Pier28 Early Adopter Beta Pilot Program - A7 Rearview Mirror Dual Channel DVR Manual or Auto Dimming

[Street Guardian USA]

UPDATE - 07NOV2014, we will be moving right to the Dual Channel DVR version of this product. More detail will be posted soon

_______________________

Hey DashCam Enthusiasts,

Pier28 is looking for Early Adapter Beta/Pilot Customers for our upcoming A7 based Rearview Mirror DVR products. If you're interested please let us know here,PM (Private Message), or the contact page on http://Pier28.com

We think there is a market for people that want a total stealth DVR system installed. One way to accomplish this would be to replace your OEM Rear View Mirror, with a high quality DVR capable one.
(just say no to clip-ons, and cheap anti-reflective coated mirrors)

*note Motion Detection is only available in Parking Mode (not while driving) at this time.
*photos up to 5Mpix, - this is interpolation and still photos are generally not that useful on a DVR anyway just a thorough FYI
*FRONT camera will record even when gear is in reverse
(First Phase 1/2 models are single channel DVR, future A7 Phase 3 version will offer Dual channel DVR)

We've actually been testing several Phase 1 units for quite awhile now and we are ready to take things to the next level. (EDIT we are skipping Phase 1 (A2) and moving to Phase 2 (A7) mirrors immediately) It took us several months to tweak and enhance the the Phase 1 firmware menu to get the functionality just right. It's finally just about where we want it.
(Phase 2 A7 Menu will benefit from everything we learned from Phase 1 A2)

Here's a quick video walkthrough of just the menu. (more videos to come)
(We'll create more in-depth videos soon)

EDIT: This is of the older Phase 1 A2 Model, new videos will be posted of Phase 2 (A7) menu as soon as it's ready in a few weeks.

*1.25 EV values go higher, didn't show all values ( video only showed only -0.5, 0, +0.5)
*I didn't show all languages available, but it's the usual Ambarella list. (will list later)
*I need a walk through of "system settings" and all sub-menu values,

Pilot users need to be willing to provide feedback. You should be able to install the mirror yourself or pay for professional installation at a local shop. We'll need to know the Year/Make/Model of your car. We will then confirm we have a retrofit adapter bracket that fits your existing glass mirror-mount. The mounts vary even within the same year of some cards, so it's best if you take photos of your existing rearview mirror mount base stem and send them our way. We have bracket adapters available for most popular models. There is also an option to glue on a new mount if needed as well.

(NOT FREE) As with all samples, we can't give these away unfortunately. (again send a PM for Beta pricing) You can also reach us via the contact link on http://pier28.com

We are ready to work on making these products available to all in the near future, and look forward to communicating with everyone.

Two options :
(more in the works)

RVMDVRA2AD1
RVMDVRA7AD1
1-button Auto Glass Dimming + Internal GPS Logger + BDP (Battery Discharge Prevention, for Parking Mode)
http://i.imgur.com/y5LZyEp.jpg
(1 button = Screen ON/OFF, you will use the remote control to Mute Mic etc)
Auto Dimming has a quick smooth transition (multiple dim levels) and is Twilight Compatible

RVMDVRA2MD4
RVMDVRA7MD4
4-button Manual Glass Dimming + Internal GPS Logger + Battery Discharge Prevention BDP Cable
http://i.imgur.com/yRWXqWY.jpg
(4 buttons = Screen ON/OFF, REC, Brightness, Mic Mute)
*note camera aim position will move ever so slightly when flipping the manual dimmer up/down. (I'll record a video soon)

Special Beta Pilot Pricing, Send me a Private Message.

4.3 Inch FULL HD DVR rearview mirror monitor
> 1080P DVR (1-Channel)
> 30 FPS (Smooth)
> SD Card Slot (Up to 32GB)
> Ambarella A2 (Good Quality) Phase 2, A7 with WDR in the works! (skipping Phase 1)
> Automatic Record ("DashCam")
> Parking Mode For 48 hours (Motion Detection)
> Wide Angle 140 (Just right)
> Back Up Camera Display (Automatic Reverse Trigger Wire, Backup Camera is optional)
> Adjustable Guide Line (For Off Center Backup Camera Install)
> Automatic Brightness Adjustment (or manual on 4-button model)
> Mirror Glass is made by Magna Donnelly (Full Certifications For Safety & Thickness)

Parking Mode Works Automatically since you power this via two wires.
1) Red - ACC (which is only hot while the engine is running)
2) Yellow - BATTERY (direct, which is always hot)

LENS/SENSOR SPEC:

RAW Video Clips:
*EDIT New / updated samples coming soon.
(GPS Data Not Included in theses files sorry)

Preliminary Partial Instruction Manual:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/waagm0xv8z5x90u/RoadCam RCRVMDVRA2AD1.pdf

MOV Videos GPS Data Playback is Fully Compatible with

PC:
http://www.registratorviewer.com/index_en.html

&
MAC:
http://earthshinesw.com/dashcam-viewer/

4-button model is not available in Auto-Dimming yet at this time.

Let us know what you think!

Jon
San Francisco California, USA

 

[dbu8554]

Seems like a great product and a super stealth install I really like it.

 

[CheckYourLights]

I like it as well. Really excited to see a good stand alone mirror camera.

 

[stonny9]

Been looking into a replacement rearview mirror dashcam but wont do it until my car sells and I get a different vehicle. If my buyer comes through with his verbal agreement them I will be pming you in a few weeks.

Manual list rearview camera(not included) can you get it for the pilot program and would it be plug and play? Also I didnt see it but it would be nice to maybe press and hold power for 3 sec to save current video or maybe current and previous. Would be good for a long distance trip when you want to save a vid and dont have a computer with you. Unless you can do it from the settings menu.

 

[robertthegreat]

Looking at the bracket this would slide directly on to the bracket glued to the windscreen of my Smart car. Have you tried this on your Smart car. The mirror and arm just slide upwards and off.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Been looking into a replacement rearview mirror dashcam but wont do it until my car sells and I get a different vehicle. If my buyer comes through with his verbal agreement them I will be pming you in a few weeks.

Manual list rearview camera(not included) can you get it for the pilot program and would it be plug and play? Also I didnt see it but it would be nice to maybe press and hold power for 3 sec to save current video or maybe current and previous. Would be good for a long distance trip when you want to save a vid and dont have a computer with you. Unless you can do it from the settings menu.

Thanks for the interest, good luck on that sale. Good idea on adding an emergency button like the Panorama has. This could possibly be added as a remote control feature. (I'll ask engineers) Pressing and holding the 1-button on mirror right now is a complete reset and can't be changed for use as multi-function unfortunately. There are multiple firmwares going on in this thing. I'll keep this in mind for future versions though, but possibly the remote control.

Looking at the bracket this would slide directly on to the bracket glued to the windscreen of my Smart car. Have you tried this on your Smart car. The mirror and arm just slide upwards and off.

We have a bracket for the smart car. It's a tight fit between up/down visors though, your driver side sun visor goes down, but passenger is very close unless you position the mirror just right. (smart car is narrow as you know)

 

[Gibson99]

Looks pretty sharp. Can it record from both cameras at the same time? I realize the rear cam is only 720x480 at best, but that's better than 0x0

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Looks pretty sharp. Can it record from both cameras at the same time? I realize the rear cam is only 720x480 at best, but that's better than 0x0

Phase 1 of our testing here is a single channel model. (front only DVR) The youtube video recording makes it sound like the rear camera is recording, but we meant the front continues to record while the backup camera is activated in reverse.

Phase 2, we have Abarella A7 + Dual Channel models in development and will post here when we are looking for Phase 2 product testers. (no ETA yet, but they will look the same)

 

[CheckYourLights]

Phase 2, we have Abarella A7 + Dual Channel models in development and will post here when we are looking for Phase 2 product testers. (no ETA yet, but they will look the same)

Are you considering a model with "map lights" built in? I toss a camera in a few cars without the lights, but the cars I drive most often have map lights in the mirrors. I would hate to loose them in something like a T-Top F Body where the dome light is above the back seat because of the glass roof.

Edit. Also seen in the video the screen off time lowest setting is 1min. With it being built into the mirror and how some people like to take off quickly I have always hoped that the times would be shortened to maybe 15 or 30 seconds.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Are you considering a model with "map lights" built in? I toss a camera in a few cars without the lights, but the cars I drive most often have map lights in the mirrors. I would hate to loose them in something like a T-Top F Body where the dome light is above the back seat because of the glass roof.

Good Idea, I'll see how feasible that is. LED technology is low cost as you know. Worst case, might need to DIY.

 

[CheckYourLights]

Good Idea, I'll see how feasible that is. LED technology is low cost as you know. Worst case, might need to DIY.

Thanks for looking into it. I toss a camera into about 6-7 cars between friends and family. Only two of them don't have map lights. So some users would loose what might be in some cars (like a Camaro and Firebird) their only front light source.

Looking forward to how the mirror turns out. I know someone who gets weird about a camera being on their window. To be able to toss their stock mirror for one of these would be awesome.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

We have Rearview Mirror bracket adapters for standard BMW mounts.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Also I didnt see it but it would be nice to maybe press and hold power for 3 sec to save current video or maybe current and previous. Would be good for a long distance trip when you want to save a vid and dont have a computer with you. Unless you can do it from the settings menu.

Good news, on the 4-button model, you can manually lock the current video file by pressing the 3rd button. (for emergency or memorable event) I'll see what we can do in adding this to the 1-button stealthier model via IR remote.
EDIT: Good news on 1-button, you can now lock files as well.
Very Short press (<1 second) = screen on/off
Medium Press (1-10 seconds) = Lock Current File and next 3 files.
Long Press (>10 seconds) = Reboot

 

[Street Guardian USA]

The list keeps growing! We want to make our new Rearview Mirror DVR compatible with as many vehicles as possible worldwide. It's probably easier if you just ask me directly then trying to figure it out yourself. Feel free to send us your Make, Model, Year, and photos of your existing Mirror, Mirror Stem, Mirror Base, and Outside looking in.

 

[Jason-droid]

Any reason you opted against an Android based unit?

I've been researching these the last couple of days; what's not to like about the flexibility/hackability of an open operating system?

I must say I'm attracted to the idea of buying from a US-based company (as opposed to Szenchen)

 

[jokiin]

Android is normally only used on these if GPS mapping is included, still quite buggy though

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Any reason you opted against an Android based unit?

I've been researching these the last couple of days; what's not to like about the flexibility/hackability of an open operating system?

We haven't opted against Android that's for sure. This will be a Phase 5 item. As jokiin said, it's not quite mature enough at this point.
We think it makes more sense to add WiFi and Smartphone apps first.

Phase 1) Ambarella A2 Based RearView Mirror DVR (skipping)
Phase 2) Ambarella A7 Based RearView Mirror DVR with WDR
Phase 3) Ambarella A7 Based RearView Mirror DUAL Channel DVR with WDR
Phase 4) Ambarella A7 Based RearView Mirror DVR with WDR (with WiFi & Android/iOS app)
Potential Phase 5) ??? Android with multi touch capacitive screen (and ???)

P.S. WDR = Wide Dynamic Range (aka Night Vision'ish)

 

[Street Guardian USA]

We've been working on a new concept "Every Day" simplified remote. How does this look? (any feedback/suggestions?) We will look into adding an IR command button for emergency/lock so you can manually lock something interesting as needed on the 1-button mirror as discussed in #13 above.

 

[Jason-droid]

Android is normally only used on these if GPS mapping is included, still quite buggy though

Right, though GPS - for me at least - is highly desirable, not for mapping (as in turn by turn directions), but to log co-ordinates against each frame of the video. I have this feature in my Contour GPS action cam (though that's not Android); I also much like the Google MyTracks android app ("no, I wasn't speeding at the time of the incident officer.")

 

[jokiin]

I specifically mentioned mapping rather than GPS logging as Android is used on these devices when they feature navigation but still early days for that, for GPS logging the OS they run now is far better