Reviewing and Testing the new Vantrue N4S Dashcam

Yep, there are a variety of potential mechanisms. I'm more interested in the outcome than the specific process that reaches that outcome. My protocol was really just a thought exercise: "What's a simple way to achieve XYZ result?"
 
I don't think my Viofo cameras need settings to be reconfigured after a firmware update. I know they still recommend a reset after the update but the settings are not automatically reset.
 
Hack_man said:
I don't think my Viofo cameras need settings to be reconfigured after a firmware update. I know they still recommend a reset after the update but the settings are not automatically reset.
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Trust me, you want to reset everything back to factory defaults... It holds true for a computer's bios settings after firmware updates, too. Clears out any potential conflicts. I've had dashcams act erratically after update until i cleared settings.
 
Hack_man said:
I don't think my Viofo cameras need settings to be reconfigured after a firmware update. I know they still recommend a reset after the update but the settings are not automatically reset.
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jsmith said:
Trust me, you want to reset everything back to factory defaults... It holds true for a computer's bios settings after firmware updates, too. Clears out any potential conflicts. I've had dashcams act erratically after update until i cleared settings.
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I worded it very poorly. I agree it makes sense to reset menu settings back to factory after a F/W upgrade to prevent conflicts, although I have not reset and experienced no adverse effects.
The Viofo camera does not automatically reset its user menu settings when its firmware is updated (unlike Vantrue). Viofo maintains the pre-F/W upgrade user menu configuration and depends on the user to reset them (as recommended by Viofo).
Vantrue cameras reset menu settings after a F/W upgrade to a factory default state which prompted @EricSan to recommend Vantrue consider an automatic process to reload them back to the original user preference.
At least that's how I see it working.
 
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Hack_man said:
I worded it very poorly. I agree it makes sense to reset menu settings back to factory after a F/W upgrade to prevent conflicts, although I have not reset and experienced no adverse effects.
The Viofo camera does not automatically reset its user menu settings when its firmware is updated (unlike Vantrue). Viofo maintains the pre-F/W upgrade user menu configuration and depends on the user to reset them (as recommended by Viofo).
Vantrue cameras reset menu settings after a F/W upgrade to a factory default state which prompted @EricSan to recommend Vantrue consider an automatic process to reload them back to the original user preference.
At least that's how I see it working.
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Correct. Viofo doesn't reset and Vantrue automatically resets. Vatrue takes a proactive approach (although creating a file with settings saved would be idea). Viofo assumes the user will know to reset after firmware update.
 
EricSan said:
@Jeff_Vantrue I have another "wish list" item: Is it possible to preserve the menu settings during a firmware update?

I'm thinking something like this:
1) before starting the firmware update, write all current menu settings to the SD card as a text file
2) perform the firmware update
3) after the firmware update is complete, but before the "format SD card" action happens, open the text file containing the menu settings and read back in and restore the menu settings that are still appropraite to the new firmware. I'm assuming that not all settings will remain consistent between firmware versions, so just scan the text file for those menu settings that are still relevant/present and restore them. It won't be 100%, but will save a bunch of fiddling that is associated with each firmware update.
4) then format the SD card (or not...)
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Thanks for your suggestion! We also agree that having to reconfigure settings after every update can be quite tedious. However, our current approach is intended to clear out any potential conflicts that might arise from previous firmware versions.
Technically, your idea is feasible and we’ll evaluate it carefully and consider implementing it in future updates. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!
 
Jeff_Vantrue said:
our current approach is intended to clear out any potential conflicts that might arise from previous firmware versions.
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I understand this perspective, especially in light of the recent timer changes to the PlatePix feature. A quick "range check" of parameters can address this while settings are being read back in.
 
I have posted a number of comparisons between the N4S (3-ch) and N5S (4-ch) cameras. It looks like the front camera from each of these dashcams are highly similar. There are some differences (which vary by lighting conditions), which seem to indicate that a different algorithm is at play with each camera. Overall, resolving power of the forward facing cameras as evident in the resulting video files is highly similar (to be expected given that each uses the same lens and sensor).

E

Post in thread 'Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue Nexus 5S'

Here are some additional comparisons between the N4S and N5S cameras under different lighting conditions than I posted further up on this page. My earlier set of images seemed to indicate that the N5S had a bit of an advantage in overall clarity. These prior images were made while my car was still and other cars were stationary and traveling past me at a traffic light.

This set of images was made while both my car and the cars ahead of me were moving at about 45mph. As a reminder, both front cameras are 2.5k (2650x1440 in this comparison). Video bitrate is also identical between the...
 
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