Torn between Viofo A119 V3 and Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO

[romuhhhr]

I read about good things about the Viofo A119 V3 and the price is very appealing but it's missing a rear camera unlike the Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO but is much more expensive. Is there anything comparable to the Street Guardian but cheaper?

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Viofo A129 DUO.

 

[romuhhhr]

Is the camera as good as the A119 v3?

Viofo A129 DUO.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Is the camera as good as the A119 v3?

As good in what way? The A119 V3 is a single channel camera capable of a higher resolution than the A129 Duo, which is a dual channel. If you want a single channel, then the A119V3 is a good choice. If you want a dual channel, then either the Viofo A129 or the Street Guardian DCPro would be a good choice. You asked for something comparable to the DCPro, but cheaper, which is why I suggested the A129 DUO.

 

[romuhhhr]

In terms of camera quality, like low light quality etc. Thank you for your inputs btw..

As good in what way? The A119 V3 is a single channel camera capable of a higher resolution than the A129 Duo, which is a dual channel. If you want a single channel, then the A119V3 is a good choice. If you want a dual channel, then either the Viofo A129 or the Street Guardian DCPro would be a good choice. You asked for something comparable to the DCPro, but cheaper, which is why I suggested the A129 DUO.

 

[SawMaster]

There is not yet a processor which can make a 2-channel cam perform as well as a single-channel. The total available bitrate isn't yet high enough to do that. Either the A129 or the SG9663DCPro is a good choice.

Though I own neither one, IMHO the SG may be a better build quality and the FW and updates will be better tested with it- sometimes Viofo updates are buggy but that gets worked out quickly. SG offers a 2-year warranty and has the best CS I've ever seen with anything. Viofo does this well too; far better than most.

I'd check out some raw vids for comparison, then see what features are offered and how well they work. By then you'll know which cam you want

Phil

 

[relive]

There is not yet a processor which can make a 2-channel cam perform as well as a single-channel. The total available bitrate isn't yet high enough to do that.

Isn't bitrate limited mostly by storage space and the write speed? The processing power to encode video is largely determined by the codec and codec settings instead of the bitrate.

Your premise is correct in that the same processor (at the same bitrate and same encoding speed) will produce better quality if it only had to encode one video stream compared to two. However, you can use a faster encoder setting and throw significantly more bitrate at each stream and end up with two channels that are equal or better quality than a single channel. It's just a matter of changing these perimeters in the firmware. Is there any reason why dashcam manufacturers don't make these settings available?

 

[TonyM]

Isn't bitrate limited mostly by storage space and the write speed? The processing power to encode video is largely determined by the codec and codec settings instead of the bitrate.

Your premise is correct in that the same processor (at the same bitrate and same encoding speed) will produce better quality if it only had to encode one video stream compared to two. However, you can use a faster encoder setting and throw significantly more bitrate at each stream and end up with two channels that are equal or better quality than a single channel. It's just a matter of changing these perimeters in the firmware. Is there any reason why dashcam manufacturers don't make these settings available?

I don't think dashcam processors have much capacity to 'throw significantly more bitrate at each stream' as you suggest, otherwise they would indeed do so. Power consumption, heat generated and long-term reliability are three good reasons not to run a dashcam processor close to full speed for a long duration.

You may see action cameras running at over 100Mbps, but typically they're not left to record continuously in a hot car, exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise they melt!!

 

[Nigel]

I think most of the dual cameras have more processing cores, so processing power is not an issue. Getting the dual video streams onto any old cheap memory card might be the bottleneck.

I prefer the A129 video to the A119 V3, and it does have the more sensitive sensor for the dark. However for USA with small number plates, the extra resolution of the A119 V3 is a benefit, trouble is it is only single channel so you need two to match the A129, and you still don't get the wifi and Bluetooth.