Release Imminent?

DroMike

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Location
San Leandro (SF Bay Area), California
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United States
Dash Cam
BlackVue DR900S (pending)
I'm holding off purchasing my first dashcam (I'm leaning toward a 2-channel flagship BlackVue), but just can't get past how spectacular all the videos of the A119 are. It certainly makes me wonder why I'd want to spend that kind of money ($400-$600) on a BV when Viofos are so reasonably priced (e.g., half as much). Because I've heard Viofo is coming out with a 2-channel camera, the A129, I'm wondering if somebody has a good lead on when it actually might be released. Thoughts anybody?

Thx. - Mike
 
OCD Tronic who sells Viofo products on Amazon said this last Friday in reply to its release:

Soon enough to wait for I think.

I think I remember someone else on here posting expectations were late May or June for a potential release.

And in case when you made mention to how spectacular the A119 videos are and you think the A129 will have the same sensor, the sensor in the A129 will be the one found in the A119S, not the A119. The A129 will be a 1080 cam, not a 1440 2k cam. It'll also be recording at 30fps on both the front and rear cams and not 1080 60fps like the A119S from what has been mentioned here.
 
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A few of us have A129 factory samples and are currently testing firmware, features etc. Only Viofo can say when they feel it is ready for release.
 
Well, actually, I've been extremely happy with seeing videos from any and all of the A119 series so far - I'd think whatever incantation it is on the A129 I'd still find it would wonderfully fit my needs. Otherwise, I'll be looking for it here in a late Spring time frame. Patience is a virtue of course. :) I just wish I could find some written pre-release review of it somewhere.
 
...And in case when you made mention to how spectacular the A119 videos are and you think the A129 will have the same sensor, the sensor in the A129 will be the one found in the A119S, not the A119. The A129 will be a 1080 cam, not a 1440 2k cam. It'll also be recording at 30fps on both the front and rear cams and not 1080 60fps like the A119S from what has been mentioned here.
It still uses the same shutter speeds as the A119S, approximately, so images will not have any more motion blur.

Well, actually, I've been extremely happy with seeing videos from any and all of the A119 series so far - I'd think whatever incantation it is on the A129 I'd still find it would wonderfully fit my needs. Otherwise, I'll be looking for it here in a late Spring time frame. Patience is a virtue of course. :) I just wish I could find some written pre-release review of it somewhere.
Can't really do a "pre-release review" until everything is working properly and as it will be in the production release, and there is no point posting videos unless they are representative of the production release, but I can say that it is looking good for image quality. As long as it has the other features you want...
 
As long as it has the other features you want...

Agreed -- that's the "rub." Like is common with many other soon-to-be-released products, I was hoping some general video/tech periodical would write a perfunctory first-look article about the A129 and describe ("We understand this model will have...") the specs and some operational features (parking, wi-fi or cloud, etc. etc.) so I can better gauge if I am still interested in it or that it won't send me back to BlackVue by default. For example, if the 129 doesn't have, say, a 5-second or so parking event buffer, that may very well be a deal killer, things like that.

Otherwise I'm new here and a fairly prolific thread-starter (yes) and poster at the moment on these sub-forums because I figure if I don't ask the questions I feel I need answers to, who can I blame but myself? That said, thank you for all your thoughts and valuable opinions. I appreciate the education. :)
 
The price of the blackvue 900s is a substantial amount of money to pay for a dashcam. You have done well to find your way to DCT before buying your first dashcam. Whilst you understandably have lots of questions, you will find lots of answers and other useful information simply by hanging around here for a while.

The 900s has lots of features to offer, but do you really need them? Some of the most popular cameras cost barely $100. Why? Because they are simple, reliable and good value for money.

Ask yourself what is most important and start from there.

For me, the most important things to look for in a dashcam are video quality and reliability. Anything else counts as nice-to-have. I wouldn't pay extra for 4k, cloud services or buffered parking mode if it can't record number plates of moving cars or if it stops recording once in a while.
 
Thank you Tony, those are wise observations and I'll take them to heart and not be so quick to drink the BlackVue marketing Kool-Aid when truthfully, my needs are actually basic. - Mike
 
Agreed -- that's the "rub." Like is common with many other soon-to-be-released products, I was hoping some general video/tech periodical would write a perfunctory first-look article about the A129 and describe ("We understand this model will have...") the specs and some operational features (parking, wi-fi or cloud, etc. etc.) so I can better gauge if I am still interested in it or that it won't send me back to BlackVue by default. For example, if the 129 doesn't have, say, a 5-second or so parking event buffer, that may very well be a deal killer, things like that.

Otherwise I'm new here and a fairly prolific thread-starter (yes) and poster at the moment on these sub-forums because I figure if I don't ask the questions I feel I need answers to, who can I blame but myself? That said, thank you for all your thoughts and valuable opinions. I appreciate the education. :)
5 seconds, 50 seconds, zero seconds, doesn't make any difference if it doesn't detect the event to trigger copying the buffer onto your card!
Maybe instead of keying your paintwork, someone will use a spray can ... very hard to detect!
Maybe it is much better to record all the time with a low frame rate/low bitrate parking mode?
 
5 seconds, 50 seconds, zero seconds, doesn't make any difference if it doesn't detect the event to trigger copying the buffer onto your card!
Maybe instead of keying your paintwork, someone will use a spray can ... very hard to detect!
Maybe it is much better to record all the time with a low frame rate/low bitrate parking mode?

That's why I liked the BV, it has sensitivity controls which I understand do work. I'd think they would pick up on virtually any backup/forward-park bumping into which is what I'd like to guard against; and the camera will automatically record at least 5 seconds of video before impact. I rate that as extraordinarily valuable. Otherwise if somebody is spray-painting my car I might have a bigger problem than somebody inadvertently backing into it... I mean I can't protect against somebody dropping eggs on it from a building above either. At some point I have to correctly access what the bulk of anticipated threats would be, and I'd guess 4 out of 5 would be coming from distracted parkers who afterward might decide to ease out of the parking lot without admitting in a note to me what they've done. If the A129 has this feature, I'd be almost certain to buy it. If it doesn't, then vice-versa (and I'd probably just go with the BV750).
 
That's why I liked the BV, it has sensitivity controls which I understand do work.

you need to read up a bit more if you're under the impression that their setup operates reliably, it's by far one of the things people complain about the most
 
you need to read up a bit more if you're under the impression that their setup operates reliably, it's by far one of the things people complain about the most

I appreciate that and have seen the complaints on the BV forums. I tender to temper things because I've been on dozens of forums for dozens of years and I've found generally that folks often use them specifically to complain or kvetch about real or imagined problems (many due to somebody simply not reading the directions). You almost never see a post with a subject of, "This thing's GREAT - I'm glad I bought it, here's why.." That's because 97% of the time things operate the way they should so there's no compelling reason to promulgate what is already expected. That said, I tend to take complaints with a grain of salt. All manufacturers have products that from time to time mis-operate or are an anomaly or a lemon. In fact, there's even a number of complaints on the Viofo sub-forums so nobody's immune. I'll go into it with an open mind: Viofo, BlackVue, ThinkWare, and others all make quality products that are used successfully every day, so in the end I'm still going with the dashcam that has the features I want and at a price point I'm comfortable with and assess what I think is the best value for my needs. Still, since there is always the unexpected and so in respect to your cautions, I assure you that at the minimum, I'll purchase from a vendor who offers a fair return policy.
 
I agree it's only the people that are complaining that you hear from, motion detection is not a reliable system from any manufacturer, that's not just a Blackvue thing, some are better than others, none are a 100% reliable solution though
 
You speak the Gospel Brother Jokiin. I dunno, sometimes you just make your bed (decision) and have to lie in it (BV, Viofo). None of these products is perfect, but from somebody who doesn't even own one yet, I've been impressed with a number of them. Some features are stong and weak from manufactuer "A", and others are strong or weak from manufactuere "B." It's a crap shoot. Still, I'm thankful to learn from you and others that have much more experience than what I have (which is none).
 
You speak the Gospel Brother Jokiin. I dunno, sometimes you just make your bed (decision) and have to lie in it (BV, Viofo). None of these products is perfect, but from somebody who doesn't even own one yet, I've been impressed with a number of them. Some features are stong and weak from manufactuer "A", and others are strong or weak from manufactuere "B." It's a crap shoot. Still, I'm thankful to learn from you and others that have much more experience than what I have (which is none).

all cameras will have strengths and weaknesses, just a matter of working out what's most important to you and seeing which is the best fit, there's no one size fits all, lots of choices in the market but that's a good thing I think
 
That's why I liked the BV, it has sensitivity controls which I understand do work...
So you set up your sensitivity controls, now how do you know that you have set them right?
Only way to be sure is to have a few crashes at different speeds and different angles to test it out!

Then someone swings out of a car park slot, clips your door with her front bumper, stops to examine the damage, then drives off. Even if the motion detection does detect the rather soft low speed impact where most of the energy was absorbed by the door skin bending, it only records 15 seconds before and 30 seconds after, but she came from the side, didn't appear on camera until she drove off 90 seconds later!

With a low frame rate parking mode you know it will be recording and wont overwrite before you can secure the video. Might not sound so impressive in the advertising, and of course everyone wants to film the high speed accident at 300fps so that it can be played back in slow motion, but even some of the cheapest cameras can do it. Mind you, the cheap dual sensor Mini 0906 does it and that forum has a fair number of complaints about its operation too!
 
Playing with the parking mode in the B1W i found that a kick to the steel rim of my wheels was enough to set off a recording, to be honest i did not expect that as that's pretty sensitive in my book.
Cuz i was not kicking the wheel that hard as that would have hurt my foot, and i did not wear steel toed safety shoes.

Looking at the market with the accumulated knowledge i have, it do make it hard to recommend most of the high end dashcams based on basic features alone.

SG that is in the higher end do a marvelous job at customer care which in this bracket are pretty unique, and i do respect that a lot and it is a thing i would personally pay a little extra for too as it would make me feel good about the money i have spent.

Actually to me having been around for a while it looks like the dashcam market get more and more complex to navigate, and i can fully understand all the threads popping up with people asking what to get for them self.
I am pretty sure that though my personal financial situation are pretty limited, i am sure i would have one hell of a problem if i was to buy a new camera today.

I am pretty sure if i had been able to personally sample more of those good value for money cameras i read about i would be even more perplexed as a potential buyer.
One thing though, the "kapow" fancy smancy features and higher resolutions, that dont do anything for me personally, the only smart thing i again and again come back to i would like are ANPR so i could enter all the undercover cop cars plates in my camera and have it buzz if one was in front or behind me.
And its not really like i have a valid need for that, im no longer a criminal, and i do my best to stick within our traffic code, but some how that still the smart feature that trigger me.

I think in general it may be a good thing if newcomers to dashcams first got their feet wet with one of the value for money cameras first, then down the road you can always move up in the feature / price bracket.
Note i dident type image quality / price bracket, i feel that's pretty impossible to do with the quality you actually do get from some of the value for money cameras, its certainly not like more expensive cameras trump the good value for money cameras to a degree that there is no doubt the extra price are worth it.

So most of the time i fond myself trying to steer people towards the value for money cameras, where as people really wanting to spend money are harder to deal with, with few good arguments to recommend any of the higher end brands.

Then again i am allso not 100% up to date, not least and most problematic with price on the different models, but i am simply not that kind of dashcam addict that my brain store such information.

If it was easy anyone would be doing it.
And another thing that is for sure is a lot of newcomers to dashcams have unrealistic high expectations to what current cameras are actually able to do for them.
 
I'm holding off purchasing my first dashcam (I'm leaning toward a 2-channel flagship BlackVue), but just can't get past how spectacular all the videos of the A119 are. It certainly makes me wonder why I'd want to spend that kind of money ($400-$600) on a BV when Viofos are so reasonably priced (e.g., half as much). Because I've heard Viofo is coming out with a 2-channel camera, the A129, I'm wondering if somebody has a good lead on when it actually might be released. Thoughts anybody?

Thx. - Mike
Viofo will be released the A129 this month, and you may follow up viofo facebook so that you can catch up the newest information about the A129.
 
We'll make a post as soon as pre-orders are open.
 
Viofo will be released the A129 this month, and you may follow up viofo facebook so that you can catch up the newest information about the A129.

Do you have an idea on what the price will be?
 
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