Smuggling from China - marriage and darkness for Russians
If you follow the market of smartphones, tablets, then surely in the course of manufacturers' love to release different versions of the same device different for different countries or regions. The differences are often due to obvious specifics - for example, in phones for South Korea, there must necessarily be an antenna for T-DMB digital mobile TV. Russian amateurs to buy cheaper devices from China everywhere are confronted with reduced frequency bands of 3G and 4G, because of which sometimes they find problems with the normal support of domestic mobile networks by devices purchased in Chinese online stores.
It also happens that the manufacturer, based on certain considerations, supplies to the one market the devices with the element base cheaper, and on the other - with the element base more expensive. For example, it was the case with the Korean and American versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4, when the release for operators in the US cost $ 16 cheaper in cost.
Moreover, it is often quite difficult to recognize these differences in a typical table with characteristics, without parsing the devices.
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It would seem that the topic of regional versions differing from each other is infinitely far from the market of video recorders ...
However, in this article, I am following the “hot pursuit” of communication with representatives of the official service of BlackVue in Russia, I will tell (and show) why this is not so. How brands of video recorders (and, the most top brands!) For different countries produce different versions of the same model. And why such a difference to the fullest is used by dishonest sellers, offering almost at the prices of “white” devices “gray”, counterfeit goods. In this case, the buyer of the “gray” registrar receives models with simplified, cheaper components - say, the GPS will search for satellites longer, and the Wi-Fi module will “hit” the maximum within the vehicle.
Offhand, it seems that the maximum difference between the same DVR and its adaptation to different countries is the language of the firmware. Or sometimes, manufacturers completely block or disable (but leave a loophole to enable) the function "speeds" - warnings about speed cameras. Indeed, in a number of EU countries, such electronic advisers are banally prohibited by law. Therefore, as you understand, there registrars with similar functionality of protection against speed cameras will never be allowed to store shelves.
In 2016, the South Korean company BlackVue, the manufacturer of the most technologically advanced video recorders in the world, decided to experimentally test the release of special versions of recorders adapted for certain countries. In some cases, decisions were dictated by economic considerations, in others - by specifics of operating conditions. For example, in the absence of severe frosts, it makes no sense to install the most expensive and reliable supercapacitors (they are also ionistors) into recorders manufactured for South American countries. As the experience of past years has shown, a cheaper “superbattery” (such were used in the first BlackVue models) with a guaranteed guaranteed work resource of one year, in reality, it quietly withstands at least three years. And after all, the three-year term is the prerogative of the most durable and costly ionistor in the flagship BlackVue 2015-2016 year.
Initially, the economic motive for preparing regional versions of devices was manifested in the desire of BlackVue to stimulate sales of its recorders in China. As you understand, it is in this country that, perhaps, 99% of the automobile “black boxes” of the “consumer goods” category are produced. And even models with flagship characteristics are worth some kind of pathetic hundred dollars (let us leave aside the question that hardware should also be made to work with the right software in order to reveal its potential properly). For comparison, in the current BlackVue lineup, the most affordable top-end BlackVue DR650S-1CH with one camera costs almost $ 350. If you pay for the installation and "cloud" functions, the total price tag without batting an eye easily passes for $ 500. Agree, with such data it would be too optimistic to declare the Chinese market and expect increased demand for devices from the population, which is spoiled by ultra-cheap (although far from the most high-quality) car DVRs.
BlackVue DR650S-1CH - the world's first video recorder with constant Internet access, "cloud" and anti-theft technology
Therefore, BlackVue decided to follow the path of installing simplified versions of a number of components, which would allow to slightly reduce the cost of models, and, therefore, the final price for consumers. What kind of elements? We will tell about it in details below. Let's tell on a specific example.
Among others, the European editions of devices are most fortunate. Although in Russia and Western Europe, countless Chinese handicrafts are available to consumers, however, buyers are more sober in their assessment of portable consumer electronics. Since they understand that high-quality goods, and even if we are talking about innovative, advanced functions, a priori can not be cheap. That is why BlackVue supplies the reference versions of its recorders to these countries, with the most expensive components inside and without any savings on the components.
The all-time brand presence in Russia is the exclusive supplier of BlackVue devices to BVC Trade, which has worked closely with the manufacturer in the fight against smuggling from the very beginning of its operations with this top Korean brand. I must say, very successfully: rare stores are now at risk of putting up a counterfeit for sale. However, a small list of such pseudo-offices can be found here .
In Russia, a counterfeit BlackVue registrar has created a situation where the consumer most often does not even suspect that he is buying a device that was illegally imported for sale, in a significant number of cases with cheaper components. A cheaper "piece of hardware" in turn leads to some limitations in the use of the device. An ordinary buyer of such a “gray” device, in the overwhelming majority of cases, sincerely believes that the official “white” registrar acquires itself. That is, the choice in favor of counterfeit is often made unconsciously, trite out of ignorance.
The reason for this is the pricing policy of the few remaining smuggling sellers. Let's think about smartphones again. For example, in 2016, Russia began to officially sell products by Xiaomi, whose smartphones are famous for their extremely attractive price-performance ratio. The result is the same story as 99.9% of attempts by Chinese mobile players to honestly fight for the wallets of the Russians. For example, by ordering Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 from Chinese online stores, you can buy it for less than 10,000 rubles, and in Svyaznoy the same model costs exactly twice as much - 20,000 rubles. Even at Avito, the price tag from domestic resellers does not exceed 13,000 rubles. As a result, the difference in price between a “white” and a “gray” smartphone turns out to be too big. And every consumer on the move clearly sees and understands where the device is legally sold, and where is the counterfeit.
With BlackVue recorders everything is much more complicated. Below in the table you can see for a number of models the price comparison between the distributor and the counterfeit sellers.
Particularly inventive sellers write the official price tag, cross out and indicate how much the counterfeit will be sold. True, they are silent about the very unpleasant costs that will result in a meager, in essence, benefit.
And what about the consumer? He enters Yandex.Market and sees that the price range is insignificant, but if there is an opportunity to gain a couple of thousand rubles - why not use it? Due to the meager difference on average at 9%, the user does not even think that he can buy a “gray” device with “reduced” characteristics instead of a full-fledged flagship. Moreover, such a “setup” awaits the consumer at the registrar not for 3-5 thousand, but for 12-15 and even 20 thousand rubles. That is, having saved a couple of thousand, the buyer receives a premium product far from the most premium level.
I will remind, on Geektimes the detailed review of BlackVue DR650S-2CH - the representative of new generation of premium video recorders with support of mobile "cloud" technologies, functions of the autoalarm system and security anti-theft system was already published. The device is included in the new line of 2016, all here are three models - BlackVue DR650S-1CH (one camera, 20,990 rubles), BlackVue DR650S-2CH (two cameras, 26,990 rubles) and BlackVue DR650-2CH IR (two cameras, 28 990 rubles, the second is equipped with IR diodes for shooting in the dark).
Using the BlackVue Over the Cloud for 7,800 rubles, the registrar gets constant access to the Internet, and the driver, in turn, has a 24-hour connection with the registrar from anywhere in the world. Depending on the situation, the camera can send real-time notifications to the smartphone (you must first download the BlackVue program from the App Store or Google Play to the phone). Let's say if someone, without your knowledge, started the car or a movement was noticed in the frame.
After receiving the message, you can instantly connect to the camera and see what is happening in real time. Plus, through the smartphone, it is possible to view the location of the recorder on the map, as well as in the Live mode, the speed of its movement.
Here's how the cloud functions of the BlackVue DR650S line work:
In the most important thing - the quality of the shooting - the BlackVue DR650S-2CH has no equal at any time of the day. These are recorders with the best video quality from all models of any manufacturers.
In the afternoon, the readability distance of state numbers in the video recorded by BlackVue DR650S recorders reaches a record 25 meters (in all other recorders - a maximum of 15-18 meters), and at night - up to 20 meters (instead of a maximum of 12-15 meters from any competitors)! BlackVue DR650S sets a record in this regard.
But back to smuggling. And a small touch. Russians do not like “baryg” in retail chains - those that sell a smartphone worth 10,000 rubles for 20,000 rubles. So, pay attention - sellers of counterfeit BlackVue do not pay customs duty, do not bear the full tax burden, but registrars still sell almost at the price of officially sold models. Guess three times - who frankly cash in on the consumer?
Unfortunately, in a minority of cases, we sell BlackVue models for South Korea or European countries as “gray” devices. As already mentioned, this is a reference to uncrossed devices. To adapt to the Russian consumer, you only have to tinker a bit with installing the domestic version of the firmware instead of the German or Korean one. Most of the "illegal" devices are imported to us from China, as a result, users who have paid for the purchase of almost the price of a "white" gadget, as a result get several problems at once.
Problem number one - the lack of warranty support official service. The Russian distributor, as the only official representative of the company in Russia, assumes obligations under the international guarantee of BlackVue. BUT! Providing a normal service is impossible if the differences are present at the hardware level. That is, you will be replaced with a speaker, will adjust the lens. But how will GPS be repaired to you if another (simplified for the Chinese market) version of the module is installed in the registrar, and the service has only a regional set of “white” spare parts for official Euro version?
Problem number two - the so-called "refs" or refurbished vehicles. The official Russian distributor receives BlackVue recorders in sealed branded boxes sealed with at least the manufacturer's original tape. This way it is guaranteed that if anyone opens the package with the models, then perhaps the customs officers. Therefore, the intervention of a third party is excluded, which could replace the devices with defective ones or even dig out the inside of the recorders in order to replace any components with cheaper ones.
The smuggling devices are delivered in branded Alt-Pak type shopping bags, which the Chinese partners of the Russian smugglers use.
Employees of the official BlackVue service have repeatedly encountered a situation where a client brought a completely new registrar who did not want to work properly. For example, the GPS tracks showed frequent interruptions in signal reception, when the power supply was cut off, the camera abruptly turned off with the last video “steaming”. Upon closer inspection, in the official service, it turned out that the model had obviously already managed to be repaired, and, obviously, our Chinese neighbors have, you know, characteristic signs of opening the device with small Chinese hands.
In the restored models, the so-called “refs”, there is nothing bad about, for example, Apple products. The restored iPhone is essentially no different from the usual - there are new official components. When you purchase a rebuilt Apple phone through the MTS or Svyaznoy salon, there is nothing to fear. And if you buy from the hands of a small Russian online store or even more so from a seller with Aliexpress? Obviously, in such a case, with a very high probability, you become a participant in a win-win lottery. Prizes - poorly restored apparatus. Or a model with the replacement of original components (case, glass, etc.) with cheaper and lower-quality counterparts - the Chinese black market of components is truly bottomless and immense.
We can only speculate why Chinese “exporters” organize similar with BlackVue recorders and substitute their Russian barge-dealers. Version number one is the banal sale of refurbished models for the price of new ones, which makes it possible to put a few dozen extra yuan in your pocket. As you understand, the Russian side is physically unable to disassemble and inspect each of the hundreds of imported devices. What are the unclean Asians. In addition, if the Chinese master knows that the camera will go to Russia, then surely it will not be “worn out” and will make repairs using the “tyap-lyap” method in the shortest possible time. In normal services, after the breakdown has been fixed in the recorder, the camera is additionally tested for at least one or two days in order to prevent recurrence of the “sore”. Guess whether an employee of the Chinese service who rivets reconditioned machines on a stream will spend for this time? Yes, he better ten more recorders for the same time mend.
Version two is less plausible, but we would not exclude it completely. This is the receipt of new components instead of non-working ones. A motivated Asian service technician is capable of delicately disassembling a model so that an ordinary master from a Russian service who does not have sufficient training specifically for this particular model of this manufacturer will not notice the trick. The result - the component (the same GPS-receiver) is removed, in its place a partially inoperable and / or cheaper one is installed. And the end customer can not guess about it - after all, the registrar is most often used on the “set and forget” principle.
Before moving on to the most "tasty" (and hidden in the registrar case), let's talk about some simple ways to detect "gray" BlackVue devices.
1. Look at the “ Partners ” section on the official Russian BlackVue website. It provides convenient tools for quick search of stores throughout Russia, which are implemented by the official "white" registrars, provided with a manufacturer's brand warranty.
2. On the box with the device you can find a sticker with the S / N - serial number. Directly on blackvue.ru, you can enter a number and instantly find out if you are buying an official “white”, legally imported device with full support from the Russian official BlackVue service or in your hands - a counterfeit copy, with a high probability with a “trimmed” piece of iron.
As an option, call the toll-free technical support hotline at 8 (800) 775-05-64 (open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday-Friday). Dictate the serial number of the machine to find out its origin.
By the way, the first two points will be especially useful to you also in case of buying a used model from hands.
2. Check with the seller before the purchase for how long the warranty applies. As a rule, smuggling sellers set a two (!) Times shorter duration - just six months instead of one year of official BlackVue warranty support. We have already found out above that smuggling sellers are already making good money selling counterfeit goods at the price of officially imported products. The reduced warranty allows you to get an additional source of cost reduction - after six months, any repair the buyer will have to do for money.
And yes, once again we remind you that the difference in the price of the official and contraband BlackVue recorders averages 9% or up to 2 thousand rubles for budget models with a price of 10-20 thousand rubles and up to 3 thousand rubles in the case of expensive top models for 20-30 thousand rubles.Agree, the savings are extremely doubtful, if we are talking about such a significant reduction in the period of warranty service.
3. Study the warranty card. This method works partially, because only at the end of 2016 the BlackVue recorders officially delivered to Russia are supplied with exclusive warranty cards in Russian. If the box with the device contains a warranty translated into Russian, you can be sure of the “white” device in front of you.
On the left is an internationally guaranteed warranty card, Sparva - a warranty card for Russian versions of BlackVue recorders (supplied with a registrar from the end of 2016)
On the left - a warranty card for Russian versions of BlackVue recorders, on the right - a warranty card of a “base” seller’s service
3. Protective hologram “BVC Trade” on the box. None of the counterfeit sellers has yet learned to forge this hologram, but we would recommend this item to be put into practice along with the verification of the serial number.
An employee of the only official distributor of BlackVue devices in Russia - BVC Trade - sticks branded holograms onto the boxes
BlackVue DR650S-2CH packaging. On the right is the European (Russian) version with a branded hologram, on the left is the Chinese version without a hologram
4. The integrity of the packaging. Russian smuggling sellers, whether from China or other countries, receive devices with non-Russian firmware. Accordingly, so that the domestic buyer does not have any suspicions, it is required to install Russian firmware. How to do this if the boxes with the new models are carefully packed in plastic film? Of course, tear the film and "fill" the firmware. It is clear that selling the device with the opened box is “not comme il faut”, therefore smugglers have to spend extra money on re-packing the boxes in a transparent plastic film.
Packaging BlackVue DR650S-2CH. On the right is the European (Russian) version with neat seams of the packaging film, on the left is the Chinese version, the film has been opened to access the recorder and install the Russian firmware. Then another wrapping film was manually wrapped around the box and “sewn up” with a hair dryer.
Pay attention that the factory boxes had a very neat, thin factory seam made by the machine at the junction of the film. Smuggling has continuous manual labor: a person wraps a box in polyethylene and “presses” the edges of the film on the sides with a [building] hairdryer.
This is who packs boxes with BlackVue recorders in South Korea into film (an example is shown in the image. BlackVue doesn’t disclose the model of the packaging machine :))
That's who packs boxes with BlackVue recorders in Russia into film
We turn to the most interesting - thereby the regional differences between BlackVue devices for different countries. We decided to visually show everything with a real example of a real consumer who applied to the official BlackVue service. In the photo - Daniel, who bought the flagship BlackVue DR650S-2CH model here from one of the sellers of the seryak, the PROLINE company. Almost immediately, Daniel found out that the videos were copied via Wi-Fi to the smartphone’s memory for a suspiciously long time, and the GPS receiver consistently spends at least five minutes searching for satellites. Therefore, turned to the service. True, with a successful "error" - addressed to the address indicated on the official website of the brand - blackvue.ru , and not the coupon of the purchased device.
As a result, employees of the Russian BlackVue service center decided to give Daniel a brand-new “white” BlackVue DR650S-2CH as a goodwill gesture, pick up a counterfeit copy and disassemble it. So that you, dear readers, on the example of the apparatus purchased by Daniel, see with your own eyes what the differences are between the Chinese version of the model and the full-fledged Russian (European) one.
A little later, after the counterfeit registrar was handed over, Daniel received from BVC Trade a new and white, “official” BlackVue DR650S-2CH
Well, let's proceed to the analysis. At first, everything is going well - the hulls in the Chinese and European versions are the same. The wireless sound on / off module (just hold your finger at a distance of two centimeters from the left side of the camera) is the same.
The first thing you notice is the different color of one of the boards. In the “European” both “records” are green, in the “Chinese” one is blue. However ... In fact, this is not an indicator of regional versions at all, colors may vary from batch to batch, so look further.
Your view has probably already attracted the yellow component - this is a supercapacitor, it is also an ionistor. This component serves several purposes. In lithium-polymer batteries, which are installed, perhaps, in 95% of all recorders sold in Russia (and in 100% of Chinese devices), an autonomous survey is provided for from a couple of minutes to half an hour. However, due to temperature fluctuations, such batteries are capable of failing in one winter-summer cycle - completely losing capacity or swelling.
Swollen battery is a typical common service problem for Mio recorders.
In addition, when a fully discharged battery (if an auxiliary battery is not provided on the board), the date and time settings are lost. Finally, in minus temperature, most likely, you will not be able to turn on the recorder until the interior warms up (the battery does not charge in the "minus" - elementary physics).
Supercapacitor does not allow autonomous shooting, but it has other advantages. This element is guaranteed to ensure the inclusion and operation of the recorder at temperatures down to -20 ° C. Charged during recording, the ionistor ensures that the date and time will not get stuck with a completely de-energized camera.
However, supercapacitors may differ in the work pledged by the resource. In the early models of the brand - the BlackVue DR400G and the BlackVue DR400G-HD II - a relatively simplified (compared to the components of the 2016 line) version of the ionistor with a fixed failure-life resource for one year was installed. This does not mean that exactly after 12 months the user went for repairs. However, with relatively high loads due to the changing contrasting climate (as it happens in Russia), the repair of the supercapacitor was required more often than in countries like Malta or New Zealand with a mild, flat climate throughout the year.
So, in the European versions of the current line of BlackVue DR650S, including the BlackVue DR650S-2CH model, the later developed version of the brand ionistor is used. With a pledged work resource of at least three years. Outwardly, it is easy to distinguish between an early and a later version of the supercapacitor, the “annual” ionistor comes in a rubberized yellow shell. It is this cheaper supercapacitor used in the Chinese versions of BlackVue recorders to reduce the cost of devices.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, on the top - the Chinese version, on the bottom - the European (Russian)
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, on the right - the Chinese version, on the left - the European (Russian)
A modern ionistor looks completely different and looks like a double finger-type battery in a metal shell. It is this supercapacitor with a high “strength” margin of at least three years that is installed in European (that is, Russian) BlackVue models.
Point number two is the W-Fi module. In the Chinese version, there is only a chip on the board, and it was borrowed from the generation of the generation before last BlackVue DR500GW HD. This device was the first device of the brand with support for Wi-Fi. Alas, the speed of video copying according to the originally developed chip was 2-3 times lower than in the current, modern modules for the BlackVue models of the 2016 line with support for the wireless connection of the recorder and the smartphone.
Interestingly, outwardly, you can not distinguish between Wi-Fi chips of previous generations and the current generation. The only difference is that the antenna was cut out in the Chinese delivery.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, Wi-Fi module. On the right - the Chinese version, on the left - the European (Russian)
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, Wi-Fi module. On the right is the Chinese version, on the left is the European (Russian).
Therefore, if in the Russian BlackVue DR650S-2CH your smartphone will “reach out” to the recorder at a distance of up to 20 meters, then the “Chinese” will be up to a maximum of 1 meter. In most cases, you will most likely connect to the recorder from the driver’s seat. However, even here a highly suspended camera may be out of communication with your mobile equipment. Especially if you are driving a big car - a jeep, a truck or a bus.
The last difference between the “official” and the Chinese delivery is the GPS receiver. For a start, let us pay attention to the fact that the modules with a ceramic antenna are noticeably different in appearance, at least in terms of dimensions. Again, this is not an indicator of regional differences - such variation is permissible, because, like other manufacturers, BlackVue is working on already released models. If necessary, in the subsequent batches updated components can be installed.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, GPS antenna. Right - Chinese, left - "European."
However, an important distinction between a European and a Chinese receiver still exists and is in the battery on the board. If you read various materials on comparative analyzes of recorders on Geektimes, then you probably know that the receiver needs such a battery so that when the recorder is off, calculate the movement of satellites (according to the latest data received when the camera is turned off) and when the recorder is turned on again, quickly locate the device.
Examples of GPS-receiver batteries to speed up the search for satellites during a cold start
Such a backup battery solution seriously speeds up a cold start, which instead of searching for satellites from scratch turns into a quick hot start.
The Chinese version of the BlackVue DR650S-2CH is equipped with a simpler antenna, without a battery, so it takes an average of five to establish a stable connection with satellites, but sometimes it takes up to 10 minutes. In principle, if you move out of the house, this time is “eaten up” - as long as you start the car, while you leave the yard. On the other hand, when you travel on your way home from work, you almost immediately get on a busy road. Therefore, I would like to receive a recording of the track with coordinates “from and to” in order in case of an accident to show not only a video to the traffic police inspector or the court, but also a map showing the progress made.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, GPS module. Right - European (Russian) version, left - Chinese version
For “tightening the screws”, lovers of selling counterfeit BlackVue from the very first year of their presence in Russia have acted very simply. For example, for one of the very first BlackVue DR400G-HD II models in our country, Russian firmware in general could not be installed without the help of the Russian BlackVue service. In the free access was only a beta version and custom translations. If the user tried to put Russian on top of the English version (Korean, any other one), the registrar would immediately die, that is, turn into a “brick”.
This approach is still relevant, of which users are warned on the Russian-language BlackVue website in the “ Support ” section, where it is written in red letters: “INSTALLING DATA OF THE FIRMWARE ON COUNTERFACTURING VIDEO RECORDERS CAN LEAD TO THEIR EXIT FROM THE SYSTEM”. However, the Russian-language firmware itself is available in the public domain, and if desired, with certain difficulties, you can still install them on counterfeit products. We emphasize that by means of certain manipulations, an attempt to update with the standard procedure (downloading the firmware to the recorder’s memory card) will result in the model being “scorched”, that is, to bring the Russified counterfeit into complete failure.
Since January 2017, BlackVue has introduced a new protection mechanism, in which you will never be able to install Russian firmware on smuggled recorders. Not at all. Only and exclusively in the official service. Therefore, you will receive models in English, Chinese, but not in Russian from smuggling sellers. Or, the craftsmen will eventually make custom firmware curves in Russian, for which you will automatically lose the guarantee of the official BlackVue service (and at the same time, in the "cloud" models - and access to Internet functions).
"Salt" is that the Korean manufacturer has offered the Russian distributor a model with an exclusive hardware and software bundle. That is, in order to fill in the Russian firmware into your Chinese (whatever - Spanish, Korean, Hindu) BlackVue, you need not just to come to the service. It is necessary to replace the nand-memory on the board. Solder the installed and solder the correct one. In other words, for the Russian market there will be unique “locked” nand-memory chips.
Test nand-memory with locked Russian-language firmware
The procedure of painstaking replacement of nand-memory with Chinese firmware on a component with Russian
The operation was successful - nand-memory with locked Russian-language firmware installed on the motherboard of the "gray" BlackVue DR650S-2CH
We have already clarified that mainly the counterfeit BlackVue models in Russia are devices made for the Chinese market. These are devices that are equipped with a number of simplified cheaper components - for the sake of lowering the final price of devices in the Chinese market. In an amicable way, in order to bring such devices to a “European view”, you need to replace Wi-Fi, GPS models, reinstall the supercapacitor and change the firmware (from January 2017, together with nand-memory). Therefore, since 2017, BVC Trade, the only official supplier of BlackVue recorders in Russia, has been offering a special “whitewash” program for counterfeit recorders. The operation to replace the chip and other necessary components + the official installation of the Russian-language firmware - the user is asked to pay 10,000 rubles for all these operations. After that, he will receive not only an apparatus adapted for Russia, but also a full-year annual guarantee of the Russian BlackVue service, calculated from the moment of “whitewashing” the DVR.
This same 10,000 rubles includes, among other things, the situation when you provide a poorly restored Chinese version for “whitewashing”. Where, in addition to replacing nand and regional components, a complete diagnosis and repair of the device will be required. After going through the procedure, the device will be considered official, “white” and, as we have already noted, a branded guarantee will apply to it. Calculated from the moment of the “whitewash” procedure.
The manufacturer also develops measures for regional restrictions on “cloud functions” from 2017, specifically for the Russian versions of the BlackVue DR650S line. This means that in English, German and other BlackVue 650S shipments you can never activate the Cloud in Russia. That is, register an account, enter it, but the connection of new cameras will be blocked.
Finally - and what will happen to the already imported smuggling? While BlackVue and BVC Trade are considering various options. For example, when installing subsequent updates, the firmware will determine whether the model is “white”. If not, the device will turn into a “brick”, with which, again, you will have to go to the official service.
The goal of the “whitewash” program and, in general, the struggle of the only official Russian distributor of BlackVue recorders with counterfeit is to provide all BlackVue users in Russia with normal, workable devices and a full-fledged branded service from the manufacturer. After all, for the Chinese versions of the brand models, this is impossible due to the use of not only other firmware, but also a different hardware. Whereas “whitening” allows you to make a Russian adaptation of the device on a turnkey basis - with the replacement of components by “Euroversion” and the installation of Russian firmware.
In the registrars of the brand issued from the fourth quarter of 2016 and onwards, the firmware with Russian will be “locked” with a memory chip. Therefore, owners of “gray” devices to get “normal” firmware without options will have to contact the official service and go through the full “whitewash” procedure.
A locked memory with Russian firmware will help to finally overcome counterfeit and deprive smugglers of the opportunity to sell "gray" devices under the guise of "white". After all, at the time of purchase, the user cannot independently understand whether the delivery is “white” or not, the device will work normally in Russia or not (although with our advice it has become much easier to figure out which particular device is gray or official, white you offer to purchase). But if there are problems with the device, the last thing the user thinks about is that it was the seller who deceived him. Usually there is only the idea that BlackVue makes low quality recorders, and this causes direct damage to the brand's reputation. That is why BlackVue, through its official distributor in Russia, is taking all possible measures to protect, on the one hand, the reputation of a serious top brand. And on the other hand, to render effective help to those who fell for smugglers and accidentally bought a “gray”, incompletely working regional Chinese version of the device.
It also happens that the manufacturer, based on certain considerations, supplies to the one market the devices with the element base cheaper, and on the other - with the element base more expensive. For example, it was the case with the Korean and American versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4, when the release for operators in the US cost $ 16 cheaper in cost.
Moreover, it is often quite difficult to recognize these differences in a typical table with characteristics, without parsing the devices.
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It would seem that the topic of regional versions differing from each other is infinitely far from the market of video recorders ...
However, in this article, I am following the “hot pursuit” of communication with representatives of the official service of BlackVue in Russia, I will tell (and show) why this is not so. How brands of video recorders (and, the most top brands!) For different countries produce different versions of the same model. And why such a difference to the fullest is used by dishonest sellers, offering almost at the prices of “white” devices “gray”, counterfeit goods. In this case, the buyer of the “gray” registrar receives models with simplified, cheaper components - say, the GPS will search for satellites longer, and the Wi-Fi module will “hit” the maximum within the vehicle.
Offhand, it seems that the maximum difference between the same DVR and its adaptation to different countries is the language of the firmware. Or sometimes, manufacturers completely block or disable (but leave a loophole to enable) the function "speeds" - warnings about speed cameras. Indeed, in a number of EU countries, such electronic advisers are banally prohibited by law. Therefore, as you understand, there registrars with similar functionality of protection against speed cameras will never be allowed to store shelves.
In 2016, the South Korean company BlackVue, the manufacturer of the most technologically advanced video recorders in the world, decided to experimentally test the release of special versions of recorders adapted for certain countries. In some cases, decisions were dictated by economic considerations, in others - by specifics of operating conditions. For example, in the absence of severe frosts, it makes no sense to install the most expensive and reliable supercapacitors (they are also ionistors) into recorders manufactured for South American countries. As the experience of past years has shown, a cheaper “superbattery” (such were used in the first BlackVue models) with a guaranteed guaranteed work resource of one year, in reality, it quietly withstands at least three years. And after all, the three-year term is the prerogative of the most durable and costly ionistor in the flagship BlackVue 2015-2016 year.
Initially, the economic motive for preparing regional versions of devices was manifested in the desire of BlackVue to stimulate sales of its recorders in China. As you understand, it is in this country that, perhaps, 99% of the automobile “black boxes” of the “consumer goods” category are produced. And even models with flagship characteristics are worth some kind of pathetic hundred dollars (let us leave aside the question that hardware should also be made to work with the right software in order to reveal its potential properly). For comparison, in the current BlackVue lineup, the most affordable top-end BlackVue DR650S-1CH with one camera costs almost $ 350. If you pay for the installation and "cloud" functions, the total price tag without batting an eye easily passes for $ 500. Agree, with such data it would be too optimistic to declare the Chinese market and expect increased demand for devices from the population, which is spoiled by ultra-cheap (although far from the most high-quality) car DVRs.
BlackVue DR650S-1CH - the world's first video recorder with constant Internet access, "cloud" and anti-theft technology
Therefore, BlackVue decided to follow the path of installing simplified versions of a number of components, which would allow to slightly reduce the cost of models, and, therefore, the final price for consumers. What kind of elements? We will tell about it in details below. Let's tell on a specific example.
Among others, the European editions of devices are most fortunate. Although in Russia and Western Europe, countless Chinese handicrafts are available to consumers, however, buyers are more sober in their assessment of portable consumer electronics. Since they understand that high-quality goods, and even if we are talking about innovative, advanced functions, a priori can not be cheap. That is why BlackVue supplies the reference versions of its recorders to these countries, with the most expensive components inside and without any savings on the components.
Smugglers, profane and enterprising Chinese
The all-time brand presence in Russia is the exclusive supplier of BlackVue devices to BVC Trade, which has worked closely with the manufacturer in the fight against smuggling from the very beginning of its operations with this top Korean brand. I must say, very successfully: rare stores are now at risk of putting up a counterfeit for sale. However, a small list of such pseudo-offices can be found here .
In Russia, a counterfeit BlackVue registrar has created a situation where the consumer most often does not even suspect that he is buying a device that was illegally imported for sale, in a significant number of cases with cheaper components. A cheaper "piece of hardware" in turn leads to some limitations in the use of the device. An ordinary buyer of such a “gray” device, in the overwhelming majority of cases, sincerely believes that the official “white” registrar acquires itself. That is, the choice in favor of counterfeit is often made unconsciously, trite out of ignorance.
The reason for this is the pricing policy of the few remaining smuggling sellers. Let's think about smartphones again. For example, in 2016, Russia began to officially sell products by Xiaomi, whose smartphones are famous for their extremely attractive price-performance ratio. The result is the same story as 99.9% of attempts by Chinese mobile players to honestly fight for the wallets of the Russians. For example, by ordering Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 from Chinese online stores, you can buy it for less than 10,000 rubles, and in Svyaznoy the same model costs exactly twice as much - 20,000 rubles. Even at Avito, the price tag from domestic resellers does not exceed 13,000 rubles. As a result, the difference in price between a “white” and a “gray” smartphone turns out to be too big. And every consumer on the move clearly sees and understands where the device is legally sold, and where is the counterfeit.
With BlackVue recorders everything is much more complicated. Below in the table you can see for a number of models the price comparison between the distributor and the counterfeit sellers.
Particularly inventive sellers write the official price tag, cross out and indicate how much the counterfeit will be sold. True, they are silent about the very unpleasant costs that will result in a meager, in essence, benefit.
And what about the consumer? He enters Yandex.Market and sees that the price range is insignificant, but if there is an opportunity to gain a couple of thousand rubles - why not use it? Due to the meager difference on average at 9%, the user does not even think that he can buy a “gray” device with “reduced” characteristics instead of a full-fledged flagship. Moreover, such a “setup” awaits the consumer at the registrar not for 3-5 thousand, but for 12-15 and even 20 thousand rubles. That is, having saved a couple of thousand, the buyer receives a premium product far from the most premium level.
I will remind, on Geektimes the detailed review of BlackVue DR650S-2CH - the representative of new generation of premium video recorders with support of mobile "cloud" technologies, functions of the autoalarm system and security anti-theft system was already published. The device is included in the new line of 2016, all here are three models - BlackVue DR650S-1CH (one camera, 20,990 rubles), BlackVue DR650S-2CH (two cameras, 26,990 rubles) and BlackVue DR650-2CH IR (two cameras, 28 990 rubles, the second is equipped with IR diodes for shooting in the dark).
Using the BlackVue Over the Cloud for 7,800 rubles, the registrar gets constant access to the Internet, and the driver, in turn, has a 24-hour connection with the registrar from anywhere in the world. Depending on the situation, the camera can send real-time notifications to the smartphone (you must first download the BlackVue program from the App Store or Google Play to the phone). Let's say if someone, without your knowledge, started the car or a movement was noticed in the frame.
After receiving the message, you can instantly connect to the camera and see what is happening in real time. Plus, through the smartphone, it is possible to view the location of the recorder on the map, as well as in the Live mode, the speed of its movement.
Here's how the cloud functions of the BlackVue DR650S line work:
In the most important thing - the quality of the shooting - the BlackVue DR650S-2CH has no equal at any time of the day. These are recorders with the best video quality from all models of any manufacturers.
In the afternoon, the readability distance of state numbers in the video recorded by BlackVue DR650S recorders reaches a record 25 meters (in all other recorders - a maximum of 15-18 meters), and at night - up to 20 meters (instead of a maximum of 12-15 meters from any competitors)! BlackVue DR650S sets a record in this regard.
But back to smuggling. And a small touch. Russians do not like “baryg” in retail chains - those that sell a smartphone worth 10,000 rubles for 20,000 rubles. So, pay attention - sellers of counterfeit BlackVue do not pay customs duty, do not bear the full tax burden, but registrars still sell almost at the price of officially sold models. Guess three times - who frankly cash in on the consumer?
Unfortunately, in a minority of cases, we sell BlackVue models for South Korea or European countries as “gray” devices. As already mentioned, this is a reference to uncrossed devices. To adapt to the Russian consumer, you only have to tinker a bit with installing the domestic version of the firmware instead of the German or Korean one. Most of the "illegal" devices are imported to us from China, as a result, users who have paid for the purchase of almost the price of a "white" gadget, as a result get several problems at once.
Problem number one - the lack of warranty support official service. The Russian distributor, as the only official representative of the company in Russia, assumes obligations under the international guarantee of BlackVue. BUT! Providing a normal service is impossible if the differences are present at the hardware level. That is, you will be replaced with a speaker, will adjust the lens. But how will GPS be repaired to you if another (simplified for the Chinese market) version of the module is installed in the registrar, and the service has only a regional set of “white” spare parts for official Euro version?
Problem number two - the so-called "refs" or refurbished vehicles. The official Russian distributor receives BlackVue recorders in sealed branded boxes sealed with at least the manufacturer's original tape. This way it is guaranteed that if anyone opens the package with the models, then perhaps the customs officers. Therefore, the intervention of a third party is excluded, which could replace the devices with defective ones or even dig out the inside of the recorders in order to replace any components with cheaper ones.
The smuggling devices are delivered in branded Alt-Pak type shopping bags, which the Chinese partners of the Russian smugglers use.
Employees of the official BlackVue service have repeatedly encountered a situation where a client brought a completely new registrar who did not want to work properly. For example, the GPS tracks showed frequent interruptions in signal reception, when the power supply was cut off, the camera abruptly turned off with the last video “steaming”. Upon closer inspection, in the official service, it turned out that the model had obviously already managed to be repaired, and, obviously, our Chinese neighbors have, you know, characteristic signs of opening the device with small Chinese hands.
In the restored models, the so-called “refs”, there is nothing bad about, for example, Apple products. The restored iPhone is essentially no different from the usual - there are new official components. When you purchase a rebuilt Apple phone through the MTS or Svyaznoy salon, there is nothing to fear. And if you buy from the hands of a small Russian online store or even more so from a seller with Aliexpress? Obviously, in such a case, with a very high probability, you become a participant in a win-win lottery. Prizes - poorly restored apparatus. Or a model with the replacement of original components (case, glass, etc.) with cheaper and lower-quality counterparts - the Chinese black market of components is truly bottomless and immense.
We can only speculate why Chinese “exporters” organize similar with BlackVue recorders and substitute their Russian barge-dealers. Version number one is the banal sale of refurbished models for the price of new ones, which makes it possible to put a few dozen extra yuan in your pocket. As you understand, the Russian side is physically unable to disassemble and inspect each of the hundreds of imported devices. What are the unclean Asians. In addition, if the Chinese master knows that the camera will go to Russia, then surely it will not be “worn out” and will make repairs using the “tyap-lyap” method in the shortest possible time. In normal services, after the breakdown has been fixed in the recorder, the camera is additionally tested for at least one or two days in order to prevent recurrence of the “sore”. Guess whether an employee of the Chinese service who rivets reconditioned machines on a stream will spend for this time? Yes, he better ten more recorders for the same time mend.
Version two is less plausible, but we would not exclude it completely. This is the receipt of new components instead of non-working ones. A motivated Asian service technician is capable of delicately disassembling a model so that an ordinary master from a Russian service who does not have sufficient training specifically for this particular model of this manufacturer will not notice the trick. The result - the component (the same GPS-receiver) is removed, in its place a partially inoperable and / or cheaper one is installed. And the end customer can not guess about it - after all, the registrar is most often used on the “set and forget” principle.
Practice - learn to distinguish between the original BlackVue for Russia and the Chinese version
Before moving on to the most "tasty" (and hidden in the registrar case), let's talk about some simple ways to detect "gray" BlackVue devices.
1. Look at the “ Partners ” section on the official Russian BlackVue website. It provides convenient tools for quick search of stores throughout Russia, which are implemented by the official "white" registrars, provided with a manufacturer's brand warranty.
2. On the box with the device you can find a sticker with the S / N - serial number. Directly on blackvue.ru, you can enter a number and instantly find out if you are buying an official “white”, legally imported device with full support from the Russian official BlackVue service or in your hands - a counterfeit copy, with a high probability with a “trimmed” piece of iron.
As an option, call the toll-free technical support hotline at 8 (800) 775-05-64 (open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday-Friday). Dictate the serial number of the machine to find out its origin.
By the way, the first two points will be especially useful to you also in case of buying a used model from hands.
2. Check with the seller before the purchase for how long the warranty applies. As a rule, smuggling sellers set a two (!) Times shorter duration - just six months instead of one year of official BlackVue warranty support. We have already found out above that smuggling sellers are already making good money selling counterfeit goods at the price of officially imported products. The reduced warranty allows you to get an additional source of cost reduction - after six months, any repair the buyer will have to do for money.
And yes, once again we remind you that the difference in the price of the official and contraband BlackVue recorders averages 9% or up to 2 thousand rubles for budget models with a price of 10-20 thousand rubles and up to 3 thousand rubles in the case of expensive top models for 20-30 thousand rubles.Agree, the savings are extremely doubtful, if we are talking about such a significant reduction in the period of warranty service.
3. Study the warranty card. This method works partially, because only at the end of 2016 the BlackVue recorders officially delivered to Russia are supplied with exclusive warranty cards in Russian. If the box with the device contains a warranty translated into Russian, you can be sure of the “white” device in front of you.
On the left is an internationally guaranteed warranty card, Sparva - a warranty card for Russian versions of BlackVue recorders (supplied with a registrar from the end of 2016)
On the left - a warranty card for Russian versions of BlackVue recorders, on the right - a warranty card of a “base” seller’s service
3. Protective hologram “BVC Trade” on the box. None of the counterfeit sellers has yet learned to forge this hologram, but we would recommend this item to be put into practice along with the verification of the serial number.
An employee of the only official distributor of BlackVue devices in Russia - BVC Trade - sticks branded holograms onto the boxes
BlackVue DR650S-2CH packaging. On the right is the European (Russian) version with a branded hologram, on the left is the Chinese version without a hologram
4. The integrity of the packaging. Russian smuggling sellers, whether from China or other countries, receive devices with non-Russian firmware. Accordingly, so that the domestic buyer does not have any suspicions, it is required to install Russian firmware. How to do this if the boxes with the new models are carefully packed in plastic film? Of course, tear the film and "fill" the firmware. It is clear that selling the device with the opened box is “not comme il faut”, therefore smugglers have to spend extra money on re-packing the boxes in a transparent plastic film.
Packaging BlackVue DR650S-2CH. On the right is the European (Russian) version with neat seams of the packaging film, on the left is the Chinese version, the film has been opened to access the recorder and install the Russian firmware. Then another wrapping film was manually wrapped around the box and “sewn up” with a hair dryer.
Pay attention that the factory boxes had a very neat, thin factory seam made by the machine at the junction of the film. Smuggling has continuous manual labor: a person wraps a box in polyethylene and “presses” the edges of the film on the sides with a [building] hairdryer.
This is who packs boxes with BlackVue recorders in South Korea into film (an example is shown in the image. BlackVue doesn’t disclose the model of the packaging machine :))
That's who packs boxes with BlackVue recorders in Russia into film
We turn to the most interesting - thereby the regional differences between BlackVue devices for different countries. We decided to visually show everything with a real example of a real consumer who applied to the official BlackVue service. In the photo - Daniel, who bought the flagship BlackVue DR650S-2CH model here from one of the sellers of the seryak, the PROLINE company. Almost immediately, Daniel found out that the videos were copied via Wi-Fi to the smartphone’s memory for a suspiciously long time, and the GPS receiver consistently spends at least five minutes searching for satellites. Therefore, turned to the service. True, with a successful "error" - addressed to the address indicated on the official website of the brand - blackvue.ru , and not the coupon of the purchased device.
As a result, employees of the Russian BlackVue service center decided to give Daniel a brand-new “white” BlackVue DR650S-2CH as a goodwill gesture, pick up a counterfeit copy and disassemble it. So that you, dear readers, on the example of the apparatus purchased by Daniel, see with your own eyes what the differences are between the Chinese version of the model and the full-fledged Russian (European) one.
A little later, after the counterfeit registrar was handed over, Daniel received from BVC Trade a new and white, “official” BlackVue DR650S-2CH
Well, let's proceed to the analysis. At first, everything is going well - the hulls in the Chinese and European versions are the same. The wireless sound on / off module (just hold your finger at a distance of two centimeters from the left side of the camera) is the same.
The first thing you notice is the different color of one of the boards. In the “European” both “records” are green, in the “Chinese” one is blue. However ... In fact, this is not an indicator of regional versions at all, colors may vary from batch to batch, so look further.
Your view has probably already attracted the yellow component - this is a supercapacitor, it is also an ionistor. This component serves several purposes. In lithium-polymer batteries, which are installed, perhaps, in 95% of all recorders sold in Russia (and in 100% of Chinese devices), an autonomous survey is provided for from a couple of minutes to half an hour. However, due to temperature fluctuations, such batteries are capable of failing in one winter-summer cycle - completely losing capacity or swelling.
Swollen battery is a typical common service problem for Mio recorders.
In addition, when a fully discharged battery (if an auxiliary battery is not provided on the board), the date and time settings are lost. Finally, in minus temperature, most likely, you will not be able to turn on the recorder until the interior warms up (the battery does not charge in the "minus" - elementary physics).
Supercapacitor does not allow autonomous shooting, but it has other advantages. This element is guaranteed to ensure the inclusion and operation of the recorder at temperatures down to -20 ° C. Charged during recording, the ionistor ensures that the date and time will not get stuck with a completely de-energized camera.
However, supercapacitors may differ in the work pledged by the resource. In the early models of the brand - the BlackVue DR400G and the BlackVue DR400G-HD II - a relatively simplified (compared to the components of the 2016 line) version of the ionistor with a fixed failure-life resource for one year was installed. This does not mean that exactly after 12 months the user went for repairs. However, with relatively high loads due to the changing contrasting climate (as it happens in Russia), the repair of the supercapacitor was required more often than in countries like Malta or New Zealand with a mild, flat climate throughout the year.
So, in the European versions of the current line of BlackVue DR650S, including the BlackVue DR650S-2CH model, the later developed version of the brand ionistor is used. With a pledged work resource of at least three years. Outwardly, it is easy to distinguish between an early and a later version of the supercapacitor, the “annual” ionistor comes in a rubberized yellow shell. It is this cheaper supercapacitor used in the Chinese versions of BlackVue recorders to reduce the cost of devices.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, on the top - the Chinese version, on the bottom - the European (Russian)
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, on the right - the Chinese version, on the left - the European (Russian)
A modern ionistor looks completely different and looks like a double finger-type battery in a metal shell. It is this supercapacitor with a high “strength” margin of at least three years that is installed in European (that is, Russian) BlackVue models.
Point number two is the W-Fi module. In the Chinese version, there is only a chip on the board, and it was borrowed from the generation of the generation before last BlackVue DR500GW HD. This device was the first device of the brand with support for Wi-Fi. Alas, the speed of video copying according to the originally developed chip was 2-3 times lower than in the current, modern modules for the BlackVue models of the 2016 line with support for the wireless connection of the recorder and the smartphone.
Interestingly, outwardly, you can not distinguish between Wi-Fi chips of previous generations and the current generation. The only difference is that the antenna was cut out in the Chinese delivery.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, Wi-Fi module. On the right - the Chinese version, on the left - the European (Russian)
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, Wi-Fi module. On the right is the Chinese version, on the left is the European (Russian).
Therefore, if in the Russian BlackVue DR650S-2CH your smartphone will “reach out” to the recorder at a distance of up to 20 meters, then the “Chinese” will be up to a maximum of 1 meter. In most cases, you will most likely connect to the recorder from the driver’s seat. However, even here a highly suspended camera may be out of communication with your mobile equipment. Especially if you are driving a big car - a jeep, a truck or a bus.
The last difference between the “official” and the Chinese delivery is the GPS receiver. For a start, let us pay attention to the fact that the modules with a ceramic antenna are noticeably different in appearance, at least in terms of dimensions. Again, this is not an indicator of regional differences - such variation is permissible, because, like other manufacturers, BlackVue is working on already released models. If necessary, in the subsequent batches updated components can be installed.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, GPS antenna. Right - Chinese, left - "European."
However, an important distinction between a European and a Chinese receiver still exists and is in the battery on the board. If you read various materials on comparative analyzes of recorders on Geektimes, then you probably know that the receiver needs such a battery so that when the recorder is off, calculate the movement of satellites (according to the latest data received when the camera is turned off) and when the recorder is turned on again, quickly locate the device.
Examples of GPS-receiver batteries to speed up the search for satellites during a cold start
Such a backup battery solution seriously speeds up a cold start, which instead of searching for satellites from scratch turns into a quick hot start.
The Chinese version of the BlackVue DR650S-2CH is equipped with a simpler antenna, without a battery, so it takes an average of five to establish a stable connection with satellites, but sometimes it takes up to 10 minutes. In principle, if you move out of the house, this time is “eaten up” - as long as you start the car, while you leave the yard. On the other hand, when you travel on your way home from work, you almost immediately get on a busy road. Therefore, I would like to receive a recording of the track with coordinates “from and to” in order in case of an accident to show not only a video to the traffic police inspector or the court, but also a map showing the progress made.
BlackVue DR650S-2CH, GPS module. Right - European (Russian) version, left - Chinese version
“Whitewash program”
For “tightening the screws”, lovers of selling counterfeit BlackVue from the very first year of their presence in Russia have acted very simply. For example, for one of the very first BlackVue DR400G-HD II models in our country, Russian firmware in general could not be installed without the help of the Russian BlackVue service. In the free access was only a beta version and custom translations. If the user tried to put Russian on top of the English version (Korean, any other one), the registrar would immediately die, that is, turn into a “brick”.
This approach is still relevant, of which users are warned on the Russian-language BlackVue website in the “ Support ” section, where it is written in red letters: “INSTALLING DATA OF THE FIRMWARE ON COUNTERFACTURING VIDEO RECORDERS CAN LEAD TO THEIR EXIT FROM THE SYSTEM”. However, the Russian-language firmware itself is available in the public domain, and if desired, with certain difficulties, you can still install them on counterfeit products. We emphasize that by means of certain manipulations, an attempt to update with the standard procedure (downloading the firmware to the recorder’s memory card) will result in the model being “scorched”, that is, to bring the Russified counterfeit into complete failure.
Since January 2017, BlackVue has introduced a new protection mechanism, in which you will never be able to install Russian firmware on smuggled recorders. Not at all. Only and exclusively in the official service. Therefore, you will receive models in English, Chinese, but not in Russian from smuggling sellers. Or, the craftsmen will eventually make custom firmware curves in Russian, for which you will automatically lose the guarantee of the official BlackVue service (and at the same time, in the "cloud" models - and access to Internet functions).
"Salt" is that the Korean manufacturer has offered the Russian distributor a model with an exclusive hardware and software bundle. That is, in order to fill in the Russian firmware into your Chinese (whatever - Spanish, Korean, Hindu) BlackVue, you need not just to come to the service. It is necessary to replace the nand-memory on the board. Solder the installed and solder the correct one. In other words, for the Russian market there will be unique “locked” nand-memory chips.
Test nand-memory with locked Russian-language firmware
The procedure of painstaking replacement of nand-memory with Chinese firmware on a component with Russian
The operation was successful - nand-memory with locked Russian-language firmware installed on the motherboard of the "gray" BlackVue DR650S-2CH
We have already clarified that mainly the counterfeit BlackVue models in Russia are devices made for the Chinese market. These are devices that are equipped with a number of simplified cheaper components - for the sake of lowering the final price of devices in the Chinese market. In an amicable way, in order to bring such devices to a “European view”, you need to replace Wi-Fi, GPS models, reinstall the supercapacitor and change the firmware (from January 2017, together with nand-memory). Therefore, since 2017, BVC Trade, the only official supplier of BlackVue recorders in Russia, has been offering a special “whitewash” program for counterfeit recorders. The operation to replace the chip and other necessary components + the official installation of the Russian-language firmware - the user is asked to pay 10,000 rubles for all these operations. After that, he will receive not only an apparatus adapted for Russia, but also a full-year annual guarantee of the Russian BlackVue service, calculated from the moment of “whitewashing” the DVR.
This same 10,000 rubles includes, among other things, the situation when you provide a poorly restored Chinese version for “whitewashing”. Where, in addition to replacing nand and regional components, a complete diagnosis and repair of the device will be required. After going through the procedure, the device will be considered official, “white” and, as we have already noted, a branded guarantee will apply to it. Calculated from the moment of the “whitewash” procedure.
The manufacturer also develops measures for regional restrictions on “cloud functions” from 2017, specifically for the Russian versions of the BlackVue DR650S line. This means that in English, German and other BlackVue 650S shipments you can never activate the Cloud in Russia. That is, register an account, enter it, but the connection of new cameras will be blocked.
Finally - and what will happen to the already imported smuggling? While BlackVue and BVC Trade are considering various options. For example, when installing subsequent updates, the firmware will determine whether the model is “white”. If not, the device will turn into a “brick”, with which, again, you will have to go to the official service.
findings
The goal of the “whitewash” program and, in general, the struggle of the only official Russian distributor of BlackVue recorders with counterfeit is to provide all BlackVue users in Russia with normal, workable devices and a full-fledged branded service from the manufacturer. After all, for the Chinese versions of the brand models, this is impossible due to the use of not only other firmware, but also a different hardware. Whereas “whitening” allows you to make a Russian adaptation of the device on a turnkey basis - with the replacement of components by “Euroversion” and the installation of Russian firmware.
In the registrars of the brand issued from the fourth quarter of 2016 and onwards, the firmware with Russian will be “locked” with a memory chip. Therefore, owners of “gray” devices to get “normal” firmware without options will have to contact the official service and go through the full “whitewash” procedure.
A locked memory with Russian firmware will help to finally overcome counterfeit and deprive smugglers of the opportunity to sell "gray" devices under the guise of "white". After all, at the time of purchase, the user cannot independently understand whether the delivery is “white” or not, the device will work normally in Russia or not (although with our advice it has become much easier to figure out which particular device is gray or official, white you offer to purchase). But if there are problems with the device, the last thing the user thinks about is that it was the seller who deceived him. Usually there is only the idea that BlackVue makes low quality recorders, and this causes direct damage to the brand's reputation. That is why BlackVue, through its official distributor in Russia, is taking all possible measures to protect, on the one hand, the reputation of a serious top brand. And on the other hand, to render effective help to those who fell for smugglers and accidentally bought a “gray”, incompletely working regional Chinese version of the device.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/400405/
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