Comments on: Dash Cam Dually Review – A black box video recorder for your car

By: Andy Chen

Andy Chen — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:55:23 +0000

I bought it from Amazon, and it’s not there anymore. But I found the same on here.

http://www.buyradardetectors.com/products/arkon/bt010.aspx

By: Amy Lase

Amy Lase — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:25:33 +0000

Kindly let me know the make and model number of the windshield suction cup you used in this review. I plan to buy the camera but I do not want to have it permanently mounted on my windshield. A removable mount is good choice.

By: awagele

awagele — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:24:22 +0000

Here is a blackbox/ dashcam that works great!

Gives you protection for accidents, hit and run, traffic tickets, etc.

http://www.gpsskytracker.com

By: Edward

Edward — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:51:39 +0000

Ive been doing some research on these cameras, and I noticed this site as well. 3rdeyecam.com I wonder how the 2 cameras fair against one another.

By: Andy Chen

Andy Chen — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:40:28 +0000

Dean,
The app is called Black Box. The icon looks like a bumble bee. You’ll need the matching .dll that goes with it. No, I don’t have it anymore.

By: Dean Dimitrov

Dean Dimitrov — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:31:38 +0000

Hello, i cant find the software needed to actually view the data.
Can u tell me it’s name, so i can search it on the net.
I send an e-mail to the geargadgets.com
but i doubt they will send me anything so i’m trying everything.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:06:45 +0000

Really late follow up here, but there are exceptions to the “nothing mounted on the windshield” law: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm though, strictly speaking, this device doesn’t fall under any of those exceptions unless you’re very liberal in your interpretation of the code.

By: Amnesia Wes

Amnesia Wes — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:40:13 +0000

It is illegal to have anything mounted to a windshield in California, (ie. radar detectors, gps, compasses, etc.), so some type of dash mount needs to be made.

By: michael smith

michael smith — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:31:35 +0000

The video Spy Gadgets have posted on You Tube certainly does not look convincing, the owner call it an educational video, but as he films with one hand – probably to save a cameraman – he install with his other hand. Just the video would give me second thoughts about this outlet.

By: Andy Chen

Andy Chen — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:16:36 +0000

Adam: Done. Thanks!

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:07:21 +0000

Andy -

Your review mentions that the software had no practical way to save the video clips.

Actually, if you look at the icons in the top right of the window, the middle one is a blue icon with the photo of a disk on it. If you click that, it will give you the option to save either camera view to your computer in a format that you can either email or view most video players, such as Windows Media Player or VLC. You can also upload the video to YouTube.

Might want to update your review…the ability to save the videos is a huge benefit.

Hope this helps.

Adam

By: Patrick Ticman

Patrick Ticman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:34:11 +0000

Thanks for your response Andy. Doesnt the package suppose to have the app in the SD card already? Did you have a problem with not having the app also?
Is it a big program? Would you mind emailing it to me to make it faster? I already dropped spygadgets an email too.
I would appreciate your help.

By: Andy Chen

Andy Chen — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:05:10 +0000

Contact support at http://www.spygadgets.com and see if they can send you the app. They helped me get the app.

By: Patrick Ticman

Patrick Ticman — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:23:38 +0000

Andy, I bought the same system but when I inserted the SD card in my computer ( windows vista), I couldnt open the recorded files. I cant seem to find the app to run the recorded videos. The Manual is very confusing and is not written well for beginners. Please advise me on how to get the app so I can see the videos. I will appreciate your reply

By: Andy Chen

Andy Chen — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:35:21 +0000

Believe me, I’m no stranger to making home brew solutions. For my needs, this one comes close. I can live with the limitations, but I just can’t quite stomach the odd physical shape. It just doesn’t fit my car the way I’d like it to.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:33:51 +0000

Thanks, Andy.

I made my own DIY system a couple of years ago that costs more, but seems better suited for my needs. I don’t want to replicate it on a second car, so I’ll keep looking for other turn key solutions. (pardon the pun)

By: Andy Chen

Andy Chen — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:58:57 +0000

Let me begin by making the blanket statement that the video quality isn’t HD-quality by far. It reminds me of an average cell phone video.

What is the recording rate? (Hz)
No idea. It’s definitely not 30fps. I’d be surprised it it was 15fps.

Encoding method? (MPEG-2? H.264?)
Likewise for audio- stereo or mono? Bitrate? Etc.
Unknown. Like I mentioned in the review, you cannot view the videos unless you use the supplied app. The stored files on the SD car are un-usuable by conventional means (in other words, I have no idea what they are. It’s alphabet soup).

How long is the pre-buffer?
I couldn’t test this but I did notice that all the video files are saved in 3 min chunks. When the shock sensor reaches threshold, it ensures the chunk it’s currently on isn’t overwritten.

Can it use SDHC or is it limited to 2GB SD cards?
I did not test SDHC cards.

What kind of programmability does it have? (Adjustable resolution? Adjustable shock threshold? Ability to turn of inside IR LEDs? Etcetera)
The only adjustments are: Shock threshold (5 levels), speaker level (5 levels), interior cam on/off, and a manual record feature.

Is there (optional) encryption of the files?
Well, considering you can’t view the files without the app… Otherwise, there IS a “password setting” feature in the setup page (gear-shaped icon in the upper right).

What do the voice prompts work for? (“Recording.” “Please insert SD card.”)
The voice prompts are mostly for audible feedback of hardware switches. If you crank up the volume, it’ll tell you what level you’re at. Same for shock level. When it detects a GPS signal, it’ll say something like “signal detected”. When it reaches the pre-set shock level (when you hit a pothole… or a deer…) it’ll announce that it’s recording, even if you already ARE recording. I took it to mean it’s recording a shock event.

Is it safe to assume this automatically turns on whenever the car is turned on? How should you wire it? Switched outlet or unswitched?
This is one of the best parts of this item. If you have it plugged into a switched 12V socket, the device starts recording on startup. It also stops recording about 11 seconds after power is removed (when the car is shut off).

Is there a way to upload to YouTube? Rather- can you export the video?
Not that I can tell. Again, you can only play videos back on the app. Major drawback.

What about the picture quality? Does the image get washed out when driving into the sun?
I didn’t try that. But I suspect it’ll get washed out a bit.

What’s the field of view? Both forward and Back?
I like this bit… it’s VERY wide. Much wider than your average “cell phone” cam. In fact, I found that no matter where I placed the camera, as long as it was close to the center of the windshield, it covered front and rear beautifully.

Why does it only output 640×480 images when it’s a 1.3MP imager?
This puzzled me as well. I’m just going with the printed specs (1.3MP) and the screen shot result (640×480). Go figure.

Is it really 1.3MP for each camera or is it 1.3MP for both cameras (or .65MP per camera)?
Again, no idea. I’m gonna guess it’s really just 640×480 each. I’m just happy it works.

Is there a “panic button” for manual recording?
Yes. The left knob has a manual record function if you just want to normally NOT record, but want to record events as they happen (when you choose to).

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:45:18 +0000

What are the specs on this?

Rather:
What is the recording rate? (Hz)
Encoding method? (MPEG-2? H.264?)
Likewise for audio- stereo or mono? Bitrate? Etc.
How long is the pre-buffer?
Can it use SDHC or is it limited to 2GB SD cards?
What kind of programmability does it have? (Adjustable resolution? Adjustable shock threshold? Ability to turn of inside IR LEDs? Etcetera)
Is there (optional) encryption of the files?
What do the voice prompts work for? (“Recording.” “Please insert SD card.”)
Is it safe to assume this automatically turns on whenever the car is turned on? How should you wire it? Switched outlet or unswitched?
Is there a way to upload to YouTube? Rather- can you export the video?
What about the picture quality? Does the image get washed out when driving into the sun?
What’s the field of view? Both forward and Back?
Why does it only output 640×480 images when it’s a 1.3MP imager?
Is it really 1.3MP for each camera or is it 1.3MP for both cameras (or .65MP per camera)?
Is there a “panic button” for manual recording?

Etcetera.

By: Claire Strodtbeck

Claire Strodtbeck — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:59:31 +0000

If only I had one of these when I got into an accident in my ’94 Maxima…I could have contested the insurance settlement and proved that I wasn’t at fault. Snap!