Have you tried the H265 Hack yet?

Iggy

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Dash Cam
Viofo A119S V2, Lexar High Endurance Class 10 32GB memory
Sorry if someone else has written about this. Couldn't find anything here.

After watching the Vortex video on the A119 V3 he talked about the standard video compression is H264 but it has a hidden H265 if you want to save memory card space.
1- Turn on Cam and start recording.
2- Press the REC button to stop recording like you would normally do to get into menu.
3- Press the MIC button for 4 Seconds
4 - Select the menu button to enter Menu
5 - Select resolution and select your present resolution of say 2560 x 1440 30fps
Save and get out of the menu and now your videos will be compressed and saved at H265 format which will save you space.

To hear how to do this in the video check between 15 minutes and 17 minutes.
Here is the compression difference. Notice the size of the file compared to the H264 compression size

 

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H.265 are just fine, but might be a problem for people on a small or aging computer, this higher compression mode need more computer power to handle it.
But if you like me are on a beast computer you can run several of these 4K/60 H.265 videos at the same time, on the other hand my sisters old low end laptop cant even handle a H.265 at 1080p

So i recomend you Dl a raw H.265 video and see if your computer can handle playback and maybe editing of such footage.
 
@Iggy, Before altering your camera to record in H.265, keep in mind that if you should ever find yourself in a legal matter where you are required to provide original, raw, unedited and unaltered dash cam video to an insurance company, law enforcement, prosecutor's office, attorney, court of law or random bureaucrat, many people in the chain of custody regarding your evidence will not be able to view it because they may have an older computer and/or don't have the necessary media player to handle this newer and far from ubiquitous form of compression. To make matters worse, a large percentage of these people will not even know what the term "H.265" even means, they will only know that they can't properly view your video. In all likelihood they will simply move on to the next case.

Dash cam video is legal "evidence" and as such it is vital for everyone using a dash camera to record video that is as absolutely idiot-proof as possible for ANYONE to easily view regardless of the equipment and software they may have access to or their knowledge and skill levels in working with any videos submitted to them.

It's better to simply invest in a larger memory card and stick with the current standard and universally available H.264 than to risk creating files that may be challenging or impossible for everyone to view.
 
That is true to some degree, but i find that playback of evidence are their problem, and if need be they must send it to a reliable source for conversion to something they can handle.
It would be the same as if you had a accident, and the only one seeing it was a German tourist that don't speak English, so just cuz no one speak German his testimony go unused,,, that would of course be silly.
And with what insurance companies charge i feel little urge to accommodate them more than i have to.
 
Running a 32" 4K monitor and my desktop is fast and strong. LOL No problem here.
The rest of you are just over thinking a bit.
Its only a newer and better compression method and use it on my surveillance system cameras which are running on 4K.
No problem if you don't want to try it.
Its just something on the A119 V3 chip that can be activated.
 

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That is true to some degree, but i find that playback of evidence are their problem, and if need be they must send it to a reliable source for conversion to something they can handle.
It would be the same as if you had a accident, and the only one seeing it was a German tourist that don't speak English, so just cuz no one speak German his testimony go unused,,, that would of course be silly.
And with what insurance companies charge i feel little urge to accommodate them more than i have to.

Good luck with that thinking!
 
Running a 32" 4K monitor and my desktop is fast and strong. LOL No problem here.
The rest of you are just over thinking a bit.
Its only a newer and better compression method and use it on my surveillance system cameras which are running on 4K.
No problem if you don't want to try it.
Its just something on the A119 V3 chip that can be activated.


No, not overthinking. I speak as someone who has spent a lot of time as the victim of criminal behavior dealing with law enforcement, attorneys and prosecutors in regard to dash cam videos. It's remarkable what can happen with dash cam video once it is in the legal "chain of custody". You want your case prosecuted? You'd better make sure everyone can view your videos without a hassle!

And if you are ever in a car accident where there is a fatality and you need to prove your innocence in criminal court or defending a lawsuit don't count on "playback of evidence are (sic) their problem".

One of the amusing things I witness on this forum on nearly on a daily basis are people for whom dash cam video as legal evidence is merely theoretical and who have no idea what they are really talking about. Another thing I often see are folks who happen to have access to a fast modern computer or CCTV system, or whatever who don't stop to think about how different things may be in other municipalities or jurisdictions in other parts of the country or in fact other countries for that matter. Many, many individuals will have no clue how to open an H.265 compressed file or have a computer than can.

And yes, in a serious legal matter you may be required to submit "original" video for analysis not something that has been "converted".
 
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No, not overthinking. I speak as someone who has spent a lot of time as the victim of criminal behavior dealing with law enforcement, attorneys and prosecutors in regard to dash cam videos. It's remarkable what can happen with dash cam video once it is in the legal "chain of custody". You want your case prosecuted? You'd better make sure everyone can view your videos without a hassle!

And if you are ever in a car accident where there is a fatality and you need to prove your innocence in criminal court or defending a lawsuit don't count on "playback of evidence are (sic) their problem".

One of the amusing things I witness on this forum on nearly on a daily basis are people for whom dash cam video as legal evidence is merely theoretical and who have no idea what they are really talking about. Another thing I often see is someone who happens to have access to a fast modern computer or CCTV system, or whatever who don't stop to think about how different things may be in other municipalities or jurisdictions in other parts of the country or in fact other countries for that matter. Many, many individuals will have no clue how to open an H.265 compressed file or a computer than can.

And yes, in a serious legal matter you may be asked to submit "original" video for analysis not something that has been "converted".

I will worry about that when I come to that crossroad and not worry about it in present time.
 
I will worry about that when I come to that crossroad and not worry about it in present time.

Hindsight can be a regretful experience, so good luck with that approach.

Recording video that is easy for everyone to view, especially key individuals whom you may never even get to meet or talk to and who will be crucial in adjudicating your matter is just common sense.
 
I acknowledge your experience in the US system, but i will "take" my chance with the Danish system.
And i can assure you if they go "American" on my H.265 evidence, there will be hell to pay.
Cuz "they" force all manner of digital stuff on us Danes, so if they do that and will be willing to neglect H.265, then i am bringing in every national and international media, hell i will even take it to the international human rights court if need be.

BUT ! So far i don't have any cameras that record in H.265, or cameras where i use that option. But i still find it a viable avenue in the future.
 
I acknowledge your experience in the US system, but i will "take" my chance with the Danish system.
And i can assure you if they go "American" on my H.265 evidence, there will be hell to pay.
Cuz "they" force all manner of digital stuff on us Danes, so if they do that and will be willing to neglect H.265, then i am bringing in every national and international media, hell i will even take it to the international human rights court if need be.

BUT ! So far i don't have any cameras that record in H.265, or cameras where i use that option. But i still find it a viable avenue in the future.

I think you are oversimplifying things kamkar1 and I also don't think it is simply a matter of the US system vs the Danish system. All you need is someone in the back office of your auto insurance company who is having trouble looking at your fender bender video to end up with an unwanted hassle or even a rejection of your claim. You can pound the table all you want or go to any media outlet you want with your story but you'll still have your basic hassle to contend with.

It is amusing to see people rejecting the notion of basic, simple common sense about sticking with something that is already in place, already works very well and is a currently omnipresent compression scheme just to achieve some relatively modest amounts of extra recording real estate on a memory card in exchange for potentially self inflicted problems. And in today's market, unlike just a few years ago, very large capacity memory cards are available at very reasonable prices, thus making the argument for H.265 even less compelling.

One day, H.265 or another compression format will be ubiquitous just the way H.264 is now but that time has not yet arrived.
 
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For one thing i am pretty sure many here in private businesses like a insurance company and if the public offices are on old and slow equipment.
Most likely the slowest and most expensive brand stuff they can find.

So far i have only used H.264 for my rear ending ( though no doubt about who was at fault i only submitted it as i could ) and then the 2 times i have turned in another motorist into the police, and the 1 crash i witnessed from the front row "seat" this summer.
But next time if i remember it i will convert to H.265 if i only have H.264 and then submit that, just to see what happen.
Insurance wise i have so good coverage that i can total my car 2 times in a year and it will not affect what i pay, so i have some wiggle room to "play" with them.
 
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For one thing i am pretty sure many here in private businesses like a insurance company and if the public offices are on old and slow equipment.
Most likely the slowest and most expensive brand stuff they can find.

So far i have only used H.264 for my rear ending ( though no doubt about who was at fault i only submitted it as i could ) and then the 2 times i have turned in another motorist into the police, and the 1 crash i witnessed from the front row "seat" this summer.
But next time if i remember it i will convert to H.265 if i only have H.264 and then submit that, just to see what happen.
Insurance wise i have so good coverage that i can total my car 2 times in a year and it will not affect what i pay, so i have some wiggle room to "play" with them.

Didn't your camera fail when you got rear ended? I recall thinking how weird it was that you of all people would have a dash cam fail at the critical moment. But if it can happen to you it can happen to anyone.

I guess that's where Murphy's Law comes into play. And if Murphy's Law applies to a dash camera that didn't save a video at the critical moment then it also applies to the chances that someone may not be able to view a video compressed in a not yet widely adopted format.
 
Yeah the rear mobius camera was on a too long too poor quality USB cable, so only recorded random, but i submitted the footage from the front camera showing why i stopped and a side camera as you could see some reflections.
It was not needed but the insurance still thought it was cool, and said NO to me asking for a dashcam discount.
 
Yeah, my insurance company won't provide a discount for dash cams either. Then again, when I asked dash cams were not as popular as they are now so maybe they'll come around to the realization that dash cams save them money. Then again, if they can get you to pay for a dash cam that saves them money while still charging huge premiums, they're all for that!

Glad to hear that the front and side cam saved the day (and the video!).
 
Yeah, my insurance company won't provide a discount for dash cams either.
Every time my insurance comes up for renewal I ask about this. The reasons I'm given are: 1) No way to insure that the camera will be permanently installed leaving the opportunity for someone to get the discount then remove the camera and, 2) the underwriters have no idea of the value to the insurance company of having a dash cam - there just isn't enough history of dash cam evidence for them to place a value on it.
 
Every time my insurance comes up for renewal I ask about this. The reasons I'm given are: 1) No way to insure that the camera will be permanently installed leaving the opportunity for someone to get the discount then remove the camera and, 2) the underwriters have no idea of the value to the insurance company of having a dash cam - there just isn't enough history of dash cam evidence for them to place a value on it.

Such flimsy excuses. My insurance company offers a discount for an alarm system on my vehicle and for a CCTV system at a small business, so the logic that a video camera system on a vehicle won't be an aid in proving liability seems very weak at best. Plus they are fully aware of the long history of dash cams in police vehicles providing actionable evidence.
 
Just repeating what I've been told. Maybe next renewal they'll have different reasons (just as flimsy). :unsure: :rolleyes:

Yeah, I was just expanding on it a bit as I've heard the same BS. And yes, they'll probably come up with new excuses next time.

Insurance is like betting against yourself. You only win if you lose and then only sometimes or barely.
 
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I ask my agent almost every time I'm in their office and the answer is still the same: "Nobody in SC offers a discount for dashcams" :( As to H265, there is a high-ish licensing fee for it compared to H264 which is slowing it's progress into the mainstream. If another equal or better compression format comes along that is cheaper, then I expect H265 will go by the wayside like Betamax did :p Just because something is better or more efficient doesn't guarantee it's success or that it will become commonplace in use.

The only gain I see in using H265 is that it lets you put more recording time on to your SD card- the data going in to the compression program is the same either way. I don't see that gain being worthwhile for me compared to the possibility of it causing hassles with anyone wanting to see my videos. I'm getting enough recording time on my cards now and if I want more time I'll just get bigger cards ;) If H265 noticeably improved the viewed video or greatly changed how much my cards could hold then I might consider using it. Since it can't do those things I'll stick with H264 simply because I know that every reasonably modern computer can use it so I won't have any potential problems should I need my recordings for evidence.

Just my own thoughts on the matter and everyone is free to choose and use whatever they wish to for whatever reasons they perceive as making their choice a good one :cool:

Phil
 
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