Viofo A119 V3 HDR/Not HDR, 60fps/30fps, CPL/No CPL

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Robertm

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I got a Viofo A119 V3 on August 18, 2023, and it works well, but I was a little disappointed it doesn't do 60fps with HDR turned on. I let Viofo know their advertising didn't make that clear and they said they would change it on Amazon.
This brings me to my questions.
- I would like 60fps all the time, but found a setting that will do that during the day with HDR Off and then switch to 30fps and HDR On automatically at night. Would it be better to use 30fps and HDR On all the time, or is 60fps better with HDR off during the daytime?
- During the daytime, the picture is too light in my opinion, so I'm thinking of reducing the exposure to -1 to darken it a bit. It kind of looks like it had haze on the window, which it doesn't. I suppose it could just be an overall smooth reflection. So, the question is, is that a good idea or will it hurt the nighttime videos?
- I don't seem to have any dash reflections on the windshield i.e. go grills showing, but would a CPL darken the video without the need for reducing the exposure a bit?
Overall, I'm pleased. I haven't tried it a night but will likely do that in the next couple of days. Thanks for any advice or setting information you would like to share.
 
From what I understand the V3 inserts a dummy frame to achieve 60fps and also for HDR, so it would be theoretically inserting 2 dummy frames in between each genuine frame, probably why the 2 are incompatible.

You will get further replies but in my daylight testing, as I rarely go out at night, 30fps and 'HDR off' produces the clearest footage, but others will disagree.

As a result of my testing I've long since reverted back to firmware 1.03 30fps high bitrate

But, like with most posts here, you'll need to make your own mind up and not be influenced by me or others as we mostly have different requirements

CPL, wouldn't run without it as it removes most of the dash and windscreen reflections in bright conditions, especially driving towards the sun
 
Thanks Kremmen. I thought 60fps was important, but maybe not. I think I'll order the CPL Filter now and see of that goes.
 
I've had mi A119v3 for a little over a month and like Kremmen, I reverted back to 1.03 firmware with the native 30fps. Based on my own testing, this firmware (and Kremmen's settings) yields the best results for my needs. And definitely get the CPL.
 
Thanks El-guapin for the advice. I'll go to the dedicated forum next time. I did put my original post for another issue with my old PAPAGO, recently in the dedicated forum, and no one answered. When I put the same post in this forum, it was answered quickly, so I assumed the dedicated forum may not be used. Possibly it was just PAPAGO that was defunct.
One more question before we declare this thread dead. What was the problem that made you go back to 1.03?
 
1.03 was the last version with WDR, not HDR and WDR can be turned off.

Ages ago I was messaged by Viofo stating that HDR cannot be turned off. The On and Off in the settings are actually High and Low and even Off/Low causes pseudo motion blur in my screenshots.

Again, 99% of my testing is daytime because I very rarely go out in the dark.

By looking around you will find some impressive screenshots under firmware 2.6 but as much as I've tried I cannot reproduce sharp screenshots on either of my V3's, one from just after release and the other bought last year.
 
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I have four A119 V3s front and rear in two vehicles. All of the V3s are running the original firmware that they came with. The two in my daily driver are firmware V1.03, and the other two in my weekend Defender are firmware V2.4.0. I run them on 30FPS with WDR/HDR set to ON and highest bitrate. At this time of year, I run 3/4 daytime and 1/4 nighttime; during the winter months, it's 50/50. V1.03 works well in the daily driver for both day and night. For the last two years, I've hardly driven the secondary vehicle, so I can't compare the performance of the V3s. I don't use a CPL filter as I don't think it's necessary for the UK. If I wanted to incorporate the footage from the front dash cam in a video, I might consider a CPL filter.
 
Here is what I found out after doing more research today.
There current firmware is V2.6. There doesn't seem to be any way to get V1.03, However V2.6 allows you to turn off HDR completely or to leave it off during the day and turn it on automatically at night.
V2.6 also added Stop & Go to warn you that the car in from has started moving at stop lights and a variable driver fatigue warning to warn you to take a break. Other than that, it seems to be mostly the same as previous versions. They did add some sort of 4k resolution, but it isn't real.

So, I have ordered the CPL filter from Viofo. It was $20.27 cad with free shipping. I have also taken everyones's advice except for the daytime setting . I have it doing the automatic HDR on/off thing with it off during the daytime and on at night. Daytime resolution is 2560x1440 60fps and nighttime is 2560x1440 30fps. 60fps allows for smooth slow-mo which I thought might be interesting. I also change it to be High Bit Rate and 3min loop recording.
Yesterday was sunny for the first time since I got it, and the need for the CPL filter became painfully obvious, so I glad I ordered it.

Thanks for moving the thread here and thanks everyone for the replies.
 
Robertm said:
Here is what I found out after doing more research today.
There current firmware is V2.6. There doesn't seem to be any way to get V1.03, However V2.6 allows you to turn off HDR completely or to leave it off during the day and turn it on automatically at night.
V2.6 also added Stop & Go to warn you that the car in from has started moving at stop lights and a variable driver fatigue warning to warn you to take a break. Other than that, it seems to be mostly the same as previous versions. They did add some sort of 4k resolution, but it isn't real.

So, I have ordered the CPL filter from Viofo. It was $20.27 cad with free shipping. I have also taken everyones's advice except for the daytime setting . I have it doing the automatic HDR on/off thing with it off during the daytime and on at night. Daytime resolution is 2560x1440 60fps and nighttime is 2560x1440 30fps. 60fps allows for smooth slow-mo which I thought might be interesting. I also change it to be High Bit Rate and 3min loop recording.
Yesterday was sunny for the first time since I got it, and the need for the CPL filter became painfully obvious, so I glad I ordered it.

Thanks for moving the thread here and thanks everyone for the replies.
Click to expand...
A CPL filter is a must if there is sunshine in your area.
Also read this thread. Perhaps you will learn something useful.

Best v3 settings

Hello everyone, was told about this forum and so far its great so thought i would create an account. Im a new owner of a A119 V3 just picked up yesterday here in canada.Been reading on a bunch of cams and decided to go with this one. Now i have yet to install into my truck yet but whats the...
dashcamtalk.com dashcamtalk.com
HDR is needed at night, not during the day.
 
I've already posted a link here, somewhere, to my 1.03 on Dropbox so it is available
 
Karagandinez said:
A CPL filter is a must if there is sunshine in your area.
Click to expand...
The CPL filter arrived yesterday and I got a chance to try it out. It's amazing and totally removed the glare of the dash, with the sun high in the sky. It doesn't have any instructions about which side is up that I could see, but it seems to work the same no matter which side is up. I can see why some people think it is adjustable though, since the cutouts on the frame, top and bottom make it look like you can turn the round filter.
 
Robertm said:
The CPL filter arrived yesterday and I got a chance to try it out. It's amazing and totally removed the glare of the dash, with the sun high in the sky. It doesn't have any instructions about which side is up that I could see, but it seems to work the same no matter which side is up. I can see why some people think it is adjustable though, since the cutouts on the frame, top and bottom make it look like you can turn the round filter.
Click to expand...
It is desirable to put a wide cut up.
The CPL filter can be adjusted.

Checking the CPL filter in the car.
 
If you look closely at the edge of the CPL lenses there should be 2 felt tip style markings. The lenses are pre-set for maximum effect and then marked.

You shouldn't need to alter them by rotating, again, they are pre-set.

As K said, long slot upwards to prevent it sliding off.
 
If you read topics about Viofo models, you can find posts, in which people write,
that the CPL filter was not fine-tuned from the factory and they had to adjust it.
So even with a new filter, you must first check the setting.
 
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Kremmen said:
If you look closely at the edge of the CPL lenses there should be 2 felt tip style markings. The lenses are pre-set for maximum effect and then marked.

You shouldn't need to alter them by rotating, again, they are pre-set.

As K said, long slot upwards to prevent it sliding off.
Click to expand...
I took it off again to look, and found the mark in the middle of the small slot. It was barely there and I missed it. Putting the long slot at the top makes good sense. It didn't make any difference, so I'm thinking that maybe circular filters don't really matter which way is up if they are set correctly. I also check the limited instructions again and they don't mention any of this.
 
I only spotted the lens felt tip marks after closer examination.

I guess they put the 2 lenses together and rotate one to get maximum darkness looking through both. Then they rotate the 2 together in the holder to ensure the darkest position is at the bottom, like we did with adjustable ones and the A4 sheet of paper on the dash trick.

On both of my V3's the supplied CPL's were correctly adjusted on delivery.
 
The performance of the Cpl filter may vary according to the direction of the light during the day.
The appropriate setting is where the dashboard reflection is least when facing the light gamut. however, the effect may be slightly reduced when you drive later on, for example if the incident light is on the left front diagonal.
Likewise, the reverse is also true. therefore, it is not possible to get the best performance from all aspects from the same position.
 
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