i1000 / F70 / X6 720P Dual Lens DVR Dash Camera

alexek82 said:
Hello!
I do not speak English (I use google translator).
I have a DVR F70 (processor allwiner F20). DVR not included. Measured the power on the battery and flash card 3.7 V. Who knows how to make a backup of the firmware? Does anyone have any firmware for it? I would be very grateful.
Click to expand...

Hi alexek82,

I have not seen any way to backup this firmware yet. I have not seen the firmware available for this anywhere yet either.

Dash Cam Man
 
There appears to be firmware ver_20120509 available now. Do not attempt to update a camera that comes with a firmware starting with F20 or v2.0 since it may not be compatible.

I have not tested this firmware out but so if you do use it, it is entirely at your own risk.

F70 Firmware Update Steps:

1. Format your TF card
2. Copy the firmware "EX7.img" into the TF Card
3. The device connect the car charger by car, restart the device
4. Click the "Reset" button, then it will auto install the firmware, the device Automatic shutdown.
5. Take out the memory card, the device will be work well.

Dash Cam Man
 
In case anyone is interested, there is a new model of this camera which has a 2.7" screen instead of the 2" screen. It is larger and can be purchased for $73 from welldonetech on eBay. The top camera is the larger i1000L and the bottom is the smaller original version.

i1000L.jpg
 
I'm hoping someone can tell me a bit about the AV output from this type of camera. I suspect most users have no real need to use it as if an problem occurs the video would be taken from the saved files. What I would like to do is have the ability to play back maybe the last 5 minutes or so driving direct from the camera to an LCD monitor in the car.

The remote control it comes with looks fairly comprehensive and must do something, and from the limited information I can find about this camera it looks like you can switch from recording to playback mode, which suggests video (and audio??) can be played through the AV output and maybe the internal screen at the same time. Is this how it works or am I misunderstanding it?

To give you some background I work as a driving instructor and have been looking out for an affordable camera where recent footage can be reviewed in car. Roadhawk do a very good dual camera unit including a monitor aimed specifically at driving instructors but is expensive. If this camera has the same functionality it would work out as a very cheap alternative as well as being a very discreet size. I'm also thinking about using the external lens to monitor the driver rather than point it out the back. It would be ideal that if a problem happened we could pull over and rewind the latest video to review. I hope you get what I'm saying.

If someone with this camera has used (or can try maybe) how the AV output works based on how I need it to work I'd be very grateful for your feedback. I'm concerned that the AV out actually doesn't actually work at all as in the Techmoan Youtube review (mentioned earlier in this thread) he couldn't get it to workl! I'm just hoping he had the wrong connector type, wrong camera mode or whatever.

Thanks very much in advance for your help :)
 
ukdriver said:
I'm hoping someone can tell me a bit about the AV output from this type of camera. I suspect most users have no real need to use it as if an problem occurs the video would be taken from the saved files. What I would like to do is have the ability to play back maybe the last 5 minutes or so driving direct from the camera to an LCD monitor in the car.
Click to expand...

This it what i would do, maybe.
Buy this or similar LCD panel to car, it must have same connectors that you can see product images.
http://dx.com/p/5-0-led-display-screen-car-rear-view-stand-security-monitor-800-x-480-pixels-152008

I tested with my gs5000, and i notice difference with cables, you can see them in image below.
I got flashing image with left cable, but cable on the right works just fine.
If you test this in your home you must select PAL or NTSC from camera menu depending of your country system, if you use that car LCD panel it accept both.

lh4.googleusercontent.com__UGk4YZokVD0_UORtBidJ7tI_AAAAAAAAASo_IUF0z6RGTM4_s866_Dsc03820.jpg
 
Hi ukdriver,

This camera has playback mode so you should be able to review videos on the built-in screen after the fact. As far as I know, all cameras with screens have the video playback option. As for the AV OUT, hopefully an owner can provide some input.
 
Thanks for your replies.

That LCD monitor is the sort of thing I had in mind as long as the AV out actually works. I was just concerned as in the Youtube review by techmoan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X16kiyDtTms for those who need reminding) he couldn't get it working. I guess I just wanted someone here with one to confirm it does work and that maybe he was just using an incompatible 3.5mm to RCA cable. Does anyone here have one with the AV output working?

I cant find any information about how the playback mode works on these cameras so I was wondering if someone can tell me if it does what I want it to. I imagine all types of dash cam work in a similar way so someone should be able to help. What I want is to be able to play back recent footage easily. Does it work like rewind on a DVD player? Can I just push rewind to go back through the latest file or do I need to select a saved file to play from the beginning? What happens if the video I want to view overlaps 2 saved files will it automatically play the newer file after the older one is finished?

I hope you understand what I'm getting at and that somebody can provide some info. Sorry for all the questions but I'm new to these cameras.

Thanks in advance :)
 
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I watched video and now i'm pretty sure that he didn't get the image because AV wire has a mono plug on the other end and a stereo plug on the other, and the display he tried it did not understand stereo AV plug.

I don't have this camera nor monitor so i can't give 100% guarantee, but i'm 99 % sure that if you buy this dvr, LCD monitor i showed, and the cable like my image on the right, you will have an image from camera. And why? Because all connections are based on standard.

You should think ergonomy how to use it, if you install camera on dashboard can you use camera buttons, are they at the wrong side, do you have to take camera in your hand to use it, and so on.
Consider taking memory card off the camera and use it in tablet or laptop to show video.
I have two memory cards with me, and if i ever need to remove first card i just put another in and continue recording.
 
Sabe said:
You should think ergonomy how to use it, if you install camera on dashboard can you use camera buttons, are they at the wrong side, do you have to take camera in your hand to use it, and so on.
Click to expand...

This is where the remote control comes in handy. I think I'm right in saying all the functions I need can be done using the remote control. Thanks for your help.
 
For video playback, it will either have one of 2 options. When you change to video playback mode, you will see a list of files (newest to oldest) and you scroll through it and select the file you want. Alternatively there could be images of clips instead of a file list that you can scroll through and select the one to watch.

This video is of a different camera (the X6000) but you can see one way of viewing the video clips on the screen (jump to 1:30).


As for the remote, this is the one that usually comes with it.

img.vip.alibaba.com_img_pb_521_242_511_511242521_007.jpg


This is what every button does.

1.Camera mode button
2.Motion detection button
3.Mute button
4.Up / emergency lock button
5.Right buttons
6.Down
7.LED Fill Light
8.Fast Rewind
9.Shift key for the front lens and rearview lens
10.OFF button
11.Video mode button
12.Video playback mode button
13.Left buttons
14.Enter
15.Fast forward
16.Menu button
17.Exit button
 
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I've been looking for a camera in the <$100 range and this seems to be one of the more appealing options. I am considering this camera because it doesn't use a huge mount like most of the other cheap cameras so overall it will look better and not obstruct my view. I've never seen any car DVRs in person but all of those models with flip-down screens look flimsy and cheap. Those of you who have received this camera, did it come with the lengths of cable that was shown on the techmoan review? Does it feel well made and durable?
I'm tempted to gamble on the HDMI 1080p versions of this camera. Unfortunately the main advantage of this model is the second camera and I can't seem to find one with that option. Has anyone tried the widescreen versions of this camera?
 
Hi saabdriver,

I don't own this camera so I can't answer the cable length question.

As for the 1080p version, after tons of research, I am sure this is just a single lens camera. Unfortunately, a dual lens version with 1080p does not currently exist for this model.
 
I emailed one of the ebay vendors of the supposed 1080P models and got a surprising response when I asked about the video quality:

"no i am so sorry Frankly it is not real 1080P."

The price was too low to really make sense but at least this confirms my suspicion.
 
Hi saabdriver,

Sounds about right. At least the vendor was honest!
 
Hi Wickla,

Dealextreme typically sells the Chinese cameras but often cost a few more dollars than eBay or Aliexpress. Sometimes they are competitively priced so it is worth a look. It is harder to tell the fakes on Dealextreme too (less info in listings, can't tell how popular a camera is). As for those cameras in the link, most have the second camera in the main unit ("taxi cam"). So unless you want to record what is going on in the car, I would consider a dual camera with a separate lens.
 
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Hi Wickla,

The F70 is a decent camera as long as you are ok with the video quality. Front camera is small and rear camera can be placed on the rear window. Check out the main page on the i1000/f70. It has a few reputable places to purchase from.
 
Just taken delivery of this camera from ebay so thought I'd offer some immediate comments.

First thing I note is that the battery in mine may be faulty. It only lasts around 15 minutes from a full charge where reviews state it should last around 1 1/2 hours. If I operate the camera as it charges it will eventually drain the battery meaning the camera shuts down straight away after switching off the engine and the latest file being recorded fails to save. Can someone confirm this is just my unit and is not a design issue. Does anyone know where I can source a replacement battery? I know I could return the unit but its a hassle sending it to Hong Kong and I'm pretty good with a soldering iron.

The cable lengths of the charger and rear cam are more than adequate to route round the car (a medium sized hatchback) and the camera mounts very discreetly behind the mirror.

The files are saved in MOV format which I could only play after installing Apple QuickTime player. I thought Windows media player or movie maker would work but they cant play the files. With QuickTime player there is no audio either. Does anyone know another MOV player or know any reason there is no audio? I could try an MOV to AVI converter but I don't think that would work anyway. I know audio is being recorded (see below) so can anyone offer any comments why I cant get it from the files?

The AV output does work after I bought a 3.5mm to RCA adaptor cable and also plays audio through this output (including playing saved files). The remote that comes with the camera is very useful here to switch between record and playback, fast forward through the files etc. You may recall from my earlier posts this was important for me as I plan to use an in car monitor to review recent footage.

Plugging the cable into the AV output disables the LCD screen and internal speaker which is good for me because it means I don't get the annoying start up and shutdown tones! However an important thing to note here is that the rear camera will not record if you have a cable permanently plugged into the AV output which is very annoying. Unplug the cable and you get the picture in picture image on the LCD and the files are recorded fine. Plug in the AV cable and the image you get is the single forward camera and no rear view footage is recorded. I imagine this wont be an issue for most people but is an issue for me as rear camera recording would have been nice and I don't want to continually have to plug and unplug the AV cable.

Anyway these are my initial findings with this camera. If anyone can offer some help with the points above I'd be grateful.
 
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