Consensus on basic settings? (bitrate, loop recording, wdr, exposure, g-sensor, etc)

[BombayDuo]

What are everyone's settings for the A129 Duo?
Also, what is your reasoning for each choice?

Bitrate: high or low ?
Loop Recording: Off, 1 Min, 2 Min, 3 Min, 5 Min, 10 Min ?
WDR: On or off ?
Parking Mode: AutoDetection, Time Lapse 1fps, 2fps, 3fps, 5fps, 10fps, Low Bitrate ?
Time Lapse Recording: off, 100ms, 200ms etc ?
Motion Detection: off or on ?
G-Sensor: Low, mid, high ?
Boot Delay: off, 5 sec, 10 sec ?
Frequency: 50 or 60 hz ?

 

[Poneill]

I would also like to know this

 

[SP777]

Bitrate: high - for higher vidfeo quality (also uses more space on your microSD card)
Loop Recording: 5 Min - totally subjective choice
WDR: off - I'll do more experimenting with on/off in different weather/lighting conditions
Parking Mode: 3fps - captures enough information, but keeps space usage moderate
Time Lapse Recording: off - don't need it in drive mode
Motion Detection: off - don't need it in drive mode
G-Sensor: mid - high produces many false alarms
Boot Delay: off - don't need any delay
Frequency: 50 hz - depends on the AC power frequency in your country

 

[benkar]

My settings:
Bitrate: high - for higher video quality (also uses more space on your microSD card)
Loop Recording: 10 min. - totally subjective choice (fewer larger files are created)
WDR: off - I'll do more experimenting with on/off in different weather/lighting conditions
Parking Mode: auto event detection (full quality recording only when detected motion or G-sensor detection)
Time Lapse Recording: off - don't need it in drive mode
Motion Detection: off - don't need it in drive mode and when the parking mode is in the Auto event detection mode
G-Sensor: low
Boot Delay: off - don't need any delay
Frequency: 50 hz - depends on the AC power frequency in your country

 

[Capture Your Action]

Make sure WiFi is off when not in use.

 

[Bart57266]

I found WDR to lighten the shadows, but overall, produce a lower quality image.

 

[BCHobbyist]

What are everyone's settings for the A129 Duo?
Also, what is your reasoning for each choice?

Bitrate: high or low ?
Loop Recording: Off, 1 Min, 2 Min, 3 Min, 5 Min, 10 Min ?
WDR: On or off ?
Parking Mode: AutoDetection, Time Lapse 1fps, 2fps, 3fps, 5fps, 10fps, Low Bitrate ?
Time Lapse Recording: off, 100ms, 200ms etc ?
Motion Detection: off or on ?
G-Sensor: Low, mid, high ?
Boot Delay: off, 5 sec, 10 sec ?
Frequency: 50 or 60 hz ?

Very common and important question, I'll probably create a video on A129 Menu Settings this month until then visit my website with cheat sheet settings at bottom. The A129 works best with 5 second delay and always High Bitrate, Loop Recording 2-3mins to keep clip size below 500MB to prevent file corruption on slower memory cards. For maximum image quality always turn Off WiFi in settings before driving. Its all listed on my website.
Viofo A129 Duo Dash Cam Review: https://viofo-a129-duo-dash-cam-review.blogspot.com

 

[Randy_Buss]

Bitrate: high - for higher video quality
Loop Recording: 3 Min - totally subjective choice (shorter time segments make smaller file sizes and makes it easier to isolate and provide an incident to the authorities. Also, longer time segments make larger file sizes and take longer to download)
WDR: Definitely on for more even lighting in the videos
Parking Mode: 3fps if you have a small Micro SD card, otherwise higher is better
Time Lapse Recording: off - don't need it in drive mode
Motion Detection: off - don't need it in drive mode, however, this may change once I hardwire the unit in with the three wire installation
G-Sensor: mid
Boot Delay: off - really don't understand why anyone would want a delay, lol
Frequency: 60hz if you're in the USA, otherwise 50hz - depends on the AC power frequency in your country
Microphone: Definitely ON - audio recording is very important for details of an incident. Furthermore, if an incident occurs, you can make it a point to immediately read the license plate out loud in case the video didn't capture the license plate clearly. I've also seen a case where an individual used his firearm in self defense because an attacker said he had a gun. The audio recording from the dash cam revealed this fact to be true and was an extremely important detail during the trial. End result: The attacker took the room temperature test and didn't survive. No charges were pressed against the self defender.

WiFi: OFF - It's important to have the WiFi off; only turn WiFi on when needed for downloading files. If WiFi is on, it will lower the bitrate of the recording and lower the quality of the video significantly.

 

[Plague]

I'm having some issues with recordings on the F/R during the night. Does anyone have any recommended settings to get an overall clearer image?

 

[Randy_Buss]

To start with, I am using modified firmware.
The firmware I'm using is based on the 1.9 firmware from Viofo, but is the FWA129_MOD-8Wk_v1.90+28F+16RMbs+Sharp64+Dice Modified firmware from BC Hobbyist.
Although I'm using a higher bitrate recording in the front camera @ 28Mbs, and only 16Mbs in the rear camera, I've found the front camera more valuable for capturing license plate information. Even though the rear camera is only recorded at 16Mbs, the quality is still plenty good enough to capture images of the vehicles and people in them in the event it's needed to identify the driver.

Bitrate: high (better image recording data)
Loop Recording: 2 Min (to keep file size more manageable)
WDR: off (found it brightens darker areas but causes video to become more grainy.) Video brightness can be done post recording if need be.
Parking Mode: Low Bitrate (While file sizes will be larger, it could make the difference between having something important recorded or not)
Time Lapse Recording: off (Not necessary during low bitrate recording)
Motion Detection: off (Not necessary during low bitrate recording)
G-Sensor: Low (during parking mode)
Boot Delay: off (There is a reason to turn this on, but I don't remember why. Anyhow, what ever the reason is, I do remember it's an unlikely scenario.)
Frequency: 60 Hertz (I live in the USA where electrical is produced at 60 Hertz. Having this set at 60Hertz therefore reduces light flicker from lights)
WiFi: Absolutely off. (Having WiFi turned on severely reduces the quality/bit rate of the video.) Only turn WiFi on when you need to download a file to your phone/device. Additionally, having WiFi on for normal operation will also increase the head in the device leading to possible failure or shortened life expectancy.

Having said all, I will finish by saying all dashcams suffer with night time recordings unless you have adequate lighting to assist with the recording capabilities of the device. It will always be grainy, but how much will ultimately be determined by the amount of available light and the capability of the device to capture the available light.

 

[chudan]

Thing with Microphone recording is that one also needs to take into account whatever jurisdictional recording laws are in effect for the the driving route. Our state requires all party consent with some exceptions, so for everyday driving, every person in vehicle and/or outside vehicle within recording range would be required to give consent or the recording would have to stop. It gets even crazier when driving across state/national boundaries.

Additionally, in our state if the cam records any audio that might be used as evidence in a legal case (criminal or civil), even if it is self incriminating, destroying/withholding the recording would be construed as tampering with evidence.

And then there is everything involved with getting pulled over for a traffic stop and what LEO's can and can't do in regards to cam recording (audio and/or video).

 

[Randy_Buss]

Thing with Microphone recording is that one also needs to take into account whatever jurisdictional recording laws are in effect for the the driving route. Our state requires all party consent with some exceptions, so for everyday driving, every person in vehicle and/or outside vehicle within recording range would be required to give consent or the recording would have to stop. It gets even crazier when driving across state/national boundaries.

Additionally, in our state if the cam records any audio that might be used as evidence in a legal case (criminal or civil), even if it is self incriminating, destroying/withholding the recording would be construed as tampering with evidence.

And then there is everything involved with getting pulled over for a traffic stop and what LEO's can and can't do in regards to cam recording (audio and/or video).

You need to research this further.

What you're describing is the wire tap laws in various states, however, the wire tap laws don't apply when in public. As soon as you walk out of your house, you are then in public. When in public, audio/video recording is a 1st amendment protected activity to which no permission is required in order to exercise, nor is permission required from anyone to do so.

 

[Danky Franky]

Very common and important question, I'll probably create a video on A129 Menu Settings this month until then visit my website with cheat sheet settings at bottom. The A129 works best with 5 second delay and always High Bitrate, Loop Recording 2-3mins to keep clip size below 500MB to prevent file corruption on slower memory cards. For maximum image quality always turn Off WiFi in settings before driving. Its all listed on my website.
Viofo A129 Duo Dash Cam Review: https://viofo-a129-duo-dash-cam-review.blogspot.com

What is time lapse recordings?