cdlu
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2013
- Messages
- 82
- Reaction score
- 8
- Country
- Canada
- Dash Cam
- LK-7900 ACE
Hi all,
New to the forum, I've had a cheap Neewer (presumably a knock-off as I don't see that manufacturer listed here) dashcam in my car the last couple of months. It's pretty good, handles 64 GB SDXC cards giving me a bit over 24-hours of continuous footage at max quality, but its major failing is when the card is full there is a significant (~30-second) gap in the recording as it deletes the oldest file and starts the new one. Specifically, the camera is this one: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004I4Z ... hs_product
Having it has got me thinking about what would make a perfect dashcam, so I've decided to draw up the feature list and post it for discussion. If dashcam manufacturers are reading this forum, I hope they take it to heart.
Dreamland feature list:
- it would contain three cameras:
- main (140-degree) forward-looking fisheye sees the road ahead
- twin angled cameras covering the left and right blindspot (110 degrees each) providing 360-degree video coverage from the camera. These two cameras would probably be a bit lower than the main one on the unit so it can see back while not being obstructed by the mirror.
- the recorded image would be (think ratios, not exact numbers) something like 2000x1500, with two strips, one being the forward looking view at 2000x750, and one would be the two rear/side views combined into a single image at another 2000x750, giving a clear panoramic view including those critical blindspots that all current cameras leave out, as well as driver reactions.
- it would contain two microphones providing a left and right channel, meaning the audio can be recorded in stereo which means the source of the sound could be pinpointed.
- it would contain a GPS receiver, built-in
- it would display lattitude/longitude/heading/elevation (above sea level)/date/time within the image, as well as an arbitrary text field (to provide owners the ability to write "Bob's camera" or "ON plate ABCD 123" for example) -- this would also make the camera useful on private aircraft and boats as well as road vehicles
- it would have a built-in display that displays while recording, AND can continue recording while playing back to its screen
- it would support SDXC cards regardless of size (128 GB SDXC cards are already available, and that size will only continue to rise) and have two slots, permitting two copies of the recording to be made at a time, allowing one to be removed and reviewed externally/turned over for evidence without interrupting the recording. For people who prefer MicroSD cards, those are still perfectly useable in regular SD card slots, so it doesn't preclude it while MicroSD slots do preclude regular SD cards.
- power would be provided by a microUSB line (with cigarette lighter adapter) also capable of copying data while continuing to record (this focus on being able to review data while recording is to allow a copy of data to be given to police, for example at an accident scene you witnessed, while continuing to record the conversation related to copying and any further incidents. This would also permit existing smartphone chargers for most android and blackberry devices already common in cars and houses to be used to keep such a camera charged/running, and should be usable to permit recording directly to an external computer or device.
- the tape-loop would also of course be completely seamless
- the video would record using a common codec that can easily be opened in most players across all operating systems
- the camera would be black, and on a multi-hinge mount so it can be attached behind the mirror on any ****eyed angle and still be level.
In the future I also expect that cars will provide a means of telemetric information being readable by consumer devices rather than only by mechanics. Once that happens, I'd hope that such a camera can be plugged into the car and all manner of information (pedal and steering wheel states, cruise control, tach etc. readings) could be recorded within the camera. This would make the camera a true black box, but we're not there yet.
What features are missing? What's the closest thing on the market to this so far?
New to the forum, I've had a cheap Neewer (presumably a knock-off as I don't see that manufacturer listed here) dashcam in my car the last couple of months. It's pretty good, handles 64 GB SDXC cards giving me a bit over 24-hours of continuous footage at max quality, but its major failing is when the card is full there is a significant (~30-second) gap in the recording as it deletes the oldest file and starts the new one. Specifically, the camera is this one: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004I4Z ... hs_product
Having it has got me thinking about what would make a perfect dashcam, so I've decided to draw up the feature list and post it for discussion. If dashcam manufacturers are reading this forum, I hope they take it to heart.
Dreamland feature list:
- it would contain three cameras:
- main (140-degree) forward-looking fisheye sees the road ahead
- twin angled cameras covering the left and right blindspot (110 degrees each) providing 360-degree video coverage from the camera. These two cameras would probably be a bit lower than the main one on the unit so it can see back while not being obstructed by the mirror.
- the recorded image would be (think ratios, not exact numbers) something like 2000x1500, with two strips, one being the forward looking view at 2000x750, and one would be the two rear/side views combined into a single image at another 2000x750, giving a clear panoramic view including those critical blindspots that all current cameras leave out, as well as driver reactions.
- it would contain two microphones providing a left and right channel, meaning the audio can be recorded in stereo which means the source of the sound could be pinpointed.
- it would contain a GPS receiver, built-in
- it would display lattitude/longitude/heading/elevation (above sea level)/date/time within the image, as well as an arbitrary text field (to provide owners the ability to write "Bob's camera" or "ON plate ABCD 123" for example) -- this would also make the camera useful on private aircraft and boats as well as road vehicles
- it would have a built-in display that displays while recording, AND can continue recording while playing back to its screen
- it would support SDXC cards regardless of size (128 GB SDXC cards are already available, and that size will only continue to rise) and have two slots, permitting two copies of the recording to be made at a time, allowing one to be removed and reviewed externally/turned over for evidence without interrupting the recording. For people who prefer MicroSD cards, those are still perfectly useable in regular SD card slots, so it doesn't preclude it while MicroSD slots do preclude regular SD cards.
- power would be provided by a microUSB line (with cigarette lighter adapter) also capable of copying data while continuing to record (this focus on being able to review data while recording is to allow a copy of data to be given to police, for example at an accident scene you witnessed, while continuing to record the conversation related to copying and any further incidents. This would also permit existing smartphone chargers for most android and blackberry devices already common in cars and houses to be used to keep such a camera charged/running, and should be usable to permit recording directly to an external computer or device.
- the tape-loop would also of course be completely seamless
- the video would record using a common codec that can easily be opened in most players across all operating systems
- the camera would be black, and on a multi-hinge mount so it can be attached behind the mirror on any ****eyed angle and still be level.
In the future I also expect that cars will provide a means of telemetric information being readable by consumer devices rather than only by mechanics. Once that happens, I'd hope that such a camera can be plugged into the car and all manner of information (pedal and steering wheel states, cruise control, tach etc. readings) could be recorded within the camera. This would make the camera a true black box, but we're not there yet.
What features are missing? What's the closest thing on the market to this so far?