Anyone using a black box camera for their 911? There are a lot of selections out there, not sure which one is best. I didn't want to get a track camera, looking for a camera to record daily driving.

 

I sometimes use a tiny and inexpensive Muvi with a micro SD card, which attaches to the front of the rearview mirror with velcro. It is not a good long term solution because I have to turn it on and off. I would be interested if you come across anything that is automatic, What I'd really love to see (but I assume it hasn't been invented yet) would be a 4-way camera that would provide surveillance 24/7 and record to flash memory.

 

seriously the Go Pro HD Hearo is great for this.

 

I think the issue with the GoPro and my Muvi is they aren't hardwired, gotta pull them out and charge them every day or so.

 

For daily recording, I am looking for these options:

1) night vision capabilities.
2) auto turn on and record

There are a lot of crazy drivers on the road, just in case I get hit I will have proof.

 

dark911: I'm looking for the same thing for the same reason. The Muvi is great day and night, but it has to be charged every 2 days, has to be turned on AND off, and the memory cleared. Too much work, so of course I've stopped using it daily.

When I last searched I didn't find any good hard wired solution, but I think I'm now onto something: Google "law enforcement video camera" and you will find some makers, if pricey. I'll advise if I see anything promising.

 

dark911: I just ordered something from Amazon that I thought I'd try, which can be wired into the r/v mirror power. Here is the description: "Itronics ITB-70G Car Black Box Dash Camera Video and Audio Recorder with GPS Record"

 

Sven: let me know your review on this camera, I might get one too.

 

dark911: Will do.

 

Share here when you have tried it.
I've been looking for something since the 1990's, when I thought about building my own solution. Ideally, a front facing, wide angle view, a rear (out the back) facing wide angle view, and even an inside (front the front) backward facing wide angle that can catch the sides out the side windows). All fed into a solid state recorder that is mounted under the passenger seat. Comes on when you power up the car, and records till you power off the car.. and keeps the last, oh, hour or so.

The technology exists, but a commercial enterprise doesn't seem to have produced it yet. Its got to be custom-install type, so you can embed it in your car like a lojack... in that no one knows its there unless they know where to look.

I'm no longer a college student, so I don't have the time to fiddle with that sort of development, and when I was a college student the tech wasn't mini enough yet and I didn't have the money for it.

If we don't find a solution, maybe its a small business opportunity.

 

Will do. I received the unit yesterday and attached it to the inside of the windshield behind the mirror, so I don't have to look at it. The fit and finish are nice. For now it is plugged in using the cigarette lighter. It came with a 4GB memory card. I'll pull it in a day or two and see how the picture looks. If I like it, I'll figure out how to have it wired into my mirror's electrics.

I too had been thinking there is a gap in the market. There do appear to be some expensive systems on websites geared to law enforcement, but they are heavy duty, and not stealthy.

If there is a gap it would be for something like what you describe, that has full coverage and stealth. I'm thinking though it could be hidden in plain sight, rather than embedded under a seat. Given miniaturization, it should be possible to make an aftermarket rear view mirror that is otherwise identical to stock, but has pinhole cameras at each of the four sides (front, back, and left and right ends), and a slot for a memory card. It could also be handled as a modification, where the stock mirror is removed and the elements are added.

Some law enforcement applications incorporate the r/v mirror, but not sure any pack it all in there, and they do not look anything like a standard mirror.

BTW, my primary purpose is the same as yours and dark911, to secure evidence at my option, but I would also occasionally record a nice canyon run to share with friends, family.

 

Preliminary Report: So far I like this little camera (see up-thread). It takes a series of ~ 1 minute video clips, which can be viewed on software seamlessly. The picture is pretty good, a little bit of wide angle distortion but that's what gives it a sweeping view. The picture is pretty good both in bright sun and also in the parking garage at my work.

As someone flagged up in a review on Amazon, it marks any segments where there is a jolt, but this means a lot of segments have been marked to not be overwritten as a result of cracks in pavement. Supposedly this feature can be adjusted and disabled. I will disable it, since I will know if I need to stop the overwriting process, e.g., in case of an accident.

Now I need to have someone hard wire it to the r/v mirror power; right now, I'm plugging it into the cigarette lighter.

I plan to test what happens if I delete some of the 1 minute segments - will the rest still play back okay? I think so, since you can play them individually using windows video software.

 

Hi Svan, how's the video quality at night time driving condition?

I also purchase one from china, will give you my review on this device after I get it.

BTW, since it doesn't have a screen, how do you know your camera is position correctly.

This camera I purchase has a video output which I plan to connect to my LCD screen for live view. It is also small and stealthy.

 

Dark911:

I haven't driven at night yet but will let you know how the quality is once I have done so.

To aim the camera I really just put it square in front of the mirror, and adjusted the vertical by sight. With a little methodology and lots of luck, I got it right the first time.

I will be interested in your review of the device you found.

Steve

 

I'd like to know how you are displaying the video on the LCD screen (I'm assuming you mean the PCM screen?)