Dash cam saves your ass (no Roundabout stuff please :)

Kenny Logins · 13-02-2012 12:20pm

vibe666 wrote: »

i think the point was, both the merc and the golf were in it together.

if the merc had just jammed on the anchors for no reason and let the lorry hit him, then it would have been his own fault.

by having an accomplice as the cause for you stop suddenly which then leads to someone else hitting you, if you get away with it, it's not your fault and there's a good chance of getting a payout.

If anything I'd say that video just confirms the Merc drivers story; he was cut up and the truck wasn't maintaining a safe distance behind him.

vibe666 · 13-02-2012 12:29pm

bluewolf wrote: »

oh there's apps? i could try that, i only have an xperia x8 but it might do the job

you can get autoguard blackbox here for free and upgrade to the pro version for $1.99 after a while if you decide you like it: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.hovans.autoguard&hl=en

pro features unlock the higher resolution (up to 1080p) and bitrate (up to 5000kbps) recording amongst other things.

conzymaher wrote: »

Whats it like on battery? I remember using "DailyRoads" a similar app and in 720p mode the phone would discharge even while plugged in it was so hard on battery because of the GPS / 720p recording.

the battery will discharge is pretty heavy, but you can mitigate that by using background recording and locking your screen so it's not having to show the video and power the display as well as the GPS and encoding and recording the video all at the same time.

battery drain is always an issue with my phone (Desire HD) so I make a habit of connecting the charger whenever i get in the car and have it set to auto-start the blackbox app whenever the charger is connected.

that way, i don't have any battery drain issues as it's always charging whenever it's recording and without the display on constantly the car charger can keep up with the extra drain from using the app.

vibe666 · 13-02-2012 12:36pm

Kenny Logins wrote: »

If anything I'd say that video just confirms the Merc drivers story; he was cut up and the truck wasn't maintaining a safe distance behind him.

i guess you didn't read the accompanying article on the roadhawk website then.

This lorry driver was going about his daily driving when the car in front brakes hard causing him to collide in to his rear. On later inspection the insurance company involved deemed the video to be suspect and passed it on to the Police.

After a lengthy investigation the police have busted what they believe to be a possible crash for cash ring involving over 120 staged accidents in the last year, potentially totalling more than £3m of insurance fraud.

"We believe this to be a decoy rear end shunt in which two cars are involved. When the lorry driver pulls in to the left hand lane the Mercedes closes the gap between itself and the car in front. The VW Golf makes a sudden turn causing the Merc to brake hard. We think the Golf is used as a decoy to give the Merc the excuse of having to stop quickly".

This clearly demonstrates the advantage of having a RoadHawk forward facing GPS black box video camera to your vehicle.

"Crash for cash" incidents where fraudsters commit staged accidents to claim on other motorists insurance are at an all-time high. The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) estimates more than 30,000 accidents were staged last year costing insurance companies around £350 million. All of these costs are passed back to the policy holder increasing their premiums on average by up to £44.00

Gareth2011 · 13-02-2012 12:38pm

Kenny Logins wrote: »

If anything I'd say that video just confirms the Merc drivers story; he was cut up and the truck wasn't maintaining a safe distance behind him.

Ive seen it on those cops programs in the UK. You have 2 cars and one in front will brake and swerve to take a late exit causing 2nd car behind to brake also and then a 3rd innocent driver will go into the back of the 2nd car. Don't know if it this was a setup but it could be and I feel sorry for the truck driver. 3 seconds passed from when I first saw brake lights on the merc and driving braking so granted he wasn't tailgating the merc as he was doing the 2 second rule but at that speed truck driver should have been back alot further than he was especially if he was carrying a load.

eqwjewoiujqorj · 13-02-2012 12:40pm

vibe666 wrote: »

i actually have one myself, here's mine (the 720p one) tested on the cabra road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kk9W7P0k_M

(the video wobble is from my Pajero vibrating, not a problem with the cam)

they're a great little yoke (and very little), but not ideal really for a permanent dash cam imho, but good for a bit of craic.

The latest version of this keyring camera is #16.

These are the 'official' sellers:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-DVR-808-Car-Key-Chain-Micro-Camera-16-Real-HD-720P-H-264-Pocket-Camcorder-/180776698380?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a1721820c

Kenny Logins · 13-02-2012 1:15pm

vibe666 wrote: »

i guess you didn't read the accompanying article on the roadhawk website then.

I did, but my point was that the video proves nothing, and it was a police investigation that exposed the scam based on the suspicions of an insurance assessor.

That same insurance assessor/investigator may have had their suspicions aroused on the accounts of the accident alone, who knows...

That video, to me, just shows that the truck driver wasn't maintaining a safe distance.

vibe666 · 13-02-2012 1:53pm

lucky for the driver then that you weren't his insurance assessor or he would have ended up out of pocket.

vibe666 · 13-02-2012 5:05pm

here's another 720p test I did today using autoguard blackbox on my DesireHD at 5000kbps, just to see the best possible quality I could get out of it.

not sure if it's any better than the previous one or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU_iVDIRq40

rolion · 13-02-2012 5:10pm

vibe666 wrote: »

here's another 720p test I did today using autoguard blackbox on my DesireHD at 5000kbps, just to see the best possible quality I could get out of it.

not sure if it's any better than the previous one or not.

Thanks...

Q1 - what is "at 5000kbps" ?
Q2 - why is it freezing every 5-10s ? Saving to SD Card ?

Quite small front angle ,right side view !?

vibe666 · 13-02-2012 5:40pm

rolion wrote: »

Thanks...

Q1 - what is "at 5000kbps" ?
Q2 - why is it freezing every 5-10s ? Saving to SD Card ?

Quite small front angle ,right side view !?

A1 - the amount of video data that is saved per second. the higher the number, the bigger the video size and (hopefully) means less video info/quality is sacrificed in favour of compression of the video stream. so you could have two video's, both recorded at 720p resolution, but if one had a bit rate of 2500kbps and the other was 5000kbps, the final video size of the 5000kbps one will be approx. double that of the 2500kbps one, but the larger one will hopefully have captured more detail than the smaller one.

A2 - i'd just rebooted my phone and i think there may have been a few startup tasks running like sync etc. that could have reduced the performance. i'll try it again on my way home this evening and see if the same thing happens. i'm saving to a class 10 microSD card, so it *should* still be fast enough to save the video without buffering, even at the higher bit rate. EDIT: yep, that was it. tried it last night and it was working fine even at the highest bit rate, although i'm still not convinced the quality is any better. definitely not enough to justify the bigger file sizes anyway imho.

A3 - it's still my mobile phone, so it also get's used as a phone and a GPS etc. and is removed whenever i get out of the car, so it's sitting on my side so it's in my line of sight. the field of view is just whatever the phone is capable of. i'm sure i could fit a fisheye lens to the windscreen mount or something if it was a big issue to get a wider field of view, but i think it shows enough for my needs as is.

Alanstrainor · 13-02-2012 6:58pm

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I didn't get my mount:mad: Still in the post.

Might just tape it to the dash! I'll post up a video of the quality later on. I don't know if the super wide angle lens on mine is a good thing or not for a driving camera...

Still no mount, and the in car footage I got wasn't the greatest, couldn't put it anywhere good! I ended up having the dash in about half of the frame...Will post a vid when I get the mount. Unless you want to see me cycling through dublin!

no1beemerfan · 15-02-2012 10:38am

The outlaws brought the dashcam with them when they came last night.

My question is I have a 4GB SD card but will this be big enough to record a decent amount?

vibe666 · 15-02-2012 10:59am

no1beemerfan wrote: »

The outlaws brought the dashcam with them when they came last night.

My question is I have a 4GB SD card but will this be big enough to record a decent amount?

it depends on the bit rate that the cam records at.

we could guestimate, but the only way to tell for sure is going to be to record a sample video of say 5 minutes and then check the file size to see how big it is and then extrapolate your total recording time from there.

as an example though, my phone based dash cam normally records at a bit rate of 2888kbps and the output file size is around 21mb per minute and that gives me the video quality you'll see in my previous posts, but obviously your mileage is going to vary depending on several factors, so just give it a whizz and see what you end up with.

robbie_998 · 15-02-2012 12:47pm

I know this isint really the place for it but the one i have on adverts i want gone.

just a pain having it boxed up in my room.

price drop to €275 for the road hawk RH-2

perfect condition only used about 4 times.

Nissan doctor · 15-02-2012 12:48pm

no1beemerfan wrote: »

The outlaws brought the dashcam with them when they came last night.

My question is I have a 4GB SD card but will this be big enough to record a decent amount?

On my camera a 4GB card get me about 1:20 of recording.

JohnCleary · 15-02-2012 3:25pm

BX 19 wrote: »

If you have an Android - Daily Roads Voyger does the job

This is excellent! Now I just need to find a way of dash mounting (or below the rear view mirror) my HTC Desire

Kenny Logins · 15-02-2012 4:48pm

JohnCleary wrote: »

This is excellent! Now I just need to find a way of dash mounting (or below the rear view mirror) my HTC Desire

I had a great suction cup mount that I picked up on ebay for a tenner or so, was also using Dailyroads Voyager and HTC desire.

JohnCleary · 15-02-2012 7:42pm

OSI wrote: »

Something like this is perfect, I've had similar for my iPhone and Galaxy S and they work very well. Fit the phone snugly but are easy to get the phone in and out of.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Car-Holder-Windscreen-Mount-HTC-Desire-HD-Ace-/390390118570?pt=UK_Holders_Mounts&hash=item5ae51078aa

But doesn't that one block the lens?

CricketDude · 15-02-2012 8:04pm

Dont use your phone unless you want to be buying a new battery for it every 6 months.

vibe666 · 15-02-2012 8:49pm

CricketDude wrote: »

Dont use your phone unless you want to be buying a new battery for it every 6 months.

that's why car chargers were invented.

i've been using my htc desire hd daily with autoguard blackbox amd a windscreen mount for the last 14 months i've had it and there has been no appreciable difference in overall battery life at all.

CricketDude · 15-02-2012 8:55pm

vibe666 wrote: »

that's why car chargers were invented.

i've been using my htc desire hd daily with autoguard blackbox amd a windscreen mount for the last 14 months i've had it and there has been no appreciable difference in overall battery life at all.

Your phone battery doesnt like to be charged continuously.

Just one link about battery care. You can find many, many more. Maybe you've just been lucky.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

vibe666 · 15-02-2012 9:22pm

CricketDude wrote: »

Your phone battery doesnt like to be charged continuously.

Just one link about battery care. You can find many, many more. Maybe you've just been lucky.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

i doubt very much that luck has anything to do with it.

it's not being charged continuously and never has been, primarily due to it's usage as a dash cam.

the app usage + screen etc. actually very slightly drains the battery even when it is being car charged due to the lower output of the car charger.

if the battery is low and i need to use it as a dash cam then i'll leave it background recording with the screen off and it will reduce the drain enough to slowly recharge the battery.

other than that t will get charged as and when needed, but if i'm totally stuck, with a bit of effort i can get the battery drain down to 2-3mA at idle which will still last a good while even with very little juice left.

Kenny Logins · 15-02-2012 9:31pm

CricketDude wrote: »

Your phone battery doesnt like to be charged continuously.

Just one link about battery care. You can find many, many more. Maybe you've just been lucky.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

tl;dr

Batteries are only a fiver on ebay.

CricketDude · 15-02-2012 9:57pm

vibe666 wrote: »

i doubt very much that luck has anything to do with it.

it's not being charged continuously and never has been, primarily due to it's usage as a dash cam.

the app usage + screen etc. actually very slightly drains the battery even when it is being car charged due to the lower output of the car charger.

if the battery is low and i need to use it as a dash cam then i'll leave it background recording with the screen off and it will reduce the drain enough to slowly recharge the battery.

other than that t will get charged as and when needed, but if i'm totally stuck, with a bit of effort i can get the battery drain down to 2-3mA at idle which will still last a good while even with very little juice left.

Im not trying to argue with you. I know batteries. I work with electronic devices every day. I see the effects of different treatments of batteries day in day out. Just trying to warn people, to know what they are going to do to their batteries.
They dont have to take either yours or my words for it, but they should find out about it before going down that road.

vibe666 · 16-02-2012 1:05am

i got a cheap one off ebay for my desire HD with a hole for the lens. with a bit of a stretch, it even works with my silicone case, although one of the corners usually breaks after a few months, but after the first time it broke, i bought a bunch of them (afaik about 6 quid each inc. p&p when bought in bulk) and just swap it out for a new one any time that happens, which is cheaper and more convenient than either not using a silicone case or taking the phone in and out of it every time i put it in the car.

word of warning though, go for one of the fixed tilt/swivel ones rather than the snake type bendy ones as the vibrations are a lot worse in the snakey ones and you won't get a clean recording with it.

depending on the angle of your windscreen you'll probably end up with some of the back of the suction cup in the top corner of the field of view of the camera (as you can see in my vids from previous posts), but it's a better compromise than a choppy recording imho.

eqwjewoiujqorj · 18-02-2012 5:16pm

vibe666 · 18-02-2012 10:31pm

BX 19 wrote: »

If you have an Android - Daily Roads Voyger does the job

i've been using autoguard blackbox for over a year now, but i decided to give dailyroads voyager a go as it had been mentioned here a few times.

i used it for a couple of journeys but i just didn't like it. autoguard blackbox is a lot better imho and the pro version is only $1.99 and well worth it, especially if you have a decent phone with 720p or 1080p video.

if i only had dailyroads voyager it annoys me so much i think i'd get p1ssed off with it in a week and stop using it. i'm using autoguard again now anyway and still very happy with it and using it every day.

rob180 · 19-02-2012 7:50am

Just bought a DOD F900LHD from eBay. Looking forward to test it out soon.

opinion guy · 19-02-2012 10:33am

Nissan doctor wrote: »

On my camera a 4GB card get me about 1:20 of recording.

Yup I get the same - not enouhg really i should get a bigger card

19-02-2012 2:37pm

After using my phone to record for a while, I'm looking at getting a dashcam which starts when the car starts etc.

Would be looking at spend up to around €75. Any suggestions?

I seen loads on ebay, dealextreme.com etc, but would like to see what other people use before buying something, and finding out its shíte...

Thanks!

Dash cam saves your ass (no Roundabout stuff please :)

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