Vortex Radar's DR970X Plus Test & Review Notes

[Panzer Platform]

It looks like one of my DR970X Plus' is toast. The one I'm running up front power cycles regularly while driving and most of the footage has these pink lines that keep scrolling through the now very jerky footage.

View attachment 71260

This happens both when driving or when parked, with both firmware 1.000 and 1.001 (which has since been pulled from Blackvue's site for some reason), and regardless of memory card (including several Blackvue cards). The dashcam is basically unusable and needs to be replaced. This was my sharper copy of the two and hopefully the replacement unit has an in focus lens.

At this point I'm feeling pretty frustrated with these dashcams. They have consistent lens focus issues for both the front and rear cams, exposure flickering issues, reliability issues, periodic security vulnerabilities for the cloud features, I can sometimes connect to my dashcams with my iPhone but not my Android, Blackvue has removed some features that I really liked on previous models including the ability to connect to multiple hotspots and to have fine tuned control over voice notifications, etc.

I've run Blackvues as my primary dashcam for about a decade now, but given the issues that I and others have been reporting with these latest models, I don't think I can justify recommending it any longer given the high pricepoint and compromised video quality and reliability. Cloud stuff is great, but you gotta nail the basics.

I'm waiting for Nigel to come in here, and say you have a dirty windshield. lol

 

[evad]

I agree with you i am reviewing the 970X PLUS LTE. Cloud is great for some things. Even the manual recording touch sensor stops working intermittently on my unit. I have to re record all my videos for this unit again because none of the manual recordings saved except for 1.

For me, the new manual touch sensor is randomly "touching" itself while driving. Just intermittently executing manual recording by itself. I'm suspecting this may be partially caused by some sort of radio/electromagnetic interference, as it sometimes repeats in a few specific spots on my usual commute route. We also found it happens more often in my car (Volvo XC60), and very rarely in the other cars we used the same unit in. Really really strange issue.

On a side note, well said @Vortex Radar - you gotta nail the basics! I was also using BVs for a few years and I really wished the DR970X LTE Plus would be the Holy Grail of Dashcams - the one that has it all, no compromises. While my LTE Plus unit is not as unreliable as yours and generally is working ok, I feel image quality and especially lack of proper HDR implementation is really disappointing, compared to the much cheaper competition.

At this point, given the price, I reckon only unbeatable Cloud features make Blackvue still worth considering. However, there are few other dashcam manufacturers coming up with their new and cheaper cloud offerings very soon, which would give BV even harder time than they have already.

 

[danlat1415]

I have the DR900X Plus and I've ordered the DR970X Plus
Do you know if the power cable, rear camera cable and the front camera mount are the same?
I'm hoping I can just swap out the camera rather than having yo reroute new cables.

 

[rcg530]

I have the DR900X Plus and I've ordered the DR970X Plus
Do you know if the power cable, rear camera cable and the front camera mount are the same?
I'm hoping I can just swap out the camera rather than having yo reroute new cables.

The power cable and rear camera cable are the same. The windshield mount is somewhat different in that it has a larger distance between the part that mounts to the windshield and the portion that holds onto the front camera case. This was to account for the new longer front lens in the DR970X Plus front camera so it doesn't touch the windshield glass in some installations.

 

[danlat1415]

Is there a list of potential compatible micro SD cards for the DR970X Plus?

I've ordered the SanDisk High Endurance 512GB card which I'm hoping will run without any issues.

 

[evad]

Is there a list of potential compatible micro SD cards for the DR970X Plus?

I've ordered the SanDisk High Endurance 512GB card which I'm hoping will run without any issues.

We've tested the DR970X LTE Plus with the VIOFO Industrial 512GB microSD card and after a couple of days it started to power cycle randomly. In BlackVue world this usually indicates a memory card issue.

Works OK with the 256GB card so far.

 

[danlat1415]

That's concerning.
Blackvue shop only list the DR970X Plus with 64, 128 or 256 cards - but they confirm in their product listing and technical specs that it supports 512GB cards.

They list the recording times as;
512GB;
Extreme (H.265)
15 HR 20 MIN
Extreme (H.264)
21 HR 15 MIN
Highest
29 HR 40 MIN
High
49 HR 15 MIN
Normal
66 HR 50 MIN

So I wonder, if Blackvue say it's compatible with 512GB cards but they don't have any themselves, which 512GB cards can we officially use?


I have the 512GB SanDisk High Endurance due to arrive sometime next week (stock shortage) so I'll update with whether I have any issues with it or not.
I already have a working 256GB card from my DR900X Plus that I've replaced with the DR970X Plus.

There are people on Reddit claiming to be having success with some 1TB and 1.5TB cards.

 

[cpo]

I was looking at the DR970X Box model... for a couple of reasons. Smaller form factor on the windshield, can be installed away from the hottest part of the car (I'm in Florida), and offers some theft protection for the device itself. When I was checking it out, I saw that BlackVue was having a sale. Ordered direct from them... No tax. No shipping. Free CM100LTE module. That's a hard deal to beat if you are in the market. They are also offering a free CM100LTE module on the non-box version, and a free 256GB memory card upgrade on the LTE version.

 

[danlat1415]

I was looking at the DR970X Box model... for a couple of reasons. Smaller form factor on the windshield, can be installed away from the hottest part of the car (I'm in Florida), and offers some theft protection for the device itself. When I was checking it out, I saw that BlackVue was having a sale. Ordered direct from them... No tax. No shipping. Free CM100LTE module. That's a hard deal to beat if you are in the market. They are also offering a free CM100LTE module on the non-box version, and a free 256GB memory card upgrade on the LTE version.

View attachment 71346

Their free CM100LTE module offer is great. Especially when they offer 3 versions of it so you can choose that correct one for your country.

You could have got an extra 10% off with code LSEATER10

 

[Vortex Radar]

So I shot my "best dashcams" compilation video yesterday and am starting on the edit today. I'm still going back and forth on the DR970X Plus series. In the video I do have a section talking about the dashcam and its pros and cons, but overall I say that it's hard for me to recommend it given the issues that we're seeing. Thinking about it a bit more, I'm not sure if the issues are fully a dealbreaker. The pink video footage thing may simply be down to a defective copy of the dashcam and it's not widespread based on forum user reports. I also haven't seen that with my other DR970X Plus', including my rear one. The lens focus issue is quite frankly dumb, but it doesn't make the dashcam useless or anything. People can play the game with exchanging the dashcam hoping for a sharper copy, but even if it's soft on one side, again that doesn't mean the dashcam should be discarded. Some of the feature changers from previous models like the wifi and voice notification things are also disappointing, but they're minor things.

Assuming you get a copy that works fine, I still think it's a viable option which is why I'm waffling on how comfortable I'm feeling with giving it a recommendation.

 

[cpo]

Some of the feature changers from previous models like the wifi and voice notification things are also disappointing, but they're minor things.

I wonder the liklihood of those being rectified via future firmware updates if we all complain loud enough.

 

[danlat1415]

Some of those things don't annoy people.
Personally I don't use the voice alerts and it's on of the first things I turn off.
My dashcam is positioned behind the windscreen mirror, so despite it's size is actually out of view unless you look for it.
So people using the car (drivers and passengers) forget it's there.
So you can capture things that you wouldn't do if they were highlighted to the dashcam every time they got in the car.
This is helpful if the car has multiple users (company car), or even for personal use when you take the car to a garage for work, you can look back at the footage to check if work was done - as they're usually unaware the cameras are even there.

 

[rcg530]

I've waiting a long time for Pittasoft to resolve the focus issues I've reported with the various DR970X Plus series dash cameras. I've received three DR970X Plus front cameras that are slightly out of focus in certain areas to being grossly out of focus across the entire field of view. The front camera case build quality of the very first DR970X Plus I received was disappointing. After one week of use, the front camera case would come apart when you press on the microSD card to remove it from the camera. The plastic tab on the inside of the left portion of the front camera case was not formed correctly. The tab should clip into the right portion of the camera case, but this one did not.

The DR970X LTE Plus front camera has been out of focus as well, but not as out of focus as the DR970X Plus front cameras.

The DR970X BOX Plus front camera is in focus (like it should be).

• DR970X Plus Front
  • Unit 1 - Defective case and varying degrees of being out of focus
  • Unit 2 - Badly out of focus across the entire field of view - unit I used in my comparison video since Pittasoft was radio silent for weeks regarding any issue with this dash camera.
  • Unit 3 - Moderately out of focus across the entire field of view (somewhere in between unit 1 and unit 2)
  • Firmware v1.001 - Released 07-Feb-2024 - Withdrawn
    • For some unknown reason, Pittasoft withdrew the v1.001 firmware for this dash camera.
    • I've been asking for an explanation why v1.001 was withdrawn, but I've received no info.
• DR970X LTE Plus Front
  • Unit 1 - Moderately out of focus across the entire field of view
  • Unit 2 - Moderately out of focus across the entire field of view - sent GL version and not NA version - sending GL version back to Pittasoft at some point
  • Unit 3 - Slightly out of focus across the entire field of view
• DR970X BOX Plus Front
  • Unit 1
    • Front camera has a very good focus quality across the entire field of view
    • Some form of signal noise is present. It can be best seen in the nighttime video footage
    • Waiting for feedback from Pittasoft
• All DR970X Plus - Rear Camera - RC110F - Updated Lens
  • Video quality is not very good even for a 1080p rear camera
  • Looks to be out of focus - all cameras received - just like previous dash camera models that included the RC110F rear camera.

For the price being charged for the BlackVue dash cameras, any focus problems that are found should be the a very, very rare exception.

 

[Vortex Radar]

My front 970X Plus ran fine for a few days and then started doing the corrupted pink footage thing again so I’ve pulled it out of the car altogether. Thank you to Blackvue for sending a replacement unit over which should arrive tomorrow.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Did the larger lens aperture actually improve anything?

 

[Vortex Radar]

Did the larger lens aperture actually improve anything?

View attachment 71635

Yes. It lets in a significant amount of additional light. That's about a 1.5 stop difference. Each stop allows 2x the amount of light. That helps with improved low light sensitivity and allowing for faster shutter speeds.

If my math is right, if you're shooting at 1/60th with an f/2.8 lens, you can get the same exposure on an f/1.7 lens shooting at 1/150th, for example, without having to bump up ISO and introduce additional noise. That faster shutter speed helps to reduce motion blur on each frame of video.

When it comes to lens focus and alignment, that's a completely separate issue.

 

[Panzer Platform]

math

You lost me at “math”. lol
I was hoping for a “rubber meets the road” answer.
The test footage I keep seeing on YouTube is hit / miss.
Sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks dark.

 

[Vortex Radar]

You lost me at “math”. lol
I was hoping for a “rubber meets the road” answer.
The test footage I keep seeing on YouTube is hit / miss.
Sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks dark.

Well sure, there's much more to it than tech specs which is why we see so many dashcams that all have an IMX678, for example, but the video quality, dynamic range, etc. can vary so much. The way a company handles the image processing is another big variable and so it can be hard to see the impact of just one piece of the puzzle when there's so many other changes in play too.

 

[Nigel]

You lost me at “math”. lol
I was hoping for a “rubber meets the road” answer.
The test footage I keep seeing on YouTube is hit / miss.
Sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks dark.

A 1.5 stop improvement gives the potential to reduce motion blur to 40% of the original, but it needs the firmware configured to take advantage of that. It is fairly clear that the firmware on this new model is making different choices to the firmware on the older model, so the result is not simple maths.

Did the larger lens aperture actually improve anything?

The larger lens aperture will be making a significant improvement, it is about 3x better in terms of brightness, and that will improve motion blur and/or image noise in whatever proportions the firmware decides.

When it comes to lens focus and alignment, that's a completely separate issue.

An f/1.7 lens is going to need far far more accurate focus and alignment than an f/2.8.
And a large lens for the imx678 is going to need significantly better alignment than a lens for a smaller sensor. The lens may have the same barrel/thread size, but the image it produces is significantly larger, thus if it is not perpendicular to the sensor, the focus error at the edges will be significantly larger.

It is possible to do it, the Viofo A139 Pro has the same sensor and an f/1.6 lens, but that is going to be about the limit for a consumer camera. If Blackvue haven't improved their lens alignment and focusing setup for the new camera then that would explain the problems! It is not easy to produce an excellent dashcam.

 

[Vortex Radar]

An f/1.7 lens is going to need far far more accurate focus and alignment than an f/2.8.
And a large lens for the imx678 is going to need significantly better alignment than a lens for a smaller sensor. The lens may have the same barrel/thread size, but the image it produces is significantly larger, thus if it is not perpendicular to the sensor, the focus error at the edges will be significantly larger.

It is possible to do it, the Viofo A139 Pro has the same sensor and an f/1.6 lens, but that is going to be about the limit for a consumer camera. If Blackvue haven't improved their lens alignment and focusing setup for the new camera then that would explain the problems! It is not easy to produce an excellent dashcam.

There's also dashcams with f/1.5 lenses. It's true that your DOF will get smaller with larger aperture lenses so accurate focusing is more important, but really you're working with a wide angle lens that's focused to infinity which helps to make things easier on the dashcam. It's very different compared to working with longer lenses and closer focusing distances.

A faster aperture may exacerbate any lens alignment issues, that's true, but ultimately it needs to be done. We need to be able to properly record details to the right and left of our car as well.