VIOFO A139 Pro - Testing / Review Info

The native resolution of the IMX678 sensor is 3840x2160.
Why is 3840x1600 better than 3840x2160?
My understanding is that it is always better to run at the native resolution of the sensor regardless of whatever upscaling or downscaling gimmicks that a manufacturer may use.
The 3840x1600 is not upscaled or downscaled, it simply has the top and bottom cropped off, the remainder remains identical to how it came off the sensor.

The advantage of 1600 over 2160 is that you are not wasting bitrate and power recording high in the sky and the details of the plastics in your dash, the bitrate can instead be used for recording detail in the useful part of the image.

Important to realise that this is a fairly wide angle lens, which is useful in the horizontal, it records more of what is happening around you, but the extra angle in the vertical is not required, 1600 vertical, or 21:9 aspect ratio on this sensor will still cover a similar vertical field of view to the normal 16:9 aspect ratio image on an A119 Mini. Since the A119 Mini actually has a 4:3 aspect ratio sensor, the normal 16:9 aspect ratio doesn't use the full sensor area either!
 
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Yes the A139 cabin camera dont seem to have a active IR cut filter like i prefer but rarely seen in dashcams,, so have this color issue in the daytime.
When I swapped out the A139 interior camera lens for a telephoto lens recently, I noticed that the interior lens has an IR cut filter on the back of it.
 
I spent that past 8 hours rerunning my power consumption tests with A139 Pro firmware v1.0_1105 installed. I tested all camera combinations (3CH F+I+R, 2CH F+I, 2CH F+R, 1CH F). I created estimated dash camera battery pack runtime calculations as well for all camera combinations and parking mode types. The format of the time value is "d:hh:mm" for days:hours:minutes.

Do I know how to have fun on a Saturday or what! LOL

Check out post #2 for the updated information.
Many thanks for all your diligent testing (y)

Did you notice whether HDR on/off makes any difference to the power consumption?
 
Did you notice whether HDR on/off makes any difference to the power consumption?
I have not tested whether having HDR on/off makes any measurable difference in the power consumption. I tested with the "default" settings as much as possible given the configuration being tested. HDR is on by default (fresh install / config) except when it is auto turned off when you select 2K 1440P 60fps video resolution for the front camera. I'll see what I can do to test this, but we have guests arriving today. I'll test it when I have time. I have the pleasure of changing the time zone setting in 8 different dash cameras and the various clocks in the cars and house due to switching back to standard time this morning.
 
Do you have any interior Field of View shots? With the camera mounted on the windscreen how much of the interior and driver/passenger window is seen. I am a touched bothered by there being no left/right swivel to the IR camera like the T130 IR.
My testing/review of the A139 Pro has been focused mainly on the front camera since the interior and rear cameras are the same ones as in the original A139 2Ch/3Ch products.

My placement of the interior camera is sub optimal in that I have six dash cameras on my windshield leaving no space for the A139 Pro's interior camera. I placed the interior camera on a plastic dome/trim piece at about the same front/back placement as the steering wheel. Here's screenshots from the A139 Pro and T130 interior cameras. The T130 is on the top edge on the windshield about 6 inches to the right of the center rear view mirror.

A139 Pro Interior:
1667756450713.png

T130 Interior:
1667756599646.png
 
I have not tested whether having HDR on/off makes any measurable difference in the power consumption. I tested with the "default" settings as much as possible given the configuration being tested. HDR is on by default (fresh install / config) except when it is auto turned off when you select 2K 1440P 60fps video resolution for the front camera. I'll see what I can do to test this, but we have guests arriving today. I'll test it when I have time. I have the pleasure of changing the time zone setting in 8 different dash cameras and the various clocks in the cars and house due to switching back to standard time this morning.
I was not expecting you to do any more testing - just asking if you had noticed any difference. I can do my own test when the Pro arrives.
 
I was not expecting you to do any more testing - just asking if you had noticed any difference. I can do my own test when the Pro arrives.
My daughter's flight was delayed, so I had some time to squeeze in a few HDR On/Off tests.

I used a 1-channel A139 Pro configuration with the resolution set to 4K 2160P 30fps. I ran two 30-minute tests with HDR on and two 30-minute tests with HDR off. It does appear there's a slight increase in power consumption with HDR turned on. With HDR on, the power consumption level averaged 14.5 milliamps or 0.19 Watts more than with HDR off.

viofo_a139_pro_power_consumption_10_1105_hdr_tests.jpg
 
My daughter's flight was delayed, so I had some time to squeeze in a few HDR On/Off tests.

I used a 1-channel A139 Pro configuration with the resolution set to 4K 2160P 30fps. I ran two 30-minute tests with HDR on and two 30-minute tests with HDR off. It does appear there's a slight increase in power consumption with HDR turned on. With HDR on, the power consumption level averaged 14.5 milliamps or 0.19 Watts more than with HDR off.
Thanks for putting in the extra test time. So it's a slight increase, but not enough reason to disable HDR.
 
With HDR on, the power consumption level averaged 14.5 milliamps or 0.19 Watts more than with HDR off.
That seems very good considering what it is doing, but unfortunately all these little extras do add up.
I wonder if it is worth turning HDR off for parking mode? When driving it is not going to be an issue.
 
I understand that the per-channel bitrate and possibly the power consumption for each video resolution option might change over time as the FW evolves, but a few things come to mind looking at the results from @rcg530 tests:

- The front 4K bitrate varies considerably between 1CH, 2CH and 3CH modes (58 to 26Mbps). It will be interesting to see if that relates to a noticeable drop in video quality.

- The 2CH 1440p front camera bitrate seems rather high - I expect this can be reduced

- Excluding the 2CH 1440p figures, the combined bitrate across all channels is in the range 55-60Mbps. Is there any word on the recommended specification for the microSD card? U3 rather than U1/U3?
 
In my opinion, powering the A139 Pro 3-channel configuration with the HK3-C hardwire kit using fuse taps to source power from your vehicle's fuse box would not be recommended.
Could you elaborate why?
 
The 3840x1600 is not upscaled or downscaled, it simply has the top and bottom cropped off, the remainder remains identical to how it came off the sensor.

The advantage of 1600 over 2160 is that you are not wasting bitrate and power recording high in the sky and the details of the plastics in your dash, the bitrate can instead be used for recording detail in the useful part of the image.

Important to realise that this is a fairly wide angle lens, which is useful in the horizontal, it records more of what is happening around you, but the extra angle in the vertical is not required, 1600 vertical, or 21:9 aspect ratio on this sensor will still cover a similar vertical field of view to the normal 16:9 aspect ratio image on an A119 Mini. Since the A119 Mini actually has a 4:3 aspect ratio sensor, the normal 16:9 aspect ratio doesn't use the full sensor area either!
3840x2100 = 8,064,000 pixels
3840x1600 = 6,144,000 pixels
The difference between both resolutions is a ratio of 1.3125:1.

The bitrate posted by @rcg530 for the front camera recording of the 2CH version (front/rear) version (unless if he mistakenly transposed one of the numbers somewhere which I doubt because I see the same thing when I compare front/interior?):
3840x2100 = 44.86Mbps bitrate
3840x1600 = 28.06Mbps bitrate
The difference between both bitrates is a ratio of 1.5987:1

It is better for power use, yes it is better...but the image/video quality seems to be less per usable area because there is a major reduction in bitrate to accompany the stepdown to 1600P resolution.
In this case, there is a 23.81% reduction in resolution (going from 2100P to 1600P), but there is a 37.45% reduction in bitrate (going from 44.86Mbps to 28.06Mbps) to accompany this resolution reduction.

Or to explain it another way...
There is a 31.25% increase in resolution (going from 1600P to 2100P), but there is a 59.87% increase in bitrate (going from 44.86Mbps to 28.06Mbps) to accompany this resolution increase.

I'm still trying to understand all of these using the theory of mathematics. You guys are the ones with the physical product in your hands, so you be the judge.
I just hope that they are not needlessly handicapping the 2CH version (which some of us might prefer) and if this is something they were not aware of then maybe it can be fixed in a future firmware update.


In the case of running it in the 3CH configuration, yes I will agree that 1600P is superior to 2100P. But I don't care about 3CH dashcams with interior cameras, so I will only consider the 2CH version of this camera if I were to purchase. If I do get a 3CH dashcam in the future, it would be an additional front camera with a telephoto lens and not an "interior" facing one.
3840x2100 = 8,064,000 pixels
3840x1600 = 6,144,000 pixels

3840x2100 = 26.74Mbps bitrate
3840x1600 = 26.46Mbps bitrate
There is no debate as to the superiority of 1600P while running in 3CH mode as there is a 23.81% lower resolution without any sacrifice to bitrate quality. However, 1600P is inferior to 2100P in 2CH mode however unless if this is fixed in a future firmware update.
 
Could you elaborate why?
I just updated that statement to be: "In my opinion, powering the A139 Pro 3-channel configuration with the HK3-C hardwire kit using fuse taps to source power from your vehicle's fuse box would not be recommended if you're intending on getting a decent amount of parking mode recording time."

Powering the A139 Pro 3-Channel with a HK3-C hardwiring kit for normal operations should be okay (especially after the updated HK3-C with a higher max output power rating is released). My concern is sourcing power from the vehicle's fuse box using the HK3-C with the intention of getting a decent amount of parking mode recording time before the low voltage cutoff feature turns off the power to the dash camera.

The A139 Pro 3-Channel parking modes consume a lot of power (looking at the 12-volt power demands of hardwire kit - 728 mA AED wo/Motion, 740 mA AED w/Motion, 665 mA time-lapse and 713 mA low bitrate) in parking mode. Most vehicles (without any user added accessories consuming extra power while parked) will typically have a 10 mA to 40 mA power drain on the vehicle's 12-volt battery while it's parked. That is expected and vehicle's 12-volt battery can sustain that type of load for several days to weeks (depending on the capacity of the 12-volt battery). Adding any dash camera that sources its power directly from the vehicle for parking mode operations will place an extra load that is usually small enough (100 mA to 350 mA) to allow for a decent amount of parking mode recording time. The A139 Pro's parking mode power demands are between 2 to 6 times the power drain of other dash cameras in parking mode. My concern is that the A139 Pro in parking mode could deplete the vehicle's battery charge level very quickly, especially if the vehicle has a small capacity 12-volt battery (like many hybrid or electric vehicles now have to power their 12-volt accessories).
 
The bitrate posted by @rcg530 for the front camera recording of the 2CH version (front/rear) version (unless if he mistakenly transposed one of the numbers somewhere which I doubt because I see the same thing when I compare front/interior?):
3840x2100 = 44.86Mbps bitrate
3840x1600 = 28.06Mbps bitrate
...
I'm still trying to understand all of these using the theory of mathematics. You guys are the ones with the physical product in your hands, so you be the judge.
I just hope that they are not needlessly handicapping the 2CH version (which some of us might prefer) and if this is something they were not aware of then maybe it can be fixed in a future firmware update.
I suspect someone copied and pasted rather than doing the maths, and the rather low bitrate for the 1600 can be improved, assuming it is correctly recorded...

The image quality is surprisingly good at lower bitrates though, I'm not sure that everyone will want to run it set to maximum bitrate all the time, sometimes more recording time, or more reliability from the memory card is preferable.
 
I just updated that statement to be: "In my opinion, powering the A139 Pro 3-channel configuration with the HK3-C hardwire kit using fuse taps to source power from your vehicle's fuse box would not be recommended if you're intending on getting a decent amount of parking mode recording time."

Powering the A139 Pro 3-Channel with a HK3-C hardwiring kit for normal operations should be okay (especially after the updated HK3-C with a higher max output power rating is released). My concern is sourcing power from the vehicle's fuse box using the HK3-C with the intention of getting a decent amount of parking mode recording time before the low voltage cutoff feature turns off the power to the dash camera.

The A139 Pro 3-Channel parking modes consume a lot of power (looking at the 12-volt power demands of hardwire kit - 728 mA AED wo/Motion, 740 mA AED w/Motion, 665 mA time-lapse and 713 mA low bitrate) in parking mode. Most vehicles (without any user added accessories consuming extra power while parked) will typically have a 10 mA to 40 mA power drain on the vehicle's 12-volt battery while it's parked. That is expected and vehicle's 12-volt battery can sustain that type of load for several days to weeks (depending on the capacity of the 12-volt battery). Adding any dash camera that sources its power directly from the vehicle for parking mode operations will place an extra load that is usually small enough (100 mA to 350 mA) to allow for a decent amount of parking mode recording time. The A139 Pro's parking mode power demands are between 2 to 6 times the power drain of other dash cameras in parking mode. My concern is that the A139 Pro in parking mode could deplete the vehicle's battery charge level very quickly, especially if the vehicle has a small capacity 12-volt battery (like many hybrid or electric vehicles now have to power their 12-volt accessories).
Can I ask how exactly do you measure power consumption? Do you just plug a USB AMP/Multimeter or other method?
 
I just updated that statement to be: "In my opinion, powering the A139 Pro 3-channel configuration with the HK3-C hardwire kit using fuse taps to source power from your vehicle's fuse box would not be recommended if you're intending on getting a decent amount of parking mode recording time."

Powering the A139 Pro 3-Channel with a HK3-C hardwiring kit for normal operations should be okay (especially after the updated HK3-C with a higher max output power rating is released). My concern is sourcing power from the vehicle's fuse box using the HK3-C with the intention of getting a decent amount of parking mode recording time before the low voltage cutoff feature turns off the power to the dash camera.

The A139 Pro 3-Channel parking modes consume a lot of power (looking at the 12-volt power demands of hardwire kit - 728 mA AED wo/Motion, 740 mA AED w/Motion, 665 mA time-lapse and 713 mA low bitrate) in parking mode. Most vehicles (without any user added accessories consuming extra power while parked) will typically have a 10 mA to 40 mA power drain on the vehicle's 12-volt battery while it's parked. That is expected and vehicle's 12-volt battery can sustain that type of load for several days to weeks (depending on the capacity of the 12-volt battery). Adding any dash camera that sources its power directly from the vehicle for parking mode operations will place an extra load that is usually small enough (100 mA to 350 mA) to allow for a decent amount of parking mode recording time. The A139 Pro's parking mode power demands are between 2 to 6 times the power drain of other dash cameras in parking mode. My concern is that the A139 Pro in parking mode could deplete the vehicle's battery charge level very quickly, especially if the vehicle has a small capacity 12-volt battery (like many hybrid or electric vehicles now have to power their 12-volt accessories).
Thank you very much. This explained it very well.
Makes sense that a small battery will not like this very much.
 
Can I ask how exactly do you measure power consumption? Do you just plug a USB AMP/Multimeter or other method?
If you take a look at the pictures in this post, he wrote that he is using a power supply at 12,6V and a Fluke 117 Multimeter to meassure the current over a period of 5 minutes.
 
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