Just ordered the A139 Pro

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superclarkey

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Just placed an order for one of these A139 Pro 2ch from the VIOFO uk website with the HK3-C hardware kit that was recommended to purchase with it.

Best firmware to upgrade it too?

Can I get the best recommended settings and the largest and best Micro SD card I can buy.

Any tips for installation I should be aware of?

Cheers.
 
Hi Superclarkey,

I just received my A139PRO 2CH and it shipped with firmware VIOFO_A139P_V1.0_206 out of the box. Can't comment on bugs yet since I haven't tested it, but I did find a minor issue.


Loose rear camera port issue:
I ran into this issue. Hopefully your dashcam won't have the same problem:
  • The rear camera connection is loose, so it will disconnect and "beep" at you if the wire is gently disturbed. I was testing it on my table and when I moved the dashcam around, it kept beeping and restarting by itself and would go from 1CH recording to 2CH recording.
  • Fortunately, I found that by holding the wire on the rear camera in a certain position, the problem goes away. I suspect it's a loose connection on the rear camera. I may just zip-tie the wire in place so that the connection is solid and secure.
  • I'll test this unit for a week without hardwiring it to be sure I don't have a defective unit.
First impressions
  • Sleek, high quality build
  • Voice assistant isn't annoying or chatty
  • Can't comment on image quality yet since I haven't installed it in my car yet.
The unit runs hot, so now i'm second guessing if installing this camera with a battery like the PowerCell8 and running parking mode is a good idea in terms of longevity. We Canadians get extreme temperature fluctuations in a year (-25c to 35c) so I'm not sure if having this thing on 24/7 will be a problem. From what I've read, it looks like it will be fine.
 
Won’t lie, I’m really worried about the quality of this brand and I’m taking a gamble on this also, but does say it all the confidence when you have to bench test it for a week before committing to installing it.

Fingers crossed mine is not a poor copy like the a119v3 I purchased and instantly sent back.

I think at £300 for the kit, it’s too much money for what it is personally.

Will give it a fair chance, hence why I want to know best card and the best settings to get reliability .
 
I disagree with £300 being 'too much money for what it is'. It's the only Starvis 2 camera out there, by far the best camera quality around and still £200 ish less than the Blackvue/Thinkware competitors
 
DCCT said:
I disagree with £300 being 'too much money for what it is'. It's the only Starvis 2 camera out there, by far the best camera quality around and still £200 ish less than the Blackvue/Thinkware competitors
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For what you get, VIOFO packs alot of features, which is why I gave them a shot. I was contemplating between Thinkware and Blackvue dashcams for months, then when I saw the VIOFO A139PRo's reviews, I was sold based off the price vs features.

Depending how my VIOFO camera performs this year, I may try the Korean branded cameras next time around if the VIOFO isn't stable.
 
Not going to get into it, will give it a try and if I think its junk I will return it.

So back on topic, best settings and card to buy?
 
DCCT said:
I disagree with £300 being 'too much money for what it is'. It's the only Starvis 2 camera out there, by far the best camera quality around and still £200 ish less than the Blackvue/Thinkware competitors
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Agree with you. $300 USD is a very fair price considering the the competitive set. There's always room for improvement & new features to be implemented, but that's a separate convo.
Expecting iPhone polish for bargain pricing from an upper performance tier device that caters to a relatively niche market, just isn't realistic.

People forget that 4K, HDR, @ 30FPS video was nearly impossible to process real-time on top of the line full sized PC equipment only 10 years ago.
 
Well this thread was completely useless, thanks for all the helpful info I received on best settings and what card to use.

Is everyone on here affiliated with viofo on this website, no one seems to be able to objectively give an honest option and just defend the brand regardless of the issues, madness.
 
The new connectors on the wires for the remote cameras are a bit more finicky than say a USB C cable, for sure not something you would want if you are the kind of person that like to or are forced to by bad neighbourhood to remove camera from the windscreen when parking, the new plugs are in no way geared for frequent plugging in and out.

1: Make sure the plug are properly inserted, as i recall there are a little click when it happen.
2: Do not have any wire slack right at the connector to the remote camera or the main camera, use a few of the provided stick on wire holders for this.

I have tested the A139 and now the A229 system, both using the MCX plugs, and i have not had any issues in regard to camera disconnects or the unstable system operation this often mean.

I am aware that ever since 2 channels became a viable option 3-4 years ago, many have had issues with connection to the rear camera using a wide range of connectors ( mini USB / USB C and now these MCX plugs )
But somehow i have never experienced this myself, which are kinda of weird CUZ i have been thru a lot of systems, and i have worked on wires already there installing more cameras.
And TBH it is not like i do a 100 % install of the systems as there are " a lot " cameras coming and going, but not least on my rear hatch ( 5 door hatchback ) i have always been mindful of the wires close to the camera.

Actually the rear camera wire for the A229 system, it pretty much are just draped over the over the door opening panic handles, and then wedged in behind B pillar plastic trim and the same on the C pillar.
In the back where my wires transition from the C pillar to the rear hatch i do have some slack to be able to open the rear hatch, but between that loop of wire ( then hatch closed ) and the camera in the middle of the rear glass my wires are " buttoned " down good.

I have not gotten a A139 pro camera, so not been able to run my extended memory card collection on that system. ( mind you with +10 256 GB cards and the little i drive, it do take a while to do )
 
superclarkey said:
Well this thread was completely useless, thanks for all the helpful info I received on best settings and what card to use.

Is everyone on here affiliated with viofo on this website, no one seems to be able to objectively give an honest option and just defend the brand regardless of the issues, madness.
Click to expand...
To be fair, you brought up the subject of it being poor quality for the price, so dont be surprised if people counter your opinion.

As for camera settings and sd card, there's a ton of info on this forum relating to that. Settings wise, it depends on personal circumstances, I cant remember what exact settings I use, but bitrate is maxed out, and the video is set to 4k. HDR will be firmware/preference dependant.
 
"People shouldn't disagree with my opinion and anecdotal evidence of Viofo's poor quality"
 
marcusb said:
"People shouldn't disagree with my opinion and anecdotal evidence of Viofo's poor quality"
Click to expand...

Untrue, I purchased a A119V3, had issues, googled it found others suffering similar problems which seemed common and returned the item due to poor quality.
 
I bought a Viofo A139 Pro about 4 months ago when they were initially released and I love it. It is my first dashcam and I have it in my 2022 Subaru WRX and opted to hardwire it with a BBMC Powercell 8. As you can tell, I'm not an expert here but will attempt to answer some of your questions:

Best firmware to upgrade it too?
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I'm running the latest publicly available version off of their website of V1.0_1217. This sounds like it may be updated soon by Viofo and I'll upgrade when it is.

Can I get the best recommended settings and the largest and best Micro SD card I can buy
Click to expand...
I run a SanDisk Max Endurance 256GB card in mine and have the Viofo 128GB card that came with the unit as backup. Per the manual, 256GB is the maximum recommended by Viofo, however I have seen others running higher. Here is a link to recommended cards: What memory card is recommended for a VIOFO dashcam?

For general settings I have my resolution set to 4K 2160P 30fps. I leave my HDR set to on. Not sure if these are the best settings, but it is what I run with.

As to other settings, some of these may be fairly subjective on a case by case basis for what you want to accomplish. For instance, I have clear window tint on the inside of my windshield for IR/heat rejection. If I use the included CPL in the daytime, I get a horrendous rainbow effect, so I do not use the CPL at all. For my rear tinted window I have the exposure value @ +1.0 which helps with my tint. Other options like Loop Recording time, Audio On/Off, Parking Recording options are very subjective.

Any tips for installation I should be aware of?
Click to expand...
This was my first dashcam/battery installation and I choose to do it myself and to do it with an external battery for parking recording. Not the least complicated route, but overall it wasn't hard to do. It greatly depends on how you want to run the unit (by using the provided 12v plug or hardwire to a fuse tap etc.). The most time consuming part I found was hiding all of the cable in the headliner, weather-stripping, pillars, etc. There are a lot of good videos out there for accomplishing these things and probably one out there that someone has done for your make/model of automobile. I'd research like I did to make your installation easier.

Good luck and hope that you enjoy it! I absolutely love my A139 Pro and the best decision that I made was to spend the extra money and get the battery pack.
 
Thanks for the info :)

I'm going to try it on 2k as I presume it is downsampled 4k and its 60fps, will see how that goes first and go from there.
 
Well that is disappointing, you can't use HDR with 2k60, only 2k30, which makes 2k pointless.
 
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superclarkey said:
Well that is disappointing, you can't use HDR with 2k60, only 2k30, which makes 2k pointless.
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If you read the threads on this forum, you will see all the testing that people have done. There's loads of data available to make a decision, or just keep trying settings to find what suits you best. There isnt a "one size fits all" setting.

At the moment, it does seem 2k is mostly pointless though. 4k is fine, so no real need to run 2k.
 
I’ve just taken delivery of 3-off A139 Pro, 2-off 2-Ch and 1-off 3-ch.

Only have one installed so far but can confirm it shipped with VIOFO A139P V1.0 0206 firmware.
 
rambodtm said:
If you read the threads on this forum, you will see all the testing that people have done. There's loads of data available to make a decision, or just keep trying settings to find what suits you best. There isnt a "one size fits all" setting.

At the moment, it does seem 2k is mostly pointless though. 4k is fine, so no real need to run 2k.
Click to expand...

The average person isn’t going to google peoples opinions on a forum, that is where all of us are just plain weird lol

The point is, it doesn’t clearly state that HDR is only possible in one mode and that’s it, it just says it’s HDR, so taken at face value that is disappointing to find out that it only works with 4k.

However you agree with my statement it makes the 2K a pointless option as your not getting the benefits of the over samples 4k sensor in 2K as you have to sacrifice dynamic range.

It is what it is, but it’s a shame as 2k with the new sensor would have been the sweet spot, but people only care about headline features so they are not going to put that much effort into the 2k aspects of the camera.
 
superclarkey said:
Well that is disappointing, you can't use HDR with 2k60, only 2k30, which makes 2k pointless.
Click to expand...
HDR takes two simultaneous exposures at 30fps and combines them to increase dynamic range. I do not think this is possible at 60fps, with this hardware.

I agree that the website does not say HDR is only available at 30fps, but equally I don't see anywhere that 2k60 is mentioned as an option either.
 
I’ve had this dashcam for a while and never got round to installing it due to all the issues I read people having and my old dash cam being rock solid. Felt like it was still in the design stages than a finished product so It’s sat in a box for 10 months, are all the bugs sorted now if I was to update the firmware and install it?

Or is the A229 pro better and take the opitunity to sell this and buy the newer camera with S2 rear camera?
 
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