a bit of precision, well contrasted colors (perhaps a bit too), no annoying pixels artifacts ... The transitions between dark and light are good . In short, I found there a comparable image quality as the DoD who share the same components and not only.

Audio is also a good level: the sound is clear, we correctly understood radio and conversations. However some videos where the sound is quiet, there are a small "cracking" every second. Perhaps any interference. That said, with the volume of the radio and the vehicle driving noises, it goes unnoticed.

At night, of course, it gets complicated, but with the f1.6 aperture, the image is bright enough but still very noisy that it is impossible to distinguish details like the plate numbers or a road sign information .

Regarding the video bit rate, it is 15Mb / s that is in the correct standard.

Some screenshots at different speeds:





In road use, the camera vibrates slightly (suction mount). With adhesive mount, this should be mitigated.

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The GPS:

The GPS chip of GT880S is a Skylab SKG16A:



The GPS fix in less than 2 minutes and its accuracy is good. No complaints.
One can use its data with Registrator Viewer without problems, but also with the software supplied with the GT880S:



It should be noted that the speed encrusted on the video is provided by the OBD and not the GPS. GPS apparently only provided the geographical coordinates that I could see doing a test with a conventional power supply without using the OBD. However it seems that the speed displayed on the screen saver (if you chose this option in the menu) is the one of the GPS.

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OBD information:

The main argument of this GT880S is undoubtedly its ability to use the OBD information of the diagnostic socket of the vehicle.

As I indicated in the above presentation, OBD information that GT880S can manage depend on the compatibility with the vehicle.
Of the 15 parameters that can display GT880S, only 12 are with my current car (Renault Laguna 3 GT 180) and one of the parameters, the throttle percentage, remains at zero.

Concerning the reliability of the data, they seem quite correct.

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The parking mode :

Another interesting feature of the GT880S is its parking mode. Both say right away, I expected a more advanced mode that some other classic car dashcams or at least approaching what is done best with Blackvue or Lukas for example, but not really case.

The GT880s propose a parking mode that films continuously in 1, 2 or 5 fps. The camera films in low frame rate in order to limit the space occupied on the memory card. We obtain files at 30 frames / s which gives us accelerated videos when viewing them. If you choose a setting of 1 or 2 fps, it can miss important details in an accident parking! In short, it is better than nothing but it's not the top face of the two Korean brands mentioned above.
The problem (for me) is that this mode is not automatic when the engine stop. So it must be activated manually. And if you forget to turn it off and drive, we obtain this:


We can put the Benny Hill music playing in the background and you can get a funny thing!
In short, unlike Blackvue and Lukas which themselves have an automatic parking mode, this is not the best either.

For video surveillance, there is another function that can trigger recording in case of impact. This function uses the accelerometer and triggers a 20s recording if a shock is detected . This also works if the camera is not powered.
Unfortunately there is a trouble, yes again !: when there is a shock, the camera records but there is a period of about 8s between the shock and the beginning of the recording, the time that the camera starts !
Worse still: if you have activated parking mode and the camera is off, the camera is filming some images (20 for 1fps, 40 for 2fps and 100 for 5fps).
Finally, you have great chances of being unable to exploit anything because you have missed the origin of the impact!
Unlike Blackvue and Lukas who filming continuously without generating file but records in case of shock or motion detection, a video with a few seconds before and after the incident.

For the car park surveillance, so it requires a continuous supply that is provided by the diagnostic socket. On the OBD connector cord from the GT880S is a button "On / Off". This button should be "On" in order to keep the camera powered even when the engine is stopped. "OFF", the camera will switch off once the engine off and back on again at the next start.
"On", protection against voltage drop of the battery is available. The camera power will be disconnected if the battery voltage drops below 11.6V.


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Conclusion:

The conclusion is broadly positive. This GT880S offers good image quality day, night and in bad weather and its OBD function is interesting as long as your vehicle is compatible. My only regret is that the parking mode is not evolved enough and at least at these Korean cousins. That said, it's better than nothing and better than some other dashcams placed at the same price and does not have this feature.
If I had to compare this dashcam to another, it would be the DoD LS460W but the little extra that tipped the scales on the side of GT880S is its OBD function and parking mode, although it is debatable.

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Finally, I would like to thank GearBest for his confidence and with whom I could introduce and test this GT880S.
You can find this Shadow GT880S on the GearBest's web site at this address:
Thank you also to Gugusse for the correction of the English translation. The original test in French is available here: http://www.dashcam-france.fr/index.php?topic=1725.0

Have a nice day !

Spyman99 from "Dashcam-France".
 
Thank you for your hard working Jerome, nice write up :D
 
This is one of the best cams for its price point and one of my go to cams for my suv. There is one small flaw and I live in a hot area of the USA , Texas and the suction cup for this unit basically melted and now
I am not able to use this cam anymore does anyone know how to get a replacement for this.
 
This is one of the best cams for its price point and one of my go to cams for my suv. There is one small flaw and I live in a hot area of the USA , Texas and the suction cup for this unit basically melted and now
I am not able to use this cam anymore does anyone know how to get a replacement for this.
Hello,

Please mail to: shadowrecorder@foxmail.com, and provide your shipping info.
 
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