Viofo A139 Pro vs. Blackvue DR970X vs. DR900X Plus

[Vortex Radar]

So the past few weeks I've been driving around with a pair of Viofo A139 Pro's, a Blackvue DR970X, and a Blackvue DR900X Plus. I've been curious how the A139 Pro compares to the DR970X, the improvements in the 970X vs. the 900X Plus, and testing the A139 Pro with HDR on vs. off.

Here's a video testing all of that when it's sunny, cloudy, dusk, and night. I test driving and stationary, as well as seeing how well they can capture license plates, cars, faces, animals, etc.

It was a ton of work, but I'm glad it's done and now I can share it.

 

[Panzer Platform]

It's unlisted.
I feel so special for the "inside peek". lol

 

[Vortex Radar]

It's unlisted.
I feel so special for the "inside peek". lol

hehe yeah it’s gonna go live tomorrow. I wanted to share it here with you early.

 

[Panzer Platform]

At 18:47 the A139 Pro clearly identifies the beast as an AKC Yellow Labrador, and he’s also fixed.
Just kidding. lol
What a fantastic job comparing these cameras.
Bravissimo.

 

[TonyM]

So the past few weeks I've been driving around with a pair of Viofo A139 Pro's, a Blackvue DR970X, and a Blackvue DR900X Plus. I've been curious how the A139 Pro compares to the DR970X, the improvements in the 970X vs. the 900X Plus, and testing the A139 Pro with HDR on vs. off.

It was a ton of work, but I'm glad it's done and now I can share it.

That's a lot of work! Nice to see a balanced review, and good to hear you mention a few things at the end other than just video quality. The differences in parking mode should be interesting.

I was surprised by the relative lack of detail on the 970X compared to the 900X Plus. Are you sure the lens is properly focused?

 

[TonyM]

Just a thought. If the 970X video quality improvements are due to the new chipset & processing rather than a new sensor, does this apply to the rear camera as well as the front camera? Functional HDR on a rear camera could be worthwhile when there are bright headlights behind you.

 

[Vortex Radar]

That's a lot of work! Nice to see a balanced review, and good to hear you mention a few things at the end other than just video quality. The differences in parking mode should be interesting.

I was surprised by the relative lack of detail on the 970X compared to the 900X Plus. Are you sure the lens is properly focused?

Yeah a misfocused lens was my initial thought as well, especially after testing some previous Blackvues with lens alignment issues.

However, after seeing a bunch of samples with the 970 looking better, particularly when there’s motion, it can give sharper images so I don’t think it is a lens focus issue.

I’ve also been sending some test samples over to Blackvue throughout my testing and they haven’t said anything regarding focus or having this unit replaced. It didn’t even seem like the samples were particularly unexpected, but of course I can’t speak for them.

Ultimately, I hope this can all be resolved via software. It’s the same lens and sensor as before and so it all comes down to how the new CPU and ISP is processing that video input.

 

[Arese]

Great video! I wasn't planning to upgrade my A129 Pro anytime soon but your video convinced me to switch to the new Starvis 2 sensor. It does wonder. Extra features wouldn't have swayed me to upgrade but improved number plate readability is a big deal.

@Vortex Radar also I wanted to ask you or anyone else. How do you display the license plate zoomed in and in a separate "window" in your videos? I use DaVinci Resolve and it's something I never figured out how to do. Thanks

 

[Vortex Radar]

Great video! I wasn't planning to upgrade my A129 Pro anytime soon but your video convinced me to switch to the new Starvis 2 sensor. It does wonder. Extra features wouldn't have swayed me to upgrade but improved number plate readability is a big deal.

@Vortex Radar also I wanted to ask you or anyone else. How do you display the license plate zoomed in and in a separate "window" in your videos? I use DaVinci Resolve and it's something I never figured out how to do. Thanks

Ah yeah, I do it with one of the plugins from MotionVFX. Looks like they support Davinci Resolve too. I don’t remember which package it’s from specifically, but you should be able to find it on their site.

 

[Arese]

Ah yeah, I do it with one of the plugins from MotionVFX. Looks like they support Davinci Resolve too. I don’t remember which package it’s from specifically, but you should be able to find it on their site.

Thanks for the name of the plugin @Vortex Radar, it definitely helps.
Cheers

 

[Vortex Radar]

Thanks for the name of the plugin @Vortex Radar, it definitely helps.
Cheers

Awesome. Were you able to find the exact one? I can try taking a closer look tomorrow if needed.