Hello, Need help choosing a cam

jimjones

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Hi everyone,

I am buying a new car soon and wanted to put in a dash cam. I have been doing some research on the net but there are so many to choose from, I have no idea which one to choose. I was hoping to get some advice form some experts on this site, any help would be appreciated.
I originally wanted to get a front and rear cam but from what I see here it’s not a great selection so I may have to stick with the front. :cry:
This is what I would be looking for in a cam, and some info on where I will use it.

1 High quality picture night and day. The ability to read number plates at night also would be good. (1080p I guess)
2 Small unit that isn’t too noticeable. Don’t mind separate DVR unit that can be hidden.
3 The option to turn on/off the speed of travel on the video, or not have it at all on the screen.
4 The ability to get the video or save the video in a format that can be viewed on any player (avi, mkv, mp4, etc.)
5 I want the camera to also record when it is parked and unattended, but be able to turn it off when it’s in my garage at home.
6 The ability to connect or hard wire it into my onscreen LCD car display would also be good, to see what the camera is recording.
7 I will be having it installed into the car by professionals so there won't be wires visible.
8 I live in Sydney Australia so the sun will be very strong in the day and the dash may get hot.
9 The car windows will be tinted to the darkest legal tint for Sydney, will this affect the picture quality?

I was hoping to get a unit that allowed you to record the video straight onto a USB device, like a USB key or a portable hard drive, as they have large amounts of space but I couldn't find any. It seems to be all SD cards which have not much storage. So if anyone finds a USB recordable device please let me know.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
 
1. http://dashcamtalk.com/dash-cam-comparison/ focus on the night mode quality and korean cameras
2. no display cameras are the smallest
3. almost all can be turned off when turn off the engine and will start when you will start the engine
4. the cameras are recording in their original format and cannot be changed. usual is MP4 and avi and can be played on any computer. but you don't need to be afraid about playback because for this you have youtube even with private links
5. usually korean cameras like Itronics
6. no display cameras usually have the AV out connector. I think you need AV out, not HDMI and this is not a problem
7. no problem for any camera
8. maybe here will help you more mr. DashCamMan to avoid some BlackVue
9. I don't think you will paint the windshield. the other windows have no impact.

At this moment I am a fan of ITB-250HD because of its wireless feature to watch the video and make the setup with my Android smartphone. The big problem for users is because the application is only in korean so you can't understand the settings. There is a hack, but not available for download.
Because of this, more interesting can be the ITB-100HD which have an english PC player which can be used to setup the camera. And also you can use it with your car display.

But the best for you and anybody interested by a Car DVR is to read the first link from my post.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi jimjones,

Mtz summed it up very well! Saved me from typing a long post :D
 
Thank you for your replies. I have been doing some more reading on the cameras and liked the Itronics ITB-100HD, I was wanting a front and rear camera and was going to get 2 but I see when the cams are hard wired to the car they always use the car battery even when they are parked in your own garage at home. I would like to turn the cam off when the car is at home so as not to use the battery is there a power on/off button on them. I don’t drive every day and it would be sitting there recording nothing. Even if there was and I had 2 cams that would mean I would have to climb in the back of the car and turn on the rear cam when I leave and turn it off when I get home, so I guess if I get this cam I will only get one.
I was also looking at the Itronics ITB-500HD, this has the two cameras going into the one box and the box has an on/off switch. This would suit my situation better as I could switch both on from the drivers seat when I want (providing the on and off switch cuts all power to everything and doesn’t just put it into park mode). Only problem is the cameras aren’t good enough, from what I have read in your reviews. It's a pity they didn’t put 2 ITB-100HD in the ITB-500HD box.
I realise I can get a Battery Discharge Prevention Device but I would rather just turn the system off.
I may have to wait until they get better cameras in the ITB-500HD, if ever.
 
Hi jimjones,

You really have 2 options. If you don't care about parking mode at all, just use the cigarette lighter option and plug it in. There are adapters that can expand the number of "ports" if you want to use 2 cameras.

If you do want to use parking mode but want to turn off parking mode when the car is at home in your garage, you can get a BlackVue Power Magic Pro. It has an on/off switch. Hardwire both cameras into this and when you want to turn it off, just flip the switch.

[Broken External Image]:http://led-car.ru/shop/images/1035/power_Magic_Pro_for_blackvue-3.jpg
 
Genius, thank you so much the BlackVue Power Magic Pro and two ITB-100HD’s would be the way to go for me. Now ill go hunting for the cheapest way to get this setup. Keep up the good work.
 
Went to buy 2 ITB-100HD’s from eBay today and the item is no longer available, it was there yesterday for $209.95. Anyone know anywhere to buy this cam for a reasonable price?
 
Ask on private ebay if some ex-itronics seller still have the cameras. :roll: Itronics company asked ebay to ban the itronics sellers if they will continue to sell it at that good prices under $200. At more than $200 the ITB-100HD isn''t anymore a good choice so I suggest to find another cameras. The best thing for users is to wrote to Itronics that you decided to not buy their products for such stupid inflated prices. And tell them they just lost the profit from 2 cameras because you decided to buy another produtcs. And like you are many users. I think the contact page is this.

Until now, DashCamMan didn't reviewed the Livue LB100 which is available now at two sellers, one for $149 but without english manual and one for $280 but with english manual. Of course the best thing is to find the english manual and software and buy for $150. Another name for Livue LB100 is IT-ON LB100.

Below is a video about the english translated Android application, but is not available for download and install in english, only in korean on the market.


The video is good because you can see what settings are available and one interesting setting is the Shut Down delay which can be up to 48 hours and maybe this will save some money from buying a blackbox. In 48 hours your car battery if is good cannot be destroyed if camera is in parking mode.

Here is an Youtube user which have many records with the LB100.

Maybe DashCamMan using his experience can tell you judging from the youtube videos how is the day and night quality compared with ITB.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
Last edited by a moderator:
jimjones said:
Hi everyone,

I am buying a new car soon and wanted to put in a dash cam. I have been doing some research on the net but there are so many to choose from, I have no idea which one to choose. I was hoping to get some advice form some experts on this site, any help would be appreciated.
I originally wanted to get a front and rear cam but from what I see here it’s not a great selection so I may have to stick with the front. :cry:
This is what I would be looking for in a cam, and some info on where I will use it.

1 High quality picture night and day. The ability to read number plates at night also would be good. (1080p I guess)
2 Small unit that isn’t too noticeable. Don’t mind separate DVR unit that can be hidden.
3 The option to turn on/off the speed of travel on the video, or not have it at all on the screen.
4 The ability to get the video or save the video in a format that can be viewed on any player (avi, mkv, mp4, etc.)
5 I want the camera to also record when it is parked and unattended, but be able to turn it off when it’s in my garage at home.
6 The ability to connect or hard wire it into my onscreen LCD car display would also be good, to see what the camera is recording.
7 I will be having it installed into the car by professionals so there won't be wires visible.
8 I live in Sydney Australia so the sun will be very strong in the day and the dash may get hot.
9 The car windows will be tinted to the darkest legal tint for Sydney, will this affect the picture quality?

I was hoping to get a unit that allowed you to record the video straight onto a USB device, like a USB key or a portable hard drive, as they have large amounts of space but I couldn't find any. It seems to be all SD cards which have not much storage. So if anyone finds a USB recordable device please let me know.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.




If you are an American, you are pretty much limited to what you can find on Amazon and EBay. I mean you can buy from other sites, but you are taking a chance with fraud or false claims. I purchased the FineVu CR500 HD from Amazon and have been very pleased by it. I have a second unit coming on Tuesday for my van. I liked these cams because they have full English support. It speaks English, has English software, and the firmware update is English. I also like that I can control the camera with the 5 buttons on the back. The camera also uses the Sony optics with Sony Cmos chip. I can mute the audio, take a still picture, record an emergency event, turn power off, and play videos through TV. No PC required to do most of the normal functions. Now, when you want to save a video or use a video for insurance reasons, then you have to use your computer. My second choice was the BlackVue, but the English support is non-existant. The iOS app is all in Korean and the firmware is in Korean. Plus, the Blackvue has heat issues. Blackvue is supposed to have a new version out that is bigger and better quality. I have seen videos on YouTube, but I cannot find anybody selling them outside Korea. Unfortunately, America just does not use dash cams like many other countries. You and I are limited to what is available with English support. I have seen some American based dash cams like the "SmartCam HD 2". It is sold mostly at truck stops around the states. It looks decent and produces a decent video, but not as good as some of the Korean or Chinese dash cams. My best advice is to make sure what ever you buy, that is has good picture with good English support. Good luck.
 
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