Mobius Maxi video quality is shockingly baaaadddddd

sharpharp

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Ok so here's the setup:

1) I got the Maxi fitted in the same position as the previous Mobius 1.
2) I used a 6" lens extension cable in the Maxi, as opposed to the 8" lens extension cable I had in the Mobius 1
3) Using the Capacitor rather than the battery in the Maxi (I also had a capacitor in the Mobius 1)

Tested on the roads here in the UK, during sunlight, dusk driving over the course of two days.

Results:
1) Firstly, the camera does NOT always beep when powered, I find this quite strange as the Beep sometimes takes around a minute to come on, while other times its on immediately (yes i'm sure it was fully switched off as I used immediate off as i'm using the capacitor to power it)
This is worrying as i'm not sure if its recording or not, as I was hoping the beep would provide reassurance that it is powered on and recording.

2) Secondly, I am using the second highest resolution (not full 4K) and have volume switched off and was expecting great smooth footage..... In reality the video footage is full of noise, the picture is way darker than the Mobius 1 at the same time of day, the video is harsh and there is nothing smooth about the video capture.
I even compared the car journey with the recordings on the Mobius 1 (which I kept as a comparison) and the Mobius 1 wipes the floor with the Maxi, not just a little, but in a massive way. The Car registration plates are clear on close-up on the Maxi, but apart from that, the Maxi video quality is big time Poor.

Now I might just try it on 4K and see what that is like, but so far the Maxi has been a big disappointment.
I am using the latest 2.11 Firmware, so there should be no reason why it's that bad.

I am trying to be fair with this review, but the reality is the old 8 year old Mobius was better. The only difference in settings is that i'm using a higher resolution (the one below 4K) in the Maxi, yet it's come out garbage.
Out of the box, the default settings should just work, I never had to tinker with the Mobius 1 settings, other than the resolution and it worked perfect, in the Maxi, it's like watching a badly recorded VHS video.

What the rest of you people think?
Did you have bother with the sharpness and clarity?
What settings did you use?
What settings do you think I should try?
Is the lens extension cable a factor in this? Wasn't in the Mobius 1, but then I wasn't able to save in the same resolution
I have a 128GB microsd card, the sandisk dashcam high performance one, so that isn't a factor either.
Let me know your thoughts. I love the compactness of the Mobius and hate to bash the Maxi in a public forum, but out of the box it's not fit for purpose.
 
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Can you post a screenshot or two so we can see what you are describing?
 
1) Firstly, the camera does NOT always beep when powered, I find this quite strange as the Beep sometimes takes around a minute to come on, while other times its on immediately (yes i'm sure it was fully switched off as I used immediate off as i'm using the capacitor to power it)
This is worrying as i'm not sure if its recording or not, as I was hoping the beep would provide reassurance that it is powered on and recording.
This sounds like a power supply problem. Does the Maxi record before the beep, or is the recording also sometimes delayed by around a minute?
 
2) Secondly, I am using the second highest resolution (not full 4K) and have volume switched off and was expecting great smooth footage..... In reality the video footage is full of noise, the picture is way darker than the Mobius 1 at the same time of day, the video is harsh and there is nothing smooth about the video capture.
I even compared the car journey with the recordings on the Mobius 1 (which I kept as a comparison) and the Mobius 1 wipes the floor with the Maxi, not just a little, but in a massive way. The Car registration plates are clear on close-up on the Maxi, but apart from that, the Maxi video quality is big time Poor.

Now I might just try it on 4K and see what that is like, but so far the Maxi has been a big disappointment.
I am using the latest 2.11 Firmware, so there should be no reason why it's that bad.

I am trying to be fair with this review, but the reality is the old 8 year old Mobius was better. The only difference in settings is that i'm using a higher resolution (the one below 4K) in the Maxi, yet it's come out garbage.
Out of the box, the default settings should just work, I never had to tinker with the Mobius 1 settings, other than the resolution and it worked perfect, in the Maxi, it's like watching a badly recorded VHS video.

I have *EXACTLY* the same observations. I tested Maxi with several high resolution, bright lenses and it did not help much.

1.
There is a lot of grain in video, even in very good light conditions during blue skye day. The camera should record a perfect, clear, sharp and smooth image, but it doesn't do that.
I feel that Mobius 1 which I have records better quality video.

Is it firmware problem? I really hope so.

2.
Not sure why, but Maxi is very sensitive to backlight and various exposure settings don't help. If there is a person and window behind it (even a bit of strong light), the Maxi instantly under-exposes the person/foreground.
I tried spot, multi-spot, center-spot, center-area. It does not help much. Mobius 1 is way better with this, not under-exposing the foreground.

Is it firmware problem?

3.
Maxi heats up to high temperatures at 2704x1524 resolution and super fine bitrate. I think Mobius 1 is cooler. Weird as this new camera should record it easier, be cooler.

Again, is it firmware problem?

4. I connected internal power port of Maxi to 18650 battery. Mobius 1 does not discharge the battery if it is connected the whole time, but Maxi does that. Very bad.
Not know why, but even if Maxi is powered off it is warm and discharges the attached battery. Mobius 1 does not do that. This needs to be fixed asap.

I am really looking forward to newer firmware, newer than 2.11, solving these above problems. The problem is big. Maxi records much worse video than Mobius 1 and this is very bad.
I invested in Maxi and its almost May. The progress of fixing things is way too slow. It should have been done withing 1 month. People buy this camera since a long time.

So yes, you are not alone. I have the same observation like you. Mobius should really react and fix these problems.
 
This sounds like a power supply problem. Does the Maxi record before the beep, or is the recording also sometimes delayed by around a minute?

Tony,
The behaviour of the Maxi is very strange, sometimes the beep doesn't happen till a minute later, other times it's before you even get in the car. The power supply is fine.
I would love to post more findings, but it looks like the Mobius Maxi is completely dead now (see other thread)
 
I have *EXACTLY* the same observations. I tested Maxi with several high resolution, bright lenses and it did not help much.

1.
There is a lot of grain in video, even in very good light conditions during blue skye day. The camera should record a perfect, clear, sharp and smooth image, but it doesn't do that.
I feel that Mobius 1 which I have records better quality video.

Is it firmware problem? I really hope so.

2.
Not sure why, but Maxi is very sensitive to backlight and various exposure settings don't help. If there is a person and window behind it (even a bit of strong light), the Maxi instantly under-exposes the person/foreground.
I tried spot, multi-spot, center-spot, center-area. It does not help much. Mobius 1 is way better with this, not under-exposing the foreground.

Is it firmware problem?

3.
Maxi heats up to high temperatures at 2704x1524 resolution and super fine bitrate. I think Mobius 1 is cooler. Weird as this new camera should record it easier, be cooler.

Again, is it firmware problem?

4. I connected internal power port of Maxi to 18650 battery. Mobius 1 does not discharge the battery if it is connected the whole time, but Maxi does that. Very bad.
Not know why, but even if Maxi is powered off it is warm and discharges the attached battery. Mobius 1 does not do that. This needs to be fixed asap.

I am really looking forward to newer firmware, newer than 2.11, solving these above problems. The problem is big. Maxi records much worse video than Mobius 1 and this is very bad.
I invested in Maxi and its almost May. The progress of fixing things is way too slow. It should have been done withing 1 month. People buy this camera since a long time.

So yes, you are not alone. I have the same observation like you. Mobius should really react and fix these problems.

Glad i'm not the only one, I completely 100% know what you mean with that grainy look to all recordings, irrespective of time of day.
Is it a firmware issue, or is it a case of a money grab from the manufacturer? I see no response from the sellers, or any dialogue from them saying they are watching our feedback and working on fixes....
I also noticed the heat issue once or twice and was running it on a lower resolution for testing and it was a sunny day. I hate to think what a hot summer day (does that even exist here in the UK...) would do to the camera.

Now I have a bricked camera that does not even switch on, otherwise i'd bash this Maxi dash some more
 
Did you try to press the reset button? Yes, developers don't answer anything since some time. Bad for their product and business.
 
Reset button then try PC connection & msetup to reinstall firmware etc ...maybe ?
 
Reset button then try PC connection & msetup to reinstall firmware etc ...maybe ?

Tried already, reset does nothing, PC connection does nothing. No lights on so zero chance of msetup picking anything up.
 
Ok so here's the setup:

1) I got the Maxi fitted in the same position as the previous Mobius 1.
2) I used a 6" lens extension cable in the Maxi, as opposed to the 8" lens extension cable I had in the Mobius 1
3) Using the Capacitor rather than the battery in the Maxi (I also had a capacitor in the Mobius 1)

Are you using the lens extension cable for #16 (6" / 15cm)? It might be an issue. The Maxi needs much more bandwidth than Mobius 1 or #16. Yes, it may affect the image quality. Please try a different and shorter cable (like 5cm or 10cm), or using the original cable and connector.

Also, if the camera can not be turned on, please check the cable connection if it's broken somewhere (Please check the connectors at both end and the cable).
 
Are you using the lens extension cable for #16 (6" / 15cm)? It might be an issue. The Maxi needs much more bandwidth than Mobius 1 or #16. Yes, it may affect the image quality. Please try a different and shorter cable (like 5cm or 10cm), or using the original cable and connector.

Also, if the camera can not be turned on, please check the cable connection if it's broken somewhere (Please check the connectors at both end and the cable).

I was using the genuine Mobius Maxi 6" Lens extension cable.
I can understand that it may need more bandwidth, but why would you produce and sell a Lens extension cable for the MAXI if it's not fit for purpose and degrades the video to the point it's grainy and unusable???? This is unbelievably bad practice. The fact you sell the Maxi Lens extension to 6-inches I accepted this was due to bandwidth. The old Mobius 1 lens extension cable went up to 8-inches.
But the bottom line is, why are you selling a Maxi 6" Cable if the video quality is reduced to an Nokia from 1990 with VGA quality?

Once I get the replacement bricked camera from Mobius I will try both the regular and 6" Lens extension cables again and report back on here with my findings.

@Mobius - Are you the maker of the Mobius? If so, why aren't you active on these forums and producing more updates? Why only respond to negative findings? I really thought the Maxi was going to be best Stealth Dashcam out there, but it's not been the case so far. So come on, get the Mobius Maxi sorted and lets make it work
 
1.
There is a lot of grain in video, even in very good light conditions during blue skye day. The camera should record a perfect, clear, sharp and smooth image, but it doesn't do that.
I feel that Mobius 1 which I have records better quality video.
M1 has better colour balance and less noise than the Maxi. Does that make it a better dashcam?

2.
Not sure why, but Maxi is very sensitive to backlight and various exposure settings don't help. If there is a person and window behind it (even a bit of strong light), the Maxi instantly under-exposes the person/foreground.
I tried spot, multi-spot, center-spot, center-area. It does not help much. Mobius 1 is way better with this, not under-exposing the foreground.
Maxi metering is sensitive to highlights and compensates more than most other cameras. I agree this should be improved.

3.
Maxi heats up to high temperatures at 2704x1524 resolution and super fine bitrate. I think Mobius 1 is cooler. Weird as this new camera should record it easier, be cooler.
M1 records at up to 18Mbps. Maxi records at up to ~60Mbps video-only, or ~40Mbps with wifi enabled. Higher data rate and wifi increase the camera temperature.
 
I think I have the same problem. 2.7k quality seems worse than FullHD. And I've noticed it recently with the latest firmware. I believe earlier 2.7K picture was much better.
Are there any ways to download previous firmware? I'd like to to compare.

2 screenshots from video 2.7K and FullHD. The 3rd is 2.7K photo mode.
2.7K.jpg
FHD.jpg
Photo 2.7K.JPG
 
I think I have the same problem. 2.7k quality seems worse than FullHD. And I've noticed it recently with the latest firmware. I believe earlier 2.7K picture was much better.
Are there any ways to download previous firmware? I'd like to to compare.

2 screenshots from video 2.7K and FullHD. The 3rd is 2.7K photo mode.
Your 2.7k examples appear to be 1920 pixels wide. Were they screenshots from a 1080p screen/monitor rather than original frames?

I have all the previous FW versions. PM me if you want a specific version.
 
Your 2.7k examples appear to be 1920 pixels wide. Were they screenshots from a 1080p screen/monitor rather than original frames?

I have all the previous FW versions. PM me if you want a specific version.
May I request the second latest firmware to be put on RCgroup forum as well? Thanks.
 
May I request the second latest firmware to be put on RCgroup forum as well? Thanks.
You will have to ask Tom Frank for anything at RCGroups.
 
Received replacement Maxi. Setup and updated to latest v2.26 firmware.
I've set it to immediate disconnect (as I plan to use a capacitor) however its not saving the files.

With a battery fitted, you get the starting beep and it flashes while recording and beeps when disconnected from power and you can view the video file
With a capacitor fitted, you still get the starting beep and it flashes while recording. But the moment you disconnect from power, it instantly shuts without any beeps and there is no video file saved...

Any ideas? I tried two capacitors, same result, no recordings saved as I believe its not shutting down properly. With a Battery, it works fine.
 
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