Q800 Pro horrible video quality?

[jokiin]

I would suggest only judge any product on what it delivers at time of purchase, updates may never happen and even if they do they still might not bring things to the level you would like

have a close look at Blackvue footage before you go jumping ship, not a great deal different to what you have now, it still might not be at the level you're hoping for

suggest looking for real footage from end users

 

[tonyhh]

Its just so hard to figure out if there is another better option coming out this year, i might regret keeping this, etc. Im going to call thinkware tomorrow to figure this out.

My CPL lens is also coming in tomorrow so that might make things a little better hopefully.

 

[jokiin]

Its just so hard to figure out if there is another better option coming out this year, i might regret keeping this, etc. Im going to call thinkware tomorrow to figure this out.

My CPL lens is also coming in tomorrow so that might make things a little better hopefully.

CPL will reduce reflections, it will also add about 1 f/stop to your lens so low light situations will suffer

 

[Eternalblue]

There is quite a nice review on Youtube which clearly shows off image problem of Q800. Check Timeline 1:35 and compare the green grass. While Q800 is just blurred others at least could be identified still as grass.

But you also see that overall image quality does not lack that much behind others. Reading license plates is often a matter of the having the correct light conditions and position. Just 1 frame can make a huge difference in beeing able to read something or seeing nothing. This is not Q800 issue but technical limitations of all Dashcams or small sensor video cams. Especially while moving or
recording moving objects. It is always a trade of. 4K won't give much of an improvement here, yes you get more pixels, it looks more sharp because of that but you won't actually see more "useful" details because of that. Those "grain" you see in Q800 recording has something to do with it's image processing, it can be controlled by Firmware for sure. But never mind which Cam you buy nowadays don't expect movie like quality or 40MP image quality out of it. (In case you have a low/mid range phone. Enable Video, move your phone and do some recording. Set resolution to 1080p take a picture from 10 meter distance. You will be suprised by the results for sure.

 

[tonyhh]

There is quite a nice review on Youtube which clearly shows off image problem of Q800. Check Timeline 1:35 and compare the green grass. While Q800 is just blurred others at least could be identified still as grass.

But you also see that overall image quality does not lack that much behind others. Reading license plates is often a matter of the having the correct light conditions and position. Just 1 frame can make a huge difference in beeing able to read something or seeing nothing. This is not Q800 issue but technical limitations of all Dashcams or small sensor video cams. Especially while moving or
recording moving objects. It is always a trade of. 4K won't give much of an improvement here, yes you get more pixels, it looks more sharp because of that but you won't actually see more "useful" details because of that. Those "grain" you see in Q800 recording has something to do with it's image processing, it can be controlled by Firmware for sure. But never mind which Cam you buy nowadays don't expect movie like quality or 40MP image quality out of it. (In case you have a low/mid range phone. Enable Video, move your phone and do some recording. Set resolution to 1080p take a picture from 10 meter distance. You will be suprised by the results for sure.

Interesting. So you think I should just tolerate the q800 pro ****ty video quality?

 

[egonvdv]

If you want a camera that overheats at 30c and up then go for blackvue.
i've owned 5 in the past, and they all overheated (in park mode) .
their latest 900 model is notorious for it as well
maybe they have better image quality, but what's the use when it's not filming …?
just my 2 cents...

 

[Eternalblue]

@tonyhh
Tolerating sounds wrong to me. For me Q800 does exactly what it should do(For me). I don't expect top video quality like from my phone or iphone XXYLSDSDSF or whatever there comes.
Before i got my Q800 i watched many reviews and as parking mode (Buffered with long recording time more than 24h) was most important there had only be Thinkware or Blackvue products left to choose. I watched some more videos and could not find any reason why i had to spend more on Blackvue just because of 4K resolution. It had worse rear view quality, higher price, more heat problems and i so i'm totally fine with my Q800. After i did install everything i also watched like 50hours of dashcam movies and for visual quality i must say i would go for Viofo at the moment.
(A119V3 for 1Ch system, A129 for 2CH) But unfortunately those cannot compete regarding built quality and do lack buffered parking mode(not properly working until now) and i couldn't get any
information about large size card usage or Blackvue/Cellink battery compability.

 

[Nigel]

Do you think they will improve the quality with new firmware? Or should I just go blackvue.

I think there might be more than two choices of dashcam manufacturer!
Why are you only considering these two?

 

[Maddog1974]

The footage is about what i expected to see, i think a CPL will help a little to reduce the reflection in the centre of the windscreen. Number plates are notoriously difficult to read at speed due to them being so reflective...

 

[Maddog1974]

I do hope the case is a prototype as well, as this looks far from discrete :

It's going to look like this as far as i know, i have a sample one in my Smart Car at present. I'm very impressed so far. Tried it on 4K & QHD 60FPS seems good. Speaker is really clear too (not that i've ever had an issue with Thinkware speakers)

 

[tonyhh]

I just installed the CPL filter, and theres a horrible rainbow light on the screen. I took it off...did I do something wrong? Check out the vids below to see what Im talking about. It didnt help at all.

REC_2019_07_10_16_44_44_F.MP4

MP4 File

1drv.ms

And in this video I take it off and see the difference.

REC_2019_07_10_16_51_28_F.MP4

MP4 File

1drv.ms

 

[jokiin]

front windscreen is tinted yeah?

 

[tonyhh]

front windscreen is tinted yeah?

yes very light

 

[jokiin]

yes very light

then either live with it or get rid of one or the other, the CPL will always do this behind tint

actually the tint doesn't do you any favors when it comes to video either, it's not as optically transparent as you might think, it will impact your results at anytime

 

[Pilkington]

I just installed the CPL filter, and theres a horrible rainbow light on the screen. I took it off...did I do something wrong?

I tried both with and without the CPL filter on my Q800 and it didn't make much of a difference. Same grainy video. I can't return mine as I'm out of the return window, but I would definitely recommend returning it if you still can. Viofo is way better quality and half the price.

 

[tonyhh]

I tried both with and without the CPL filter on my Q800 and it didn't make much of a difference. Same grainy video. I can't return mine as I'm out of the return window, but I would definitely recommend returning it if you still can. Viofo is way better quality and half the price.

i dont think im ok with that ugly design, too big and not discrete enough.

 

[Jeremy Wong]

The CPL will have the same effect of wearing polarized sunglasses. Those cars with tinted will have rainbow effects. This is normal.

I find that with CPL, day time video is a bit better but night time video is worst without the CPL.

Thinkware acknowledges this issue and maybe releasing a fix in the next firmware.

But I'm also scared they might be more focus to release their 4K dashcam or LTE dashcam first.

Waiting to see how.

 

[tonyhh]

The CPL will have the same effect of wearing polarized sunglasses. Those cars with tinted will have rainbow effects. This is normal.

I find that with CPL, day time video is a bit better but night time video is worst without the CPL.

Thinkware acknowledges this issue and maybe releasing a fix in the next firmware.

But I'm also scared they might be more focus to release their 4K dashcam or LTE dashcam first.

Waiting to see how.

their 4k dashcam is way too big and i will never consider it.

i am returning the cpl lense.

i am trying to figure out if i should settle with q800 or go with the blackvue 4k dashcam.

im pretty sure i need to buy the power magic pro with the blackvue right? thats an extra expense...so idk.

 

[Jeremy Wong]

their 4k dashcam is way too big and i will never consider it.

i am returning the cpl lense.

i am trying to figure out if i should settle with q800 or go with the blackvue 4k dashcam.

im pretty sure i need to buy the power magic pro with the blackvue right? thats an extra expense...so idk.

I'm waiting for the next firmware and see.

Blackvue's hardwire kit, Power Magic Pro, is sold separately. You can also look at their Power Magic EZ which uses the OBD port.

 

[tonyhh]

I'm waiting for the next firmware and see.

Blackvue's hardwire kit, Power Magic Pro, is sold separately. You can also look at their Power Magic EZ which uses the OBD port.

i got my q800 pro for 250$ from best buy, and installation was $150. i think if i get blackvue now i will spend way more money and my 150 would have gone to waste. so difficult.