How is Your Vico MF3 going?

[Moon]

make sure you are extracting any zip files first, some users previously reported issues on other cameras where a Mac will show the files and you can copy them out but the bin file hadn't been extracted correctly first

Yeah .. the Mac does copy the .bin file and adds some letters on the end of it. After trying that as well with no success, I dragged it into the Bin.
Then I just dragged and dropped the .bin file onto the Icon

 

[jokiin]

have you tried on a Windows PC yet?

 

[Moon]

No ... tomorrow.
Sneaking suspicion .. the Mac is the problem .. soon find out?

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Nice .. ok, I can strike a line through that one. One down .. 9 to go
I'll nick down to the library and give that a shot using their PCs.
Process of elimination
Shame there's no one around with a Mac that has one .. at least you have a MF3 .. (they've sold 2 at least .. which is good) - Can we call you CYA?
Spose .. even if someone does have a Mac .. chances are that it won't be 9 years old (2008) like mine .. so ?

How did yours respond when loading the SD card and powering up .. blank screen or prompt ''Firmware Update?"

When you power the camera with the new firmware, it will show a screen asking if you want to update. Say yes and screen will go blank for about 10 seconds or so. Red and green light will be lit. When they go out, restart the camera.

 

[Moon]

Card doesn't need to be empty. I actually just updated the MF3 I have to V4.2 yesterday.

Nice ... notice any difference? Read that Audio tweak has improved it? Anything else?
Other than the initial scratchy/tinny Taiwanese chickybabe intro when recording kicks in ... the sound seems ok so far .. (I have mine on medium Volume setting) unless there's something dramatic .. I can cut my angst about the Firmware Update to levels close to Zero (but not quite).
I like all things working after purchasing new Gadgets .. especially when paying more for the better Quality versions .. which is what I have done in this case.

It's funny that the Taiwan designers chose a Red X for a 'Yes' & 'No' .. along with a bright Red for Recording on and a Green light for Recording 'Off '
They really need to be 'Westernised' when selling to an International market. Green off and Red on .. just doesn't cut it... I'm likely to walk at a crossing when the Red light appears .. and get run over .. yer feelin me?

 

[CaptureYourAction]

I have not check video yet with new firmware. The audio issue was during video playback. It would fluctuate at times. I told them about it a few weeks ago, so they were pretty quick with the update.

 

[Moon]

Oh .. so they are responsive to feedback from their customers .. and keen to improve their product. Nice.

 

[Moon]

I told them about it a few weeks ago, so they were pretty quick with the update.

They are responsive to feedback from their Retailers .. and keen to make improvements. Nice
Now that the MF3 is out .. does VicoVation still do firmware updates for earlier models like the MF2 and MF1?
In other words .. do they still look after their Customers of previous models .. or are they only focussed/concerned about current and future Sales?
I guess I'm asking this because of what you indicated earlier, about the fate of the MF3.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

They are responsive to feedback from their Retailers .. and keen to make improvements. Nice
Now that the MF3 is out .. does VicoVation still do firmware updates for earlier models like the MF2 and MF1?
In other words .. do they still look after their Customers of previous models .. or are they only focussed/concerned about current and future Sales?
I guess I'm asking this because of what you indicated earlier, about the fate of the MF3.

The MF1 is their newest model, so there will certainly be updates if needed. The MF2 was out for awhile, so I'm sure the firmware was mature and all/most bugs worked out. Not sure anymore would be needed anyway at this point. The MF3 is still selling through dealers, so I'm sure if an update is needed, they will attend to it. In a year from now...hard to say. I was told they were considering not continuing manufacturing the MF3, but I'm not sure if they've made any final decisions about it.

 

[Moon]

The Quality of the video the MF3 produces has certainly exceeded my expectations .. when viewing on my Computer.
Now only if I updated my *20" iMac to a 27" Retina 5K .. I'd get the benefit of the full 1440p (2.5K) ... Nah .. more than happy

 

[Moon]

UPDATE or NO UPDATE? ... that is the Question!

The latter, unfortunately .. tried twice today with no luck using a PC at the local Library
Crikey .. Mac computers are sooo much easier to use than PCs .. except for dealing with the likes of VicoVation .. it would seem.?

Although I deleted files/remnants of MAC off the Card Reader/SD Card .. I do not believe they exit without a fight .. and hang around eg. '.DS store
I tried to delete everything except EVENT, NORMAL and the .bin file ... No Go

Conclusion

VicoVation are NOT MAC compatible at present .. or certainly NOT MAC friendly.

My guess is that to overcome the difficulty in Updating your VicoVation Firmware when you own a MAC .. is for either VicoVation to make it easier/compatible .. or you need to acquire the services of a Geek who is familiar with VicoVation Dash Cams as well as Windows PCs and the quirks of Apple MAC.

I certainly don't see the point of continually banging my head against a brick wall .. or have to pay a Geek $ .. for minimal benefit.

Ok ... no Firmware Updates .. bit of a Bummer .. only the Dash Cam works brilliantly otherwise

Rating - *8.3/10 (not Mac friendly -no Firmware Updates, Audio is a little dodgy .. (which is what the Firmware Update also addresses), Lithium battery rather than Capacitor, only a 1 Year limited Warranty. (Premium brands should be 2 Years -if they have any Faith in their products)

* Early days

Disclaimer: I am no Electronics Gadgets Guru .. so .. the above comes to you from a n00b .. who has NFI what is going on with this Dash Cam ... trust me
I have skills in other areas .. but not this one.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

It's not a Vico MAC thing. It's a dash camera MAC thing. I have seen lots of MAC users struggle with updating their cameras (any dash camera). I don't use MAC, so I can't say what the issue is.
Have you noticed an audio issue? If so, what is it doing?

 

[Moon]

It's not a Vico MAC thing. It's a dash camera MAC thing. I have seen lots of MAC users struggle with updating their cameras (any dash camera).

Ok .. so if this is a problem across the board .. I can accept that. Might at least explain why I appear to be the only MAC user on this forum .. They've obviously given up the grizzling and moved on .. Having said that - it would've been nice if VicoVation had marked the Firmware Update 'For Windows'

As for Audio

The announcement from the Girl that the Camera 'is now recording' .. is of the 'Quality' that you would expect from a $5 Radio in a Kids Toy Shop.
Scratchy, tinny and badly distorted. When playing the recording back on your Computer .. it blasts out at Volume 10.. which has you reaching to lower the Volume at lightening speed .. I kid you not. You soon learn to mute the volume before clicking on play. I have the Audio set at 'medium' btw.

I'm guessing that the Update addresses these issues .. and that is a good thing, as I would definitely call these 'essential tweaks .. but Hey .. I can live with a bit of annoyance, and take a hit for the Team.
On the positive side of the Audio ledger - when on the Computer, my voice clarity and volume on playback is fine.

There is much to like about this little beauty .. only it is not perfect. So long as it is reliable over the journey .. I'm a fan.
Video Picture Quality is very good... although it doesn't always run smoothly and gets a bit jerky .. sometimes freezes for a second or 2. Is this 'normal' for these Cameras?
I use a Transcend 64GB Ultimate U3 SD card .. so I'm guessing it isn't because the SD card is a bit slow.

 

[jokiin]

There is much to like about this little beauty .. only it is not perfect. So long as it is reliable over the journey .. I'm a fan.

no camera is perfect, not for everyone at least

Video Picture Quality is very good... although it doesn't always run smoothly and gets a bit jerky .. sometimes freezes for a second or 2. Is this 'normal' for these Cameras?

not normal, you need to check if that's a recording issue or a playback issue though, playback issue is far more common (quite common if anything above 1080p30) and not a fault of the camera if that's the case, if it's in the recording that would be indicative of a problem of some sort

 

[Chris Hunt]

the Mac does copy the .bin file and adds some letters on the end of it

It should not have some letters added to the end. This leads me to think that the MAC is not extracting the file and/or it is changing the file format. In this case the new firmware will not load.

I tried to delete everything except EVENT, NORMAL and the .bin file ... No Go

There should not be any other folders (event and normal) on the card after formatting. This leads me to think the memory card is not formatted. If you still have an "event" and "normal" file on the card with the firmware file then the new firmware will not load.

I am going to send you a micro SD card with the latest MF3 firmware file on it, in the correct file and format.
Due to the long weekend you should see it later in the week.

Just put it in your MF3 and then power on connected to your normal power supply. Not a USB port or computer port.

Then follow the on screen instructions.

Let us know how you go.

 

[Moon]

Thanks Chris .. much appreciated Very generous offer, that.

 

[Moon]

Special thanks to Jokiin and Capture Your Action for your assistance. Cheers fellas .. appreciate it.

 

[Moon]

This YouTube Video is the closest to the raw footage I get on my 2008 Mac .. I'd say what I get is better again.. by 20%+ in picture clarity at a guess .. but this is pretty good, imo. I'd be happy with this Quality .. so better is a real bonus. I use, and have a sneaking suspicion .. that the faster U3 cards, rather than the U1 type SD cards .. make a difference in PQ .. especially when you see pixelation of the road surface and Tree foliage in Videos .. You can see some on the road in this Vid, but then .. I'm a n00b when it comes to Cameras .. so don't take it as the Gospel.. it could be due to something else? From what I've seen so far .. I don't get any of that .. although I do get some jerkiness (occasional) and momentary picture freeze quite regularly .. so don't know what is going on there?

They do say that the U1 card speed is fine up to 1080p .. only the MF3 is 1440p .. so I figure .. too much memory card recording speed is better than not enough.

I'll have to get some of mine up at some stage .. to compare how much the Quality drops on YouTube.

 

[Moon]

Question - Night vision

I usually have the resolution on 1440p .. only the buzz is that due to the pixels being smaller at this resolution compared to 1080p at night, because these pixels are larger, and therefore allow more light in .. is it worth changing to 1080p in the menu when driving at night time ... or is the difference in the detail (Number plate Id) negligible and not worth the bother?

Later on I will compare them .. but wondering whether there is a clear answer to this question?

 

[jokiin]

your pixels don't change size, the image is just cropped for 1080p so for your camera using the lower res won't change the end result to match what a native 1080p sensor would give, for your camera if 1440p doesn't offer a higher bitrate than 1080p does you still could see better results at 1080p, something you'd have to test and try though