Vortex's Viofo A329 Review

guidatore said:
oh no, they resumed the MCX coaxial connector!? I hoped that Viofo learned the lesson from the older A139 which had connection stability issues, which probably (according to my experience) they only managed to mitigate via a firmware update. There s no way I will buy again a devoce with a MCX coaxial connector
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The A139 did not have MCX coaxial connectors!

They were MMCX, the A329 does have MCX, because people like them.
 
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guidatore said:
A139
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The A139 Series, and A329 DO NOT use the same Coax Cable.
You are correct the A139 Series (small coax) would drop channels if you look at the cable wrong. lol
The A329 uses the (big coax) from the original A229 Duo (2022), they are much sturdier, very similar to BlackVue Coax.
This is the "best" camera cable Viofo has every offered.
I asked them to make all future remote cameras with this (big coax) and their response was;
"Yes, but it is very EXPENSIVE, and also has power limitations for certain remote cameras that may have a separate processor, or IR LED Emitters"
 
Panzer Platform said:
The A139 Series, and A329 DO NOT use the same Coax Cable.
You are correct the A139 Series (small coax) would drop channels if you look at the cable wrong. lol
The A329 uses the (big coax) from the original A229 Duo (2022), they are much sturdier, very similar to BlackVue Coax.
This is the "best" camera cable Viofo has every offered.
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Ok, glad to hear that

Panzer Platform said:
I asked them to make all future remote cameras with this (big coax) and their response was;
"Yes, but it is very EXPENSIVE, and also has power limitations for certain remote cameras that may have a separate processor, or IR LED Emitters"
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They could have continued to use the USB-C cable, I wonder why they stopped using it
 
guidatore said:
They could have continued to use the USB-C cable, I wonder why they stopped using it
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People don't like how thick they are, too difficult to install.

But they are cheaper, so the cheaper cameras are likely to keep using them.
 
Does anybody know if the A329 rear camera output is digital or RF/Video output?

Normally the coaxial style connectors would be associated with a 50 ohm impedance intended for RF signals. From what I am reading, MCX and MMCX support bandwidths up to 6 GHZ.
USB-C specifications are in the digital world and talk about signals up to 80 Gbps
 
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I never found the USB-C cables to be difficult to install, if someone does, then they should let a professional shop handle the work. As far as being a "cheaper" cable to be used on cheaper dash cams, well that seems to be a bit of a stretch. USB-C may well be less expensive, but USB-C is ubiquitous in the electronics world and is a known standard. USB cables are far more easier for the average person to repair should they have a cut in the cable or need to splice the cable. Coax does not offer that advantage of easy repair for the average person to attempt.

In a support ticket to VIOFO I have requested they go to all USB-C 3 ports and get away from coax and obsoleting peripherals such as rear and interior cameras due to port type changes. Frankly, I would prefer VIOFO just go to Thunderbolt 4, charge us for it, and that would eliminate a lot of future issues regarding peripheral devices that have any level of intelligence or CMOS in it.

I won't buy anything again that has a coax port on it and am very close to not buying anything that has a HDMI port on it that I will never, never use. That HDMI port is added complexity and expense, an expense I would rather see used as USB-C or Thunderbolt ports on the dash cam.
 
I don't understand what all the fuss is about.
Do you move the rear camera cable from one place to another every day and are afraid that it will break?
The rear camera coaxial cable that comes with the A329 is identical to the rear camera coaxial cable that comes with the A229 Duo.
The A229 Duo was released in April 2022 and in two years I have not seen any complaints about problems with the rear camera cable
anywhere on the forums.
 
Personally I wish we had standardization in the dashcam industry whatever they use. At least for the premium class cameras.

Same cables
Same mounts
Same external camera interface protocol

Apple computer's and PC peripherals finally play nice together, why not dashcams?
 
Why should someone adapt to someone else?
Why don't Ford or Mitsubishi wheels fit on an Audi? Have you ever thought about this?
Every manufacturer is interested in selling their products.
 
Karagandinez said:
Why should someone adapt to someone else?
Why don't Ford or Mitsubishi wheels fit on an Audi? Have you ever thought about this?
Every manufacturer is interested in selling their products.
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So you see no benefit to the consumer and to the industry and planet if there were some standards?
Obviously as the industry matures it will evolve to maximize profits but there is precedent for electronics to standardize.

Think VHS vs Beta Max tapes. Think of all those silly apple cables they use to have (MiniDin8, lightning, Firewire). Now it's all nice and standard Thunderbolt/USB-C.
Apple changed from lightning to USB-C due to European Union laws requiring universal USB-C phone chargers and I think it was a good thing.
I don't know if Dashcams will ever reach the sales volume to justify such a standard, but who knows?

There is nothing wrong with the suggestion and when reasonable ideas are dismissed, not cool
 
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Karagandinez said:
The A229 Duo was released in April 2022 and in two years I have not seen any complaints about problems with the rear camera cable
anywhere on the forums.
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Correct!
 
Karagandinez said:
There is no harm in dreaming.
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The EU turned dreams into reality with PDO requirements and with the new port requirements for Apple. Apple was a starting point, I would not be surprised to see this same requirement expanded in the future when the politicians have become bored with other matters. 🙂

Manufacturers would be wise to adopt a universal standard, at least within their own product range. It would create customer satisfaction, simplify parts inventory, and make yearly design progressions easier to implement.
 
lufa6977 said:
The EU turned dreams into reality with PDO requirements and with the new port requirements for Apple. Apple was a starting point, I would not be surprised to see this same requirement expanded in the future when the politicians have become bored with other matters. 🙂
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Politicians are never bored. Let's see what they come up with in the future.
lufa6977 said:
Manufacturers would be wise to adopt a universal standard, at least within their own product range. It would create customer satisfaction, simplify parts inventory, and make yearly design progressions easier to implement.
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I think the producers themselves understand perfectly well what is beneficial for them and what they need to do.
Extra pressure will not bring any benefit.
 
I'm not sure about the industry, but I fully agree with @lufa6977 that "manufacturers would be wise to adopt a universal standard, at least within their own product range."

Many brand-loyal customers don't upgrade from an old product to a new one simply because they don't want to bother removing and replacing the GPS module and cables. Some move to a different brand.
This can't be good for sales, I think.

Manufacturers know what is in their best interest, of course, but the smart ones also listen to customers and take their feedback into account to improve. Viofo is a good example of improving products based on such feedback.
 
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Karagandinez said:
I know that Viofo listens to the users of its models.
But you shouldn't abuse it.
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How is suggesting to Viofo that they adopt universal standards on their dashcams which many customers would embrace and would likely result in better economies of scale for Viofo abusive?
 
Karagandinez said:
You seem to have changed your mind quickly. 🤔
Yesterday you wanted to bring all manufacturers to one standard.

######################################################################################################

I know that Viofo listens to the users of its models.
But you shouldn't abuse it.
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Where did I wanted to bring all manufacturers to one standard??

###

What is the abuse here?
It makes sense to use the same GPS mount and/or cables across models of a brand, where possible:

- It is convenient for customers to reuse the GPS mount and/or cables already installed in the car when upgrading to a new model, and it is also easy to transfer the camera from car to car.
- It is a good marketing move for the manufacturer, encouraging customers to upgrade, and keeping them from switching brands.

I understand that this may not be interesting to you, but some of your suggestions may not be interesting to others, no one forces a manufacturer to implement anything by simply suggesting something.
 
Hack_man said:
How is suggesting to Viofo that they adopt universal standards on their dashcams which many customers would embrace and would likely result in better economies of scale for Viofo abusive?
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Perhaps this is the translator's fault, but I didn't write anything for insults.

One manufacturer can do it.
I wrote that it is unlikely that all manufacturers will be brought to one standard.
 
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GPak said:
Where did I wanted to bring all manufacturers to one standard??
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Sorry. It's my fault. 😱
Two yellow nicknames next to each other and I mistook you for one person.
#####
It is impossible to make the same GPS module for all models.
 
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