Thinking hard about a car cam

Please read my post at https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/what-to-look-for-in-a-dash-cam.47183/ and you will be able to get some insight into my reasoning.

I cannot imagine any design engineer who thinks that 2K is better than 4K. 2K is old technology and has been supplanted by 4K across the board. (Try to find a new 2K television, for instance.)

I highly doubt that there is any municipality that cannot handle industry standard formats such as MP4 and JPEG. IMHO, that is a non-issue. It may be based upon a misunderstanding of how various resolutions work in the same file format.

Once again, as to the heat issue, I would stay away from those that make us worry whether or not they can handle the job. And also, remember never to use any electronic device in a hot vehicle. If you do not have air conditioning working properly in your vehicle, fix that before thinking about any electronic device. Otherwise we put the cart before the horse.
 
DashCamManToo said:
Please read my post at https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/what-to-look-for-in-a-dash-cam.47183/ and you will be able to get some insight into my reasoning.

I cannot imagine any design engineer who thinks that 2K is better than 4K. 2K is old technology and has been supplanted by 4K across the board. (Try to find a new 2K television, for instance.)

I highly doubt that there is any municipality that cannot handle industry standard formats such as MP4 and JPEG. IMHO, that is a non-issue. It may be based upon a misunderstanding of how various resolutions work in the same file format.

Once again, as to the heat issue, I would stay away from those that make us worry whether or not they can handle the job. And also, remember never to use any electronic device in a hot vehicle. If you do not have air conditioning working properly in your vehicle, fix that before thinking about any electronic device. Otherwise we put the cart before the horse.
Click to expand...

Firstly, dash cams are not television.

And what's the point of submitting 4K files when they will not provide optimal viewing to those who need to examine it? 4K video on the wrong monitor can look worse than lower resolution on an appropriate monitor.

I must say, every one of your posts so far exhibits a rather elitist point of view.

Considering that kind of advice you hand out, please tell us what 4K camera you own.
 
Last edited:
As a computer expert, system integrator and an individual that just finished a comparison of the dash cams, I feel I have some modicum of insight into the issue of electronic devices. I decided between the BlackVue, Thinkware, Miofive, Cobra, Vantrue and Nextbase. I chose the Vantrue X4S Duo simply because it had the best features at the best price. (Nice discount currently as well.)

I believe that experts should share their knowledge with others. We see too little of that currently. I do not think it is elitist to want the best.

As to the issue about television comparison, I had hoped that readers would be able to grasp the significance of what people want to see when it comes to image clarity and detail. Of course the only way to get that is to buy better products when the price is the same. However, I firmly believe everyone has a right to buy what they want.

Dashmellow said:
And what's the point of submitting 4K files when they will not provide optimal viewing to those who need to examine it? 4K video on the wrong monitor can look worse than lower resolution on an appropriate monitor.
Click to expand...
I can tell you that your statement is not correct, but I would like you to explain why you think it to be true. Thank you.
 
Most of those are actually simply HD. My television is HD and was never named 2K. Wikipedia points out "However, the term "2K" itself is generic, was not coined by DCI, and does not refer specifically to the DCI 2K standard. Usage of the term "2K" predates the publication of the DCI standard.

The resolution 1920 × 1080 has also been referred to as a 2K resolution by other standards organizations like NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories and ITU Radiocommunication Sector (which were involved in the standardization of 1080p HDTV and 4K UHDTV)."

It is still something of a misnomer in the industry, especially when 2K can be the same as HD and there is little reason to buy HD TVs any longer. There are dozens of companies still trying to dump their old stock, especially when new is hard to come by.

It is always possible to find exceptions to anything, but the general sentiment still applies.
 
Nigel said:
It may cost a little more to buy local, but as you point out, if you don't pay for the service, then you wont get much! Buying from the Viofo website works, but for someone to talk to in USA language, and easy returns, both @CaptureYourAction and @BlackboxMyCar are North American suppliers that can often be found on this forum.
Click to expand...
I am still shopping for my first dash cam too, but I second this. I recently send a question through Viofo's website, and it was answered within 24 hours. I consider that good response time, but OP should be aware Viofo's own customer support is located in China. There is time zone difference, so Viofo's response come in at night time in NA. I can imagine by going with local distributor like CaptureYourAction and BlackboxMyCar, if it's within office hours they probably respond within the hour, if not minutes.

If a replacement is needed, local distributors can ship from NA, so shorter lead time. Though VIOFO's website does mention they keep some inventory in warehouses in NA. So in that aspect I'm not sure if there is a tangible difference.
 
Yes, I thought about that too. And a good point.

However, my personal experience with things digital makes me a little more adventuresome, so I took the discount that only the manufacturer offered. I mean, fifty bucks is fifty bucks after all. But I would not take my considerations of purchase planing as something I should recommend to others.

I also found that I began to get 12 and 24 hour responses from the company, so that was good enough for me. Again, not saying everyone should be happy with that. Rather, that's just my experience.
 
We here at OCD Tronic sell and support VIOFO products. We are the factories official North America RMA processor now as well. Our office is located in south Florida and we have a local support number.
 
DashCamManToo said:
I chose the Vantrue X4S Duo simply because it had the best features at the best price.
Click to expand...

Oy Vay! :facepalm::banghead:

A Vantrue? Good lord! :banghead:

No experienced and knowledgeable dash cam user here would ever purchase a camera in this form, especially an expensive 4K model, that has a suction cup mount and hangs down from a ball and joint pedestal. Such mounts are notoriously prone to vibrations and falling out of adjustment and suction cup mounts have a reliably bad habit of falling off your windshield when you least expect them to. The long term performance and reliability of Vantrue products is a whole other story as well when compared to some of the other models that get a lot of discussion here on DCT.

As "a computer expert, system integrator and an individual that just finished a comparison of the dash cams" you might want to listen to the advice of long time users and actual experts here on the forum with a broad range and depth of knowledge and experience who have spent years product testing and using these devices in real world settings, including working directly with major manufacturers in pre-production before you start lecturing us. Some of us have owned dash cams and been testing and experimenting with them for well over a decade?

vantrue.jpg:facepalm:
 
Dashmellow said:
As "a computer expert, system integrator and an individual that just finished a comparison of the dash cams" you might want to listen to the advice of long time users and actual experts here on the forum with a broad range and depth of knowledge and experience who have spent years product testing and using these devices in real world settings, including working directly with major manufacturers in pre-production before you start lecturing us. Some of us have owned dash cams and been testing and experimenting with them for well over a decade?

:facepalm:
Click to expand...
People sometimes come to this forum and ignore all the useful information here thinking they know better than the forum experts. That's of course their perogative.

The main thing is that the OP is happy!
 
StrayCam said:
People sometimes come to this forum and ignore all the useful information here thinking they know better than the forum experts. That's of course their perogative.
Click to expand...

There was a time when folks would show up here and start apologizing for being a newbie and then express surprise and gratitude when everyone was friendly, knowledgeable, supportive and helpful rather than condescending. Nowadays, we seem to get more and more new members showing up with very strong opinions based on sometimes questionable, biased or promotional information they've found on the internet but with little or no actual experience with dash cams.

StrayCam said:
The main thing is that the OP is happy!
Click to expand...

Well, the OP is actually @Detectorguy who is using the What Should I Buy? sub-forum as intended. He's asking for advice about what cam to buy that would have good support.

If you are referring to DashCamManToo, (hell of a name choice, no?) after all the verbiage and opining we've heard from him it took my having to ask what camera he owns to find out. He told us that he "chose the Vantrue X4S Duo simply because it had the best features at the best price." but he hasn't spoken at all about how it performs or his experience with it. In fact, he seems shocked to learn that the Vantrue X4S Duo comes with a suction cup mount, so based on that I have to question whether he really owns one. Is he happy? We don't know.
 
DashCamManToo said:
Web site for adhesive mount
Right there for everyone to find!


Wouldn't that be something.
Click to expand...
As suction cup mounts go, Vantrue have a very good one, very rarely falls off, unless you drive up a high mountain to the point where there is insufficient atmospheric pressure to hold it onto the glass!

The vibration problems with it are mainly in design of the stem and mount, and so also exist in the adhesive mount which has a similar design.
At 4K resolution the vibration will be easily visible and will certainly be causing some unnecessary motion blur from the camera shake, unless you only drive on smooth roads, or have it fitted in a Rolls Royce!
 
DashCamManToo said:
Web site for adhesive mount
Right there for everyone to find!
Click to expand...

It's come to my attention that you have specifically been looking for a camera with a suction cup mount and spoke about that 5 days ago, so it seems a bit late for you to start waving around an adhesive mount you just found on the internet.

DashCamManToo said:
There are a number of reasons for the suction cup style. One important issue is being able to turn the darn thing to face the driver's side window in case of a police stop. This is strongly recommended. I could not find another 4K that had that option.
Click to expand...

It is slowly becoming clear that you are someone who has apparently spent a lot of time searching the internet for information about dash cams but you appear to have little or no hands-on experience with them, yet you present yourself as an "authority" on the subject. When you made the above quote, @Vortex Radar, an actual dash cam expert with copious hands-on hardware experience explained (as Nigel has above) that there are inherent issues with suction cup and ball and joint stem mounted cameras that all the experienced dash cam users here would know to avoid

Vortex Radar: I prefer the Viofo A129 Pro because the doublestick tape mount is much more solid and doesn't introduce the same vibrations as Vantrue's longer suction cup mount
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Sorry, OP, the discussion has become personal and totally off topic. Let us move on.

Get a 4K camera with the sort of mount you like with the sort of support and warranty you think is adequate for your needs. It is as simple as that.

While there are those who might wish to promote old tech, I strongly suggest not going there.

While we cannot tell you what to buy, we can only make the best suggestions based upon our knowledge. Again, it is up to you, but just stay away from opinions. Best of luck in your efforts, and please let us know how it turns out.

Feel free to contact directly.
 
DashCamManToo said:
just stay away from opinions.
Click to expand...
DashCamManToo said:
Get a 4K camera
Click to expand...

Quite remarkable to hear a remark like this from you considering how many opinions you've offered up since you became a member here. And here in the very same post you're telling the OP to "get a 4K camera" even though he never mentioned 4K cameras. So what are you saying? The OP should only listen to your opinions?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top