HDR supposedly has an advantage because the fast exposure will always be very short and thus blur free, while with WDR the one exposure has to be long enough to capture some dark detail. Most decent dashcams use WDR if not using HDR, compare them to a GoPro and you see the exposure is very different.
No point in both being fast, then you won't be able to see detail in the dark! Also, you will get flicker problems with flickery lamps.
I suggest that you wait and see what the new A229 Pro & Plus can do. Not sure that it will solve your issues, but the Mini 2 is a first generation Starvis 2 camera. Maybe with extra processing power they can do a better job of the HDR. Also, 4K can be a significant advantage because it can see plates further away where there is less motion blur.
Yes, WDR is the better solution for video with a lot of movement, but I think we need a bit more sensitivity before it really wins over HDR, currently they both have advantages, HDR does have a larger dynamic range and the fast frame is sharper, if it can be merged effectively, which with current processing power is not an easy task. There is potential for HDR to be improved with better processing. WDR needs sensor improvements, but that will run into problems with lamp flicker.
Yeah, that's why it's not an advantage at all, since the slow frame is always present!
That does sound more promising; Is there more info on the A229 Pro? Anyone with a pre-production model, or is it still very much in the initial stages...?
Yeah, I think if some sort of motion-compensation was applied to the frame merge the current 2-frame HDR would be a lot cleaner, but it would need some image overscan and as you say a beefier processor!
Motion compensation between exposures would be good for Starvis 1, but it is not necessary for Starvis 2 since the exposures are taken simultaneously.
Next month hopefully.
That is a very different explanation of DOL-HDR than the one on the Sony site that Cyker linked to earlier! But why does it switch to "DOL-WDR" half way through the paragraph? Pretty sure it means DOL-HDR all the way through.
I think it is using DOL-HDR with 2 exposures, same as the A139 Pro, certainly better HDR than the old Starvis 1 dashcams, the delay between exposures is zero, while in the old A119 V3 it is clearly greater than zero and makes more mess of the result. The A229 Pro has more processing power and may use 3 exposure DOL-HDR, but we will have to wait and see what the results are. It is the end result that matters, not the technology used to get there.
This is the sort of thing I mean!
In another thread, Viofo say the DOL-HDR is basically the normal type of HDR, but your reference post implies it shouldn't use multiple frames at different exposures as you say.
Additionally, Sony contradict themselves, e.g.:
Security Camera Image Sensor Technology STARVIS™/ STARVIS 2 / STARVIS 3 | Technology | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Group
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Group develops device business which includes Micro display, LSIs, and Semiconductor Laser, in focusing on Image Sensor.www.sony-semicon.com
"DOL HDR
When the digital-overlap (DOL) HDR feature is on, the image sensor captures two images in succession: One with a short exposure according to the bright region and the other with a long exposure adjusted to the dark region. HDR is realized by synthesizing these two images to complement one another.
However, this method involves a slight time lapse between the two shots and this can cause some artifacts, such as a blurred outline and chromatic aberration, if the target is in fast motion."
vs
"Clear HDR
When the Clear HDR feature is on, the image sensor captures two images simultaneously, one with a low gain level set to the bright region and the other with a high gain level adjusted to the dark region*2. The images are then synthesized.
This method has the advantage of delivering images of a moving target without chromatic aberration and other artifacts because the two images are captured at the same time.
The Clear HDR feature is suitable not only for security cameras but also for applications to capture moving targets, such as traffic monitoring systems and dashboard cameras."
so can you blame me for being really confused?! I'm not deliberately trying to be difficult - The information I'm getting is really inconsistent!!
Maybe Sony use WDR for when the multiple HDR exposures have been combined into a single WDR image, to separate the input and output of the signal processing. (Even though modern TV's refer to that output image as an HDR image!)
We use the DOL-HDR which is explained clearly on Sony's official site.A quick search for DOL WDR turned up the following 7 year old link. Due to its age I don't know what to make of it or how it relates to DOL - HDR.
What's DOL WDR? | Technology News
DOL WDR stands for digital overlap wide dynamic range, it outputs up to three frames of images alternately on each line, DOL-WDR function requires a dedicated image signal processor to control and processing..www.burglaryalarmsystem.com
Maybe @viofo can enlighten us about how HDR is actually implemented in their Starvis 2 cameras?
I am not sure if the information in this video is correct, but it definitely piqued my interest in what the author says about "Clear HDR"