The Spring Festival will be here in one month. Whether going home or traveling on vacation, there are many friends who choose to drive by themselves, and driving safety must be the first priority. When you encounter inexplicable situations on the road, the driving recorder is the most powerful evidence. There are various types of driving recorders on the market now, and the prices vary. What should you pay attention to when purchasing a tape recorder? Today I will share some tips on purchasing a tape recorder based on my personal experience to give you a reference when traveling during the Spring Festival. Many people don't know much about tape recorders and they don't know. I don't know which brand to choose. In fact, I personally think that which brand to choose is not the least important, because there are 360, 60, 70 and other recorders. Brands around me. There is no way to define whether a brand is good or bad. Brands with high sales do not necessarily have good product quality. The probability of quality problems in electronic products is still relatively high, just like us. Some people think that it is good to recommend a certain brand of recorder that they have used for several years to other car enthusiasts. Others may have problems after buying them back. After all, the recorder is a complex electronic product that needs to operate at high temperatures and experience strong vibrations in the car all year round. The average repair rate in the industry is as high as 3 ~ 5%, so there is luck in it. No brand can guarantee that your product will not be repaired.
Currently, the more common recorder brands include 360, HP, PMR, Lingdu, Hikvision, Jiedu, PAPAGO, 70may, Yunlu, Acer, Xingkewei, etc. When choosing, you can compare several brands and consult customer service. You will find out a lot by chatting with customer service. Brands with more professional customer service are generally not bad. Even if there is a problem, it will be easier to deal with and there will be fewer disputes. I have consulted customer service of many brands. Personally, I think the more professional customer service providers are Kou Hongji, Xingkewei, and Yunlu. These three brands mainly target foreign markets, and their products are all high-end and priced.
Many people choose driving recorders because they think that at the same price, the more functions the better. But in fact, the driving recorder is mainly a recording function, providing important evidence at critical moments. In addition to clarity and stability, many additional functions are not needed. The more functions the machine has, the heavier the load, and the higher the repair rate. For example, some brands support ADAS functions, but this is just a gimmick. This function cannot achieve 100% accuracy using current technology, and the error is very large. Most people buy tape recorders to "prevent collisions" and "define traffic accidents". It is enough to choose a simple recording function, and then cooperate with the WIFI function. Never choose a recorder that is not suitable for you because of exaggerated propaganda by some merchants.
In fact, driving recorder products are practical and durable, and not all parameters are the higher the better. Now, as many merchants promote, 12 million pixels, 18 million pixels, and 24 million pixels? This is completely misleading, because what they are claiming is probably static effects, and the driving is all dynamic shots, which simply cannot achieve this pixel. Canon's SLR only has 1,800 W, and it's top-notch, costing tens of thousands of dollars. A recorder that costs hundreds of dollars is out of the question. It is completely impossible to spend hundreds of dollars to buy tens of millions of professional cameras to achieve the best results.
Currently, the driving recorder has been upgraded to 4K, which is 2160P, but there are also products with 720P resolution, so it is recommended not to consider them. Common resolutions are 1080p, 1296p, 1440p, 1600p and 2160p. Although 1080p is enough for normal use, I personally recommend starting with 1440p directly, because this kind of driving recorder can retain more image details while having higher image quality. It is recommended to choose a driving recorder that records both front and rear, because currently 60% of traffic accidents are related to rear-end collisions. Front and rear video recording can record more scenes, and you can get effective video more intuitively and quickly when encountering a rear-end collision or scratch. Of course, you should choose according to your actual preferences.
What are the recorder models currently on the market?
Electronic products such as recorders are updated quickly. It is recommended to choose a model that has just been launched recently. The new model is more mature and stable in terms of hardware. What models will be available after 2020? I'll make a summary here. There are 17 models in total. In terms of selling price, Acer DR900x has the highest price, followed by Papago D5.
In terms of launch time, Hikvision C8 was the latest, launched in October, followed by Yunlu’s R1pro in August.
Among these 17 video recorders, 11 video recorders support 2160P resolution, among which Kou Hongji DR900x, Yunlu R1pro, Papago D5, 70may A800, Jiedu D390, and Dingweite A8 support dual lenses , Hikvision C8, Hikvision C6s, Papago S36 4K, starring MINI5, 360K9K.
What is the actual shooting effect of a video recorder that supports 2160P resolution? Today we will choose three recorders that support 2160P resolution for comparison. Two of them are single lenses, namely Hikvision C8 and Gaze MINI5, while the dual lens is Yunlu R1pro.
Let me first summarize the parameters of the three driving recorders so that you can make a simple comparison.
Hikvision C8 and Yunlu R1pro are the latest models in 2021, while the MINI5 is the latest model in 2020. Among these three products, the hardware of Yunlu R1pro uses Li Anyun NT96670 with GC4653, the MINI5 uses HiSilicon Hi3559 with SONY415, and the hardware details of Hikvision C8 are not clearly marked. Let’s talk about the configurations of the other two, such as Li Anyun NT96670 and HiSilicon Hi3559, which are domestic chips that have only become popular in recent years. The most popular main control chip in the past few years was Ambarella from the United States. Many people don't know about photosensitive chips such as SONY415 and GC4653, but GC4653 is a domestically produced chip called Gekewei. According to 2020 shipment statistics, Gekowei's global market share is 29.7%, ranking first among CMOS image sensor suppliers in the global market, surpassing Sony. At present, some domestic recorder brands such as 360 and PAPAGO also use GC4653 photosensitive chips.
Let us take a look at the real shots of these three voice recorder hosts and accessories.
The three recorders have their own logos, and the lenses have film. Gaze MINI5 and Hikvision C8 do not have screens, while Yunlu R1Pro has a screen. Personally, I find it more convenient to bring a screen. Normally, you can directly operate the setting menu on this machine. If you encounter an accident on the road and need to view the video and play it back directly, there is no need to connect to the recorder WiFi. Both MINI5 and Hikvision C8 are equipped with 3M glue, and there is no way to adjust the position after installation in the car. The Gaze MINI5 lens is fixed, while the Hikvision C8 lens can be slightly adjusted up and down. Yunlu R1Pro is equipped with suction cups and 3M glue. The stand can rotate 360 ??degrees left and right, and the lens angle can be adjusted by itself.
Hikvision C8 and Gaze MINI5 are both single-lens cameras with relatively simple accessories. All are equipped with USB car charging data cable. Yunlu R1pro has dual lenses. In addition to the rear lens, it also comes with a cigarette lighter integrated cable, 3M bracket, suction cup bracket and USB data cable. A short USB cable can be connected to the USB port of the rearview mirror for power supply, which makes the installation more beautiful. At the same time, it saves the trouble of wiring and is more convenient.
We installed three machines in the car at the same time, recorded some videos to see the effect, and put the videos on the computer to watch. You can use your computer's built-in player to watch MINI5 and Yunlu R1pro videos. You can see the resolution and other parameters, and the videos are complete with no missing recordings. However, other Hikvision C8 players on the market cannot open the video, so they can only use their own players. Players also hide the parameters of the video so that they cannot see the specific resolution. There are also some damaged videos in the memory card, some of which can only be played for 1 minute, and the last 2 minutes are directly stuck on the current screen. See video progress bar below.
The next day I tested it on the road. The Hikvision C8 doesn't have it. I don't know if this is a problem with the machine, or a design flaw with its own app viewing. Some videos can be watched directly, but cannot be watched after downloading.
All three albums support WIFI connection, and the videos can be played back directly on the mobile phone. Yunlu's R1pro video is segmented and can be set to 1 minute, 3 minutes, or 5 minutes. Select a segment to download in the APP download, and Hikvision C8 and MINI5 are really anti-human designs. When downloading videos in the APP, the videos are not segmented, but all are one complete video. Drag the timeline to download it yourself.
When you want to download "Gaze MINI5", you can choose your own timeline, but there is only one timeline, either from the beginning to the middle, or from the middle to the end. You can not download the middle video alone. You need to download dozens of gigabytes of video to see the middle. WFI means it supports 5GHz. I think the entry download speed is around 10M/S, but in my test it was not that fast at all. The highest is 6M/S, sometimes more than 600k, sometimes more than 1M, more than 2M. It is not necessarily fixed at 6M, and the speed fluctuates greatly. If there is an emergency, it is best to download it first or download it the next day. A few G videophones will do. I can't stand it.
Hikvision C8 has two timelines, and you can choose a video in the middle. Unlike staring, you can pull up the timeline and choose 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes. However, there is a problem with Hikvision C8, that is, it does not stop recording, and the video will always be overwritten. I want to download the previous video, but the video recorder keeps recording, and the downloaded video freezes in the middle of playback. I watched MINI5 and Hikvision C8 playback on the APP for a long time before downloading the required videos. Without the direct segmentation of Yunlu R1pro, the practicality is really simple.
Hikvision C8 and Gaze MINI5 support voice operation, while Yunlu R1pro does not support voice operation. At first, people thought of voice as a relatively intelligent feature. After testing, it was found that it was not as useful as imagined. Originally, it could only take pictures or start recording, and it required a fixed sentence to be recognized. If there is a song in the car, the sound sometimes won't respond. If an accident occurs, you simply don't have time to think about the recorder.
Hikvision C8 and Gaze MINI5 both have ADAS driving assistance, and the error is very large. For example, the recorder may be unable to determine whether the driver actively changed lanes, resulting in false alarms. But real front-vehicle collision and distance warning requires professional radar collection data. Judging from the camera alone, there is a vehicle ahead that is about to hit, and the voice only reminds people that there is not enough reaction time. The warning before the car starts is that it recognizes the traffic lights on the sidewalk. The green light has not turned on originally, but the green light identifying the sidewalk will also prompt a green light. Maybe it will run a red light, but it won’t actually do much. Overall, Hikvision C8 has more features than Staring MINI5, but it feels flashy. In fact, many of them are gimmicks. Yunlu R1pro only has a recording function, so the operation is relatively simple.
In order to truly simulate the actual use environment, three scenes were tested, namely daytime static effect, daytime dynamic effect, nighttime sports shooting effect and nighttime low-light environment static effect.
1. Static renderings during the day
We waited for traffic lights during the day and compared the static shooting effects of the three recorders during the day. The video was shot at 4 p.m. From the video screenshots, we can see that the overall contrast of MINI5 will be blue, Hikvision C8 will be white, and Yunlu R1pro will be more natural.
First, we can see that by magnifying the first two license plates 5 times, we can clearly see the license plates in front of the three recorders and on the left. However, the license plate captured by Hikvision C8 is obviously white, and the clarity is somewhat affected.
Color contrast: Yunlu R1pro staring at MINI5 Hikvision C8
Daytime static effect: staring at MINI5 Yunlu R1pro Hikvision C8
2. The effect of daytime sports shooting
When driving, you should read the license plate clearly based on the speed of the car at that time. If the speed is too fast, it is normal even if the light is sufficient. Because dynamic effects are mainly determined by the frame rate. For example, when a balloon explodes, an ordinary camera cannot see the specific process, but a high-speed camera can. This is why. Usually the driving recorder is in a stationary state or at a low speed, the lighting conditions are guaranteed, the distance is not too far, and there is no problem in reading the license plate. The speed is different, the distance is different, and the lighting conditions are different. Looking at the license plate is relative, so there is no need to worry. Let's take a look at the shooting effects of these three recorders during daytime sports.
As can be seen from the above video screenshot, the vehicle speed at that time was 28KM/H. After magnifying the license plate 5 times, you can find that the license plate of the white car in front captured by the three recorders can be clearly seen when moving during the day. The license plate on the left is Yunlu R1pro, which has the best effect, followed by MINI5, and Hikvision C8, which has the worst effect. The green license plate was photographed directly as white, and the license plate was blurred. The green light at the intersection is directly photographed as white light.
Dynamic effect during the day: Yunlu R1pro stares at MINI5 Hikvision C8.
3. Dynamic shooting effects at night
Let’s take a look at the dynamic shooting effects of these three recorders at night. Let's take a screenshot of the car in front passing the white line at exactly the right time and see how these three recorders captured the front license plate.
As can be seen from the picture above, the vehicle speed was 21KM/H at that time. Looking at MINI5 and Yunlu R1pro, it was almost impossible to identify the license plate number in front, while the license plate captured by Hikvision C8 was not visible at all. The merchant introduces it as 8 million pixels, but the effect is not like 8 million pixels at all. I don't think there are 8 million pixels.
In terms of the dynamic effect of 20M/H vehicle speed at night, the effect of staring at the MINI5 is similar to that of the Yunlu R1pro, and the Hikvision C8 is the worst.
I originally wanted to consult Hikvision customer service, but the customer service actually told me that this is a commercial secret and cannot be disclosed. Other brands have hardware details marked out, I don't know why they are hidden. Hikvision is the leader in domestic security products. I originally thought that the performance and stability of this brand of recorder would be good. I didn’t. Don’t expect Hikvision customer service to do this, but I didn’t. Don’t reply directly in the future. This operation is really a service, I even doubt whether it is a false parameter.
Let's look at another dynamic effect of a night scene.
When the vehicle speed reaches 36 km/h, let us see the effect. The front license plates are staring at MINI5 and Yunlu R1pro, but the license plates captured by Hikvision C8 are also difficult to identify. After other vehicle speed tests, we found that if the vehicle speed is greater than 50Km/h at night, it is difficult to recognize the fonts due to the smearing, and all three driving recorders were erased without exception. Therefore, if you want to capture the license plate of a vehicle illegally occupying the emergency lane at night, unless the relative speed between you and the target vehicle is close to 0, there will definitely be smearing and the license plate font cannot be recognized.
The speed at night is 30M/H. In terms of dynamic effects, Yunlu R1pro is labeled MINI5 and Hikvision C8.
4. Low light static shooting effect.
Similarly, we waited for traffic lights at night and found a relatively dark environment to compare the static shooting effects of these three recorders in low light at night. We were parked on a bridge waiting for a red light. From the video screenshots, we can see that the overall picture of MINI5 is dark, and the poster posted on the side of the building on the left fully shows what it looks like. However, the posters on the left of Hikvision C8 and Yunlu R1pro are very clear, and the overall picture of Yunlu R1pro is brighter.
Low light static shooting effect at night: Yunlu R1pro shoots Hikvision C8 staring at MINI5.
Okay, that’s it for this article. The above is a comparison of the real shooting effects of three video recorders that support 2160P resolution in 2021. If you are a friend who wants to buy a voice recorder in the near future, you can use it as a reference. If something is wrong, you can point it out and discuss it.
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