New User Self Scrutiny Video Assessments

[Davekyn]

In response to a request for video footage I have decided to make this thread a place where I can learn to make the most of what I now own. The THINKWARE U1000 2 channel Dash Cam Set Up. Initially I was really disappointed. This is more so due to my own lack of knowledge. After spending a whole morning going over footage and trailing different viewing options I have since discovered I was assessing the video footage in a difference format to that which is typically advertised on both the Thinkware Webiste and varioius other YouTube Consumer Videos. I'm feeling a little better now since discovering I was first viewing the footage at full 4K and not down-scaled as is mostly viewed by most consumers.

Here is a screen shot at what the THINKWARE U1000 Looks like when viewing via MPC -[HC] with 'Video Frame' option 'Normal Size' selected. This not what it looks like when most people are watching on YouTube. The image have been cropped whilst retaining exactly what it would look like when viewed at 4K full screen. I am viewing it on a 2560X1080 21:9 / 34 inch PC Display.

This is what the 4K image looks like when down-scaled to 1080p (Horizontal)
Same image - cropped again - but shows more of the field of view ... a much tighter picture - unlike the above. YES i DO HAVE THE CPL FILTER ON.

THE CONTEXT IN WHICH I SHARE THIS is more related to how I first viewed my footage. IMO when viewing the 4K image at full resolution ... YES ... I can understand the somewhat negative review reviews my wife came to me with saying "I don't understand why you bought this model of Dash Cam as people are saying the 4K footage is sub par?" It was not until I understood a little more about the benefits of down scaling and the settings I was viewing on that I then felt a little better about the apparent sub par quality of this 4K footage. I do realize the sensor size can only do so much. Let's also not forgot the screen size one views their files on can also affect the quality of displayed footage.

At any rate ... I have now uploaded a number of 4K videos. During the section and uploading process I discovered other issues I need to address and variable that can effect the quality of footage.

First though ... here is the car my dash cam was installed into and a few images to show camera placement and the difficulty of what I have to work with in relation to demister lines and angle of rear window:



I'll just show the rear as the front is pretty standard. The slant and demister lines have been hard to work with. I accept that I will have lines in my rear footage no matter what I do:

The widest gap between the lines is either side of the lable 'Lens Here'

Rear Camera Placement we settled on: (Note* Results in video footage is easy to see)

Front Camera Placement is up High:

Righto ... Just to recap before I take a break. I really got a shock viewing on my large Ultra Wide Monitor when viewing 4K at is normal size. I did not take the time to think and just reacted as I normally do. I have to be fair now as I have taken more time to evaluate all the variables that go into what makes for quality footage and how it is that I should approach my own expectations with such tech. The sensor size imo has to be the limiting factor and then comes the size of screen, down-scaling and in camera settings. I can see how reviews will differ with those variables in mind. After taking a breath I am more than OK with the final results. I have had a cheap cam that I ended up tossing in the bin. Whatever my final verdict will be, this setup is a keeper. I will worry about the other features later but will Just link my Video Results thus far and discuss a little about them as I do. The wide angle is quite practical. Under the right conditions the quality is actually good, but mostly in the sun is what I will be concerned about; especially reflections. Reflections on the rear for me seem to be happened more with the angle on my window. Whilst it is present on the front and also dependent on angle and height of sun ... it's defiantly an issue for the rear window. The demister lines in that respect is quite a non issue.

Videos Coming Next.

 

[GuusGeluk60]

My first guess, the angle of your front can is to high, no hood is visible l, so basically 50% sharp sky is recorded.

 

[Davekyn]

My first guess, the angle of your front can is to high, no hood is visible l, so basically 50% sharp sky is recorded.

This is the FULL FOV [un-cropped] ... previous images were cropped: CAMERA ANGLE AOK

The images you are looking at have been cropped as stated. The reason I did this was to show exactly how grainy the footage is at full resolution without the viewer needing a link to a full size resolution image which would also require clicking on a magnification icon in order to view 4K in it's entirety. Most people are still using 1080P Pc Displays.

Here are two images of Front and Rear Camera in their full field of view (FOV 155 degrees) Note, adjusting the angle down any more will in my opinion show too much of the dash board on both front and rear. The Bonnet and Boot is clearly visible enough.

Front FOV:

Rear FOV: Angling lower is not an option just as on the front in this respect is all AOK. The issue of reflection is something I need to experiment with. I'm still working on the vids but felt you made such a good point that I thought I best respond to that first. I hope the full FOV shots clear that up. Once again, I did state that the previous images in opening posts were cropped. Number plates more than readable in this instance ... I am happy with that despite the challenges of my rear window.

EDIT: With all that said though ... It may be worth noting if there is and what level a reduction in over exposure and reflectivity if I do slightly angle down a little more. I'm betting I will not like the amount of dash and resulting image. I will try this tomorrow or another day and upload the comparable results.

 

[Davekyn]

VIDEO RESULTS:

File Info:
File type --------------[MP4 Video File (.MP4)]
Resolution ---------- 3840X2160
Data Rate ----------- 23008kbps
Total bitrate ------- 24126kbps
Frame rate -------- 30 fps
_______________________________________________
Location - Australia
Late Afternoon / Winter

THIS FOOTAGE WAS UPLOADED AS RAW. That is to say AS IS from the supplied SD card that came with the product, onto my computer, then uploaded to my YouTube account. No editing or rendering. Although we should not disregard You tubes own processing. I only changed the file name for the sake of my own records.

VIDEO 1 - This being the first video I viewed at full screen with video frame set to normal →First Image above in my opening post.
Here you can view it at 4K and if like me ... down-scaled on a 1080p PC screen.
I am now starting to see the benefit with the wide angle view and that in fact down-scaling from 4K results in good number plate recognition.

I doubt it's worth dropping the angle of my cameras. (I will experiment as mentioned previously) The bonnet and dash are taking up more than enough of my FOV. (Field of View/Image in screen) I note this because in this image I am driving away from the sun which is giving a much nicer image and one I would use to advertise with [down-scaled of course] Note* in the next image ... you will see so much reflection that Wide Angle Number Plate Recognition is unachievable on the side towards the sun.

Ideal Conditions: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HAPPY WITH THIS

I will note however, that depending on the angle of light, shade and resulting reflection - results can differ ... see bellow:

Not Ideal Conditions:

Because I don't always want to be adjusting settings according to the height or direction of sun, I think some thought towards suitable or more appropriate material re a dash mat may assist with reflection and thus improved results?

More video assessments to follow shortly

 

[Davekyn]

Distance Number Plate Recognition:

First number plate picture on top of green arrow is cropped from exported 4K video frame. Second number plate is resultant from increasing the resolution of the 1st cropped 4K number plate.

 

[Davekyn]

Bored with it now. To be honest I popped over to Dash Cam Owners Australia FB and was so disheartened at all the laughing going on re tragic events that I think I will leave the whole dash cam community well alone. It seems to have that 'get on your bike and look for trouble and laugh @ others ...' attitude to it. I don't need a dash cam to let me know just how washed out our society has become. All you have to do is look at the comments over at Dash Cam Owners Australia to see that. That said, I do appreciative those few trying to make a difference.

Other Videos I felt worth a look are as follows.

REAR DASH REFLECTION ← This one ... where I am leaving the Audio Sight & Sound business that installed the camera setup for me. Immediately I notice the issue with rear reflections. This is why I ended up using a towel across the back ... but to no avail.

TOWEL IDEA NO GOOD ← I think I the creases create a lot of shadow casts and also think that material is less than ideal. I will look for a rear dash mat that I can use to flatten a more light absorbent material to help wit my reflective issues.

REAR CAMERA PLACEMENT & 4WD BAD DRIVING PRACTICE ←Putting aside the reflection issues (that I will improve on) the thing to look for here is the camera placement and it's effectiveness. There is no easy way of avoiding the demister lines. If you note in the first three seconds of this video, the down-scaled 2K (for those viewing @ 1080P Native [highly recommended for clearer picture] footage clearly shows three readable number plates across the entire FOV. Once I pull away ... 4 seconds plus you can get an idea of the effective number plate range at different points thereafter during the one minute clip.

Towards the end, note the red 4WD that moves into what I would consider a service lane (clearly not a vehicle lane as depicted at the 57 second mark) Plenty of people do this and if you follow that actual road rules, one would do well to look out for those who use think that such lanes are for short cuts.

4K QUALITY UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS ← Once again I am viewing this 4K footage on a 34 inch 1080p Native Display. This makes it look much better than viewing at full resolution on a large 4K screen. Re my opening post. Reflections are still present and worth noting the angles, direction of light and FOV factor as well. That said, the quality is more than OK for such a small sensor.

The Sound Factor - mmmm .... The voice over could can get annoying. I am yet to mess around with the volume settings. Beeps are handing to know what is being triggered but I don't want it to be overly distracting. In fact we have turned off many unnecessary features that we consider adds to the annoyance of such.

Then there is the 'what you can say can be used against you ... just as how many also turn off the speed setting. I have nothing to hide myself, but there are others I must consider and I've also been reading up on laws that can be construed as eves dropping if not done right. This is a tough one. My wife will not allow audio to be on. So that is that. Personally I can't help but consider the recent road rage event that lead me to this dash cam install. Best I can say on that note, is that the audio recording does seem a bit low. I have decided (with my wife's agreement) that in the event of an event that warrants getting out of the car and dealing with others, that I will be using my phone to record outside events. The way in which that is done is a topic on it's own. For me I require the assistance of my phone to record details I would otherwise forget under pressure. I do struggle with PTSD and most recent events with a tradie wishing to kill me has not helped. Sadly this day and age, when people see you struggling to cope, they tend to exploit it and bully their way out of a jam. Once again - you only have to read the comments of many dash cam owners @ Dash Cam Australia to see just how negative people can be.

SPEED since updating the firmware ... we now have speed displayed. I thought I enabled before the update but was not showing which is why these videos do not depict my speed. Now they do! Thankfully my wife has no issue with leaving this. Because we don't speed the information can actually be used to discredit those who would claim otherwise and or simply show the obvious by comparison.
______________________________________________

So that's it for me at this stage. Lot's of fiddling about re the folder structure and usability which I would not say is user friendly. Sorry Thinkware ... I mean not to bash your product. You have done a great job. I am just thinking of my friends and family and how they would struggle using such a device. I think there is much room for improvement, but also understand the programming is the way it is for efficiency. Viewing the large jumpy and flashing coded numbers before uploading to you-tube or when viewing on my PC is very annoying. Very distracting to say the least. We have also run into a few issues, since upgraded the firm ware and still struggling with unwanted time laps recordings despite that feature being turned off. The Parking Mode seems intermittent at this point with the 10 second buffer not always showing people when you would rather see them ... sometimes and sometimes not. To be sure just as how I originally reacted ... (as I often do) ... I'm confident much of this issue due to our lack of understanding and not having yet enough time spent with our newly acquired surveillance gear.

I think we are off to a good start though. I might consider the radar options in the near future - but kind of wish it was more usable to both front and rear.

In more time I will be able to give a much more concise review once I completely understand the system.

I'll pop back in here if I hear from anyone that perhaps can add some insights re my reflection issues ... or perhaps when I improve upon it. I really do think it's more a case of my car than anything else. All in all - I think it's fair to say we are feeling more at ease having this setup than not.

 

[TKSX]

Nice car, by the way.

 

[Davekyn]

TY

 

[Nigel]

I'll pop back in here if I hear from anyone that perhaps can add some insights re my reflection issues

Normally I would recommend a CPL filter, but with the angle of your rear screen it is not going to work well.

The towel is a good idea, but you need a better material and attach it properly to the shelf. Don't ask me for a material recommendation though, my last attempt started off great, but after 6 months had faded from pure matt black to a dirty light brown!

 

[kamkar]

My DIY dashmat are made from a black cloth like they use in theaters and photographers for a black background, it have also faded to a dark grey over the past 2 - 3 years, but are still leaps and bounds better than the plastic of my dashboard.
It is not velvet but more like a black fiber of some sort.

I am also contemplating getting a "new" pair of A pillar plastic trim, and paint that flat black, cuz the light grey plastic do reflect badly.

 

[Davekyn]

Thanks for your replies. Very helpful. I will be butting carpet to fit the rear and trialing different light absorbing materials and colors. I hear ya re the CPL.

 

[jokiin]

Thanks for your replies. Very helpful. I will be butting carpet to fit the rear and trialing different light absorbing materials and colors. I hear ya re the CPL.

just buy something which is suitable, if it's not UV treated the black will fade very quickly

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks for your replies. Very helpful. I will be butting carpet to fit the rear and trialing different light absorbing materials and colors. I hear ya re the CPL.

Commercially available custom dash mats are one of the best and easiest ways to eliminate or dramatically reduce windshield reflections on your dash cam. Many DCT members use them and they are available for a wide range of car makes and models. What many folks don't know is that rear deck covers are also available from many of these same sources. A custom rear deck cover would likely be a better, easier and more durable solution for your reflection problem. I highly recommend the suede type over any other material. There are several dash mat suppliers in Australia.






https://www.carid.com/rear-deck-covers.html?filter=1&field[322772][2]=Suede&field[333895][1]=Black

https://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/Dashboard-Covers/Dash-Designs-Carpet-Rear-Deck-Cover

https://www.autoanything.com/dash-mats/20A53081A1.aspx

https://customcarmats.com.au/collections/dash-mats

 

[Velvetfoot]

I had to look up "tradie", lol.

It seems that people here seem to mostly recommend low bitrate for parking mode. Downside is that it uses the SD card, but it won't miss anything.

I've been looking at a lot dashcam videos on YouTube. There's a certain sameness to them after a while: left turners, light runners, lane changers, etc....except for Russia, which is more interesting.

The novelty factor is there for me. At some point, it'll just run in the background and might be useful at some point in time, but I'm living a pretty quiet existence, so hopefully not. Although a deer ran right across my path the other week-maybe he knew he was being photographed.

Next step for me is to try video editing, but there are other things to do as well.

 

[kamkar]

except for Russia, which is more interesting

I watched a Russian channel for a few years, and at some thine you get to thing " now i have seen it all " and then some Ivan put a all new spin on something.

It really is the wild wild East over there.
I am not driving there unless you can rent a T-72 tank

 

[Nigel]

I am not driving there unless you can rent a T-72 tank

James Bond recomends a T54, actually quite cheap to buy!

The production bought three Russian tanks — two T-54s and one T-55 — at a cost of £9,000 to £11,000 each for the stunt. “We nicknamed the tank ‘Metal Mickey’ remembers second unit camera operator Harvey Harrison. “At 42 tons it didn’t stop for anyone.”

 

[Davekyn]

Commercially available custom dash mats are one of the best and easiest ways to eliminate or dramatically reduce windshield reflections on your dash cam. Many DCT members use them and they are available for a wide range of car makes and models. What many folks don't know is that rear deck covers are also available from many of these same sources. A custom rear deck cover would likely be a better, easier and more durable solution for your reflection problem. I highly recommend the suede type over any other material. There are several dash mat suppliers in Australia.

View attachment 52836

View attachment 52837


https://www.carid.com/rear-deck-covers.html?filter=1&field[322772][2]=Suede&field[333895][1]=Black

https://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/Dashboard-Covers/Dash-Designs-Carpet-Rear-Deck-Cover

https://www.autoanything.com/dash-mats/20A53081A1.aspx

https://customcarmats.com.au/collections/dash-mats

THANKS EVER SO MUCH! A+++++