Mobius 1.20 Firmware Discussion Thread

[FlyingPanMan]

Thanks, I've opened it to public viewing for now, but I think I need another YouTube channel with a "nom de plume".

I have a channel under my FlyingPanMan name but I don't think I want to mix Bike vids with car stuff.

 

[Hilts]

Here is a video of my problem, and yes I know my screen is streaky, but that's not the cause. Notice it happens while stationary, so it's not the camera responding to oncoming headlights or passing streetlights.

That is way worse than I was getting. It would happen about every 5-7 street lights for me and occasionally with oncoming headlights and roadside traffic signs. Seems odd that some Mobius Action Cams seem more affected than others.... There must be some link with how the Mobius is located/orientated in each vehicle.
Certainly seems more of FW issue than anything else though.

 

[amf]

Just got my Mobius with FW 1.20 installed.

I get the flickering when WDR Low Light is selected.

I tried increasing the "Exposure" (in Advanced Image Settings) to +1 and voila! No more flickering even with WDR Low Light on!

 

[Hilts]

Just got my Mobius with FW 1.20 installed.

I get the flickering when WDR Low Light is selected.

I tried increasing the "Exposure" to +1 and voila! No more flickering even with WDR Low Light on!

Thanks @amf , I'll give that a try!

 

[amf]

Thanks @amf , I'll give that a try!

Let me know how it goes. I have tried it inside and outside and no flickering is observed.

 

[Hilts]

Let me know how it goes. I have tried it inside and outside and no flickering is observed.

I have just tried with Exposure set to "+1", firstly with Low Light setting 'On' and then later with only WDR Setting 'On'. In both cases it leaves my footage overexposed and losing clarity, even on a very overcast day as it is here at the moment.
Most of my driving is in daylight, now that the days are getting longer, so I'm going back to Exposure set to "0" for the time being. Hopefully the FW 1.20 flickering issue will be resolved in a later FW.

It's the first time I've tried changing the Exposure from the standard settings, but I do recall that this overexposure issue at "+1" has been discussed before. This was the post, if you are interested:-

Here are some quotes from Tom Frank who is maintaining the main support thread for Mobius and has very good connections with Mobius developer:

If this Exposure setting works for you then keep it, unfortunately for my Dashcam usage it isn't any good.
Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[amf]

Sad to read it is not working for you. Have you tried setting exposure to -1 instead of +1? Still with WDR Low Light selected?

 

[Hilts]

Sad to read it is not working for you. Have you tried setting exposure to -1 instead of +1? Still with WDR Low Light selected?

Thanks amf, but after adjusting settings back & forth yesterday I don't want to repeat the process today (as it takes a fair bit of fiddly adjustment each time to get the Mobius alignment spot on afterwards).
I am happy with the daylight footage I get with standard settings. I'll wait for the next FW update before experimenting further. I have finally settled on using FW 1.20 as my preferred FW version, after changing FW direction more times than a Politician on an Election Campaign!

 

[murcod]

So, I've got the cameras out the car. Is it worthwhile updating to 1.20 - is it good for night vision?

(One camera was still on 0.47, the other 1.13. I've upgraded them both to 1.13.)

 

[Hilts]

So, I've got the cameras out the car. Is it worthwhile updating to 1.20 - is it good for night vision?

(One camera was still on 0.47, the other 1.13. I've upgraded them both to 1.13.)

User reports of night time video whilst using FW 1.20 appears to have resulted in a rather mixed bag of results; some find it works well, some (like myself) find it causes an occasional flickering when passing streetlights/some roadside signs and others have found the flickering to be terrible.
Some of the worst flickering found can be seen in the posts below, especially obvious in niko's:-

Bad news, flickering appears also with WDR on. I installed 1.20 yesterday and had a long night drive with Mobius recording continously for 7 hours with standard video rate. No issues except for the flickerings, which don't appear so often in steady ambiental light (city street lights). Take a look at this video, no processing done. Also, note that only the low beam was used.

I have also a flickering,
Mobius B-lens FW v1.20,
AWB
1080p-W,
WDR ON,
15Mbps bit-rate

I will test soon 18Mbps + Low Light, - maybe this will help ?

All I can suggest is that you give FW 1.20 a try and see how you get on. You can always fall back to FW 1.13 if it doesn't work for you.

 

[murcod]

Thanks, I did have a browse, but as you said - very mixed results.

Sometimes it's just easier to stick with what you know works. A dedicated car cam software version might be nice..... instead of "one fits all".

 

[GJHS]

The issue comes with the Wide Dynamic Range "Low Light" that was introduced in V1.17 to push the sensor to the max in order to squeeze out the most nighttime performance. As Hilts said, it's a mixed bag and results may vary. Better to stick with the normal WDR "On" which produces the same night time performance as V1.13.

In general V1.20 is great and stable, it just isn't revolutionary unless you want live view from your android phone or were having SD card issues.

 

[russ331]

The rear screen tint was making the rear cam video a little dark, so I changed the White Balance Setting from 'Auto' to 'Cloudy'. I also changed the front cam FOV from'Wide' to 'Narrow', just to observe the difference. Both Mobius B cams currently have the same settings... Firmware v1.20, 1080p/30, Narrow FOV, Low-Light enabled, WB Cloudy, Data Rate Standard.

Here's a couple of video frame grabs taken in sunny weather...



Here's a couple taken in wet weather...



Aesthetically, I prefer the Narrow FOV, though the Wide setting makes more sense from an 'evidence' gathering perspective. Think I'll leave both cams in the 102° Narrow HFOV setting for a while...

 

[murcod]

Russ331, you're obviously not getting the "Low Light Enabled" night flickering issue GJHS and others have mentioned?

 

[russ331]

Russ331, you're obviously not getting the "Low Light Enabled" night flickering issue GJHS and others have mentioned?

Correct. Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't have a problem with it. It might work for you, but you have to try it to find out.

 

[niko]

Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't have a problem with it.

Maybe u have a spiritual connection with your Mobius, so its not that fussy with you. Please share your secrets
... we might start calling you "The SpecialOne", like Jose Mourinho

 

[russ331]

Maybe u have a spiritual connection with your Mobius, so its not that fussy with you. Please share your secrets
... we might start calling you "The SpecialOne", like Jose Mourinho

I'm baffled. Maybe the B lens is an advantage in these conditions? My Mobius is mounted a little way back from the windscreen, & is partially shielded from street lighting by the roof lining. It may be angled more downwards than typical. The Mini Cooper has a windscreen that's closer to vertical than most cars.

Do any of the above factors contribute to my good experience of v1.20 with Low-Light enabled? Dunno!

 

[niko]

I'm baffled. Maybe the B lens is an advantage in these conditions? My Mobius is mounted a little way back from the windscreen, & is partially shielded from street lighting by the roof lining. It may be angled more downwards than typical. The Mini Cooper has a windscreen that's closer to vertical than most cars.

Do any of the above factors contribute to my good experience of v1.20 with Low-Light enabled? Dunno!

You have a point. Maybe those factors play role here?! ( dunno ) !

 

[Hilts]

The rear screen tint was making the rear cam video a little dark, so I changed the White Balance Setting from 'Auto' to 'Cloudy'. I also changed the front cam FOV from'Wide' to 'Narrow', just to observe the difference. Both Mobius B cams currently have the same settings... Firmware v1.20, 1080p/30, Narrow FOV, Low-Light enabled, WB Cloudy, Data Rate Standard....
....Aesthetically, I prefer the Narrow FOV, though the Wide setting makes more sense from an 'evidence' gathering perspective. Think I'll leave both cams in the 102° Narrow HFOV setting for a while...

I've just moved my Mobius B lens to the back of my car to make way for the Mini 0803 at the front (for the time being at least). The timing of your post re. using 'Cloudy' WB setting was great, as my car has a dark tinted rear window. Suffice to say I am now using that setting on my rear mounted Mobius B, thank you!

Maybe u have a spiritual connection with your Mobius, so its not that fussy with you. Please share your secrets
... we might start calling you "The SpecialOne", like Jose Mourinho

More like a certain Jedi Master - Joda "Always pass on what you have learned"!!... as he did above.^^^^

I'm baffled. Maybe the B lens is an advantage in these conditions? My Mobius is mounted a little way back from the windscreen, & is partially shielded from street lighting by the roof lining. It may be angled more downwards than typical. The Mini Cooper has a windscreen that's closer to vertical than most cars.
Do any of the above factors contribute to my good experience of v1.20 with Low-Light enabled? Dunno!

You have a point. Maybe those factors play role here?! ( dunno ) !

I found the FW 1.20 no-flickering 'sweet spot' just once with the my Mobius B. But I couldn't find it ever again, even after trying more positions than an contortionist during a circus act!

 

[russ331]

I've just moved my Mobius B lens to the back of my car to make way for the Mini 0803 at the front (for the time being at least). The timing of your post re. using 'Cloudy' WB setting was great, as my car has a dark tinted rear window. Suffice to say I am now using that setting on my rear mounted Mobius B, thank you!

It may not be the optimal solution for your dark tint, in which case experimenting with the 'Exposure' slide might yield better results?