Review: "Smallest HD 720p DVR" or "Video Recorder A8"

[pezcat19]

Hi all,

I just purchased the "new" version of the "Smallest HD 720p DVR" or "Video Recorder A8" as it is also called. This one here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120945102640

And as discussed here:
http://dashcamtalk.com/smallest-hd-720p/


I just wanted to share my thoughts on this camera. I feel it works MUCH better than the review on dashcamtalk states. Perhaps this is because this is now a new model? Also, my "Time and Date stamp" looks different (better) than the other videos I have seen on older versions of this dash cam.

Some details about my camera:

- I am using a Class 10 32GB SD card (Patriot)
- It is in focus (reasonable - good enough to read registrations and highway signs)
- There is no gap between videos at all. In fact, the last second of the each video is included at the beginning of each new video (overlaps).
- Audio is good enough (sometimes a little crackly in the background, but perfectly fine for recording your voice in the car, and people outside you might to talking to.)
- The build quality appears very good
- I connected the "Video Out" to my TV to setup the camera with the menus - no problems here.
- So far, no resetting time/date
- So far, no videos have been lost (I do not use the manual start/stop button - I just let it do it's automatic thing).
- Am am using it in 5min loop mode. Each 5min video is around 270MB in size.
- It is wired to the accessory wiring of my car. It automatically starts and stops with car key on/off.
- I have not tested the G sensor very much, but when I knocked the camera with my hand, it saved a "Read Only" video of this to another folder on the SD card. It seems to work.


So far, I have NO complaints about my "Video Recorder A8" at all. It is the perfect size to fit behind your rear vision mirror, too (almost invisible!).

I hope this helps,

Pez

 

[pezcat19]

Here are some videos of my camera in action:

Day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRImiPx8gRg

Night: (a very dark street without much traffic - it's not the best example, but all it's I have here at the moment):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JdhsIcR1Y

Pez

 

[DashCamMan]

Hi Pez,

Thank you very much for this feedback. Apparently the newer version of this cam is better like you say. It uses the H264 codec and the original one did not. Perhaps there are other differences as well. I will see what else I can find on this camera. Hopefully I will get a chance to update the main page this week with this new info (from you and other sources). I will let everyone know when I make the changes.

Glad the camera is performing well since the small size and low price make it attractive.

Dash Cam Man

 

[pezcat19]

Thanks Dash Cam Man!

I will also keep this thread updated if I do happen to come across any bugs or problems with my camera.

So far so good!

Cheers

Pez.

 

[DashCamMan]

Hi Pez,

I have updated the main Smallest HD 720p / A8 page. Thanks for the feedback. Others have also mentioned the recent release is much improved over the original.

Dash Cam Man

 

[hawktomania]

Hi! I bought that camera from eBay, too. It works great so far. However, the time does not display correctly. Do you know how to set the time? Thanks

 

[dashcam.br]

Well, I bought the wrong version (the one that does not record with the H264 codec). It fails horribly on what is now the #1 requirement to me: reliability. I was never able to record more than 15 minutes without the camera freezing. The last video file is lost after that, and sometimes the file system was corrupted. I wonder if it has something to do with the voltage fluctuation in my car, but how can I tell? The camera doesn't even come with a cigarette lighter adapter (you have to make your own).

And before that camera, I thought that image quality was the #1 requirement, because I bough two cheap chinese 640x480 cameras before. If anyone is interested, they are DX's SDU 66430 and DX's SDU 115079. Both are based on the same hardware - the one that creates the videos with the ugly green timestamps like this one. The images are so bad that I thought they were 320x240 interpolated, but after some tests, I'm now convinced that they are really 640x480 with just an horrible quality. Both record at just 320 x 240. That's why I was looking for at least an HD 720 camera.

Anyway, back to the "smallest HD 720p", if it does not clearly say H264, don't even bother buying it. You will be wasting your money. The image quality is much better than the generic SD cameras, but you simply can't count on this one.

Edit: Proper real resolution of the SD cameras.

 

[rsilvers]

So I found one of these on Amazon (2-day prime shipping for $14 more than if I ordered it from China), ordered it, and just cancelled it because the description did not say H.264.

I will say though - the videos posted of the new version looks very soft - not as good as a DVR-027. I really want a small camera with no display that is a little better image quality (DVR-027 or better). This does not seem to be too much to ask. Is such a camera out there?

Also, can this "smallest" camera be set up once indoors and then used without a display in the car and you can count on it to not change settings?

 

[baltasar78]

Hi, thank for that review, very usefull.
I do have a question before I buy it, what happen when the card is full? Overwrite older video,or just stop?
In the spec it says loop recording but the way it is written, I feel it is more about the size of the video you want.
Thank again.
David

 

[DashCamMan]

Hi baltasar78,

It overwrites the oldest video.

 

[wayneinteressierts]

So I found one of these on Amazon (2-day prime shipping for $14 more than if I ordered it from China), ordered it, and just cancelled it because the description did not say H.264.

I just decided to order the one on amazon. It was the last available (for now) but I'll post back here in the off-chance it ends up being the newer version. Easy return if not

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008H9N45O

 

[dashcam.br]

So I found one of these on Amazon (2-day prime shipping for $14 more than if I ordered it from China), ordered it, and just cancelled it because the description did not say H.264.

Good to know that at least someone avoided to buy the wrong version...

I just decided to order the one on amazon. It was the last available (for now) but I'll post back here in the off-chance it ends up being the newer version. Easy return if not

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008H9N45O

...and someone is taking the chance to confirm the version sold by this vendor (It doesn't say H.264 anywhere).

I just bought a DVR 027 720p, hoping that this time I'll do it right, and I'll post my comments when the camera arrives. But I like the small size and shape of the "smallest" camera, so I'm looking forward for reviews on the H.264 model.

Here is a picture I took of the (wrong) camera:

The MUTE text should actually read MIC (when the led is on, the camera is recording sound).

Also, this review says that the right version has white letters for the timestamp, and mine does have them. The timestamp has "squared" digits, just like the first day and night videos on the review. Is it that the right version is the one with the "rounded" digits, while the bad version is the one with squared digits?

Here's a short video showing the white timestamp with squared digits:

The sound was muted by mistake (due to the MUTE x MIC text confusion, as I mentioned before). We can easily read the road signs, but notice that left side is out of focus, so we can't read the licence plate. Also, notice the exposure changing all the time, which is not a big deal for a dash cam.

 

[wyred]

Hi all,

I just joined this site (found it via a comments link at techmoan.com ). I have recently ordered this camera and waiting to see what I end up with - I"m pretty sure I got the newer version but we shall see.

For others that have this how have you wired it in? I would like to put it behind the mirror and wire it cleanly into the dome light if I can find switched 12V that doesn't go off with the light. (I'm driving a 2009 Mini Cooper.)

Otherwise for testing at least I'll probably just order a cheap lighter plug and wire it in temporarily.

-cmd

 

[rsilvers]

You can buy a small circuit adder that plugs into the fuse box and gives a wire to connect to. They are $8 at Amazon but Autozone and Radio Shack probably has them also.

 

[hafizijaz]

Compare that to the image dashcam.br posted. The 'Mute' LED says 'Audio'. Possible way of spotting the improved one?

 

[the kid]

how do i set it to auto loop record?, my camera just records untill the card is full and then thats it....

 

[jokiin]

What menu options do you have?

Sometimes the setting is referred to as loop, other times its recycle, would be really surprised if there wasn't an option for this on a generic cam like that

 

[dashcam.br]

This is the only option I see when plugging the camera to a TV with the provided cable (RCA connector):

 

[jokiin]

This is the only option I see when plugging the camera to a TV with the provided cable (RCA connector):

have you done that, I'd expect it would want to step you through one setting at a time

 

[dashcam.br]

This is the only option I see when plugging the camera to a TV with the provided cable (RCA connector):

have you done that, I'd expect it would want to step you through one setting at a time

To clarify: once plugged to the TV, the camera shows the live view. If I hold the red/orange button for about a second, I see the only menu option available. If I select the OK option at the botton o the screen, I go back to the live view.