VIOFO A139 Pro - Testing / Review Info

[DAP]

OK, in the last post I said I was not 100% convinced HDR should be used during daytime driving to capture license plates.
After seeing these screenshots, I am now convinced HDR should NOT be used during daytime, and ONLY used during night time / low light.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, (Nigel). lol

Oh yeah, when I try to upload screenshots to this forum it seems the maximum allowable file size between 2.2MB and 2.4MB.
-Chuck

How does one convince the manufacturer to add automatic switching for turning on HDR at night, and off during the day?

 

[Lothar]

How does one convince the manufacturer to add automatic switching for turning on HDR at night, and off during the day?

I believe that his is already available on one of the earlier Viofo cameras with the HDR "auto" setting being based on a particular time range?
Not sure about the A139 Pro.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I believe that his is already available on one of the earlier Viofo cameras with the HDR "auto" setting being based on a particular time range?

Lothar is batting 1000.
He's got a mind like a steel trap. lol

A119 Mini - Review / Testing

V1.1_0817 So far I've noticed. HDR - ON 1. There is no off in the menu. screen so that it does not turn off. You stated there is no "Off" in the menu. I posted a screen shot of the menu a couple of days ago and it is definitely present. I confirmed the V1.1_0817 I was give a few days ago and...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[rcg530]

Lothar is batting 1000.
He's got a mind like a steel trap. lol

A119 Mini - Review / Testing

V1.1_0817 So far I've noticed. HDR - ON 1. There is no off in the menu. screen so that it does not turn off. You stated there is no "Off" in the menu. I posted a screen shot of the menu a couple of days ago and it is definitely present. I confirmed the V1.1_0817 I was give a few days ago and...

dashcamtalk.com

I wish @viofo would make one of the button presses enable/disable the HDR feature. With the A139 Pro having no screen, the only way to toggle the HDR setting is to turn on Wi-Fi and connect with your phone/tablet to use the VIOFO app to change the HDR setting. Adding the off/on/auto (with time schedule) feature present in the A119 Mini would be a nice addition as well, but I still would want a button press to allow you to enable/disable the HDR feature.

 

[vvs49]

Dash Camera Settings:

Again an extra bit is allocated for the speed indication - zero !!
It's easy to fix!!
Need to notify VIOFO

 

[TonyM]

I've created the largest screenshots that this website will allow to be uploaded to this post.

You can upload 4k jpg, but not png.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

After seeing these screenshots, I am now convinced HDR should NOT be used during daytime

Chuck, I don't think that's a valid blanket statement. It really depends on the lighting conditions. If it is sunny day, late afternoon (low sun) like in your videos, HDR seemed to do better in both scenes facing the sun and also full sun from the back. Overcast scenes seem completely different.

I can see that in an overcast scenes posted by rcg, HDR-on may not work so as well. I would expect a rainy day would have the same results (HDR-off might be better for plate reading when it's raining)....sounds like a new challenge for someone (rcg530?).

When using a DSLR, an experienced photographer makes these choices in real time, or takes multiple shots with different settings.

In the case of a dashcam, we have to pick the lesser of 2 evils and just stick with it because there is no button on the device to switch quickly (without connecting the app). Its probably not safe to be fiddling with the settings in the app while driving as the lighting conditions change. In fact in my state that can warrant a ticket.

Having said that, if the conditions are clear skies, then consider HDR on before starting a drive. If overcast or rainy, consider HDR off. I'm not convinced HDR off is better in every case. I doubt most people would consider switching on a regular basis.

I haven't seen any photographic device that is smart enough to choose HDR on or off automatically, so we probably won't see that for a long time.

 

[Mtz]

I wish @viofo would make one of the button presses enable/disable the HDR feature.

As we saw, the A139P is the first Viofo dashcam which came with HDR enabled by default. This means they want this to be enabled. Compared to Starvis, the Starvis 2 is offering good image also during day.
We must not forget that without HDR enabled chances to read a car license plate is 0% if the speed is higher than 20km/h. If the user will disable the HDR, no matter by the button or by the APP, if there will be a moment when he needs as proof a license number, he will be very disappointed because he had HDR disabled.

I consider that button HDR enabling to be a good idea if some LED light combination is always showing the HDR is enabled. For example the Red REC LED to be orange instead of red. Because this is not possible, maybe a blinking Mic Blue LED to show the HDR is disabled. But as we know, Viofo was the first dashcam in the world which used a continuous REC LED instead of stupid blinking LED. So if they will add a blinking LED they will destroy the idea of not stupid blink in front of drivers eyes.

So I wrote all of these ideas just because of a function named HDR which should always remain on and not disabled by the average user.
I don't see more than 0,1% users which will disable HDR during day and enabling it during night. Some day he will forget, he will become tired about this and such behavior is destroying the concept of "mount and forget".

 

[TonyM]

Based on my personal use so far, I would prefer to have a timed HDR option for the A139 Pro, just like the standard A139 has already.

Fine, make HDR-ON the default, that's OK. But I don't think I will be the only one who would like an option, or who might turn it off altogether. There are occasions where the video without HDR is better.

 

[Nigel]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, (Nigel). lol

There are times when it is better with HDR off, hopefully Viofo will fix that, I can't see a good reason why it should be like that.
There are also times when it is better with HDR on during the day.

The difference should be quite small, no bigger than having a CPL fitted during the night, although if you are near the limit then it can affect a lot of plates.

 

[Nigel]

Oh yeah, when I try to upload screenshots to this forum it seems the maximum allowable file size between 2.2MB and 2.4MB.
-Chuck

You can compress any resolution jpeg file down to 2.2MB.

Or alternatively upload them to an image sharing site and then link them in. I put mine on Microsoft OneDrive since they then get displayed at original resolution and in original quality.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Chuck, I don't think that's a valid blanket statement.

I wonder what Ariel's HDR testing will uncover like this;
HDR testing starts at 10:37

 

[Mtz]

That video is about A139 and not A139 Pro

 

[Nigel]

That video is about A139 and not A139 Pro

Yes, we need a A139 Pro version!

The HDR with Starvis-2 in the A139 Pro is very different to the HDR in previous dashcams. The A139 was definitely worse with HDR during the daytime in almost all circumstances. The A139 Pro is only worse in some circumstances, and that will hopefully be sorted at some point.

 

[vvs49]

The A139 was definitely worse with HDR during the daytime in almost all circumstances.

This is absolutely not the case, if the new one is like this, then I will be very happy !!

 

[Vortex Radar]

Working on parking mode testing right now with the Powercell 8. Here's some record time numbers with various A139 Pro setups:



I'm surprised that the 2CH IR setup was the same as the 2CH rear setup. I would have assumed the IR LEDs (set to Auto) would have used more power than the non-IR cam.

I'm working on timelapse numbers next because so far that's looking better. For example, the 3CH setup jumps form 9h 37min to 11h 49min when I use TL 3fps.

Looks like the A139 Pro is pretty power hungry when running a full 3CH setup.

 

[rcg530]

Working on parking mode testing right now with the Powercell 8. Here's some record time numbers with various A139 Pro setups:

View attachment 63080

I'm surprised that the 2CH IR setup was the same as the 2CH rear setup. I would have assumed the IR LEDs (set to Auto) would have used more power than the non-IR cam.

I'm working on timelapse numbers next because so far that's looking better. For example, the 3CH setup jumps form 9h 37min to 11h 49min when I use TL 3fps.

Looks like the A139 Pro is pretty power hungry when running a full 3CH setup.

When I ran my power consumption tests using test firmware v1.0_1105 and my A139 Pro 3CH test unit, I definitely found the IR camera consumed more power than the rear camera. That's with the IR LED setting set to the default of "On". I found that the parking mode power draw was between 73 mA (0.92 Watts) and 86 mA (1.08 Watts) higher when using the IR camera. The same general power draw gap was observed in normal recording mode as well. My time estimate for "2CH, Rear" was very close to your actual test findings. My time estimate for the "2CH, IR" is far lower than your timed test. I'm wondering if the "Auto" mode for the IR LEDs left the IR LEDs off during a portion or all of your time test when there was enough ambient light in your test area(? depends on how you ran your test - just a guess on my part). That's why I left the setting at the default of "On" for the "2CH, IR" and "3CH" power consumption tests.

Front/Rear Power Consumption Data


Front/Interior Power Consumption Data


Parking Mode Runtime Estimates

 

[Vortex Radar]

When I ran my power consumption tests using test firmware v1.0_1105 and my A139 Pro 3CH test unit, I definitely found the IR camera consumed more power than the rear camera. That's with the IR LED setting set to the default of "On". I found that the parking mode power draw was between 73 mA (0.92 Watts) and 86 mA (1.08 Watts) higher when using the IR camera. The same general power draw gap was observed in normal recording mode as well. My time estimate for "2CH, Rear" was very close to your actual test findings. My time estimate for the "2CH, IR" is far lower than your timed test. I'm wondering if the "Auto" mode for the IR LEDs left the IR LEDs off during a portion or all of your time test when there was enough ambient light in your test area(? depends on how you ran your test - just a guess on my part). That's why I left the setting at the default of "On" for the "2CH, IR" and "3CH" power consumption tests.

Front/Rear Power Consumption Data
View attachment 63081

Front/Interior Power Consumption Data
View attachment 63082

Parking Mode Runtime Estimates
View attachment 63083

Yeah I think you may be right. I did the testing in the daytime so I could continue monitoring the battery levels throughout the day while working so it's very possible the IR LEDs never kicked on. I can retest with them set to on to compare.

By the way, how are you getting your power supply to provide >10A? Based on the specs sheet, it looks like it's supposed to max out at 10A, but I see you're able to get higher current levels which is great given that the batteries can take in higher levels.

 

[rcg530]

By the way, how are you getting your power supply to provide >10A? Based on the specs sheet, it looks like it's supposed to max out at 10A, but I see you're able to get higher current levels which is great given that the batteries can take in higher levels.

I have a TACKLife MDC02 power supply with a max rated amp output of 10A, but the range setting allows it to go 11A. This is in fact a problem for me right now. When I first reviewed the PowerCell 8 (Nov 2021), I found that when configured for "9 amp" charging mode, it would draw up to 13 amps. The only way I could get that amp draw level to be supported was to install the PC8 into my car and run the engine to get the system voltage level in the 14+ volt range. The PC8 that I had in my review was swapped out in January 2022 due to a parasitic draw on the battery charge level when no load was present from a dash camera (no camera connected). The "Charging Amps" setting in the app would not match what I was observing (when in "Low" mode or with the max value set to 7.5 or lower) with my power supply amp value nor a multimeter inline amp draw test nor an amp clamp.

BlackboxMyCar was kind enough to send me a second refurbished PC8 for my comparison testing with the BlackVue B-130X. Thinkware stated they don't have any more marketing units to send out to me for testing. I wanted to retest the amp draw issue with the second PC8 that I just received. It seems to follow very closely the "Charging Amps" max amp setting. I still have a problem when the "Charging Amps" setting is set to 9. When the charge cycle begins (I have an A229 Duo connected as the "load"), the inrush amp draw exceeds the 10/11 amp max for my TACKLife MDC02 and the MDC02 goes into overload protection mode and turns off the output power. The PC8 then fails to start charging (beeps letting me know it failed to start charging). @Panzer Platform (Chuck) has been using a different DC power supply and it has successfully been charging his PC8.

Over the weekend, I decided to order the same DC power supply Chuck is using along with a somewhat more expensive DC power supply. I want to see if it's a problem with my TACKLife MDC02 DC power supply or not since Chuck's seems to be working (so far).

WANPTEK 30V max / 10A max DC Power Supply


The more expensive DC power supply is that I purchased is a RD6018. This DC power supply should be able to handle max inrush amp draw with amps to spare.

• Output voltage current range: 0-44V 1-18A ,44-60V 0-(13.5-18.000A)(800W Max)
• Output voltage current measurement resolution: 0.01V， 0.001A

The DC power supplies are scheduled to arrive the middle of this week. I hope I finally have a way of reliably charging the PC8 (or any) dash camera battery pack when high charging mode is enabled.

 

[Vortex Radar]

Oh wow, that's interesting. I wasn't aware of any of that. Yeah I've been thinking about putting them into the car as well to get the higher current charging going. Thanks for the heads up on the RD6018 as well. I've been wondering if I should swap out my Nankadf 30V / 10A DC charger for one that supports >10A too. So far I haven't had any issues with it shutting off, but it does seem to max out at 10A as advertised.

I just did an initial full recharge of the Thinkware iVolt Xtra and it seems to be maxed out around an advertised 8.5A, but it sometimes pulls as high as 9A. It won't go higher than 9A like the B-130X and PC8 will. Curiously it also reports 100% charge in the app for a while before the current draw stars to tape off. The BBMC and Blackvue batteries will start to taper off before getting to 100%. The BBMC one sits at 99% for a while and the Blackvue one will jump from like 70-100% lol. So none of the Egen batteries have perfectly accurate battery level reporting when they're recharging. Because of that I'm not entirely sure how to measure recharge speeds. I guess just looking at the input current and timing how long it takes to taper off.

I don't wanna get too far OT since this is an A139 Pro testing thread, but yeah it's a little tricky to get all this stuff measured. In terms of just battery life testing, the easiest thing seems to be just putting the cam on a full battery and running it in timelapse or low bitrate mode and seeing how long it takes until the battery dies and the dashcam stops recording. Auto event detection and motion detection are harder to test in because if you don't have a camera running to record the dashcam and you're not eyeballing the dashcam as the battery gets low, it's easy to miss when the dashcam shuts off and you wind up having to toss the results and try again.