How Much Would You Spend On a Multi-Channel Dashcam That No One Can Find

How much would you pay for a high-end multi-chan dashcam? (see features in-post)


  • Total voters
    56
FYI, you posted in the wrong topic. This is about a high end multichannel setup not a mirror dashcam.

The remote cams I had in mind would look like this, in metal bodies, stealthy, reliable, heat-dissipative, maneuverable (good swivel motion), good mounting options/variations:
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The main body would be tucked away, doing all the processing and storage.
 
FYI, you posted in the wrong topic.

FYI, this is not just a mirror dash cam, this is multi channel mirror dash-cam, the diff is that mine is integrated in the mirror, which is perfect place for add-on features that can't be put at the edge (i.e. in the cam). It should use proprietary MHL connector, or at least USB-Type-C but still my choice is that all goes to mirror, that being said this is rather question of taste...
 
FYI, this is not just a mirror dash cam, this is multi channel mirror dash-cam, the diff is that mine is integrated in the mirror, which is perfect place for add-on features that can't be put at the edge (i.e. in the cam). It should use proprietary MHL connector, or at least USB-Type-C but still my choice is that all goes to mirror, that being said this is rather question of taste...
Sure, it's not "JUST" a mirror dashcam, it's a premium with extra features mirror dashcam, it's still an effing mirror dashcam requiring the user to get rid of their vehicle rearview mirror.
Would you install this super pooper premium mirror dashcam in your Tesla, didn't think so, but I'd bet you'd be a lot more willing to install a set of stealthy dashcams with a remote body, oh and look, they can also be installed in beaters. In making a product to sell, you don't make up features that reduce your market share unless your market share loss can be compensated for with higher premium without further market loss.
 
Would you install this super pooper premium mirror dashcam in your Tesla, didn't think so

чувак, heard of long tail? You can not build product that fits all, I like factory look and I don't want any thing glued to any parts of my car (regardless how small) because this is not a factory look, so your cams don't work for users like me but may be ok somebody else, there is no one size fits all. I bet Telsa users will love your sticky cameras :)
 
чувак, heard of long tail? You can not build product that fits all, I like factory look and I don't want any thing glued to any parts of my car (regardless how small) because this is not a factory look, so your cams don't work for users like me but may be ok somebody else, there is no one size fits all. I bet Telsa users will love your sticky cameras :)
Умник,
Why wouldn't they like stealthy, small dashcams, and a radar detector?
 
Why wouldn't they like stealthy, small dashcams, and a radar detector?

сам умник, I am not arguing, they may or may not, go build MVP, work with focus groups , add/refine features, pivot... usual stuff. I am interested in different segment with millions and millions of cars on the road (not few Tesla's) that, in my opinion, will be happy to upgrade they low cost standard mirrors with factory looking ones but loaded with features like multi channel recording, auto dimming, free navigation, and then go up market. You want to start from up market users, good luck with that...
 
Up market users worked for Elon. :D
 
Up market users worked for Elon. :D

indeed... in this case need to really think out of the box, and I feel that stealthy dashcams (any dsahcam) is not enough... unless you can make them to make car invisible, or teleport :)
 
I am interested in different segment with millions and millions of cars on the road (not few Tesla's) that, in my opinion, will be happy to upgrade they low cost standard mirrors with factory looking ones but loaded with features like multi channel recording, auto dimming, free navigation

replacement mirrors appeal to some but don't have mass market appeal, it's a very narrow section of the market and there are some shortcomings that just don't work for some people
 
Yeah like horrible reflections and glare. The closer the lens is to the glass, the less reflections and glare you get, and thus less need for a polarizing filter which can degrade night video quality.
 
it's a very narrow section of the market and there are some shortcomings that just don't work for some people

that's what I am saying, there is no one size fits all. Replacement mirror is a narrow segment due to cost of the product, because its is whole mirror. Most people don't care and just stick dashcam to windshield and plug it to 12V, it's due to cost and unawareness of the DVR mirror advantages...
 
Yeah like horrible reflections and glare. The closer the lens is to the glass, the less reflections and glare you get, and thus less need for a polarizing filter which can degrade night video quality.

actually reflection and glare happens with most cameras regardless of how near or far the lens is from the glass and varies by vehicle type, windscreen rake, dashboard material etc, when it's further from the glass you're more likely to get reflections of things further back which can include the head unit, instrument lighting, navigation screens etc, those can be a lot more challenging to deal with than just dashboard reflections if the lens is closer to the glass
 
that's what I am saying, there is no one size fits all. Replacement mirror is a narrow segment due to cost of the product, because its is whole mirror. Most people don't care and just stick dashcam to windshield and plug it to 12V, it's due to cost and unawareness of the DVR mirror advantages...

the main advantage could be stealth factor, assuming it looks a lot like the mirror it replaced, there's more than a few disadvantages though which does limit their appeal quite a lot
 
there's more than a few disadvantages though which does limit their appeal quite a lot
let's be more specific. so far

  1. glare if unable to get lens closer to the glass (soluton keep front cam outside :) )
  2. cost as it's a whole mirror
  3. complexity of install: must be integrated with car electrical system, can't just plug into 12V (though same for any multi-channel system)
  4. ???
 
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Once dashcams become more mainstream over here, people may be more willing to pay the premium to have a good dashcam system installed just like they would have paid to upgrade the crappy factory sound system 10+ years ago. But now sound systems are a lot better even in base model cars, and more integrated into the dash, and aftermarket dash kits generally suck, so stereo upgrades aren't nearly as common anymore. But places like Car Toys exist, so they could do the install as well. But since dashcams aren't mainstream here yet, a simple plug n go unit is a lot easier to sell.
 
Once dashcams become more mainstream over here, people may be more willing to pay the premium to have a good dashcam system

and when and if (which is big if) it will come to it, automakers will respond by simply adding it to base package, for most of the new cars it will be minimal effort: adding frontal camera plus software change... this will phase out dashcams within 5-10 years...
 
from the cost perspective since you mentioned it, it's not just that it's a whole mirror, you'll find when buying consumers don't want to lose functionality so if their current mirror has compass, clock, reading lamps, on star, auto dimming, manual dimming etc etc they expect the replacement to have the same so from a manufacturing perspective it's no longer a mirror, it's multiple mirrors, keep in mind that little stealth camera you didn't like so much is fine whether it's a Toyota or a Tesla, mirrors become very vehicle model specific, not just in the mount but the mirror side of things as well, that adds a great deal of cost, mirrors also need to comply with a whole bunch of safety regulations that other systems don't have to worry about, again there's added cost, if it's auto dimming that's licensed tech, again added cost

the cost isn't so much a hurdle from a consumer perspective as people will pay for the right solution, even if it is only a smaller slice of the market that is prepared to pay, from the manufacturer/wholesaler perspective it's a lot more inventory which drives up the cost so a larger investment is needed to be in that space, makes a less compelling business case

from a technical perspective most of the mirror designs are stealthy from the cabin side, no so much from the outside, if they are stealthy from outside they generally have poorer levels of adjustment, I've seen lots of different attempts at addressing this, in general from all the models I've looked at I would say if it looked good it was impractical, and if it worked well it didn't look good

getting past things like cost, design, features, approvals, patents etc the biggest annoyances I've seen from mirror designs so far just comes down to day to day stuff, if more than one person drives the vehicle the mirror often gets adjusted so camera aim changes, not a huge deal but can impact performance/field of view, if the person likes loud music this often plays havoc with the image due to vibration, if it has an LCD the mirror quality is often inferior to a regular mirror
 
from the cost perspective since you mentioned it, it's not just that it's a whole mirror, you'll find when buying consumers don't want to lose functionality so if their current mirror has compass...

all good points and definitely, if there is feature overlap between what's in the car already and DVR mirror, mainly
  • reverse camera
  • auto dimming
then obviously, very little insensitive to get this in the mirror and standalone dash came would obviously be a logical choice for such car and user.
if like in majority of cars on the road today (which are manufactured before 2010) none of these features available, then DVR mirror makes perfect logical choice, as it will get all of this in one stealthy package
 
it suits some people, doesn't suit others, like everything there's no one size fits all best solution
 
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