Xview XV4KDVR

[DD20]

Anyone checked out the new Xview XV4KDVR? If so can you (or those who've tested it) confirm if it's genuine 2160p30 or fake upscaled from whatever resolution?

I'd have posted this in the brand forums but there's no subforum for Xview so I'm guessing they're new to the market....

I'm guessing it's fake because the image resolution doesn't pass the width requirement for 4K UHD....unless that was a typo on their site and they accidentally swaped the 3 and 6 around and should say 6348x2736 and not 3648x2736... Because image resolution is usually at leat a good 50%(or maybe not 50%...) bigger resolution size than its capturing resolution on genuine ones anyways...

 

[jokiin]

it's a rebranded product done for Repco by TDJ, they supply the low end cameras for Supercheap as well, image issues aside it has a built in battery which is not something you want in our climate, look for a camera that uses capacitors instead of a battery

 

[DD20]

it's a rebranded product done for Repco by TDJ, they supply the low end cameras for Supercheap as well, image issues aside it has a built in battery which is not something you want in our climate, look for a camera that uses capacitors instead of a battery

Oh. Are they like the Gator brands or are Gator brands a bit above this low end?

And do you know whether it's true 4K UHD or you don't know either?

For a low end camera, it's pretty darn expensive.... I mean $300 isn't cheap...for someone working minimum wage or not working at all and or doing low paying odd jobs....

Presumably from the climate of Australia, I am to assume there does not exist a camera that can be completely battery powered to work a whole 24 hrs without being plugged in into any power source in case someone was to say...unplug the power cable for whatever reasons....or flaky power input port? Is there one that is capacitor powered for portability or capacitors cant hold that long of a charge that batteries can? And on this note is there a camera that can password protect the off button so you can't turn it off without entering the password?

 

[kamkar]

If i had 300 AUD to burn, i think i would go for something a bit more known.
Also it is a "dangle" off the windscreen design which i find are unfortunate and at least not in the "good for stealth" category.
And you for sure do not want a dashcam with a battery in it, if you live in Australia, i wouldn't even do it in the more relaxed ( summer temperature wise ) Denmark.
And if you have plans for using parking guard, well that is going to be a tough call in Australia i think, at least if you park in the sun, in a parking garage it might be doable.
Parking guard necessitate a hard wire kit, as your car battery will still be providing the power for the camera, or a dedicated dashcam power pack ( which are more expensive than USB power banks )
What ever emergency power source inside the camera itself, it is just there to finalize the last recording properly in case of a major event where power might be lost ( to prevent corruption of last recorded file )
But this power source should always be capacitor based, cuz with a battery you will have to change that every year or 2 when it go bad. ( take camera apart )

I have not verified this, or seen other do that, but the systems with remote cameras, where you can put the heat generating main unit out of direct sun, those might last a bit longer in parking mode on a hot day, even if a car in the sun still get blast furnace hot, then it is still cooler than the camera would be if it was exposed to the sun too.
Also if you use one of those put in windscreen sun reflectors when parked, you do not want to sandwich any active electronics in the gap between one of those and the windscreen, things might melt then.

Jokiins Street guardian brand make a dual remote system ( 1080p ) but it is also just about 2 X your budget, there are also a few cheaper alternatives but i dont feel comfortable recommending those.

So in short.
I think you need to be weary about the thermal limitations of all dashcams in parking mode.
As for just sitting there in the sun cooking shut off waiting for the next drive, that should not be a problem with a good system, the problem arise when the camera also generate heat inside itself recording or just sitting in a guard state.

 

[jokiin]

Oh. Are they like the Gator brands or are Gator brands a bit above this low end?

yep like Gator, same people that do those

And do you know whether it's true 4K UHD or you don't know either?

I didn't look into it, even it was real 4K cameras aren't great in Australia anyway, our climate is way too hot for 4K to work reliably

Presumably from the climate of Australia, I am to assume there does not exist a camera that can be completely battery powered to work a whole 24 hrs without being plugged in into any power source in case someone was to say...unplug the power cable for whatever reasons....or flaky power input port?

no such product

Is there one that is capacitor powered for portability or capacitors cant hold that long of a charge that batteries can?

no

And on this note is there a camera that can password protect the off button so you can't turn it off without entering the password?

also no

 

[DD20]

Also it is a "dangle" off the windscreen design which i find are unfortunate and at least not in the "good for stealth" category.

I dont think ther are any *stealth* looking cameras.....they're either fat, obvious sore looking thumbs with the tags "Please come smash the windscreen and steal me - I'm worth $500, you can sell me at a swapmeet or pawnbroker!" or the quality is crap with the smaller ones where it's not even worth buying it even if for stealth install... I saw one that installs over your rearview mirror but the lcd screen that playsback the video is too big and or covers the rearview mirror when you want to use it and kinda defeats the purpose of being stealth.... If you can switch the view screen size or even turn it off revealing it to be just a simply rearview mirrior, that might just work... Can't remember how wide the view angle is or whether or not the video quality was good in both day and night.

Parking guard necessitate a hard wire kit, as your car battery will still be providing the power for the camera, or a dedicated dashcam power pack ( which are more expensive than USB power banks )

How much more are dedicated dashcam power packs over USB power banks? I've not heard such a thing before....or even knew they existed...and I'm guessing they have capacitors in there instead of battery cells? And how long do they last? Could you buy multiple of these, hook them up in parrallel and then have a day's worth of dashcam taht can be used for a full 24 hrs without even being connected to the main car battery line?

I have not verified this, or seen other do that, but the systems with remote cameras, where you can put the heat generating main unit out of direct sun, those might last a bit longer in parking mode on a hot day, even if a car in the sun still get blast furnace hot, then it is still cooler than the camera would be if it was exposed to the sun too.

As far as I know, the camera and the processor that processes the footage is the heat generator in cameras unless I'm mistaken? So you can maybe move the processor out somewhere else but you can't really move the camera out since that needs to be positioned where you want it to record....which may very well be in direct line of sunlight....

Also if you use one of those put in windscreen sun reflectors when parked, you do not want to sandwich any active electronics in the gap between one of those and the windscreen, things might melt then.

So you have to disconnect the dashcam and put it somewhere else before putting up the protective windscreen dash reflective cover thing?

Jokiins Street guardian brand make a dual remote system ( 1080p ) but it is also just about 2 X your budget, there are also a few cheaper alternatives but i dont feel comfortable recommending those.

Got a link? Wanna check it out for curiosity sake....

I think you need to be weary about the thermal limitations of all dashcams in parking mode.

So you need to find a dashcam that can withstand extreme temperatures of both ends....from say negative 100 degrees C to 100 degrees C as I don't think it gets hotter than 100 degrees inside even with all windows up and the outside temperature is like 50 degrees C....?

I didn't look into it, even it was real 4K cameras aren't great in Australia anyway, our climate is way too hot for 4K to work reliably

Yeah, my phone's 4K UHD camera burns out after a few minutes of recording, requiring cooling down so I can't record more than a few minutes at a time which sucks....

no such product

Damn...

no

Damn

also no

Damn.... Would be a perfect kit to bring in to check up on your mechanics when they do their advertised services so you can see and hear what they do to your car isntead of them turning it off (either by unplugging the power line or pressing the off button) because they dont want it recording them working or mucking around in your car..... Would also somewhat deter thieves because they cant turn off the dashcam since they dont know the password....of course Iguess they can throw and break the dashcam to turn it off that way unless the dashcam is rated for shock proof in which case it's crush and throw proof! Hahahaha So when yo ufind your dashcam you can see the thief's face and where he went!

yep like Gator, same people that do those

The only Gator product I have is their *stealth* reversing and front plate cameras. Only feedback I have after using them for a while is I wish it was wider angled so I can see the sides of the back and front of the car and a matching aspect ratio so it doesn't look warped or fish eyed because of the great view angle.....

 

[kamkar]

Stealth of course depend on your car and the layout on the windscreen, also how the rear view mirror have a say, if that is mounted off the windscreen it take up room for a camera.
In my car i have plenty of room, and a dotted area in front of the mirror, so i can mount a wedge shaped camera on the dotted area and only have the bottom 1/3 of it peek out below the dots, and so very stealthy.

Other cars a barrel shaped camera might be a better option, but wedge shape cameras even if mounted more visible, well they often come off as just another sensor on the windscreen.

They are substantial more expensive, there are a few brands that make them.

Best Dash Cam Battery Pack for Parking Mode (2023)

View our list of the best dash camera external batteries that can keep your dash cam powered while in parking mode.

dashcameras.net

Yes the processor generate the bulk of the heat, but the image sensors actually also generate heat, but they are not the issue in regard to parking mode in a hot area.
Getting the main unit with the processor out of the sun go a long way i would assume.

Street guardians dual remote camera are called SG9663DR the brand and model have their own sub forum on this forum.

The electronics in a dashcam, or the most heat sensitive ones, normally tap out around 80 degree C or there about, and a car on a summer day actually get pretty close to that just for the cabin temperature.

 

[SawMaster]

@DD20 Too much to cover in a single answer so this is just about 'stealth'. You're right about some cams being obvious, in fact most are rather obvious to someone who is looking for them. Being a camera at least the lens has to be visible to the outside or they wouldn't serve our purposes. So you either 1- Have the least amount showing, 2- Have what does show not appear to be a dashcam, 3- Have the cam situated where those looking for a cam won't likely look.. 4- Have the cam blending in to the background. And of course I'm speaking only of what is visible from outside the car to someone standing or walking past. I'm not recommending these examples as being good cams but only trying to show what I feel best demonstrates each particular approach

1- The K2S is a dual-remote and has the smallest cam modules I've seen so far. This small size is generally not associated with dashcams, but if you look it's clearly got a lens and therefore is a cam, and the angular shape may look out of place compared to factory moldings and modules.

2- The B1W has a sleek rounded appearance which looks far more like some factory-installed part than any other cam I've seen. Again you will see a lens but no avoiding that. It's the best visible stealth for dashcam as it looks more like some factory module so doesn't draw attention to itself. There was even a cheap and crappy cam once made in a 'yellow rubber duck' housing meant to look like a dashboard ornament instead of a cam.

3- You'll be trading off some other things, but you can mount many cams away from the windshield though it might require some DIY work for mounting. In many cars the view from the dome light in the roof forward is enough for dashcam purposes and not being on the windshield isn't going to stand out to those looking for dashcams since they are looking elsewhere. Something similar can be achieved by mounting a cam back from the windshield so that the roofline obscures it up close and shadows it at any distance.

4- Rear-view mirror cams are an attempt to hide in plain sight like this but none are good. Wedge cams behind a frit can hide similarly but don't always do that. Cams positioned directly in front of the mirror tend to blend in with it if they're the same color. What does this best is car-specific as every car is different.

One last approach is not often seen, but one member here took an old Mobius cam, disassembled it, and used a lens extension cable so they could make a hole for the lens in a factory housing at the mirror while hiding the PC board under it. Very custom and almost invisible but can't be easily done with most cams and has several drawbacks with it. Even if someone saw it, they wouldn't bother to steal it for profit as you couldn't sell it being taken apart that way. And the old Mobius itself presents a small front profile and doesn't look like any of the usual dashcams so can go unnoticed with some installs.

There's always a dozen or less really good cams for their time and a bunch of fairly good ones along with them. Most of us just choose whichever of these meets our feature and performance needs that will also be at least somewhat stealthy. You're often forced to compromise one for the other based on your vehicle. No one solution works for everyone or every car or even for most, so you have to decide what you want the most and what you're willing to sacrifice to get that aspect. With some thought and care in mounting there's probably a really good cam that can work for you and if you're lucky the compromises may be small or not even be necessary. Keep an open mind about non-conventional mounting and hiding things and remember that few people are looking for a dashcam, especially if it doesn't stand out.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Also depend on the observer, like the guys stealing a jeep with what appear to be a dashcam right in front of the drivers face.
Okay maybe they did see it and just decided to remove it later, and then crashing / getting busted just negated that.
In 2015 Garmin did not make any stealthy camera, pretty much all dangle from the windscreen box shaped models back then, but from the footage it is clear it is not mounted in the middle of the windscreen, must be right in front of driver.

I must say i have never noticed anyone seeing my cameras, at least not the front ones, the rear ones maybe as my car have a flat rear so you pull up even closer to that, and i now have 2 cameras there right beside each other at the very top of the glass where i still have wiper coverage.

When i provided footage of a crash i told the cop i have dashcams right there on the windscreen ( several actually and my mirror was even removed for the sake of one of them ), and the cop beding over to look in from passenger side window was like " where ????? Oooooo i see "

 

[DD20]

They are substantial more expensive, there are a few brands that make them.

Best Dash Cam Battery Pack for Parking Mode (2023)

View our list of the best dash camera external batteries that can keep your dash cam powered while in parking mode.

dashcameras.net

looks like only the last one is available for $159 USD....

In my car i have plenty of room, and a dotted area in front of the mirror, so i can mount a wedge shaped camera on the dotted area and only have the bottom 1/3 of it peek out below the dots, and so very stealthy.

Didn't you complain about how someone broke into your car and *vandalised* one of your cameras? Not very stealthy if they managed to find them and do that to your cams....

Mine has my rear view stuck to the windscreen in the middle about where the dotted area is on your photo.

Street guardians dual remote camera are called SG9663DR the brand and model have their own sub forum on this forum.

Hmmm, interesting....

One last approach is not often seen, but one member here took an old Mobius cam, disassembled it, and used a lens extension cable so they could make a hole for the lens in a factory housing at the mirror while hiding the PC board under it. Very custom and almost invisible but can't be easily done with most cams and has several drawbacks with it. Even if someone saw it, they wouldn't bother to steal it for profit as you couldn't sell it being taken apart that way. And the old Mobius itself presents a small front profile and doesn't look like any of the usual dashcams so can go unnoticed with some installs.

Where's the build log? I'd like to see some photos.....

Rear-view mirror cams are an attempt to hide in plain sight like this but none are good.

If only they were slim, were remote (dunno if there are ones that let you turn off the screen whilst its recording so then the mirror part of the rearview is visible and not blocked by the hud) and didn't have to make the stock rear view mirrior look oddly long or tall....might be great for trucks where the trucks are big and a fat or long rear view mirror wouldn't look out of place...but not in a normal compact car...

Okay maybe they did see it and just decided to remove it later, and then crashing / getting busted just negated that.

Looked like they were taking a scenic route....and then panicked when teh cops put on the lights.....and I dont even know why they even bother turning going at 80 miles an hour.....may as well keep going straight....im sure they've played a lot of need for speed to know that turn at high speed on a car with crap handling won't work well....at least in arcade style racing....and not sim racing style where the car would probably skid and slid....

 

[SawMaster]

Where's the build log? I'd like to see some photos.....

Somewhere in the Mobius forum, which is rather large. It's been quite a while ago and I didn't bookmark it but it's there if you want to find it.

The big downside of a RVM cam done well is that many cars now have a frit where the lens would need to see, and that's becoming more commonplace. RVM cams have never been well-done, only one or two even rate 'decent' for video IMHO and all are horrible for form-factor and attachment. The central high placement is perfect, exposed wires would be short and discreet, and it could be made to look almost like a factory mirror other than the lens. Every car has a mirror so it wouldn't stand out at all. There are downsides to be sure but until someone does it right these cams are best avoided, and TBH I doubt that anyone will ever do one right enough to suit me.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

complain about how someone broke into your car and *vandalised*

Indeed but the cabin camera was also right there on the mirror stalk right in the face of the guy, he probably saw it when he turned on the cabin light, i doubt he noticed any of the other cameras in my car at the time.
The replacement system also have its cabin camera mounted in the same place if the guy come back, but now i am ready for him.
If i was a Uber driver or something like that, i would also want people to see the camera, and then i will prey on ignorance and give them a song and dance of the cameras being smart and everything go strait to the cloud so no need to take the camera.

Yeah those car jackers should have taken the cop offroad, though if there are factory street tires on that jeep it wouldn't mater all that much, but just kids in this case, even adults dont think that far.
Also in the US often invane as police have helicopters too, so get really hard to hide or get away once you are in the cross hairs.

The link to power packs was also just intended as a awareness link so you get a feel for what brands to search for, some if not all you can also daisy chain power packs for even more MAH / run time

 

[DD20]

Somewhere in the Mobius forum, which is rather large. It's been quite a while ago and I didn't bookmark it but it's there if you want to find it.

So somewhere in this forum?

Every car has a mirror so it wouldn't stand out at all.

It would if the attachment is bulky and just goes over the mirror or is a completely different colour to the mirrior skin - ie you have brown mirror skin and the dashcam rear view mirrior attachment is black and the attachment doesn't even cover the entire mirror, just half of it so you have half black and half brown mirrior....which would look suspicious.......or at least attract attention.... I think the only way would be to do what that guy did with his old mobious cam and replaced the stock mirrior completely with one that has an inbuilt camera inside ready to go.... Of course you'll need to find a way to adjust the angle of the lens so you can change angle independently of the angle of your RVM.

Yeah those car jackers should have taken the cop offroad, though if there are factory street tires on that jeep it wouldn't mater all that much, but just kids in this case, even adults dont think that far.

I mean if I was jacking a car and I was already being pursuit by cops, may as well enjoy myself coz I most likely won't get the same chance again(assuming I get caught afterwards which is the most likely the result unless I kill myself before being caught...) and would either ram the cop spinning them out or just speed till they give up chase(and hope I dont run out of fuel...)! hahahaa

Also in the US often invane as police have helicopters too, so get really hard to hide or get away once you are in the cross hairs.

AHh yes....the choppers....in the games, they just shoot EMP rounds at you to disable your car outright so the cops can catch up and arrest you. Dunno if such a thing exists in real life....the only thing I can think of of taking out the chopppers would be carry a heat seeking/auto targetting rocket launcher or RPG and when a chopper comes close, BOOM! Gone! CRASH! Of course I have no idea where I would acquire such a weapon....but that's what I would do if I could and thought it through...

There's also spike strips too that I would need to avoid....so I would need to be a really good driver to avoid them....or have tires that are spike strip proof? Dunno if they exist or not but if they do I would have them....though not sure how I would go about getting them onto the stolen vehicle I'm currently jacking with 20 cop cars behind me and 5 choppers too....

But yeah, once the helicopters are down, the cops are blind until I pass one on my getaway, presumably that all cops would be alerted by now of an escaped car jacker nearby.... In games you would be able to hear the cops communication between each other and could think ahead on what to do. I'm guessing I would also need a portable cop radio station so I could hack into the cop communication network and be always one step ahead of them....until they get smart and notice me listening in on them and use some other method of communication....

Taking the plates off and replace them with new ones and respraying the car in a different colour would also help in getting away.

But imagine doing all of that? I bet that's what the kid was aiming for - a thrill ride in a cop chase just like the games! Otherwise he would have shot the guy dead and no one would have known any better until someone comes checking up on the dead guy....that would have been a smart choice because then you won't get cops on your tail after jacking his car....at least until they find that it's not really your car....but at this point he could sell it for money or whatever and jack another car whislt the cops are blind to all of this....

The link to power packs was also just intended as a awareness link so you get a feel for what brands to search for, some if not all you can also daisy chain power packs for even more MAH / run time

Ah yeah, fair enough.