VISIONDRIVE VD3000 - HD Car Black Box w/Embedded GPS Module
This little device is exactly what I've been looking for. The Visiondrive begins recording as soon as I start the engine and does not quit until I turn off the car. I have a 50 mile commute each day (100 miles total) in the Atlanta area and the potential for being involved in an accident is very high. I once had a guy pull in front of me on the freeway and slam on his break intentionally trying to make me rear end him. Fortunately I had good breaks and a quick response time. This made me think about how I would have proved my innocence if he had succeeded since I was alone in the car. Now I have a record of everything that goes on and I feel a huge sense of relief. The camera has a fish-eye type lens that captures a wide range of view in front of you. It does not have a rear view camera so this might be a minus for some but I surmise what happens in the rear is a no brainer when it comes to proving who is at fault. The important thing is that it shows what the vehicle is doing (direction, speed, etc) at the time of impact. It also has a built-in mic to record sound which is great for calling out license plate numbers in a flash! The software for the recorder has been very well thought out; it constantly records, breaking up the recorded files into 5 minute segments (they are time stamp named accordingly). Plus it has a shock sensor that initiates an "event" recording which grabs 10 seconds of video prior to and up to 60 seconds (configurable) after the event. An "event" can also be forced by pushing a button on the unit in case you want to capture another accident that happens in front of you or for any other reason. You'll also get what I call, "pot-hole events" depending on how soft of a ride you have. Everything is recorded on an SD memory card and when the card reaches maximum capacity the software begins to write over the oldest files creating a constant loop of recording. One of the very first things you should do after getting the unit is to back up all the files that come on the SD card as it comes loaded with critical program files used by the device. I accidentally ejected the SD card while it was recording and this corrupted the card. Fortunately, I was able to reformat the card on my computer and just reinstall (copy) all of the files (which I had previously backed up). You will also need to copy these files onto another SD card if say you wanted a larger capacity card. It comes with a 4GB (class 4)SD card but I wanted more memory so I bought a 16GB (class 6) SD memory card which gives me about a weeks worth of data (the higher the class the faster it records). Installation was very quick and easy but for some strange reason I had to set the time zone for GMT -4 hours for my times to record properly as well as DST set to "off". I originally set it to EST (GMT -5 hours) with DST set to "on" and all my times were showing up 2 hours earlier than they actually occurred. The time is derived from the built in GPS which also provides constant location data which is continuously recorded. Software is included which allows you to play back the recorded data files on your PC. This shows the video and audio combined with a Google map of your route plus speed traveled and the time. This would be great for parents with teen drivers who want to monitor their kids driving habits and where they have been. The included software also allows you to create an AVI export of any portion of the video and audio which can then be played back in a media viewer such as Windows Media Player.
0 comments:
Post a Comment