Not able to record in TS video format?

[budster]

The Viofo A119 V3 has an option to record in either mp4 or ts video format. The ts video format has an advantage to being able to prevent corrupted files if the dashcam unexpectedly loses power and its super capacitors somehow don't kick in to provide the few seconds of power necessary for the dashcam to gracefully shut down and close the last video file being recorded.

How come the A119 Mini 2 doesn't have such a video format option? Is it being planned in an upcoming firmware?

 

[Nigel]

I think it is reliably enough that nobody has asked for .ts format!
Although you can still corrupt a file by removing the memory card while it is being written to.

I believe it also has a feature to repair broken files when they are viewed, so the .ts format is not strictly necessary.

Hopefully AV1 format files will arrive soon, they are incorruptible like .ts files, but that will likely be for a Mini 3.

 

[budster]

I think it is reliably enough that nobody has asked for .ts format!
Although you can still corrupt a file by removing the memory card while it is being written to.

I believe it also has a feature to repair broken files when they are viewed, so the .ts format is not strictly necessary.

Hopefully AV1 format files will arrive soon, they are incorruptible like .ts files, but that will likely be for a Mini 3.

I didn't realize that playing corrupted mp4 video files on the Viofo dashcam itself could repair those files. I just tried doing such a playback on a corrupted mp4 video file that was recorded on an old A119 V1 that I still have and confirmed the mp4 file can now be played on my PC using VLC (whereas before, I could not play this file on my PC). There is some problem on my A119 V1 where the super capacitors aren't working anymore and the current recording (if using mp4) gets corrupted when power gets turned off to the dashcam. I was recording using the ts format to workaround this issue.

I did notice that the previously corrupted mp4 file is modified somehow (thru the file's updated Date modified value) after it was played on the dashcam. I wonder how Viofo is able to fix the corrupted file. This is a very neat fix that I wasn't aware of and maybe isn't widely known. Still, it doesn't scale well and is a bit of a hassle to search for and play individual corrupted files on the dashcam. Preference would be to never have corrupted files at all in the first place, which can be achieved by recording in the ts format.

 

[Nigel]

Still, it doesn't scale well and is a bit of a hassle to search for and play individual corrupted files on the dashcam.

Yes, but the Mini 2 has wifi, playing the file via the phone app is quite easy. I assume that will fix the file too, although I've never been able to check.

It is possible to replace super capacitors, if you can use a soldering iron. Almost any type that will fit in the available space will work, although given the image quality improvement you would get with a Mini 2, maybe it is time for an upgrade.

Working supercapacitors will result in slightly longer files than a .ts file or fixed .mp4 without super capacitors, it may only be an extra second, but in the event of a power loss due to a nasty accident, an extra second can be important, it will cover the collision, while the .ts file may stop shortly before. Most likely not important, but.

 

[LateralNW]

How come the A119 Mini 2 doesn't have such a video format option? Is it being planned in an upcoming firmware?

In another thread somewhere or a personal email from Viofo i asked the same question and was told they had trouble making .ts files reliable and that's why they dropped the format.

 

[viofo]

It is not .ts file format not reliable. We added the .ts file format before because some users reported the super capacitor was corrupted.
Some manufacture may only use .ts format because the don't use super capacitors and batteries.

 

[budster]

Yes, but the Mini 2 has wifi, playing the file via the phone app is quite easy. I assume that will fix the file too, although I've never been able to check.

It is possible to replace super capacitors, if you can use a soldering iron. Almost any type that will fit in the available space will work, although given the image quality improvement you would get with a Mini 2, maybe it is time for an upgrade.

Working supercapacitors will result in slightly longer files than a .ts file or fixed .mp4 without super capacitors, it may only be an extra second, but in the event of a power loss due to a nasty accident, an extra second can be important, it will cover the collision, while the .ts file may stop shortly before. Most likely not important, but.

Yeah, I'm planning to retire the A119 V1 but will be replacing it with a A119 V3 that I have a spare of. Strange thing is that I opened up the A119 V1 and the two capacitors look ok to me so not sure why they are not functional. Maybe I'll create a separate post in the A119 sub-forum if I decide to look into it more and have questions.

 

[budster]

In another thread somewhere or a personal email from Viofo i asked the same question and was told they had trouble making .ts files reliable and that's why they dropped the format.

Found the prior post by @viofo on this, https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/video-format-app-sharing.49233/post-597645.

It is not .ts file format not reliable. We added the .ts file format before because some users reported the super capacitor was corrupted.
Some manufacture may only use .ts format because the don't use super capacitors and batteries.

So Viofo doesn't think that the super capacitors going bad on the Mini 2 will ever occur? Are the capacitors used in the MIni 2 better than those used in the A119? I still think that the .ts video format option should be provided in a future firmware to provide a workaround in case the capacitors ever fail.

 

[LateralNW]

It is not .ts file format not reliable. We added the .ts file format before because some users reported the super capacitor was corrupted.
Some manufacture may only use .ts format because the don't use super capacitors and batteries.

Have I misunderstood what was written here.
"TS format is not so stable on the A119V3 actually"
And
"Not compatible with many equipment"
??

TS format is not so stable on the A119V3 actually, and this format also cannot be compatible with many equipments. That is why we have given up to use it with other cameras.

 

[LateralNW]

@budster damn didn't see your post and wasted time searching for that very link!
Thanks for looking.

 

[viofo]

Even if the last file is corrupted, most of the time it can be recovered by the dashcam itself.

 

[budster]

Even if the last file is corrupted, most of the time it can be recovered by the dashcam itself.

Can you explain how the dashcam is able to fix the corrupted file by playing it?

 

[Nigel]

Strange thing is that I opened up the A119 V1 and the two capacitors look ok to me so not sure why they are not functional.

Normally, only one will look damaged, it will have burst or puffed out the aluminium burst plate from the legs end, but if it fails slowly then it is just a little electrolite/gas that leaks out and it may not be obvious, the plate will just be slightly domed. It is the good looking one that will have caused the problem!

So Viofo doesn't think that the super capacitors going bad on the Mini 2 will ever occur? Are the capacitors used in the MIni 2 better than those used in the A119?

Eventually they will wear out, but I think Viofo have learned the lessons needed to make most last well over 10 years. The A119 V1 was one of the early super capacitor cameras, the lessons had not all been learned and some failed within a couple of years.

I still think that the .ts video format option should be provided in a future firmware to provide a workaround in case the capacitors ever fail.

Using .ts files without a super capacitor will lose a little video from before the power loss, so may loose the actual collision video. It does not loose the whole file, but it is better to fix the problem than use the workaround. Dashcams without batteries or super capacitors have never been popular, although a few exist. Main issue is that many people have difficulty viewing .ts files, including the police/insurance when necessary.

Can you explain how the dashcam is able to fix the corrupted file by playing it?

It is obvious when a file has not been terminated correctly. The dashcam just needs to do the termination that it would normally do when closing the file. File repair software has difficulty because it doesn't know the file layout unless it has been correctly terminated, but the dashcam knows exactly the layout it uses, so it is easy for the dashcam to fix it. It will lose the last second or two though.

I suspect that there is a risk at power loss without a super capacitor of a corrupted SD card format, the SD card will then need reformatting. Not sure how much risk there is, it normally works OK, but running without a super capacitor is not idea.

 

[Cirrus]

I think there were also reasons against the TS format: larger file size than MP4 for the same recording time, and more overhead and processing power needed for TS (thus more heat?), although I may be confusing this with the H.264 / H.265 discussion.

 

[Nigel]

I think there were also reasons against the TS format: larger file size than MP4 for the same recording time, and more overhead and processing power needed for TS (thus more heat?), although I may be confusing this with the H.264 / H.265 discussion.

A .ts file is basically the same size, same content and same processing power required, just in streaming format instead of normal file format, so it doesn't need terminating before you can play it.

Yes, H265 tends to use more power and generate more heat, normally the files are smaller, but it depends on which dashcam, some give larger files.