Andrei Vladimirovich
Member
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2015
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 41
- Location
- Minsk
- Country
- Belarus
- Dash Cam
- dp220, p2, pS
Two weeks ago I tested another 2016th newcomer Anytek A3. And today we have the most famoust "price-for-the-money" dashcam - Xiaomi Yi Car (really it is not manufactured by Xiaomi).
It looks pretty similar like "Yi" actioncam, with some differences in a hardware level.
The silver top color annoying me a bit. It is highly visible outside for a former car thief.
That's a very bad idea.
Such silver coloring require efforts and home painting with your kids to make a proper look&feel.
But as for the main competitor - Anytek A3, we have exactly the same mistake with the design. Both devices are too effective and really attractive to car thieves
Inside Xiaomi Yi Dash Cam - classical china-made dashcam: Novatek NT96660 + AR0230CS. Not bad, but keep in mind that the 1296p are interpolated and not supported by the sensor.
Only one notice - power supply is 5V, via micro USB. So if you'd like to replace you old-fasion dashcam with miniUSB you'll have to replace wirings (if you have any hidden-mounted)
Day:
Let's review in details snapshots:
Looks like the 165angle is too wide for details. It is definitely not a out-of-focus issue. The root cause that the view angle is too wide for the sensor physical size. And we have less details that is absolutely natural.
As per my own experience wide lens are very sensitive and can loose focus if hot or even over time.
The ideal view angle for such a small CMOS sensors is 140-150deg.
The next discipline is a dynamic range. Aptina was always good for a DD and SNR and much more better than popular OmniVision. Even comparing with Sony IMX122/322 it is really not bad:
Yeah Sony IMX122/322 based Anytek A3 is better. But anyway Xiaomi and AR0230CS's pics are acceptable.
Night:
Let's go:
As usual some snapshots. Edited a bit to hide color noise and maximize details available :
I'm really surprised again. Sony EXMOR must be better at night and it is unattainable better on Panorama2. But what happened with Anytek A3? Really Xiaomi is very close and even giving slightly more details than Anytek!
Yeah, It is not so good as Transcend DP220 and Panorama2, but anyway Xiaomi's night mode is an average level.
You can compare with OV4689 sensors.
And I'd like to say that Aptina AR0230CS is better at night.
Better than overpriced TrendVision TDR-718GP, as it was compared in Anytek A3 review.
Night recording Xiaomi Yi is not perfect but its a good average level.
Bitrate:
As per 2016_0607_234507_017.MP4.txt for the 1296p we have 20Mbps. That is theoretically good but have no any sense with such wide lenses and blured day picture.
WiFi
Good idea to supply wi-fi module in dashcams. The most common case is to back-up videos if you need to provide your SD card to a police officer.
Consultations:
Good try from Xiaomi (or yitechnology) but not ideal. Anytek A3 costs the same money but has more details. And both have identical average night mode.
Two thing that must be changed in "Yi" : 1. change look&feel to classical matted black. 2. replace lenses and lower view angle to 140-150deg.
Manufacturer has all chances to make a good dashcam and we are waiting for a new re-lauched Yi2 with all issues solved.
Updated: As per dashcamtalks forum this camera actually was not made by Xiaomi, there is no any mention about "Xiaomi" anywhere on the camera or on the website for the camera. The real manufacture is https://usacart.yitechnology.com/collections/dash-cameras/products/dash-camera
Full video review for a russian spoken:
And originally this article is available in my blog: http://andrei.krutsko.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry160612-200447
(in russian again)
It looks pretty similar like "Yi" actioncam, with some differences in a hardware level.
The silver top color annoying me a bit. It is highly visible outside for a former car thief.
That's a very bad idea.
Such silver coloring require efforts and home painting with your kids to make a proper look&feel.
But as for the main competitor - Anytek A3, we have exactly the same mistake with the design. Both devices are too effective and really attractive to car thieves
Inside Xiaomi Yi Dash Cam - classical china-made dashcam: Novatek NT96660 + AR0230CS. Not bad, but keep in mind that the 1296p are interpolated and not supported by the sensor.
Only one notice - power supply is 5V, via micro USB. So if you'd like to replace you old-fasion dashcam with miniUSB you'll have to replace wirings (if you have any hidden-mounted)
Day:
Let's review in details snapshots:
Looks like the 165angle is too wide for details. It is definitely not a out-of-focus issue. The root cause that the view angle is too wide for the sensor physical size. And we have less details that is absolutely natural.
As per my own experience wide lens are very sensitive and can loose focus if hot or even over time.
The ideal view angle for such a small CMOS sensors is 140-150deg.
The next discipline is a dynamic range. Aptina was always good for a DD and SNR and much more better than popular OmniVision. Even comparing with Sony IMX122/322 it is really not bad:
Yeah Sony IMX122/322 based Anytek A3 is better. But anyway Xiaomi and AR0230CS's pics are acceptable.
Night:
Let's go:
As usual some snapshots. Edited a bit to hide color noise and maximize details available :
I'm really surprised again. Sony EXMOR must be better at night and it is unattainable better on Panorama2. But what happened with Anytek A3? Really Xiaomi is very close and even giving slightly more details than Anytek!
Yeah, It is not so good as Transcend DP220 and Panorama2, but anyway Xiaomi's night mode is an average level.
You can compare with OV4689 sensors.
And I'd like to say that Aptina AR0230CS is better at night.
Better than overpriced TrendVision TDR-718GP, as it was compared in Anytek A3 review.
Night recording Xiaomi Yi is not perfect but its a good average level.
Bitrate:
As per 2016_0607_234507_017.MP4.txt for the 1296p we have 20Mbps. That is theoretically good but have no any sense with such wide lenses and blured day picture.
WiFi
Good idea to supply wi-fi module in dashcams. The most common case is to back-up videos if you need to provide your SD card to a police officer.
Consultations:
Good try from Xiaomi (or yitechnology) but not ideal. Anytek A3 costs the same money but has more details. And both have identical average night mode.
Two thing that must be changed in "Yi" : 1. change look&feel to classical matted black. 2. replace lenses and lower view angle to 140-150deg.
Manufacturer has all chances to make a good dashcam and we are waiting for a new re-lauched Yi2 with all issues solved.
Updated: As per dashcamtalks forum this camera actually was not made by Xiaomi, there is no any mention about "Xiaomi" anywhere on the camera or on the website for the camera. The real manufacture is https://usacart.yitechnology.com/collections/dash-cameras/products/dash-camera
Full video review for a russian spoken:
And originally this article is available in my blog: http://andrei.krutsko.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry160612-200447
(in russian again)
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good idea