VIOFO Improvement Wish List 2023

[Panzer Platform]

Thanks a lot for your suggestion. We will confirm with the engineers if this feature can be added to the app. Actually, the data of free space on the card is more accurate than the recording time shown on the screen. If you have set loop recording, the old files will be overwritten if the card is becoming full. The recording time will never change to 0. Additionally, it also will be influenced by the bitrate or resolutions you set. Confirming the left space will be more helpful to decide when to format the card.

Can you give an update on this?

 

[Panzer Platform]

We will release a new interesting STARIVS 2 1080P separated cam, compatiable with A139 series.

Can you give an update on this?

 

[mentadent]

Please make it so saved clips get downloaded in the background to my phone or cloud without effort.

Can you give an update on this?

 

[Panzer Platform]

Can you give an update on this?

I'm not sure if you're asking me, or Viofo.
You may want to ask Viofo directly;

Submit a ticket

support.viofo.com

I've not heard anything.

 

[mentadent]

Add a timeline to the App

Make a cloud system that will connect to a wifi hotspot, give us live view, notifications etc

 

[Karagandinez]

I'm probably doing something wrong...
I get into the car, turn on the ignition and all my DVRs say in unison: “Recording has started.” (One channel, two or three).
And not a single model will say: “Coffee is ready.”

 

[Panzer Platform]

Make a cloud system

Death to Viofo cloud.

 

[mentadent]

Death to Viofo cloud.

Why? Not having it will probably mean death to Viofo brand.

 

[Karagandinez]

I don't mind the cloud. Those interested need to release several new models with access to the cloud,
but there is no need to transfer all models to this technology.
Users should always have a choice.
For most users my age, excellent video quality and trouble-free operation of models come first. Everything else is secondary.

 

[mentadent]

Age-base stereotyping is dangerous.

Could we settle for an audio readout of how many g-force detections, when you get back to your car?

 

[DT MI]

...Users should always have a choice. ...excellent video quality and trouble-free operation of models come first. Everything else is secondary.

This. +1 (many times over).

 

[kamkar]

Well if i had a voice / say in what my dashcams said, mine would upon startup would say " you better put that thing back in your pants " or something else completely unrelated but fun.
Actually it would be nice for me if you could have several " sounds " for a thing, and have one be used at random.

Fun ( important ) aside.
I think Viofo could make improvements in parking guard, modes and power use, and i say so even in my favorite parking guard mode already are there in Viofo cameras.
That also include the environmental issues you face running parking guard ( temperature ) second here would probably also be memory size / type.

I have been wondering, with a really fast memory type, couldent you use a TEMP folder on the memory as a buffer, so you dont have to put memory on the PCB itself. ?

 

[Dashmellow]

Age-base stereotyping is dangerous.

Could we settle for an audio readout of how many g-force detections, when you get back to your car?

I don't know about ageist stereotyping but from my perspective of nearly 11 years as a DCT member, there has definitely been a trend change from earlier buyers of dash cams who were more interested in a K.I.S.S approach of high image quality and the best possible reliability while eschewing superfluous feature creep, towards buyers that want every possible feature they can get their hands on, yet many are less focused on image quality and reliability. Reliability can often be compromised by too many features that cause unexpected complications, hassles, complaints and camera purchase disappointments. Too many buyers seem to forget that dash cams primary purpose is to reliably capture evidence in a car accident and instead are more interested in posting bad driver videos to YouTube and social media while playing around with all the "cool features" because it's fun to play with gadgets in this day and age.

Technology improves but I recall all the problems that manifested for buyers and manufacturers when WiFi was first introduced to dash cams. Even now with dual band WiFi and other improvements many of those issues continue to manifest and the associated phone apps are still often subpar. LTE will have its day but it adds another layer of complexity and cost of operation depending on the data you want or are able to purchase.

​

 

[DT MI]

...yet many are less focused on image quality and reliability...

I've maintained for a long time now the 3 most important features of any dash cam are: 1) Reliability, 2) Reliability, and 3) Reliability. This is then followed by: 4) Reliability and 5) Video Quality.

For those who might argue that 4K (or 2K) video is absolutely necessary I'll just say that a 1080 video that does exist is far more useful than a non-existent 4K video from a camera that failed to record at a critical time.

 

[kamkar]

LTE will have its day but it adds another layer of complexity

I would suggest that if Viofo go there some day, they do so with a APP that might well branch off the general APP but should be its own APP for the cloud models.
Trying to also cram LTE features into the regular APP i think will be a mistak and you risk tearing down the good work you already made on the regular APP for the regular " dumb " dashcams.

Well at least for starters, if you can marry up the 2 later on with no problems, well that might be a good idea.

 

[nu5]

I need one of two things:
1) verifiable open source OS and locally encrypted SD card that can not be read by anyone without the passphrase
or
2) RTSP (or any network protocol) full resolution stream of all cameras at full FPS

Where I live, if I make a mistake while driving my own camera can be taken from me and used against me. So it would be an unacceptable risk to me to have any dashcam unless the video was strongly encrypted by default, or streamed to my own car PC that could encrypt and store the video. The nice thing about option 2, using my own PC, likely a raspberry pi, is that I could combine feeds from multiple vendor's dash cams, and process the video to remove idle frames, manage archival, cloud upload when I'm parked near wifi, etc. I could do this all now with USB cameras. but the sort of usb cameras you can buy ten to be for zoom meetings, not high motion high res. And the corded high motion high res cameras you CAN find are physically too large to put in a windshield. So It makes sense to use dashcam cameras as dashcams. But I need that encrypted storage.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Why?

The same reason your parents wouldn’t let you eat ice cream for breakfast when you were 5 years old. Lol
Dash cam priority;
1.) Reliability
2.) Durability
3.) Image Quality
Bell & whistle features, Cloud, ADAS, geo-fencing, A.I. can all pound sand until 1, 2, and 3 have been “mastered”.
The A229 Pro was released to the public September 2023, it wasn’t until February 27, 2024, (5 months) we got an “acceptable” public firmware for image quality, and bug fixes that should have been completed before they released the camera to the public.
Night time HDR performance is still only 90%-95% effective compared to night time HDR performance of the A139 Pro & A119 Mini 2.
Cloud is 99% software and 1% hardware, (gross over exaggeration) and you expect Viofo to just add cloud without degrading RELIABILITY, DURABILITY, IMAGE QUALITY.
BlackVue is the current king of cloud, and they’ve been doing cloud dash cams since 2015, (9 years) and they still have “issues” to put it kindly.



Maybe in a decade Viofo will adopt cloud, I predict it will most likely require an entire new re-designed platform that would equate to launching a different brand similar how Toyota started Lexus, and Honda started Acura, etc.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I need one of two things:
1) verifiable open source OS and locally encrypted SD card that can not be read by anyone without the passphrase
or
2) RTSP (or any network protocol) full resolution stream of all cameras at full FPS

Where I live, if I make a mistake while driving my own camera can be taken from me and used against me. So it would be an unacceptable risk to me to have any dashcam unless the video was strongly encrypted by default, or streamed to my own car PC that could encrypt and store the video. The nice thing about option 2, using my own PC, likely a raspberry pi, is that I could combine feeds from multiple vendor's dash cams, and process the video to remove idle frames, manage archival, cloud upload when I'm parked near wifi, etc. I could do this all now with USB cameras. but the sort of usb cameras you can buy ten to be for zoom meetings, not high motion high res. And the corded high motion high res cameras you CAN find are physically too large to put in a windshield. So It makes sense to use dashcam cameras as dashcams. But I need that encrypted storage.

Welcome to the club.
Please send your improvement request directly to Viofo here;
https://viofo.com/content/9-contact-us/
-Chuck

 

[Agie]

I would suggest that if Viofo go there some day, they do so with a APP that might well branch off the general APP but should be its own APP for the cloud models.
Trying to also cram LTE features into the regular APP i think will be a mistak and you risk tearing down the good work you already made on the regular APP for the regular " dumb " dashcams.

Well at least for starters, if you can marry up the 2 later on with no problems, well that might be a good idea.

I think they can integrate both into the same app.

In the early day of smartphones, sure people were ok with having a few apps to gain the functionality required but we are squarely in the age where it can all be integrated into the one spot.

 

[nu5]

Cloud is great as long as it's optional and doesn't get used against us with forced firmware updates that take away features, or brick a device until we agree to binding arbitration via a new TOS ... cough.. Roku... cough...

I updated my ford navi screen once, and LOST the ability to type destinations if the car was in motion. Ford decided AFTER I bought the car to take that away for my own good. Never mind I have another person driving most of the time.....

I think a good compromise would be any time the dashcam is in range of home/work wifi or public open wifi, it vpn's home and uploads the video to a NAS of one's choosing. Or if it doesn't have connectivity to an AP, it uploads the video it to my android phone as a backup, and my phone can sync it onward towards my NAS. probably most recent first would be the smartest choice.

I'd also be fine with some of the 'smarts' being in a separate device that lived in the glovebox or trunk or somewhere out of sight and out of the sun if that helps.