Honda Drive Recorder

[Jazzdriver]

Has anyone knowledge or experience of this dashcam type device?  Good or bad? 

It looks better than having something stuck onto the windscreen with a suction pad.  But it seems to cost £400, fitted.

Thanks.

[Kremmen]

IIRC it's only 1080p which is quite low resolution these days. I've also not seen a polarising filter but it may be built in. I see it only accepts up to 32Gb SDCard which is 4 hours. However, that may be because it needs FAT32. If so then you may be able to use a bigger card and format it with third party tools.

Not all third party dashcams use a sucker. My Viofo A119 V3 sticks to the screen and is rock solid as it's also not on a stalk, and a quarter of the price.

On the plus side it does integrate so parking mode may work better than some other makes.

https://www.greenacrehonda.com/service-and-aftersales/honda-parts-accessories/honda-drive-recorder

[nowster]

The 32GB restriction used to be due to the patents on the ExFAT system and the non-free nature of the drivers for it.

Given that most automotive kit has a lead time of about 3-4 years from conception to delivery AND any kit that is tied in to the car's systems has to be certified for an automotive environment, I'm not surprised at the restrictions and the resolution.

Just getting a recent Linux kernel (with a good ExFAT driver in it) would be pretty nigh impossible.

Look at the ancient version of Android the current model Honda Jazz has on its central screen.

(I worked on the software for an integrated dashcam project a few years back. You'd be amazed at some of the crazy that goes on behind the scenes. Unfortunately I'm probably still under some sort of NDA about it.)

[sportse]

I’d asked my supplying dealer about having a dash cam fitted before delivery and they showed me this one that was just launching.

I decided against it - 1080p isn’t very high, and you can get a 4K Nextbase dash cam for £250.

I’d previously had a 1440p Nexbase and had no problems at all with it, but I’ve tried others with 1080p and road signs and number plates weren’t very clear.

The 32Gb restriction is quite low, I used to run 128Gb cards in my Nextbase.

[Jeff15]

My local Honda dealer fitted mine It was £119 but did include the £35 fixing kit, not cheap I know but I did not want to mess up my new car.

[Kremmen]

I'm heavily into dashcams over on DashcamTalk and I've been following trends over there for years.

I ditched Nextbase when they released the series 2 a few years ago as I could see design flaws. User problems posted over there have backed up my initial thoughts. The most complained about is the 522 locking up.

‐‐-------------------------------------------------------

After a lot of research I opted for a Viofo A119 V3 and it's lived up to it's reviews. Unlike Nextbase it secures to the windscreen without a ball joint and stalk and only the lens moves. I can mount/unmount it one handed and don't have to realign it each time like my old NB.
It's full QuadHD and I was running it at 2560x1440 @ 60fps but after a lot of testing I'm now running it at 2560x1080 30fps, letterbox mode to reduce sky, and the freeze frame is almost pin sharp. 128Gb card.

I captured a freeze frame at the weekend where the closing speed was about 100mph and the other cars numberplate is very sharp.

This a 60mph road but I was only doing 45mph as I was loaded for the tip (cropped) :



This is a straight cropped 60mph freeze frame :



If anyone wants a full 3 minute MP4 file to assess let me know

[sportse]

Thanks, those pictures are excellent quality.

Does anyone know of Honda dealers in/near Surrey that do installation?

[Kremmen]

Trident are in Surrey.

Those screenshots are my Viofo, not the Drive Recorder

[Jeff15]

Does anyone know of Honda dealers in/near Surrey that do installation?

Google will know.....

[ColinB]

For those of us who don’t know what “1080p”, “QuadHD”, and “2560x1080 30fps” actually mean in practice, would it be possible for someone who owns the Honda gadget to post some comparable screenshots?

[ColinB]

I worked on the software for an integrated dashcam project a few years back. You'd be amazed at some of the crazy that goes on behind the scenes. Unfortunately I'm probably still under some sort of NDA about it.

Cars have forward- and rearward-facing cameras for other reasons, plus a video display screen and ports for a USB stick, so I’ve often wondered why these aren’t used in an integrated dash cam to avoid anyone having to stick something onto the windscreen and run a cable to a power supply. Shouldn’t be beyond the wit of man if the will to do it is there, but (AFAIK) even high-end cars don’t have it. Anything you can say about the reasons for that (within the bounds of the NDA of course) gratefully received.

[nowster]

Cars have forward- and rearward-facing cameras for other reasons, plus a video display screen and ports for a USB stick, so I’ve often wondered why these aren’t used in an integrated dash cam to avoid anyone having to stick something onto the windscreen and run a cable to a power supply. Shouldn’t be beyond the wit of man if the will to do it is there, but (AFAIK) even high-end cars don’t have it. Anything you can say about the reasons for that (within the bounds of the NDA of course) gratefully received.

This was an optional fit "extra" for people who like to take their cars onto race tracks. It did automatic lap timing and engine telemetry too.

[Jocko]

Just ordered a Viofo A119 V3 on the recommendations of Kremmen. I have seen raw footage from his camera and like what I saw. I also ordered the circular polarizer. I have joined DashCam Talk but Jocko was already taken so I am JockoT there.

[sportse]

I managed to find the drive recorder manual and installation instructions online (on the Honda e forum), it’s a pretty basic device.

[sportse]

Here are the links from the Honda e forum:

https://www.hondaeforums.com/download/file.php?id=2046&sid=0b5854afa9dbf5b36d08f782e8c0c9ca

https://www.hondaeforums.com/download/file.php?id=2045&sid=0b5854afa9dbf5b36d08f782e8c0c9ca

The fitting instructions are complex.

There’s no polariser as the owners manual shows a screenshot of it in use.

https://www.hondaeforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=872&start=10