VIOFO A129 non-IR 1080p Modified Firmware MODs Archive

[BCHobbyist]

I'm not sure that modding the Pro for higher bitrates than standard will be wise
4K cameras tend to run fairly hot at standard bitrates!

But why do you think you will need to mod it to achieve a decent bitrate?
It is Viofo's heavyweight premium camera, not a lightweight budget camera that needs some overclocking to perform well

Without any hardware or firmware yet, i'd probably modify the 1440p resolution H.264 AVC MP4 bitrates from the stock 25.8 Mb/s which is too low for 2K even on A119 Pro and currently the default.
It will be very interesting to get a reading on the internal stock firmware temperatures using H.264 vs H.265.

 

[Sadoka]

4K has twice as many pixels as "2K", so if 32Mb/s is perfect for 2K then we will want 32 x 2 = 64Mb/s for 4K

(Unless it is a Blackvue camera, they use 12Mb/s or 25 in extreme mode!)

4K is actually 4x the resolution of 2K.

1920x1080 (Also known as 2K, Full HD or 1080P)= 2.037.600 pixels.

3840x2160 (Also known as 4K, Ultra HD or 2160P) = 8.294.400 pixels.

 

[Nigel]

4K is actually 4x the resolution of 2K.

1920x1080 (Also known as 2K, Full HD or 1080P)= 2.037.600 pixels.

3840x2160 (Also known as 4K, Ultra HD or 2160P) = 8.294.400 pixels.

Correct, except that I put the "2K" in "" because we were actually talking about 1440, not 1080, and for some reason 1440 is often referred to as 2K even though it is not!

You are correct that good quality 4K requires 4x the bitrate and memory card space of 1080 FHD video.

As BCHobbyist has pointed out, the new cameras have H265 encoding available, and it is often stated that H265 gives a 50% file size compared to H264, and if true then we would only need 2x the bitrate of 1080. Unfortunately, the 50% tends to be for TV programs where people are in a studio and very little is moving. For dashcam video under trees where everything is moving, the extra compression methods used by H265 don't work very well, and when parked H264 is perfectly capable anyway, so we will only see the 50% improvement when driving into the sunset on a wide open road with no trees and with a clear sky filling half the image! We will still need the same maximum bitrate so will see little difference in file size unless Viofo get variable compression rates working well, which seems unlikely given that no dashcam manufacturer ever has.

 

[Nigel]

The downside of higher H.265 compression is the increased chipset processing power and higher performance demand while viewing footage.

Yes, but the new processors have improvements in processing power and efficiency so should be perfectly capable.

Without any hardware or firmware yet, i'd probably modify the 1440p resolution H.264 AVC MP4 bitrates from the stock 25.8 Mb/s which is too low for 2K even on A119 Pro and currently the default.
It will be very interesting to get a reading on the internal stock firmware temperatures using H.264 vs H.265.

Yes, for difficult situations we will want more than 25.8Mb/s for high quality 1440 video from the A119 Pro, even using H265, and I imagine it is quite capable of a lot more than that when not in an Australian summer, but for the A129 Pro, well that is a very different dash camera!

 

[D3j4vu9163]

After loading Stock or MOD-PKr Firmware always select Menu Default Settings to RESET all previous firmware values.

The A129 issue points to Parking Mode not detecting ignition event, very common issue with incorrect fuse circuit TAP.
With 3-wire Hardwire Kit connected to camera side port and Parking Time Lapse 5fps Mode selected and vehicle parked for over 10 mins does A129 record visual motion events as expected ? If nothing is recorded the Hardwire Kit isn't getting correct signal from fusebox circuit TAP.
What 3-wire Kit is connected ? newest Viofo version ?
What battery cutoff voltage is selected ?
What circuit is Hardwire Kit using ?
What vehicle type ? hybrid ?
What age of battery ?

What 3-wire Kit is connected ?
I use the HK3 Kit: https://www.amazon.de/gp/B07K82KSVV
newest Viofo version?
yes

What battery cutoff voltage is selected?
I use 12V

What circuit is Hardwire Kit using?
The cigarette lighter socket circuit for plus and the ignition plus on the circuit for the rear window wiper

What vehicle type?
VW Passat - Diesel engine

What age of battery?
two years

 

[BCHobbyist]

What 3-wire Kit is connected ? = I use the HK3 Kit: https://www.amazon.de/gp/B07K82KSVVnewest Viofo version? = yes
What battery cutoff voltage is selected? = I use 12V
What circuit is Hardwire Kit using? = The cigarette lighter socket circuit for plus and the ignition plus on the circuit for the rear window wiper
What vehicle type? = VW Passat - Diesel engine
What age of battery? = two years

In many vehicles Cig Lighter power circuit doesn't always supply continuous 12volts when ignition is off which Parking Mode requires.
Diesel engines energize glow plugs during ignition and can temporarily interrupt most accessory circuits.
Suggest TAP different fuse circuits not Cig or Wiper.

 

[D3j4vu9163]

In many vehicles Cig Lighter power circuit doesn't always supply continuous 12volts when ignition is off which Parking Mode requires.
Diesel engines energize glow plugs during ignition and can temporarily interrupt most accessory circuits.
Suggest TAP different fuse circuits not Cig or Wiper.

Okay but , Does it matter if I use the "low bitrate parking mode" or the "2-10FPS parking mode"?
because the "low bitrate park mode" works fine.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Okay but , Does it matter if I use the "low bitrate parking mode" or the "2-10FPS parking mode"?
because the "low bitrate park mode" works fine.

Parking Time Lapse Mode is preferred for long duration protection using less memory card space and less power drain but no audio recorded.
Parking Low Bitrate Recording Mode is simply normal continuous recording using more card space and more power drain than Time Lapse but does record audio and works perfectly from Power Bank.
Some Hardwire Kit installations for Time Lapse support involve testing many fuse circuits and/or direct connection to battery. The interior dome light is usually best for continuous power wire.
Many new vehicles have battery drain protection which cuts power to any circuit draining power after ignition off + doors locked.

 

[Ratlik]

Hi,
I downloaded the new MOD and inserted the SD 64B card. I renamed the new MOD to FWA129.bin and inserted the SD card into the camera. I followed the same procedure as the former A119S but the new MOD is not loaded and is still old - 1.5
What am I doing wrong? Bad card? I do the procedure correctly

 

[supr3me]

Hi,
I downloaded the new MOD and inserted the SD 64B card. I renamed the new MOD to FWA129.bin and inserted the SD card into the camera. I followed the same procedure as the former A119S but the new MOD is not loaded and is still old - 1.5
What am I doing wrong? Bad card? I do the procedure correctly

Are your file extensions unhidden? Do you see them in other files in your computer? If not just change the mod name to FWA129

 

[BCHobbyist]

Hi,
I downloaded the new MOD and inserted the SD 64B card. I renamed the new MOD to FWA129.bin and inserted the SD card into the camera. I followed the same procedure as the former A119S but the new MOD is not loaded and is still old - 1.5
What am I doing wrong? Bad card? I do the procedure correctly

remember to always copy binary file to root folder not subfolder, then rename and check the file extension.
watch the MOD Install video again for missed step.

How to Install Modified Firmware> https://viofo-dash-cam-modified-firmware.blogspot.com

 

[Ratlik]

Yes I copied it to clear root folder.

On A119S I played the software several times and always without any problems. In this case I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.

Now I have 64GB SD card and before I had 32GB.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Yes I copied it to clear root folder.
On A119S I played the software several times and always without any problems. In this case I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.
Now I have 64GB SD card and before I had 32GB.

Always FORMAT new 64 / 128 / 256 GB memory cards inside the camera 2 or 3 times before initial use and especially before using them for Firmware Updates.

 

[Ratlik]

Unfortunately we still can't update the firmware. I formatted the card through the camera - 3 times. I removed the card, inserted it into a PC, formatted it into exFAT and uploaded the new firmware I renamed FWA129.bin . I took the card safely out of the PC and put it in the camera and turned it on. The camera turns on and immediately displays a message - please format the card. Nothing is loaded, not as I am used to A119S. Can't the problem be that I only have a front camera?

 

[jokiin]

the camera can't read exFAT cards so won't load the firmware unless the card is FAT32, that's why the camera is prompting you to format

let the camera format the card, put it back in your PC, delete any files that are on the card, copy your bin file to the card and then put it back in the camera, see how you go then

 

[Ratlik]

Guys, thanks for your patience. Instead of deleting a card using DEL, I always formatted the card using a PC and that was the mistake. I am ashamed of myself and thanks to you two great thanks (@jokiin @BCHobbyist) ! Everything is fine and the camera is shooting with 9Up mode .

 

[BCHobbyist]

Guys, thanks for your patience. Instead of deleting a card using DEL, I always formatted the card using a PC and that was the mistake. I am ashamed of myself and thanks to you two great thanks (@jokiin @BCHobbyist) ! Everything is fine and the camera is shooting with 9Up mode .

Suggest all inexperienced Dashcam owners always use 16-32GB microSD card for all firmware updates since they are already formatted as FAT32.

 

[vvs49]

Did fix the parameter error there (off / 5 sec / 10 sec)?
No effect, the start time of the DVR does not change!

 

[BCHobbyist]

Did fix the parameter error there (off / 5 sec / 10 sec)?
No effect, the start time of the DVR does not change!

Delay Boot - off / 5 sec / 10 sec - works perfectly with FW v1.70 and all MODs.
I always set A129 at 5 second delay boot when rear camera is connected.
Always perform Default Settings after firmware update.

 

[vvs49]

I do not see loading MOD-0Wf?