Viofo A129 Pro Dual Dashcam - 4K Front + 1080 Rear

I will check carefully that card, including tests regarding speed. Question is.. everyone that has this camera is formatting the card every few weeks or monthly?

Here are the results. I will check if camera still stops recording.. but probably it won't now. Still unhappy that I have to format the card from time to time.
 

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Checking and formatting the card regularly is good practice with any dashcam; all cards will wear out eventually and this can save you from the grief of needing footage only to find the card died months ago :eek: Every month or two is usually enough, not a lot of time or effort involved.

Viofo's A119/A129 series of cams like a strong power supply; the ones he recommends and ships with those cams is rated at 3 times what you usually get with most other cams because of this. If you need an extension cable with these cams not just any cable will do- it must be large-gauge wire and OFC, not CCA wire type. A cheap cable here will always end in grief :(

Similar with the card- 4K is pushing everything to it's limits including the card so again only the best will do, even if lower-bitrate cams are fine with less. It's the price of having high performance with anything- there will always be a need for all the related systems to be top-notch for the performance to be used reliably.

Phil
 
I’ve also been having this problem with my regular a129 duo. Random reboots for no apparent reason. Sometimes the camera will shut off without me knowing and several minutes into my drive I’ll hear the start up sound again. Luckily, this isn’t my primary front facing camera, it’s a dedicated rear camera. My front facing cam is Thinkware’s u1000.
I had a a129 pro duo 4k that suddenly started dropping the remote then started recording in 2 second intervals and finally went into a continuous boot loop. Fortunately I could still return it to Amazon so I did and got a U1000 duo which I'm very happy with.
 
Nicely done.... Like your presentation.

I switch to H.265, for H.264 I used high bit rate. Left it the same when I switch, but not sure if it uses that setting or has it own bitrate by default. Three minute recording dropped just under 1gb to just under 800mb and plays smooth on all devices and my computer.

Regarding memory cards, I bit confused. I am temporary using memory card from one of my wyze 32 gb until my 256 scandisk high endurance arrived from amazon. It rated U3. however I don't think it MLC but SLC. I wanted the Samsung, however can't find anywhere in stock for 256 High Endurance.

SanDisk 256GB High Endurance Video microSDXC Card with Adapter for Dash cam and Home Monitoring Systems - C10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, Micro SD Card - SDSQQNR-256G-GN6IA

and this is what I understood about the pro and cons...

If performance and durability are essential for your system, SLC Flash incorporated.
If low cost and high density are essential, MLC Flash is the right choice.
The high-performance MLC technology with three bits per cell, is commonly referred to as Triple Level Cell (TLC), which uses eight states.
Here is a link for more info....


Hopefully it proves helpful for others.
Got update on the card that I have ordered and now use, according to Sandisk my card is MLC (required for higher density but SLC more durable). If anyone feels they have fakes, here is what they suggested.

Thank you for contacting SanDisk® Global Customer Support. Please be informed that the SanDisk® High Endurance Video microSDXC 256GB Card (SDSQQNR-256G-GN6IA) is MLC.

As far as your query about identifying the authenticity of the memory card is concerned, please note that we do not have any software using which the card can be authenticated. If you provide us the serial number of the card that is printed on the back side then we could help you authenticate it. Also, if possible please share the clear and zoomed in pictures of the card (front and back) along with the purchase receipt so that we can register the product in our database for hassle-free future warranty replacement.

Got my CPL for my A129 Pro Dual unit, I like it. Still using H265 and mid bit level, is the lowest I can live with, though I may on special occasion use hight bit level and will have a couple extra 256gb memory card. I have the Hardwire kit from VIofo, but waiting for the rest of the stuff to complete, Circuit Fuse Tap for Micro2 adapter holder and some in line fuse holder and mirco 2 fuses. I wrongly assume the hardwire kit came with an assortment, as some other have such a package. Won't come in until Tuesday.

Then I be able to see how the parking mode works and any issues. After that I install my rear unit, once I permanently install my front unit.


Here what Scandisk member tells us about memory cards.

SLC MLC TLC
For more certainty, also you can send the question to the Support Team: Link: http://kb.sandisk.com/app/ask/
Friend:

Single-level cell (SLC) and multi-level cell (MLC) Flash memory are similar in their design.
MLC Flash devices cost less and allow for higher storage density.
SLC Flash devices provide faster write performance and greater reliability, even at temperatures above the operating range of MLC Flash devices.
These factors make SLC Flash a good fit in embedded systems, while MLC flash makes it possible to create affordable mobile devices with large amounts of data storage.
In order to select the right Flash memory for an application, it is important to analyze the how it will be used.
For example, product developers integrating memory into a portable barcode reader will most likely need SLC Flash since performance and durability are important.

On the other hand, a company building a portable media player will need the low cost and high density of MLC to price their device competitively.
SLC Flash is used in commercial and industrial applications that require high performance and long-term reliability.
Some applications include industrial grade Compact Flash cards or Solid State Drives (SSDs).

MLC Flash is used in consumer applications that do not require long term reliability such as consumer grade USB Flash drives, portable media players, and Compact Flash cards.
The read speeds between SLC and MLC are comparable. Reading the level of the Flash cell compares the threshold voltage using a voltage comparator. Thus, the architecture change does not affect sensing.
In general, the read speeds of Flash are determined by which controller is used.

The endurance of SLC Flash is 10x more than MLC Flash.
The endurance of MLC Flash decreases due to enhanced degradation of the substrate.
This is a main reason why SLC Flash is considered industrial grade Flash and MLC Flash is considered consumer grade Flash.
Higher temperatures cause more leakage in the cells. Combined with the increased sensitivity required to differentiate between the levels, this leakage will cause the sensors to read the wrong level.

As a result, the operating temperature of MLC spans only the commercial range.
Leakage is not significant in SLC Flash and thus, it can operate in an industrial temperature range.
Then, it is important to evaluate what type of Flash memory your system needs.

If performance and durability are essential for your system, SLC Flash incorporated.
If low cost and high density are essential, MLC Flash is the right choice.
The high-performance MLC technology with three bits per cell, is commonly referred to as Triple Level Cell (TLC), which uses eight states.

Enjoy!!
 
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Must re-read this entire thread to caught up but what is the current micro SD memory card preference for 2K and 4K resolution Dashcams?

VIOFO has altered some of their models firmware for better compatibility but noticed now the previous quick beeps indicating recording failures and clip corruption are now silent but the file corruption still occurs on slower cards in very complex scenes such as fully treed narrow street - this is replicate-able using VIOFO MLC 64 GB micro SD memory card in A129 1080p and A129 Pro 4K but does NOT occur with A139 2K Dashcam.
.
What are the read/write specs for VIOFO MLC 128 GB micro SD memory card?

Who is the current VIOFO Rep in DashCamTalk Forum?
 
Thanks for sharing your images.
Most 4K Dashcams struggle in low light, best revealed when driving down street with zero street lights or some dark lane. That is where better image Sensors and 1080p or 1440p show improved low light image quality.

The A129 Pro 4K night images reveal the 2022 Beta v2.6 FW less grainy and improved over the more grainy v2.5 FW. Low light image quality is also less grainy when WDR/HDR is OFF.
Collect test footage without CPL Filter. I'm leaning towards never using CPL to maximize brightness and eliminate CPL Filter grainy effect in low light. Glare and reflection reduction better handled by adding fabric dash mat (DIY video coming).

Dashcam owners have different needs, most want accident evidence video with max sharpness + max brightness + max frame rate + parking protection and don't care about reflections or graininess = this is VIOFO's default firmware. Others want image perfection, but in the end license plate readability is the goal.

The VIOFO A129 Pro Duo 4K Dash Camera is an excellent product with the best detail at 50 Mbps High Bitrate.
Video footage quality is greatly affected by Dashcam mount position, window & Lens clean, Lens angle, Resolution, Bitrate, scene brightness, frame rate and other settings/conditions.
 
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