Ok, some updates with my cam!
- GPS in Reg Viewer
Yes I was still on RV version 5 so I upgraded to 6 and now the GPS works, thanks for the tip
@jokiin!
- Setting Time & Zone
So I tested the time settings by intentionally setting the wrong time in the menu. My GPS had a lock, and within seconds the time on the camera snapped back to the correct time, so that's awesome to see!
- 50 vs 60hz
I was noticing some "ugliness" in my playback video and remembered I was still on 50hz. I changed back to 60 hz and the video was a lot smoother.
- Picture Quality
So the picture quality is definitely better than my Mini 0801. Under similar conditions, same street, broad daylight, the SG seems to capture WAY more light, the picture is brighter and clearer. The SG files are a solid 15 Mbps while my Mini 0801 footage was about 11 Mbps.
Strangely though, there just seems to something "off", "fuzzy", or generally "not quite right" about the picture quality when I playback video. Perhaps I'm spoiled by other HD content I regularly watch...? After all, I RARELY pull out my SD card to watch my Dashcam footage... It definitely beats my Mini 0801, but I just feel like it should be better, clearer...
I'm not sure I can blame the camera yet... So far I've played back footage on my laptop and on my HDTV using an HDMI cable from my laptop. My laptop screen is only like 800p, so I know that's not ideal. My TV is 1080p, and when connecting my laptop via HDMI it bumps up to that resolution, but it tends to prodcue a picture that looks like it has been "sharpened" multiple times, if you know what I mean... very bright, saturated, and "grainy".
I need to take some files to my office PC at work where I have 2 full 1080p monitors so I can compare side by side and get a better idea of the quality.
- Night Quality
I can definitely corroborate what
@CoolyKid was saying about night video, where everything outside the headlight beam was nearly black. This was during full night on a street with no lighting.
I do know that night quality is good though, because in final moments of twilight, the sky appeared dark to my eyes, but on the Dashcam screen, it was a vivid deep blue, so the cam appeared to be getting more light than my eyes.
I guess I can raise to Exposure to compensate for any darkness?