Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue N4 Pro S

4K 1-minute file size = 232 MB
Bitrate = 32.4 Mb/s

that is e1pro bitrate
it seem n4pro s video quality is same as e1pro?
 
EricSan said:
Here are some comparisons of the rear images from the Vantrue N4 Pro S, Vantrue S1 Pro Max, and the Viofo A139 Pro cameras.

The Viofo and the S1 Pro Max rear cameras both have a rear polarizer fitted. The polarizer is the Viofo CPL-300 which is a flat, rectangular plate that sticks on with some adhesive pads. The N4 Pro S rear camera is naked and shows more reflections than the other two do. The sun in streaming directly in the rear window, so this is a "worst case" scenario for direct light.

Vantrue N4 Pro S - 2.5k camera, HDR is on, no polarizer:
View attachment 83147

Vantrue S1 Pro Max - 4k camera, HDR is on, Viofo polarizer installed:
View attachment 83148

Viofo A139 - 1k camera, no HDR, Viofo polarizer installed:
View attachment 83149

@Jeff_Vantrue: sorry for mounting a 3rd party polarizer on your rear camera, but it makes a very nice improvement! It would be GREAT if Vantrue had a polarizer that was dedicated to your rear cameras!

Here are the 200% zooms from each of the rear camera screen captures above. That 4K rear camera on the S1 Pro Max is a clear standout winner! The image quality is even better when mounted on the OUTSIDE of the car, but then the polarizer can't be installed...

N4 Pro S Rear image, 200% zoom, HDR on:
View attachment 83150

S1 Pro Max Rear Image, 200% zoom, HDR on, 3rd party polarizer installed:
View attachment 83151

Viofo A139 Pro Rear Image, 200% zoom, no HDR, Viofo CPL-300 rear polarizer installed:
View attachment 83152
Click to expand...

Do you use Viofo CPL-300 on both the Viofo A139 Pro and S1 Pro Max?
 
EricSan said:
@Jeff_Vantrue: sorry for mounting a 3rd party polarizer on your rear camera, but it makes a very nice improvement! It would be GREAT if Vantrue had a polarizer that was dedicated to your rear cameras!
Click to expand...
Thank you! I’ve already forwarded your suggestion to our R&D team for consideration.
Whether we move forward with a dedicated rear camera polarizer will depend on overall market demand, but we really appreciate you sharing your experience!
 
EricSan said:
It's a surprising amount of work to make sure the cameras are all set exactly the way you want (I goofed this a time or two), and I had to make a few loops in the road until I was the lead car at the light and sat long enough for others to go by before my turn arrow turned green. Then making all of the captures and keeping them from getting mixed up. Sounds simple until you start doing it - it's really easy to mix things up.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is a lot of work to test multiple cameras, making sure the settings are equivalent, then driving around in loops until the other cars and traffic lights play nicely.
 
indigo said:
it seem n4pro s video quality is same as e1pro?
Click to expand...

The data rates and file sizes are highly similar, though the E1 Pro uses H.264 and the N4 Pro S uses H.265. This would seem to indicate that the N4 Pro S is actually able to record more detail due to the greater efficiency of the H.265 encoding algorithm. Of, course, we're making assumptions about the relative MPEG compression rates that are used in each camera. I haven't yet done a head-to-head of the E1 Pro and the N4 Pro S. They are presently in different cars...

jsmith said:
Do you use Viofo CPL-300 on both the Viofo A139 Pro and S1 Pro Max?
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Yup! It fits neatly on both, but requires a bit of "elevation" on the S1PM as the lens protrudes out above the surface of the housing just a bit (it's not flush). Two layers of 3M VHB provides enough thickness to clear the lens and attach to the face of the camera. Of course, fiddling with stacking two tiny layers of VHB is nearly enough to drive the average mortal insane 🤪
 
EricSan said:
Yup! It fits neatly on both, but requires a bit of "elevation" on the S1PM as the lens protrudes out above the surface of the housing just a bit (it's not flush). Two layers of 3M VHB provides enough thickness to clear the lens and attach to the face of the camera. Of course, fiddling with stacking two tiny layers of VHB is nearly enough to drive the average mortal insane 🤪
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It seems odd to me that the rear camera CPL filter requires no adjustment (just cover and your done) but front cameras have filters that require precise rotational position. Why is that?
 
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I'm wondering if it's got something to do with the threaded mounting method for attaching the polarizer to round lenses. Due to variations in the manufacturing process, I'm guessing it might be possible that the "start thread" might not be consistently/precisely oriented from unit to unit. Or, it’s got something to do with the orientation of the glass lens itself relative to the threaded mount. Similarly, with DSLR cameras and lenses, some outer lenses rotate as you zoom/focus, while others handle this internally, keeping the outer lens fixed as you zoom/focus. Thus, some ability to rotate the polarizer lens would be necessary in order to achieve the desired result.

The polarizer "plate" sold by Viofo is likely created in a similar manner as polarized sunglasses that don't need to be rotated for the best effect.
 
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Here are some power consumption measurements that I made from the N4 Pro S camera. I'm assuming these are not super-accurate measurements, but they are pretty close. I made each measurement over time so the power consumption figure is an average over about 30s. The current data was recorded with my DMM placed between the negative leg of the hardwire kit my bench power supply. It's not the most expensive and precise meter going, but a short while ago, I compared its voltage and current measures to a calibrated 6-digit Agilent bench meter and it tracks remarkably well. Given the 9w power consumption figure, I'm presuming this is why the new utility outlet power supply is rated to 3A.

EDIT: Some time ago, Jeff indicated the start up times in collision detection mode are dependent on the size and available space on thenSD card. My wake up tests were done with a 512GB card that was mostly full. The fastest wake up time I noted was just over 2s with the S1PM with a 128GB empty card.

Here is the data:

N4 Pro S Power Consumption.webp


Here is the protocol that I use for measuring power draw.
 
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What orientation is the CPL on the camera? There are two notches which I presume will be at 3pm and 9pm (not 6pm 12pm)?
 
This also fits the mount supplied with the E360.
 
Presentation is professional as always.

It is BIG on the windscreen as noted....
 

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Paul Iddon said:
What orientation is the CPL on the camera? There are two notches which I presume will be at 3pm and 9pm (not 6pm 12pm)?
Click to expand...
Rotate it until you have the desired result.
Just check for reflections of the dashboard on the display while rotating it. If they are gone or minimal, leave it.
 
Paul Iddon said:
This also fits the mount supplied with the E360.
Click to expand...
It does! I'm liking the interchangeability of the windshield adhesive oval among the E360, N4S and N4 Pro S - this is very nice! The N4S and N4 Pro S also use the same GPS mount and the same rear camera. I'm a big fan of modular design.

As for polarizer orientation, I just checked three of the cameras I have installed, they are each different: 2 and 8 o'clock, 1 and 7 o'clock, and 11 and 5 o'clock. Hence, the ability to rotate the lens until if reflections are most reduced. I've found they in different situations, reflections are not always "gone" but they are very much reduced resulting in much greater image clarity.
 
van1.webp


Seems to be some sharpening artefacts on the rooftops.

The same can be said of the T800 from 70mai.

T800.webp




Paul.
 
Are your car windows not covered with film? After putting on the polarizer, rainbow patterns are prone to appear, so I gave up using it
 
No there is nothing on my windscreen except dirt
 
@EricSan

I am thinking of ordering the CPL-300 for S1 Pro Max rear camera. What would you use for the N4 Pro S rear camera as a CPL via Viofo?
 
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I’ve been wondering about this, too. A rear polarizer is clearly useful. The cpl-300 will definitely not fit the RC-09 rear camera for the N4 series of cameras. Someone (viofo?) has a rear polarizer that looks like it has plastic clips that hold it in place, kinda like the earpieces of glasses. I saw it a while ago, but didn’t save a link - not sure whose web page I was on.
 
Paul Iddon said:
Seems to be some sharpening artefacts on the rooftops.
Click to expand...
That white line is a pretty clear tell-tale sign, huh? From time to time, I’ve wondered if a user-setting would be useful here: low, medium, high).
 
@jsmith - Think I found it again, not sure which one might work best, but here are a few rear polarizers. Looks like some tape around the body of the camera would hold the polarizer in place by the ears.

Polarizing Filters for BlackVue, Thinkware, Garmin Dash Cams

Improve the video quality of your BlackVue, Thinkware, Garmin or Waylens dash cam with a slip-on Polarizing Filter! CPL filters reduce glare & reflections
www.thedashcamstore.com www.thedashcamstore.com
 
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