Review of Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO: when the registrar warns about Strelka
I had the opportunity to test individual recorders, as well as hybrids with radar detectors or a sports orientation. But devices like the hero of this review didn’t come across to me in my hands. Although it will not be a novelty, the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO mentions I found are dated at least by the second half of 2012. Nevertheless, if someone (like me) at one time lost sight of this model, let's now get acquainted with it together. On the box with the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO is not too informative "Car DVR with GPS monitoring." In fact, the device can record video, monitor the speed of the car (and report excess), and also warn about speed cameras.
The box of the model turned out to be five points - it glitters and shimmers along the entire perimeter, and inside it completely sparkles. In general, for a gift (including himself) looks attractive. A modest informant on the back of the package says that the device was made in China, but it was developed directly in Japan. I even stole the idea that “Akenori” could mean something in Japanese, but from Asian languages ​​the ABBY Lingvo online dictionary offered me only Chinese. Looking ahead, I’ll say that the device is seriously refined “for Russia”, which is not surprising in the light of the high demand here for devices of type a) prove to the court that you are not a “camel” b) deceive the speed camera.
')
The kit includes the recorder itself, a mount, a spare pad on 3M scotch tape, a cigarette lighter power cable, an instruction, an SD memory card (not seen in recorders for a long time) of a class of 8 GB and a CD. Attentive habrakhabrovets already noticed that the manufacturer "forgot" to put a miniUSB cable. That is, you should have attached either a cable or a card reader. However, the presence of not the cheapest memory card (in my opinion) compensates for this omission.
Mount left me very mixed impressions. First, the holder on the 3M scotch tape is not a priori associated with registrars. It is not necessary to explain why with such a base the arm needs to be set aiming “once and for all”, and the attempt to remove the holder becomes a very difficult task. It is not surprising that a replacement sticker is included. Actually, the concept of the bracket in Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO conditional. The main “rocker” is fastened with the case by default, it only remains to place the “top” in the plastic part with a characteristic click, which is fixed directly on the glass.
Surprising for me was the complete lack of the ability to rotate the recorder left / right - only the setting in the vertical plane. Reckless solution for the registrar, which can easily be "not so" to install on the glass. At the same time, I have mixed feelings about how strongly you need to focus on 3M adhesive tape and the absence of a normal swivel holder. Because exactly the same situation is observed in the entire line of expensive BlackVue recorders. Probably, this is such a "feature" of devices of the premium segment, which includes BlackVue and Akenori. Only the model of the last brand is in a more favorable position, because on the official Russian website Akenori in the “accessories” section there is a normal bracket on the suction cup and, if I see correctly, a hinge.
Cigarette lighter power cable - my respect, three meters. So Akenori subtly hints that the wire should be laid along the edges of the windshield and brought under the glove compartment to the cigarette lighter socket. For especially gifted drivers, the installation diagram of the wire is clearly shown in the instructions. It is a pity that the set did not attach special hooks on the 3M scotch tape, since far from all machines the cable is “hammered” without problems under the casing.
In the manual, I found an interesting sentence in plain text, which I had never met before in the registrars. The manufacturer directly says (and shows) how to power the recorder from the car battery bypassing the cigarette lighter. I know from automobile forums that this question is more than relevant and interesting for drivers regardless of the brand of the registrar. Well, thanks to Akenori for the attentive attitude towards car owners who are not afraid to independently conduct such a "tuning".
With the mount, we figured out, now we study the body of the registrar. I don’t know if it was conceived by the designer, or it turned out during the design of the hardware, but the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO looks like a CRT TV in miniature. However, a miniature recorder can only be called on the background of a TV. And so the dimensions are 82 x 77 x 104 mm. Although the main "protruding" parameters are not directed in breadth, but in "depth." For the case material, I praise - matte plastic with a rough relief copes with the rejection of fingerprints in the way that softtach plastic should do (but never does). Only a glossy frame around the screen can get dirty, but it serves as an element of decor, and the effective area of ​​pollution here is small.
On the right side of the screen are miniHDMI and miniUSB connectors.
On the opposite side is a power switch and an SD card slot. Moreover, if the slider is moved to the “ON” position, the slot partially overlaps and does not allow removing the memory card.
From the front is the eye of the camera and the speaker slot.
Below - the microphone and the same holes for listening to the sound.
Below the screen are four buttons, now we will take a closer look at them. Between the screen and a row of keys is an LED indicator that changes colors between green, yellow and red depending on the event.
“REC” - during recording, marks the file as “emergency”, excluding from the cyclic shooting a new video with plus or minus one minute from the moment the button is pressed. A one-second hold marks the vehicle’s current coordinates as location data of the speed camera. Maybe I missed something, but I still could not find the button to stop shooting. To start recording manually, in fact, is impossible: the device does not have its own battery, and shooting starts automatically as soon as the recorder is turned on (that is, it receives power).
"Triangle" - during recording opens a list of clips. More precisely, the menu with the items - emergency videos or the display of recent records.
"Inverted triangle" - when recording opens the settings menu. It is clear that a pair of central buttons at the same time is responsible for navigating through the menu items.
“OK” - change the display mode: displaying a picture from a camera, displaying only time, only speed, or a complete shutdown of the screen. Long retention enables / disables sound recording.
There are a lot of menu items, almost 30 units. Fortunately, all of them are described in more or less detail in the instructions, so there is no need to personally “fit” into each setting and find out its purpose and available features. Of the interesting things I can note: auto-synchronization of time with the satellite, turning off the LED indicator, setting a speed limit for triggering a warning, turning on / off the camera alert. There are no parameters like manual exposition - in this respect, the recorder is focused on automation.
The characteristics indicate the GPS receiver and accelerometer models - U-Blox6 and ST L. I even found the news on the 3DNews module of the GPS module, which indicates the chip's energy efficiency, update frequency of 5 Hz, sensitivity of -147 dBm with a “cold” start and - 160 dBm during further operation. I didn’t notice any noticeable flaws - the satellites come to light quickly, the connection is maintained depending on the location, in places with trees or dense buildings, signal weakening is possible.
Accelerometer settings are all three: low, medium and high sensitivity. You can also make a "cut" module or disable it altogether. It is usually accepted to complain about the overestimated sensitivity of the G-sensor (by default), but during the tests of false positives I did not have. However, it was clear from the obtained schedules of the module that a more or less serious off-road would indeed lead to permanent emergency markings. But I liked that only ten emergency files are saved in memory, then a notification appears about the overflow of the allocated space.
As I understand it, speed cameras are updated regularly. In any case, the latest file with databases on the manufacturer’s website dates back to this October. For me, it is obvious that advanced drivers want to rely not only (and not so much) on the manufacturer's information, but on the “popular” data of projects like SpeedCam.info. The good news is that this topic is quite deeply worked out with respect to the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO. And the Russian tech support Akenori took part in this directly.
In general, I invite those interested here . In a nutshell, a special converter program was created to translate the SjSDU.bin database file (for the registrar) to TXT and back convert. The application is convenient because it can independently download the database of countries with SpeedCam.info. Also a lot of useful information can be found here . To say that Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO “catches” cameras is good or bad, I think it does not make much sense. The warning distance depends on the type of camera and roads, the value varies from 300 m to 1 km. If the screen is on, a picture appears indicating the speed limit, the current vehicle speed and the distance to the object. Also, warnings about approaching toll roads, recreation areas and tunnels are optionally available. I am not interested in this information, so they were disabled through the settings.
In the description, the Pentax lens with a viewing angle of 120 degrees and a 5-megapixel matrix with the support of WDR so desired by many drivers are praised in every way. Declared high-quality shooting at night. Optics consist of five glass lenses, which in theory a priori guarantees us a decent quality of shooting. However, this remains to be verified. Available resolution options: Full HD 30 fps and HD 60 or 30 fps. Cyclic shooting is done in 3, 5 or 10 minutes. The video is saved end-to-end, I did not notice the time gaps between files. The MPC constant bit rate showed 9 001 Kbps. A good value, rather even standard for current registrars of near-level levels. On a card with a capacity of 8 GB, approximately 2 hours of video is placed, respectively, you can calculate the time for 16 or 32 GB.
The quality of shooting in the daytime I liked. This is not ideal, in more expensive models of recorders comparable to the price, you can get a clearer and more “beautiful” video. However, I don’t observe any reasons for radical criticism - the readability of car numbers from about 15 meters is present, the image clearly does not sin with white balance errors. I can not say that the night video impressed me - there are noises, and “stars” from headlights and lanterns, and the readability of the numbers is manifested according to the principle “once in a while it’s not necessary”. In the latter case, I would not greatly sin on optics, since in almost all registrars I observe extremely unstable behavior in terms of the "readability" of car license plates.
Akenori turned out to be an interesting complex product in terms of functionality and characteristics. The model is not cheap - 8,990 rubles (~ $ 280), which is commensurate with the acquisition of a good registrar and an additional charge for the "premium" GPS features of the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO. It is clear that there will be supporters of the purchase of a separate registrar and obtaining information about the cameras through the navigator in a smartphone or an Arrow type program. However, this is a matter of taste, I will not begin to prove the priority of this or that option.
In Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO, I didn’t like just a couple of things: the lack of a built-in battery, a strange mount and the need to follow the instructions. However, the last point is inevitable, since the device is far from being the easiest. In the arsenal of the brand there is also a more advanced model Akenori 1080 X, which has the systems FCWS (Monitoring the distance to the vehicle in front) and LDWS (Monitoring the position of the car on the road relative to the dividing lines), and at the same time imposes a map directly on the video file image. The complex will cost 11,990 rubles (~ $ 374).
Equipment
The box of the model turned out to be five points - it glitters and shimmers along the entire perimeter, and inside it completely sparkles. In general, for a gift (including himself) looks attractive. A modest informant on the back of the package says that the device was made in China, but it was developed directly in Japan. I even stole the idea that “Akenori” could mean something in Japanese, but from Asian languages ​​the ABBY Lingvo online dictionary offered me only Chinese. Looking ahead, I’ll say that the device is seriously refined “for Russia”, which is not surprising in the light of the high demand here for devices of type a) prove to the court that you are not a “camel” b) deceive the speed camera.
')
The kit includes the recorder itself, a mount, a spare pad on 3M scotch tape, a cigarette lighter power cable, an instruction, an SD memory card (not seen in recorders for a long time) of a class of 8 GB and a CD. Attentive habrakhabrovets already noticed that the manufacturer "forgot" to put a miniUSB cable. That is, you should have attached either a cable or a card reader. However, the presence of not the cheapest memory card (in my opinion) compensates for this omission.
Mounting and installation
Mount left me very mixed impressions. First, the holder on the 3M scotch tape is not a priori associated with registrars. It is not necessary to explain why with such a base the arm needs to be set aiming “once and for all”, and the attempt to remove the holder becomes a very difficult task. It is not surprising that a replacement sticker is included. Actually, the concept of the bracket in Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO conditional. The main “rocker” is fastened with the case by default, it only remains to place the “top” in the plastic part with a characteristic click, which is fixed directly on the glass.
Surprising for me was the complete lack of the ability to rotate the recorder left / right - only the setting in the vertical plane. Reckless solution for the registrar, which can easily be "not so" to install on the glass. At the same time, I have mixed feelings about how strongly you need to focus on 3M adhesive tape and the absence of a normal swivel holder. Because exactly the same situation is observed in the entire line of expensive BlackVue recorders. Probably, this is such a "feature" of devices of the premium segment, which includes BlackVue and Akenori. Only the model of the last brand is in a more favorable position, because on the official Russian website Akenori in the “accessories” section there is a normal bracket on the suction cup and, if I see correctly, a hinge.
Cigarette lighter power cable - my respect, three meters. So Akenori subtly hints that the wire should be laid along the edges of the windshield and brought under the glove compartment to the cigarette lighter socket. For especially gifted drivers, the installation diagram of the wire is clearly shown in the instructions. It is a pity that the set did not attach special hooks on the 3M scotch tape, since far from all machines the cable is “hammered” without problems under the casing.
In the manual, I found an interesting sentence in plain text, which I had never met before in the registrars. The manufacturer directly says (and shows) how to power the recorder from the car battery bypassing the cigarette lighter. I know from automobile forums that this question is more than relevant and interesting for drivers regardless of the brand of the registrar. Well, thanks to Akenori for the attentive attitude towards car owners who are not afraid to independently conduct such a "tuning".
Appearance and control
With the mount, we figured out, now we study the body of the registrar. I don’t know if it was conceived by the designer, or it turned out during the design of the hardware, but the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO looks like a CRT TV in miniature. However, a miniature recorder can only be called on the background of a TV. And so the dimensions are 82 x 77 x 104 mm. Although the main "protruding" parameters are not directed in breadth, but in "depth." For the case material, I praise - matte plastic with a rough relief copes with the rejection of fingerprints in the way that softtach plastic should do (but never does). Only a glossy frame around the screen can get dirty, but it serves as an element of decor, and the effective area of ​​pollution here is small.
On the right side of the screen are miniHDMI and miniUSB connectors.
On the opposite side is a power switch and an SD card slot. Moreover, if the slider is moved to the “ON” position, the slot partially overlaps and does not allow removing the memory card.
From the front is the eye of the camera and the speaker slot.
Below - the microphone and the same holes for listening to the sound.
Below the screen are four buttons, now we will take a closer look at them. Between the screen and a row of keys is an LED indicator that changes colors between green, yellow and red depending on the event.
“REC” - during recording, marks the file as “emergency”, excluding from the cyclic shooting a new video with plus or minus one minute from the moment the button is pressed. A one-second hold marks the vehicle’s current coordinates as location data of the speed camera. Maybe I missed something, but I still could not find the button to stop shooting. To start recording manually, in fact, is impossible: the device does not have its own battery, and shooting starts automatically as soon as the recorder is turned on (that is, it receives power).
"Triangle" - during recording opens a list of clips. More precisely, the menu with the items - emergency videos or the display of recent records.
"Inverted triangle" - when recording opens the settings menu. It is clear that a pair of central buttons at the same time is responsible for navigating through the menu items.
“OK” - change the display mode: displaying a picture from a camera, displaying only time, only speed, or a complete shutdown of the screen. Long retention enables / disables sound recording.
Settings
There are a lot of menu items, almost 30 units. Fortunately, all of them are described in more or less detail in the instructions, so there is no need to personally “fit” into each setting and find out its purpose and available features. Of the interesting things I can note: auto-synchronization of time with the satellite, turning off the LED indicator, setting a speed limit for triggering a warning, turning on / off the camera alert. There are no parameters like manual exposition - in this respect, the recorder is focused on automation.
G-sensor, GPS and cameras
The characteristics indicate the GPS receiver and accelerometer models - U-Blox6 and ST L. I even found the news on the 3DNews module of the GPS module, which indicates the chip's energy efficiency, update frequency of 5 Hz, sensitivity of -147 dBm with a “cold” start and - 160 dBm during further operation. I didn’t notice any noticeable flaws - the satellites come to light quickly, the connection is maintained depending on the location, in places with trees or dense buildings, signal weakening is possible.
Accelerometer settings are all three: low, medium and high sensitivity. You can also make a "cut" module or disable it altogether. It is usually accepted to complain about the overestimated sensitivity of the G-sensor (by default), but during the tests of false positives I did not have. However, it was clear from the obtained schedules of the module that a more or less serious off-road would indeed lead to permanent emergency markings. But I liked that only ten emergency files are saved in memory, then a notification appears about the overflow of the allocated space.
As I understand it, speed cameras are updated regularly. In any case, the latest file with databases on the manufacturer’s website dates back to this October. For me, it is obvious that advanced drivers want to rely not only (and not so much) on the manufacturer's information, but on the “popular” data of projects like SpeedCam.info. The good news is that this topic is quite deeply worked out with respect to the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO. And the Russian tech support Akenori took part in this directly.
In general, I invite those interested here . In a nutshell, a special converter program was created to translate the SjSDU.bin database file (for the registrar) to TXT and back convert. The application is convenient because it can independently download the database of countries with SpeedCam.info. Also a lot of useful information can be found here . To say that Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO “catches” cameras is good or bad, I think it does not make much sense. The warning distance depends on the type of camera and roads, the value varies from 300 m to 1 km. If the screen is on, a picture appears indicating the speed limit, the current vehicle speed and the distance to the object. Also, warnings about approaching toll roads, recreation areas and tunnels are optionally available. I am not interested in this information, so they were disabled through the settings.
Video
In the description, the Pentax lens with a viewing angle of 120 degrees and a 5-megapixel matrix with the support of WDR so desired by many drivers are praised in every way. Declared high-quality shooting at night. Optics consist of five glass lenses, which in theory a priori guarantees us a decent quality of shooting. However, this remains to be verified. Available resolution options: Full HD 30 fps and HD 60 or 30 fps. Cyclic shooting is done in 3, 5 or 10 minutes. The video is saved end-to-end, I did not notice the time gaps between files. The MPC constant bit rate showed 9 001 Kbps. A good value, rather even standard for current registrars of near-level levels. On a card with a capacity of 8 GB, approximately 2 hours of video is placed, respectively, you can calculate the time for 16 or 32 GB.
The quality of shooting in the daytime I liked. This is not ideal, in more expensive models of recorders comparable to the price, you can get a clearer and more “beautiful” video. However, I don’t observe any reasons for radical criticism - the readability of car numbers from about 15 meters is present, the image clearly does not sin with white balance errors. I can not say that the night video impressed me - there are noises, and “stars” from headlights and lanterns, and the readability of the numbers is manifested according to the principle “once in a while it’s not necessary”. In the latter case, I would not greatly sin on optics, since in almost all registrars I observe extremely unstable behavior in terms of the "readability" of car license plates.
Conclusion
Akenori turned out to be an interesting complex product in terms of functionality and characteristics. The model is not cheap - 8,990 rubles (~ $ 280), which is commensurate with the acquisition of a good registrar and an additional charge for the "premium" GPS features of the Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO. It is clear that there will be supporters of the purchase of a separate registrar and obtaining information about the cameras through the navigator in a smartphone or an Arrow type program. However, this is a matter of taste, I will not begin to prove the priority of this or that option.
In Akenori DriveCam 1080 PRO, I didn’t like just a couple of things: the lack of a built-in battery, a strange mount and the need to follow the instructions. However, the last point is inevitable, since the device is far from being the easiest. In the arsenal of the brand there is also a more advanced model Akenori 1080 X, which has the systems FCWS (Monitoring the distance to the vehicle in front) and LDWS (Monitoring the position of the car on the road relative to the dividing lines), and at the same time imposes a map directly on the video file image. The complex will cost 11,990 rubles (~ $ 374).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/201986/
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