VIOFO A119 V1 V2 Modified Firmware MODs Archive

[Skeezix]

They look the same to me, but then I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other...

I do see excessive sharpening on both the 1440 and the 1080 clips though. It's very noticeable at the top of the rooflines. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Skeezix]

Oops. Had another look at the videos. Looking at the 1440 clip I only saw the sharpening where the top of the roofs are horizontal. Like at the start of the clip. When the rooftops are diagonal I can't see any sharpening at all. When I looked at the 1080 clip I saw excessive sharpening on just about all rooflines. Sorry for the previous post. Looks like 1440 wins, at least when using 6RO. I'm wondering if the sharpening (or lack thereof) at 5RO is the same as with 6RO...

 

[BCHobbyist]

Oops. Had another look at the videos. Looking at the 1440 clip I only saw the sharpening where the top of the roofs are horizontal. Like at the start of the clip. When the rooftops are diagonal I can't see any sharpening at all. When I looked at the 1080 clip I saw excessive sharpening on just about all rooflines. Sorry for the previous post. Looks like 1440 wins, at least when using 6RO. I'm wondering if the sharpening (or lack thereof) at 5RO is the same as with 6RO...

Lower light levels especially on cloudy days also create object outlines, in bright sunshine those outlines should disappear. Over sharpened video is confirmed when object outlines appear in bright sunshine.
My recent 4Ro , 5Ro , 6Ro + Rm series modified firmware all use Viofo's default sharpness level which is a touch too high but acceptable for most A119 Lens focus recording.

 

[BCHobbyist]

1440p resolution is always superior to 1080p for fine detail and clarity when viewed correctly. Its very common to see over saturated color and sharpness on perfect videos because of the persons device display settings, example - SmartTV or computer monitor display settings using Vivid or high sharpness or Movie mode etc. The play back device picture settings can improve or over-adjust image quality. When adjusting firmware image levels my main computer monitor has zero enhancements enabled for most accurate image assessment. I'm willing to bet every single person here has boosted sharpness, contrast or color enabled on their play back device.

Once Viofo adds selectable Sharpness level options to the A119 & Pro Menu owners can make their own adjustments. The key is to have a perfectly focused Lens.

 

[BCHobbyist]

After weeks of testing A119 Pro at 29-32 Mb/s with no noticeable internal temperature change and the recently revealed new Viofo A119 V3 stock hidden 4K video bitrate of 32.2 Mb/s . . . decided to remove all my suggested temperature use limits. As expected the soon to be tested 4K - 3840x2160p resolution A129 Pro WiFi Dashcam increases Bitrate for the much higher 4K resolution to maintain fine details, 32 Mb/s is the perfect level for 2K maximum detail.

I suggest everyone start tracking the price of 128 & 256 GB micro SD memory cards rated U3 for 4K video 90 MB/s write speeds.

Accessories

Trying to decide which Dash Cam to buy is confusing. Our helpful advice explains resolution, features and accessories for the best value.

viofo-dash-cam-selection-advice.blogspot.com

 

[Tractor]

The A119 V3 is here. A119 V3 Unboxing

Video samples will follow once mounted and working.

 

[BCHobbyist]

The A119 V3 is here. A119 V3 Unboxing
Video samples will follow once mounted and working.

Thanks for the early sneak peak at the new Viofo A119 V3 1440p Sony sensor night vision Dash Camera.



Can you confirm that is the same F1.6 Lens I used in my A119 Pro DIY upgrade which is also used in A129 Duo and A119S ?

 

[Tractor]

It looks like The F1.6

 

[woodbar]

Just got the A119 v2 earlier this week and initial tests were quite impressive although the results were a bit "dull".

I thought this might be caused by a combination of a rather large expanse of white bonnet and the "Night Pack" tinted windows on my C Class so I thought I would try the BTc mod firmware.

That installed fine first time - did the factory reset - set all the parameters again and tested it out. Colours are much more vibrant, exposure seems just about right under varying lighting but I was not to sure about the detail or even if my lens focus was a bit out - near field very sharp but started to lose it a bit at distance?

SO, what the heck, I thought I would try out 6Ro mod firmware just in case. Installed no problem, factory reset then set all the parameters again.

Just about to install the cam back in the car and remembered I meant to put some extra text in so powered up the cam and entered that, then I just checked a couple of other settings - strange, Resolution was @ 1080 ! Now I KNOW I had set it @ 1440 so I reset it to 1440 again and went through the rest of the settings to make sure they were at the values I required - they were. Just to make sure I went back to resolution and it was back @ 1080 - what is going on?

Checked some footage of the BTc mod I had on the PC (on my 1440p monitor) and low and behold that was in 1080 instead of the 1440 I know I had set - obviously the reason I was dubious about the footage!

Did some more checking and I have found the reason - if you go into the settings for either LDWS or FCWS and press OK, even to keep the same "OFF" setting it is already on, then it resets the resolution to 1080. If you press "MENU" to exit either of those settings it does not reset the resolution?

I am not sure if this quirk is down to my particular camera or the firmware (have not tested on stock firmware) but it is very odd - yes I know I could have seen the resolution text on the display but I did not notice that unfortunately.

Obviously I now know to always set the resolution I require as the last thing before exiting the settings menu - as well as check it on the display!

Looking forward to testing the 6Ro now at full resolution!

 

[BCHobbyist]

Just got the A119 v2 earlier this week and initial tests were quite impressive although the results were a bit "dull".
I thought this might be caused by a combination of a rather large expanse of white bonnet ad the "Night Pack" tinted windows on my C Class so I thought I would try the BTc mod firmware.
That installed fine first time - did the factory reset - set all the parameters again and tested it out. Colours are much more vibrant, exposure seems just about right under varying lighting but I was not to sure about the detail or even if my lens focus was a bit out - near field very sharp but started to lose it a bit at distance?
SO, what the heck, I thought I would try out 6Ro mod firmware just in case. Installed no problem, factory reset then set all the parameters again.
Just about to install the cam back in the car and remembered I meant to put some extra text in so powered up the cam and entered that, then I just checked a couple of other settings - strange, Resolution was @ 1080 ! Now I KNOW I had set it @ 1440 so I reset it to 1440 again and went through the rest of the settings to make sure they were at the values I required - they were. Just to make sure I went back to resolution and it was back @ 1080 - what is going on?
Checked some footage of the BTc mod I had on the PC (on my 1440p monitor) and low and behold that was in 1080 instead of the 1440 I know I had set - obviously the reason I was dubious about the footage!
Did some more checking and I have found the reason - if you go into the settings for either LDWS or FCWS and press OK, even to keep the same "OFF" setting it is already on, then it resets the resolution to 1080. If you press "MENU" to exit either of those settings it does not reset the resolution?
I am not sure if this quirk is down to my particular camera or the firmware (have not tested on stock firmware) but it is very odd - yes I know I could have seen the resolution text on the display but I did not notice that unfortunately.
Obviously I now know to always set the resolution I require as the last thing before exiting the settings menu - as well as check it on the display!
Looking forward to testing the 6Ro now at full resolution!

Excellent Troubleshooting to detect the issue. Enjoy 6Ro it is the best image quality I've been able to get from A119 V1 or V2, but V3 is slightly better.
LDWS & FCWS are junk, never ever use them, they only work at 1080P resolution and will change the previous 1440 setting to suit their requirements. You won't find either of them in the newer Dashcam models.
Always look on the main LCD screen after changing Menu settings to verify 1440P30 is shown.

 

[woodbar]

Yes I am waiting to see how the V3 pans out then I may indulge and relegate the V2 to rear window!

No I would never bother with LDWS or FCWS and only really checked them to make sure they were OFF - did not realise they only work at 1080 though that's logical as the functions obviously take some processing power.

Yes I will definitely check the LCD now whenever I change anything in case something else decides to overrule the settings I know I have entered.

 

[Tractor]

Regards resetting itself to 1080p, Set the resolution last and it will not automatically set to1080p.

 

[woodbar]

OK, tried 6Ro @ 1440p30 today and it works very well - nice to see roadside hedges instead of green mush and my distant focus concerns have been put to rest. Most number plates clearly legible. Good job.

Obviously having a senior moment, I checked, double checked and triple checked it was set to 1440 and clearly missed the fact that somehow I had turned the GPS off.

Never mind, I had a trip back in time - all my footage today was apparently recorded in 2018! Toggled the GPS back on and now I am back in the present.

 

[woodbar]

Just a bit of feedback having reviewed some footage over the past few days.

I have now got the A119V2 6Ro on the windscreen and my old 412GW on the rear window - both running @1440p30.

The exposure adaption on the A119 is much better than the 412GW as is the lack of blur/mush travelling at a reasonable speed.

In fact the only thing I am not sure of is that the video from the A119 seems over-sharpened? The 412GW footage has a more natural, smoother look to it. Shame there is no user setting for this.

 

[Tractor]

simple answer NO
There was going to be Viofo firmware release that may have include that option but is probably lost to the new V3

 

[BCHobbyist]

Just a bit of feedback having reviewed some footage over the past few days.
I have now got the A119V2 6Ro on the windscreen and my old 412GW on the rear window - both running @1440p30.
The exposure adaption on the A119 is much better than the 412GW as is the lack of blur/mush travelling at a reasonable speed.
In fact the only thing I am not sure of is that the video from the A119 seems over-sharpened? The 412GW footage has a more natural, smoother look to it. Shame there is no user setting for this.

The A119 V2 stock Firmware may be slightly over-sharpened (sharp64) which is copied over on MOD-6Ro.
If anyone else requests a slight sharpness decrease to A119 V2 - - - > cast your vote now - - - > will create MOD-6Rp with sharp48 adjustment.

 

[woodbar]

Obviously count me in please!

 

[Kremmen]

And me

Thanks

 

[BCHobbyist]

After watching this video I don't think reducing A119 V2 sharpness will compete well against new V3 firmware image quality.
If anyone else still votes for reduced A119 V2 sharpness let me know.

 

[woodbar]

Hmmmm?

A very interesting comparison. Thankfully the result from the A119 V2 bears absolutely no similarity to the results I obtain from my unit with 6Ro?

Viewing on my 32" 1440p monitor the V2 saturation and contrast seem much lower, focus seems awry especially at longer distance with the apparent loss of detail? It's almost gives the impression of a poor re-render of 1440 to 1080?

So yes, that V2 example would definitely not benefit from a lower sharpening factor however my results would seem to be far closer to the V3 example but with even more sharpening applied?

Obviously the video was taken on a rather dull day but whilst reviewing my similar footage this past week or so I have specifically looked for scenarios like the gentleman crossing the road at about 1:22 in the video and get similar results to the V3 rendition - you could probably recognize the person. On the V2 @ the left it appears he could be a faceless alien from Mars?

All I can say is IF my V2 was giving similar results then I would not be posting this as it would have been returned for a refund and I would be using an alternative device.

I am not sure what has gone wrong but for me the video does not demonstrate the quality I am getting from my V2 6Ro which would definitely benefit from the lower sharpening value suggested previously.