The Urive Albatross II MD-7500P is a dual channel dashboard camera which was released in May 2013. The front camera records at 1080p, 19fps with a bit rate of 8 Mbps. The rear camera records at 720p, 19fps at a low bit rate of 4 Mbps (Note the specifications state 20fps). We would like to thank our member niko who provided the review for this camera on our forum.
Video quality during the day is very good and night is good for the front camera in most conditions. Rear camera is good during the day and average at night. While the 8Mbps bitrate is better than many other dual cameras currently available, video performance can suffer in some situations with a lot of moving objects.
The Urive Albatross II MD-7500P is bigger (front camera is 101.9 x 63.3 x 35.9 mm) than its sibling the Urive MD-8000P due to the 3.5″ touchscreen. Here is a picture of the Albatross II compared to the BlackVue DR500GW-HD.
Note that the camera can be hidden behind a rear view mirror like this.
The Albatross II comes with optional GPS, G-sensor and parking mode making it a full featured dashboard camera. It also has battery discharge protection built in with the following cut-off voltages: 11.5V, 11.7V, 11.9V, 12.1V. Note that 12.1V is a bit on the low side.
A common problem with dual cameras is macroblocking or pixelation due to the low bit rates used. The Albatross II is using a bit rate of 8Mbps front and 4Mbps rear. The following video illustrates the pixelation problem. Note the video was recorded in “1 channel” mode with a bitrate of 12Mbps and frame rate of 29fps. In “2 channel” mode, the quality would be worse given the lower 8Mbps bit rate and 19fps recording.
Blinking LEDs
The camera has blue blinking “security” LEDs on the front and rear cameras and there is no option to turn them off. You can use black electrical tape to cover both LEDs.
Framerate
As mentioned previously, the framerate in the specification is 30fps for 1 channel recording and 20fps for dual channel. The camera actually records at 29Fps for 1 channel recording and 19fps for 2 channel recording.
Switching off the Rear Camera
Currently there is no way to switch off the rear camera via the settings. To switch off the rear camera you need to pull out rear camera video / power cable.
Mounting the Camera
Our member niko has come up with a sliding bracket solution for this camera as illustrated in the following video. Full instructions can be found here.
Sample Videos
Day Video – Front
Night Video – Front
Should I Purchase?
While this model is one of the better dual channel cameras, the high cost, relatively low bitrate / framerate and medium size make it a hard sell. If a dual camera system is a must, compare this with the BlackVue DR550GW-2CH (has WiFi but lower bit rate) or the Urive MD-8000P Shotgun (is smaller and cheaper). All 3 systems have their drawbacks. Unfortunately there are very few good multi-channel cameras available at the moment.
Firmware
The latest English firmware and player can be downloaded from the Urive site.
User Manual
You can download the manual here. The menu interface can be seen in this video by niko.
Specifications
Detailed Specifications
Read Review
Camera Type
Dual Channel
Form Factor
Hanging - Rectangular
Country
China
Processor
Unknown
CMOS Front
Unknown
CMOS Rear
Unknown
Channels
2
Screen
3.5"
Touchscreen
Yes
GPS
Optional
G-Sensor
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Parking Mode
Buffered
Lock Files
Auto
Max Resolution Front
1920×1080p
Front Frames Per Second
19
Max Bitrate Front (Mbps)
8
Max Resolution Rear
1280×720p
Rear Frames Per Second
19
Max Bitrate Rear (Mbps)
4
Video Format
AVI
Compression
H.264
Diagonal Viewing Angle Front
120°
Diagonal Viewing Angle Rear
110°
SD Card Type
MicroSD
Max Size (Spec)
32GB
Max Size (User)
32GB
Size Front (mm)
102 x 63 x 36
Size Rear (mm)
54 x 27 x 25
Mount
Adhesive
Power Supply
12V
Operating Temp
-20°C to 70°C
Battery
150mAh
Error Notification
No
Apps
PC
Cloud Connectivity
No
Release Date
Mar 2013
Unique Features
Buffers video in parking mode (saves 10 seconds before impact / motion detection and 20 seconds after)
Advantages
OK video quality for a dual camera
Disadvantages
Low framerate and bit rate
Large size
Final Word
First dual camera with 1080p front and 720p rear. Reasonable dual cam option.
Published: November 12, 2013
Urive Albatross II MD-7500P - DashCamTalk
The Urive Albatross II MD-7500P is a good camera but high price, size and pixelation are drawbacks.
