stevek
Full Access Member
I have my GoPro on the suction cup mount. I just stick it to the sunroof hanging down since I think it might rip the tint off my windows, then it also gets a good view of the rear of the car
Anyone install a dash cam in their vehicle?
- Thread starter StevenFromTexas
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
I'm not seeing good reviews of GoPro products for night time driving around town. Daytime, yes. Night, no.
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
I am saying "Uncle" on this project. I am firmly convinced that there is NOTHING on the market right now that combines all of the following criteria: is small, starts/stops when the ignition is turned on/off, works well in daytime and at least O.K. at night, has a viewfinder, doesn't have more negative reviews on the Internet than positive reviews, and can take the stress of a hot vehicle interior.
I have spent way too much time researching on the Internet, and I just have to accept reality. It seems to me that the companies that make products for police vehicles are missing out on sales by not marketing a product geared toward the general public.
If I find something that looks worth trying, I'll update this topic.
I have spent way too much time researching on the Internet, and I just have to accept reality. It seems to me that the companies that make products for police vehicles are missing out on sales by not marketing a product geared toward the general public.
If I find something that looks worth trying, I'll update this topic.
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
While I can find NOTHING that meets my criteria above, there is one product that I keep going back to that has very good reviews on the Internet, and the Korean company seems to be making an effort to keep its software up to date. Their best product, the BlackVue DR400G-HD, seems to have a very good following and reputation among car cam users, especially in Canada and England.
For me, ChaseCam is out of the picture. So is Contour, GoPro, POV.HD, The Video Copilot, Zetronix and any other car cam seller that I've read about on the Internet. I may just hold my nose and a buy a BlackVue DR400G-HD and see how well it can handle Texas heat, since even some of the Canadian users say it runs on the warm side and doesn't like Canadian warm weather.
Here's the best link on the product:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/merg...hd-owners-thread-new-beta-f-w-4-18-a-1147913/
For me, ChaseCam is out of the picture. So is Contour, GoPro, POV.HD, The Video Copilot, Zetronix and any other car cam seller that I've read about on the Internet. I may just hold my nose and a buy a BlackVue DR400G-HD and see how well it can handle Texas heat, since even some of the Canadian users say it runs on the warm side and doesn't like Canadian warm weather.
Here's the best link on the product:
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/merg...hd-owners-thread-new-beta-f-w-4-18-a-1147913/
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
I went ahead and ordered a BlackVue DR400G-HD through an eBay merchant over in South Korea, since there are no United States dealers at this time. I'm sure that will change at a later date, but what the heck, I'm not going to wait for that time to arrive. I'll gamble several hundred dollars on this purchase to see how it works out. I haven't seen any other car cam product with anywhere close to the posts and positive comments on the Internet, and it is obvious from looking at the eBay merchant sales that a lot of these units are being sold.
Here's a good review on the product: http://www.carcamcentral.com/reviews/pittasoft-blackvue-dr400g-hd-video_written_review
I don't think I'll be too disappointed with the purchase, but if I am, I'll be sure and make lots of comments since I'm "Mr. Negative".
Here's a good review on the product: http://www.carcamcentral.com/reviews/pittasoft-blackvue-dr400g-hd-video_written_review
I don't think I'll be too disappointed with the purchase, but if I am, I'll be sure and make lots of comments since I'm "Mr. Negative".
ChevyFreak
Full Access Member
I went ahead and ordered a BlackVue DR400G-HD through an eBay merchant over in South Korea, since there are no United States dealers at this time. I'm sure that will change at a later date, but what the heck, I'm not going to wait for that time to arrive. I'll gamble several hundred dollars on this purchase to see how it works out. I haven't seen any other car cam product with anywhere close to the posts and positive comments on the Internet, and it is obvious from looking at the eBay merchant sales that a lot of these units are being sold.
Here's a good review on the product: http://www.carcamcentral.com/reviews/pittasoft-blackvue-dr400g-hd-video_written_review
I don't think I'll be too disappointed with the purchase, but if I am, I'll be sure and make lots of comments since I'm "Mr. Negative".
I appreciate that you are keeping this thread updated! I am looking forward to hearing your review of this product [no matter positive or negative
]. I too have been looking for a good/decent dash cam option, but have had very little luck. I have found a couple of decent products, but finding actual reviews on them is often quite difficult. Others are simply out of my price range. I just cannot understand why there is not a bigger market for these things? 
Last edited:
phileaglesfan
Full Access Member
My friend has one in his Corvette. It works great but it looks like a radar detector. It mounts just below the mirror. I can get the name, cost and pics if someone is interested.
I would never own one for everyday driving but for nice scenic roads.
I would never own one for everyday driving but for nice scenic roads.
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
Interesting how fast the package made it from South Korea to Los Angeles, California once it was shipped by the seller. However, from its arrival at a Los Angeles postal facility at 5:49 P.M. on May 4, 2012, the package has traveled a whopping forty miles or so to Santa Clarita, California, where it apparently is resting comfortably in a postal facility as of 3:55 P.M. on May 8, 2012. 
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
Everything I keep reading indicates dash cams are much more popular in several countries outside the United States. They're real popular in Russia. And now for entertainment purposes:
[yt]mmZpCtd7yy0&feature[/yt]
[yt]mmZpCtd7yy0&feature[/yt]
Last edited:
OP
OP
StevenFromTexas
Mr. Negative
The United States Postal Service attempted delivery of the Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD on 05-10-12. I picked up the unit on 05-12-12. The Korean seller did NOT update the software to the latest English version prior to shipping it to me, and the unit I received had a Korean paper manual and a Korean language voice. Yeah, that helped me a lot.
I blew four hours Saturday getting the unit updated to the latest version in English. Lots of other people have had the same problem. I found one good post that pertained exactly to my problem, but the poster left out a few critical details. Another poster on another website had the missing pieces of information, and between them, my problem was solved. I'm not going to write a long, detailed explanation of the process unless someone on this forum decides to purchase a Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD and runs into the Korean language problem. If that happens, I'll be glad to make a post.
I only want to use the dash cam when the ignition is on, as I don't like things running inside a vehicle when the ignition is off. Electronic stuff like a dash cam that average consumers use just aren't going to work well at all in cold or hot conditions, so I am not going to run into a lot of problems that many dash cam users go through when they want their units recording all the time or when sensors detect vehicle motion when the vehicle is parked. I found an unused power source to the left of the brake where I was able to power the Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD so it comes on and goes off when the ignition key is turned on and turned off. A nearby screw was used as the grounding source. The wiring is out of sight, and the unit is not visible to me (the driver) when in the vehicle.
Keep in mind that the unit I looked out for months and months and more months was a ChaseCam unit that would have cost $2,000.00. But it doesn't work at all at night, so I had to toss it out of consideration. This Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD turned out to be the best alternative I came across that worked reasonably well in daytime and reasonably well at night. No LCD, but I think I can live without that. All of the other name brands just don't cut it in low-light conditions, so they were tossed out of consideration also.
Pittasoft appears to be doing quite well in a number of countries outside of the United States. Why there aren't any distributors in the United States is one of those questions I don't have an answer for, but maybe someone will pick up the product. The company seems to be making a good effort to update its software, and I hope their next product addresses some of the problems some users are reporting. There are a lot of people buying the product and making a lot of posts outside the United States, which from my point of view is positive.
So far, I have only driven a short distance to find out that I had the camera pointed barely too low. I adjusted it up a fraction, and I'll test it later this week. The software provided by Pittasoft works well, and if I really get brave, I may try the software some Russian has provided that several posters say is much better than that provided by Pittasoft. My initial impression is I'm glad I held my nose and bought the product.
I blew four hours Saturday getting the unit updated to the latest version in English. Lots of other people have had the same problem. I found one good post that pertained exactly to my problem, but the poster left out a few critical details. Another poster on another website had the missing pieces of information, and between them, my problem was solved. I'm not going to write a long, detailed explanation of the process unless someone on this forum decides to purchase a Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD and runs into the Korean language problem. If that happens, I'll be glad to make a post.
I only want to use the dash cam when the ignition is on, as I don't like things running inside a vehicle when the ignition is off. Electronic stuff like a dash cam that average consumers use just aren't going to work well at all in cold or hot conditions, so I am not going to run into a lot of problems that many dash cam users go through when they want their units recording all the time or when sensors detect vehicle motion when the vehicle is parked. I found an unused power source to the left of the brake where I was able to power the Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD so it comes on and goes off when the ignition key is turned on and turned off. A nearby screw was used as the grounding source. The wiring is out of sight, and the unit is not visible to me (the driver) when in the vehicle.
Keep in mind that the unit I looked out for months and months and more months was a ChaseCam unit that would have cost $2,000.00. But it doesn't work at all at night, so I had to toss it out of consideration. This Pittasoft BlackVue DR400G-HD turned out to be the best alternative I came across that worked reasonably well in daytime and reasonably well at night. No LCD, but I think I can live without that. All of the other name brands just don't cut it in low-light conditions, so they were tossed out of consideration also.
Pittasoft appears to be doing quite well in a number of countries outside of the United States. Why there aren't any distributors in the United States is one of those questions I don't have an answer for, but maybe someone will pick up the product. The company seems to be making a good effort to update its software, and I hope their next product addresses some of the problems some users are reporting. There are a lot of people buying the product and making a lot of posts outside the United States, which from my point of view is positive.
So far, I have only driven a short distance to find out that I had the camera pointed barely too low. I adjusted it up a fraction, and I'll test it later this week. The software provided by Pittasoft works well, and if I really get brave, I may try the software some Russian has provided that several posters say is much better than that provided by Pittasoft. My initial impression is I'm glad I held my nose and bought the product.
