Who makes the mini 0803?

[Tyler66]

Hi - new member, new dash cam purchaser.

I've ordered an E-Prance 0803 from Amazon, based solely on web reviews.

I'm a bit concerned that, according to discussions, there seem to be 'genuine' and 'non-genuine' examples of this model available.

I also notice that vendors seem to be releasing their own software updates - which is puzzling to me, as every other gadget I've owned has had any available F/W updates supplied by the manufacturer

(with the honourable exception of my Panasonic GH1 & GH2 camera, which ended up using alternative firmware - but his was a well regarded specialist hack that unlocked features and improved bitrate, and was clearly represented as non-manufacturer issued software)

So, my question is, who actually makes the 'genuine' 0803 dash cam?, and does that manufacture issue official F/W updates?

A related question is, how do I tell if the camera being delivered is a genuine product, or not?

Thanks for your advice

Regards

Tyler

 

[jokiin]

there's no copy 0803's at this time that I've seen, there are 0801 copies

the firmware is done by the original manufacturer at the request of their customers, they (the vendors) are the ones that release the firmwares as the spec may differ between different customers

 

[Nigel]

I also notice that vendors seem to be releasing their own software updates

Different vendors have their own logos on the start up screen so have different software but the only software update I've noticed so far is the addition of language support. It's not surprising that the importer for Germany would want a default language of German while a Chinese seller would want theirs to use english. The manufacturer may also not want to put German in the Chinese version so that the German importer can charge a little extra for the German version. As a result FW updates have to be distributed by the vendors, although there is no reason you can't install a German FW on a Chinese camera.

 

[David106]

so basically dont bother updating your firmware as none of the bugs have been fixed, no new features have been added and only seller logo's and languages are different.

I am looking for a dash cam for my wifes car, but based on the lack of meaningful updates for the 0803 I may be forced to look elsewhere.

 

[Tyler66]

Thanks to all - at first, I thought that 'E-Prance' were the actual manufacturer, and purchased from them to be certain of getting a genuine cam.

Had I known differently, I would probably have sourced it from another vendor and thus avoided the tackiest logo in the entire history of product branding! 😉

It hasn't even arrived yet, and I'm already debating whether to blot it out with tape or permanent marker...

'E-Prance' need a consultant to advise them that text and styles which might appear sophisticated in the place of origin, actually scream 'cheap & nasty' in many other countries.

'Lucky Goldstar' got the message decades ago when they transformed themselves into 'LG' - and look at them now! 😉

BTW - this one looks a *bit* better - certainly, the menu seems more polished, and the logo is at least bearable http://www.ojocam.com/ojocam-pro-2-mini-0803-3mp-hd/

 

[Nigel]

Had I known differently, I would probably have sourced it from another vendor and thus avoided the tackiest logo in the entire history of product branding! 😉
It hasn't even arrived yet, and I'm already debating whether to blot it out with tape or permanent marker...
'E-Prance' need a consultant to advise them that text and styles which might appear sophisticated in the place of origin, actually scream 'cheap & nasty' in many other countries.

Agreed!
Black electrical tape works OK, also useful to turn the volume of the startup sound down to a reasonable level and as semi-mute over the microphone.
I got a dremel to my logo and sanded it off with a very fine sanding bit then polished it up, only evidence it was ever there is a slight change to the surface texture in that area, then install another supplier's FW for the startup logo and your sorted 🙂

I am looking for a dash cam for my wifes car, but based on the lack of meaningful updates for the 0803 I may be forced to look elsewhere.

I don't want production FW updates every week, they should be done properly and properly tested, it's not that long since the original production version. There is only one bug that many people are complaining about (mute at startup) and once they are set up they seem to be completely reliable.