Reviewing and Testing the new Vantrue N4S Dashcam

I posted some comparisons between the N4S and the newer N5S 4-channel dashcam in my N5S thread. It is interesting to compare these two cameras as they both have 2.5k front and rear cameras.

EricSan

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

EDIT: looks like this was my official 1,000th post here. How about that... 😎

Work has gotten very busy lately, but I did find some time to drive around in circles in traffic waiting for just the right opportunity to make some video captures using the new N5S camera. I have the N5S mounted side by side with the N4S which is fun because they both have 2.5k front facing cameras that use the very same sensor. Just for fun, I compared both of these to my Viofo A139 Pro camera, which is not entirely a fair comparison because it features a 4k front camera, but the results were a...
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I just posted to measurements of the behavior of the VP03 (II) and VP05 (II) hardwire kits to my thread on the N5S camera. The power efficiencies are pretty good and the user-selectable voltage shut-down levels are EXTREMELY precise.

More details are available here:
EricSan

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

I also made some measurements of the Vantrue hardwire kits to look at both the accuracy of their battery protection voltage settings and their overall power draw while in drive mode and in parking mode. I tend to think that power draw while in drive mode (with both Red and Yellow wires receiving 12v from the car's electrical system) is mostly irrelevant because the engine is running, so the car's electrical system is energized and charging. Power draw in parking mode (only the Red wire is receiving 12v from the car's electrical system) is much more relevant, since you are drawing battery...
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HDR is intended to be used at night, as the feature takes 3 photos, and overlays them upon one another to enhance plate / sign readability. HDR comes at the cost of clarity for all other surrounding scenery and is handled by the internal hardware. Platepix can also darken the image, too

WDR is software based and tries to meter the video for by adjusting brightness and evening out the picture.
 
It is interesting to see side by side comparisons of different resolutions and different cameras. The conclusion of these comparisons is not always as straight forward as you might expect, which is what makes them interesting to perform! In general, a 4k camera will outperform a 2k camera, but I have captured examples that demonstrate this is not always the case.
 
EricSan said:
It is interesting to see side by side comparisons of different resolutions and different cameras. The conclusion of these comparisons is not always as straight forward as you might expect, which is what makes them interesting to perform! In general, a 4k camera will outperform a 2k camera, but I have captured examples that demonstrate this is not always the case.
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In Daytime 4k will win over 2k. At night 2K will win over 4K because the smaller pixel let in less light (4k) and bigger pixels (2k) permit more.
 
According to the datasheets, IMX675 (2k sensor) and IMX678 (4k sensor) both feature photo receptors (pixels) that are exactly the same size: both measure 2um x 2um. In this case, the only real difference is the physical size of the overall photo sensor.
 

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Hmmm interesting I thought the same thing as @jsmith but the data sheets say otherwise.
I seem to remember a post regarding A229 Plus 2K vs A229 Pro 4K where the Plus tended to do better at night.
 
I was surprised when I came across the datasheets, too. I was expecting/hoping to find larger pixels with the IMX678 sensor but that wasn’t the case. Differences between cameras using the same sensor come down to processing algorithms and lens choices.
 
EricSan said:
According to the datasheets, IMX675 (2k sensor) and IMX678 (4k sensor) both feature photo receptors (pixels) that are exactly the same size: both measure 2um x 2um. In this case, the only real difference is the physical size of the overall photo sensor.
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You're not comparing apples to apples. IMX 675 isn't starvis 2. IMX 678 uses starvis 2. If comparing 2k vs 4k on 675, the 2k would do better at night. You're changing the light / image sensor and hardware between IMX 675 and IMX678. Compare a 2k video from IMX 678 vs 4K IMX 678 at night, and the 2k will do better.
 
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jsmith said:
You're not comparing apples to apples. IMX 675 isn't starvis 2. IMX 678 uses starvis 2. If comparing 2k vs 4k on 675, the 2k would do better at night. You're changing the light / image sensor and hardware between IMX 675 and IMX678. Compare a 2k video from IMX 678 vs 4K IMX 678 at night, and the 2k will do better.
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Why do you say IMX 675 is not Starvis 2 ? Reference bottom of data sheet page 1.
The 675 can't do native 4K but it would be interesting to compare 678 nighttime 2K vs 4K, there must be some posted footage. Now that it's getting dark earlier maybe I can get some.

screenshot_949.webp
 
Hack_man said:
Why do you say IMX 675 is not Starvis 2 ? Reference bottom of data sheet page 1.
The 675 can't do native 4K but it would be interesting to compare 678 nighttime 2K vs 4K, there must be some posted footage. Now that it's getting dark earlier maybe I can get some.

View attachment 86026
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I didn't see that on the IMX-675 spec sheet. Apparently, I looked wrong and didn't scroll down far enough. Thanks for correcting me
 
I just got around to updating the N4S firmware last night. After restoring all of the menu settings, I noticed a new protocol in the menus: The PlatePix Timer settings now needs to fall within the automatic Timer settings that enable HDR. I'll need to play with this a little more to see what the full range of interdependencies are, but as far as the Timer functions are concerned, the PlatePix automatic timer settings now needs to fall within the automatic HDR time settings.

I have not yet tried just turning on PlatePix independently of HDR without using the timer functions.

It also looks like the entire camera lineup has recrived other awesome improvements including the addition of exFat format for the SD card and the preservation of timestamps when moving files from the SD card to the computer hard drive! This is a small feature, but one that is super awesome and very much appreciated!!
 
EricSan said:
I just got around to updating the N4S firmware last night. After restoring all of the menu settings, I noticed a new protocol in the menus: The PlatePix Timer settings now needs to fall within the automatic Timer settings that enable HDR. I'll need to play with this a little more to see what the full range of interdependencies are, but as far as the Timer functions are concerned, the PlatePix automatic timer settings now needs to fall within the automatic HDR time settings.

I have not yet tried just turning on PlatePix independently of HDR without using the timer functions.

It also looks like the entire camera lineup has recrived other awesome improvements including the addition of exFat format for the SD card and the preservation of timestamps when moving files from the SD card to the computer hard drive! This is a small feature, but one that is super awesome and very much appreciated!!
Click to expand...
I think from memory Viofo has had exFAT support for a year or two now, so good to see Vantrue and that simple compatibility too. PlatePix timer is nice to see too, though I have mine turned off on the E1 Pro as I'm using that as a rear camera in my vehicle that has a rear tinted screen
 
Augustus said:
E1 Pro as I'm using that as a rear camera in my vehicle that has a rear tinted screen
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It looks like the Vantrue website has just been updated and now features a "Refurbished" camera section. The $79 E1 Pro caught my eye - that's got to be the best deal on the planet right now!

www.vantrue.com

Refurbished Device

Vantrue is a leading brand of premium car dash cams that provide 4K ultra-HD video recording for reliable automobile security. Find the best dash cams with 360-degree views, 4G cloud connectivity, and advanced security features.
www.vantrue.com www.vantrue.com
 
@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...)
 
EricSan said:
It looks like the Vantrue website has just been updated and now features a "Refurbished" camera section. The $79 E1 Pro caught my eye - that's got to be the best deal on the planet right now!

www.vantrue.com

Refurbished Device

Vantrue is a leading brand of premium car dash cams that provide 4K ultra-HD video recording for reliable automobile security. Find the best dash cams with 360-degree views, 4G cloud connectivity, and advanced security features.
www.vantrue.com www.vantrue.com
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That is a pretty good price, I personally never buy refurb cos of potential for it to go wrong. Demo units, sure, but not refurb. Interesting they want to offer the same warranty as new units though.

Dashcams are subjected to pretty harsh conditions, so you could argue you need the reliability of a new unit. But then you could also argue that if it has the same warranty as a new unit, then grab a refurb instead. Decisions, decisions!
 
EricSan said:
I'll need to play with this a little more to see what the full range of interdependencies are, but as far as the Timer functions are concerned, the PlatePix automatic timer settings now needs to fall within the automatic HDR time settings.
Click to expand...
I think all the PlatePix-compatible dashcams had a similar update in their latest firmware. I wonder if anyone has figured out what this actually means.
 
I was trying to understand/explain the new PlatePix timer settings Here
 
TonyM said:
I think all the PlatePix-compatible dashcams had a similar update in their latest firmware. I wonder if anyone has figured out what this actually means.
Click to expand...

Previously, I had set PlatePix to On during the day and HDR On during the night. It doesn't look like this will be possible using the automatic timer features anymore. I have not yet played with just turning on PlatePix (all of the time, no timer) and then using an HDR timer for a specific range of times (or vice versa). I want to figure out how these new settings work and which are most advantageous for daytime vs night time use. At least the sun is setting earlier, so it is easier to capture some night time footage 🙂
 
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...)
Click to expand...

Writing settings to an SD card would be possible, but you need to factory reset all settings, after flashing the eeprom. Otherwise, you may experience erratic behavior after updating. Formatting the SD card isn't necessary. I would say a better option is the camera offers to Export the File with Settings to your phone on first boot. You then can reference the file, restore settings manually, etc.
 
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