Thank you VIOFO for providing the A139 Pro 3CH test units used in this review. Check out the video description section for a playlist link for the A139 Pro which contains this video along with several raw video file examples from the A139 Pro dash camera. VIOFO issued a promo code for me to pass along to my viewers to save $20 USD on the purchase of an A139 Pro dash camera on the VIOFO website. The promo code is listed in the video's description section. I'm aware of the spelling error at 23:31. "Discccabled" should be "Disabled". 😁
@@RetroCarGuy530 Okay, i have tested with 40x40x10 mm heat sink. Before heat sink, before heatsink 62C, Dropped to 45C after heat sink. 4K 30Ffps 2CH, background temp 22C.
Viofo has added the HDR timing function in the current version. If set to auto, specific time of the day can be selected when HDR to go on/off. Great video, lots of of effort on getting those numbers in the table.
Very nice review. Thank you for all the samples. I wonder, why the HDR still uses 2 separate exposures. Where is the +8dB dynamic range with one exposure? Thats one of the main features of Starvis2. In your video samples it's clearly visible it still uses 2 different exposures.
I would not combine the CPL filter with HDR ON for the A139pro. With HDR on it counters the blooming really well on any other test videos watched and thus the filter only serves to remove necessary lighting for the lens to capture the detail.
Great review disappointed that the front and rear do not both operate at full 4k at a higher frame rate it would also be nice if the front would also be a wider angle.
Great vid thanks. I was really hoping for a night time comparison (or even day time) of 60 fps vs 30 fps for clarity to see how much better off more fps works out.
Sorry I didn't include any 2K 1440p 60fps video in this review. I focused on the new 4K UHD video resolutions that are the main feature/upgrade with the A139 Pro dash camera.
Thank you for such a detailed review. I would like to add a suggestion for future dashcam testing. Would you consider testing how well you are able to get a good license plate read between different frame rates? 24fps vs 30fps on this camera suggests that you may be able to find better reads of a plate with 30 frames to work with over 24, for example. I also purchased this camera and used the discount code, thank you.
Thank for all the hard facts and details. There not much difference with A139 and A139 Pro other than STARVIS2. Even in cool weather temperatures, the Pro managed to become very hot. Imagine directly in the sunlight with it being 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit or as the vehicle windows are up and closed temps of 100 to 120 degrees inside the vehicle the A139 regular and Pro would self destruct. One reason I like the A139 is the camera rotation. The reason I like the A229 is having a screen. However, it appears most all Viofo dash cam models overheat which should deterrent people from purchasing any Viofo dash cam.
Excellent review - Thank you! Still tossing up between going to A229 Duo to save some money or if the price of the A139 pro (2 ch) is justifiable. Do you have any recommendations between the two? Power consumption for parking seems higher on the A139 pro and slightly better quality, but not sure if I need 4K as 2K might be sufficient.
The A139 Pro's HDR feature is still being worked on (improved) with each firmware release. VIOFO added a new "Auto" setting to the "HDR" setting which allows you to use a new "HDR Timer" to schedule when the HDR feature is enabled/disabled. The HDR feature is more helpful during nighttime hours. The A229 Duo's 2.4" LCD screen seems like a nice feature, but in my real world use of the A229 Duo, I don't use it all that much. The A139 Pro does not have a screen which is fine since the VIOFO app is capable of managing the A139 Pro's settings and accessing the stored video files on the A139 Pro's microSD card. The A229 Duo's rear camera is a 2K camera while the A139 Pro's rear camera is a 1080p camera. Either one seems to work okay, it's just a matter of whether that feature difference matters in your use of the dash camera. If you decide the A139 Pro is the one for you, I just added some affiliate links in the video's description section for BlackboxMyCar since they are now selling the A139 Pro dash camera. Using my BlackboxMyCar affiliate link should save you 5% off of your purchase price. If you decide to buy it directly from VIOFO, I have those affiliate links in the video description section as well. VIOFO is having a "Spring Sale" right now as well. I also have a discount code for the A139 Pro when purchased on VIOFO's site that will save you $20 USD. Discount code 5TWFEBGH
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you. Already located your code and will definitely use it to help out if I go with it! Does that mean you think A139 pro will get more updates going into the future instead of the A229? What about heat?? I'm in a part of the planet that gets quite hot and have heard the old A139 has had some issues with heat and hoping it hasn't come to the new one. A part of me is just wanting to save money and go the A229, even though it's not as good, it's still a decent camera overall yeah?? Pity your viofo code for the A229 had expired, would love to help if I go for that instead. Thanks for your quick response!!
The A229 Duo is a decent dash camera. With regard to heat, the A229 Duo's screen did blank out at times due to summer time heat while in parking mode. I live in Northern California (near Sacramento) and last summer was very hot here (100F to 115F outdoor temps). The A229 continued to record, but the screen did have sections that blanked out while it was hot. VIOFO stated that the blanking of the screen was "normal" for extreme heat conditions. When it cooled down, the screen returned to normal functionality. The A139 Pro also gets warm/hot too, but I have not had the A139 Pro in the summer time heat yet to see how it behaves. The majority of the VIOFO product line will be receiving updates to their front image sensors over the next year or so to start using the Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor family like the A139 Pro is using the Sony STARTVIS IMX678 image sensor now. The A229 Duo just had a firmware update released for it this past week. VIOFO is still updating the A229 Duo firmware to address bugs. One example of a new feature since the review of the A229 Duo is that VIOFO added a 2592x1944 24FPS video resolution. I have not tried that 4:3 video resolution yet. The A139 Pro's updates will mainly focus on taking advantage of the additional HDR capabilities of the IMX678 image sensor. I think the A229 Duo will be a good choice for overall video quality, just be aware the A229's front screen may have some blanking issues in extremely hot parking mode situations.
Good video! I use the VIO FO 139 PRO video recorder. I am satisfied with the quality of the video. tell us about the new firmware. What has been changed? what has been improved in the new firmware? thank you!!
From what VIOFO has stated in the change log for the firmware update: v1.1_0629: 1 Optimized: WiFi issues. 2 Optimized: Get stuck or slow when switching from parking mode. 3 Other Bug Fixes. Overall things have been working well with that firmware installed.
Great review thank you very much! One question, can I connect it to a portable Hotspot router placed inside the car to have live view from my house of what's happening in my parked car?
The A139 and A139 Pro do have a "Wi-Fi Station" feature which allows the A139 or A139 Pro to connect to another Wi-Fi network such as one at your home or even one in your car. Any devices on the same Wi-Fi network can access the dash camera. Unfortunately, that is not going to allow you to connect to the A139 Pro from your home's Wi-Fi network while the A139 Pro is connected to the car's Wi-Fi hotspot. That type of internetwork connectivity requires the use of a cloud service which VIOFO does not currently have for their products. There is an article on the VIOFO website that discusses the use of the "Wi-Fi Station" feature of the A139 / A139 Pro dash camera. viofo.com/blog/how-to-switch-a139-dash-camera-to-wi-fi-station-mode-with-app-b76.html
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you so much for your kind reply. Should I then consider the Blackvue DR750X-3CH Plus with their own CM100G LTE or my own router for my requirements? Is it possible to use a Jackery, EcoFlow Delta or Bluetti larger power station instead of the smaller Battery banks for dash cams such as the Blackvue B-124X during parking mode? Thank you 🤗
The current BlackVue dash cameras on the market have BlackVue Cloud support. You can use a Wi-Fi hotspot in your car to connect the BlackVue dash camera to the BlackVue cloud service. I don't have a Wi-Fi hotspot in my cars, so my BlackVue DR900X-2CH Plus has a CM100LTE connectivity module to achieve connectivity to the BlackVue Cloud service. Thinkware has a cloud feature as well, but I've not used it in a very long time, so I don't have a good feel for how well it works. The BlackVue Cloud service works well (overall). The DR750X-3CH Plus front camera records 1080p 60fps video. With it being a 3-channel, the front camera's video bitrate is reduced to account for the two other channels (interior / rear) being recorded. I have a review video for the DR750X-3CH Plus on my channel if you're interested in that dash camera. ua-cam.com/video/EO33voTOC5c/v-deo.html
Great video! thank you very much for the video review! please tell me, what settings did you use on your registrar? I ordered a 3-channel recorder complete set. probably I will use 2 channels always to get a high-quality video. if necessary, switch the rear and inner camera.
I'm not quite sure what you're asking when you ask about settings used on my "registrar"? I primarily used a 3-channel configuration with resolution setting of 4k 2160p 24fps + 2k 1080p 24fps + 2k 1080p 24fps. 1-minute looping recording, maximum bitrate, low bitrate parking mode and I powered it using the updated VIOFO HK3-C hardwire kit. I hope that answers your question.
19:17 Testing on a bench and finding the same current draw or close to what you tested. Very interesting. Tested new firmware release did not notice any change
Great review. I already have a hardwire in place with my old dash cam with a 2 amp fuse. I was wondering if the 2 amp will be ok to use with this front and rear dash cam?
In the video's power consumption test section, I list the power consumption for a 3-CH, 2-CH and 1-CH configuration. The 2-CH front/rear configuration consumed a max of 607 mA (0.6 amps), so a 2 amp fuse should work just fine.
Really detailed review, wow, thank you. I am considering this and it may be a question to ask VIOFO themselves but you reckon it's possible to run a 4k unit on front and rear? Only issue would be manually pressing the save functions if you wanted both front and rear as they would be separate units then. Also not sure if the car / power adapters can handle that much. Otherwise might go 2ch or 3ch but not too bothered about the interior one, especially if it lowers the bitrate / overall quality of the front + rear as a result. I have some old footage from my A119 v2 from a few years ago which I would be able to make a little comparison myself, but would be nothing on what you did here. Definitely deserve the sponsored units :)
If you wanted to save the front and rear videos, you could purchase two of the VIOFO Bluetooth remotes and pair one with the front and one with the rear. I haven't tried pressing the button in the front of the car with a camera in the rear, but I don't see why that wouldn't work.
Planning to use this for scenics during my cross country from NYC to LA in May. Can I get a suction cup mount and can it be positioned to not film the air vents? Thanks
VIOFO does not offer a suction cup mount for this dash camera. The front camera lens can be rotated to avoid capturing the interior vents of the vehicle, but the amount of sky it will capture will be overwhelming in the field of view and it may darken the captured footage due to the extra bright sky (daytime).
You can adjust the front camera lens quite a bit with the A139 Pro. You could tilt the front camera lens up to get less of the hood, but it may darken the image to compensate for the large amount of sky you're recording instead of aiming the vertical center of the field-of-view at the horizon. You could use the 4K 1600p resolution setting that cuts off a portion of the top and bottom of the field of view to help reduce recording a large part of the vehicle's hood and/or dashboard.
Hi, thanks for the indepth video. I'm currently stuck in a choice between Viofo a139 Pro and Viofo a220 Duo, however, I can not seem to find any review videos comparing the two. Do you know why this is the case? Could you also clarify which is the most future-proof option?
I didn't include the A229 Duo in my comparison simply because I ran out of windshield space for dash cameras. I did include the VIOFO T130 in my comparison shots in this video. The T130 and A229 Duo both use the Sony STARVIS IMX335 image sensor for the front camera (in the A229 Duo's case it's also used for the rear camera as well). I think it's more of a question (first off) do you need 4K front video or is 2K QHD video sufficient for your needs. There's rumors in the dash camera user forums of an A229 Pro with a 4K front image sensor. That would be more even comparison since that is rumored to have a newer Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor like the A139 Pro has now. I think the more futureproof purchase is likely to be the A139 Pro. VIOFO is continuing to work on the HDR feature and there is a "big" firmware release coming for the A139 Pro at the end of January or beginning of February 2023. We don't know the full set of features/updates in that release, but improved HDR functionality seems to be a part of the release(?).
Hey @retrocarguy530 I have Questions about the parking modes. Which mode is best for low power consumption ( 1 channel) as it looks very similar on your charts. The Main question is do need to get a battery pack? As I currently have it wired to the fuse and am worried about it draining the battery. Thank you
All three parking modes of the A139 Pro consume a considerable amount of power. The power consumption charts show that a 1CH will consume the least amount of power in time-lapse parking mode. If you power it by you vehicle's battery, I cannot give you an estimated parking mode recording time since the condition of the vehicle battery (health and charge level) and what low voltage cutoff setting you are using (11.8, 12.0, 12.2, 12.4) will factor into that time calculation. With a 76.8 Wh dash camera battery pack, my estimated parking mode times range from 22 hours to just under 25 hours. With a 96 Wh dash camera battery pack, my estimated parking mode times range from 28 hours and 31 hours.
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you. I have my cut off at the highest setting (12.4). I think I will use the parking feature situational. Any long-term parking will be in a trusted place. Since I daily drive my car it should be fine in those uses. Thank you for putting me at ease and your work on this.
Hello, I have read in many user comments that the a139 pro 2ch device gives an error in the heat. The view stopped recording while in hot weather parking mode. What do you say about this situation?
I have not experienced any such failure with the two different A139 Pro dash cameras that I have been testing. The weather is starting to get hot at my location, so that will test it further.
Excellent explanation, thank you very much. In the camera file, the video shows an incorrect time and when I play the video, the time is correct, how can I set the time?
Make sure the time zone setting is correct for the local time where the A139 Pro is operating. The A139 Pro does not adjust for daylight saving time, so you must adjust the time zone setting when a DST transition occurs. The time value gets updated from the GPS signal. If the time zone setting is correct and it obtains a GPS signal lock, the A139 Pro time should be correct. You can also use the VIOFO app to sync the time from your phone to the dash camera as well.
I still have some questions with regard to high summertime heat as well. I was testing this in late fall / early winter in Northern California. Last summer, I did run an experiment with a VIOFO A119 Mini where I used some home window glass film (with small holes) to block the amount of direct sunlight that reached the A119 Mini. I mounted the GPS mount directly to the window glass, but put the window film around the mount. It did help reduce the runtime temps about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Would this dashcam be recommended for a hot climate like Australia? Also, if I don’t drive my car every day, is the parking mode going to drain my car battery?
It could be a viable dash camera for hotter climates. It did get a bit warm during my testing in the late fall / early winter in Northern California. I just haven't had any time with the outside temps being above 86F/30C to give an informed response on how hot this camera with the Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor gets. I'm kind of intrigued by the new BlackVue DR770X dash camera (general design). The main unit is not placed on the windshield so it avoids the direct solar heat exposure. Unfortunately, it only records 1080p for all three of its channels.
I don't have a Thinkware U1000 to compare it with (at this time). You can change the channel configuration of the A139 Pro by removing the cable for the camera you want to eliminate when the A139 Pro is powered down.
The clear stickers are intended to be used on the window glass before installing the dash camera. It should make it easier to remove the dash camera mount from the window glass. I've never used them in my installations.
So in the video-samples beginning at around 08:36 it's observable that with HDR -off- sharper images are delivered. The ones with HDR -on- look smeared. That's ... not encouraging. add: when movement is in the scene. Standing at the trafficlights at night both modi seems to deliver the same sharpness, or more correctly: detail-resolution. Maybe a problem of the double high/low-exposure when the cam is on HDR?
VIOFO has promised some sort of big firmware update for the A139 Pro after the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival break for them. I don't know exactly what's included, but HDR improvements seem to be one of changes implied to be included in the new firmware. Late January to early February 2023 is when I would expect to see the new firmware.
@@RetroCarGuy530 Maybe it would have been a better choice to have implemented a log-profile instead of or additionally to the HDR-functionality. Log doesn't need two exposures. It produces a very flat, "boring" image in which the shadows are lit up and the highlights dimmed down and it's usually known to produce sharper results with less artifacts than HDR. HDR on the other hand is preferred when you want to keep vivid colors in the scene. But in my opinion: a dashcam is a documentation-device. I'm not interested in vivid colors in a crash-scene. I want to extract structural details from the video-material. So i would definetly prefer a flat, boring video without smearing by "double exposures" and artifacts over a crisp and vivid looking one. I think you will find some comparison videos on yt when searching for "log vs hdr" for example. You can also simply try it with your android-smartphone. Download the app "HedgeCam 2", then go to "settings" and there "video-settings" and there "tone-mapping". Choose "Gamma 2.8". It's a flat-profile which gives VERY good results when using the smartphone as a dashcam which i did for a long time with exactly this app and profile. Downside of most smartphone is but the small sensor(s) so they struggle in lowlight. A combination of this 1.8" Starvis and a log-profile might be a hit, even though the videomaterial would look "bloodless" which most (stupid) buyers might shy from ... :( And Thank You for this information. Will be interesting what magic they have to offer. One additional thing i would wish for is a choice to kepp wifi in -on- state constantly instead of it shutting down after 10min. And btw.: Me stupid broke the pivotable lens-head when that little camera thingy flopped out of my hands onto the ground. So i opened up the camera (4screws and three snap-in claws on the housing side with the larger diameter rounding) and found that this lens head is hold in place and thight to the main housing by a transparent plastic-"spring-ring" with special shape which also serves as a rotation range limiter and which had jumped off the collar of the lens head that reaches into the main housing. It's somewhat fiddly to get that ring back in place but it's doable and the lenshead and it's mechanical function was like new after the repair ...
The VIOFO app can be used to connect to the dash camera over Wi-Fi. When connected, you can see the "live view" on your phone's screen while the dash camera is recording.
The T130 dash camera is a 2K 1440p front camera, 1080p interior camera and 1080p rear camera which record at 30 fps. The A139 Pro when operating in 4K 2160p mode along with the interior and rear 1080p cameras will only record at 24 fps. If you select the A139 Pro resolution of 4K 1600p along with 1080p for the other two cameras, it will record at 30 fps.
So you can run the parking mode when using the Blackvue b-124x battery pack? I have a Blackvue 900s I'm looking to replace. I'm just hoping I can still use my b-124x and expansion with the A139 Pro (parking mode). I thought the A139 Pro detected the change in voltage to switch to parking mode. Pretty sure the 900s goes off movement/gps.
You can use the A139 Pro with the BlackVue B-124X, but you should use the VIOFO HK3-C hardwire kit that would be spliced together with the 3-wire B-124X dashcam output power cable.
Thanks for the reply. Okay my next question. That hardwire kit has that box that detects low voltage to know when to turn off the dash cam in normal setup. But if I splice the B-124x in now is it going to detect the voltage of it instead? Resulting in turning off the dashcam before my B-124x is completely drained. I don't want to end up losing recording time.
Yes, that is a side effect of having the HK3-C in the circuit to provide power to the A139 Pro. You can set it to the lowest setting of 11.8 volts and it will leave some amount of the B-124X's charge unused. In theory (I've not tested), the A139 Pro can also use the cigarette lighter USB power adapter to provide power and still go into parking mode after about 5-minutes of no vehicle movement. The A139 Pro is a 5-volt device which relies on an external device to convert the vehicle's 12-volt (or 24-volt) power to 5-volt power. VIOFO's state's they recommend the use of the HK3-C to power the A139 when parking mode operations is required. You could use the B-124X's cigarette lighter dash camera 2-wire output power connector to provide power to the VIOFO USB power adapter and see if the A139 Pro goes into parking mode after 5-minutes of no vehicle motion.
There is a way to manually disable / enable the interior camera. You can long-press the yellow triangle button to turn it off manually, and long-press again to enable again. The 2-channel mode vs 3-channel mode will be remembered across power shutdowns / powerups. Initially, allow the A139 Pro to power up. While in normal recording mode, long-press the triangle button until it beeps. The LEDs on the A139 Pro front camera will go through a rotating pattern until it restarts recording and it announces that it's recording with 2-channels (front + rear). Just before you want the A139 Pro to go into parking mode, long-press the triangle button again to turn on the interior camera. After the A139 Pro announces it's recording with 3-channels, you can allow the A139 Pro to go into parking mode. After your parking mode session ends and the A139 Pro returns to normal recording mode, long-press the triangle button again to have it return to 2-channel recording mode. It's not automated, but at least there is a way to decide if the interior camera will record or not via a long-press of the lock button.
CPL Filter / HDR On you have less motion blur and less artifacts but the color tones are darker. Sometimes HDR may not be the best during the Day time as it is better for Night time use. CPL Filter in nearly all situations better to have on the lens than off. I am surprised how bad the BlackVue DR900X Plus is with the comparisons, normally it is better reading the license plate and would expect the VanTrue to be the worst of them all. We know that Night time affects all the dashcams, ought to ignore and skip this whole process. Basically, since Starvis II is used you get better resolution and the High Dynamic Range as before was WDR "Wide Dynamic Range". Only the front camera is better as nothing else changed. The A139 Pro in Parking mode that it has higher battery drain and overheating issue even at night hour which temperature often drop at night. Imagine parked in the sun how Hot the A139 Pro must get. Again, Viofo failed to resolve heat problems. I believe the Viofo A119 V3, A119 mini and the A129 Plus will be most satisfactory at a much lower cost. So far anything labeled Pro is not doing very well. * The $20 off can be had through Viofo website which the Offer continues in January 2023. Thank you for your dedicated effort and explanation of the A139 Pro as there are more Cons than Pros for this new product.
It depends on how you're getting the power out of the OBD-II port. An OBD-II port has constant power so anything providing power from it would need to be able to turn on/off the power going to the VIOFO dash camera. The VIOFO A139 Pro requires 5-volt power via a USB-C connector, so the 12-volt OBD-II power would need to be converted from 12-volt power to 5-Volt USB power. If you want fully functional and supported parking mode recordings from the A139 Pro, you need to obtain the VIOFO HK3-C hardwiring kit.
@@RetroCarGuy530 or a Rhundo RS-21S if your 12v socket is always on. The included in box attachment does the USB power converting for you already, and the splitter kills the power automatically when it detects a set level of low voltage from your car battery when you're parked, just as the hardwire kit does.
If you're powering the dash camera using the included cigarette lighter power socket USB power adapter, there is no low voltage protection using that approach. You must use a VIOFO HK3-C hardwire kit to power the dash camera because the HK3-C has a low voltage cutoff feature.
Still not really worth it and disappointing they don’t have a 4k front 4¥ rear option since majority of the accidents in the states are rear end collisions.
Thank you VIOFO for providing the A139 Pro 3CH test units used in this review. Check out the video description section for a playlist link for the A139 Pro which contains this video along with several raw video file examples from the A139 Pro dash camera. VIOFO issued a promo code for me to pass along to my viewers to save $20 USD on the purchase of an A139 Pro dash camera on the VIOFO website. The promo code is listed in the video's description section.
I'm aware of the spelling error at 23:31. "Discccabled" should be "Disabled". 😁
What you think about using a heat sink?
That might help, but that would require some testing. So far, the A139 Pro dash camera has been reliable in my tests.
@@RetroCarGuy530 Okay, i have tested with 40x40x10 mm heat sink. Before heat sink, before heatsink 62C, Dropped to 45C after heat sink. 4K 30Ffps 2CH, background temp 22C.
что за радиатор? @@JithinJose2
что за радиатор использовали? расскажите
@@JithinJose2
Viofo has added the HDR timing function in the current version. If set to auto, specific time of the day can be selected when HDR to go on/off. Great video, lots of of effort on getting those numbers in the table.
Thorough review, thanks.
Best detailed test review so far i watched...Chapeau 👍🏻 you earned a sub
Welcome aboard!
Very nice review. Thank you for all the samples. I wonder, why the HDR still uses 2 separate exposures. Where is the +8dB dynamic range with one exposure? Thats one of the main features of Starvis2. In your video samples it's clearly visible it still uses 2 different exposures.
Pin for reply from reviewer.
Excellent Review.
I would not combine the CPL filter with HDR ON for the A139pro. With HDR on it counters the blooming really well on any other test videos watched and thus the filter only serves to remove necessary lighting for the lens to capture the detail.
Great review disappointed that the front and rear do not both operate at full 4k at a higher frame rate it would also be nice if the front would also be a wider angle.
Great vid thanks. I was really hoping for a night time comparison (or even day time) of 60 fps vs 30 fps for clarity to see how much better off more fps works out.
Sorry I didn't include any 2K 1440p 60fps video in this review. I focused on the new 4K UHD video resolutions that are the main feature/upgrade with the A139 Pro dash camera.
Thanks 👍 for good information
Thank you for such a detailed review. I would like to add a suggestion for future dashcam testing. Would you consider testing how well you are able to get a good license plate read between different frame rates? 24fps vs 30fps on this camera suggests that you may be able to find better reads of a plate with 30 frames to work with over 24, for example.
I also purchased this camera and used the discount code, thank you.
Thank for all the hard facts and details. There not much difference with A139 and A139 Pro other than STARVIS2. Even in cool weather temperatures, the Pro managed to become very hot. Imagine directly in the sunlight with it being 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit or as the vehicle windows are up and closed temps of 100 to 120 degrees inside the vehicle the A139 regular and Pro would self destruct. One reason I like the A139 is the camera rotation. The reason I like the A229 is having a screen. However, it appears most all Viofo dash cam models overheat which should deterrent people from purchasing any Viofo dash cam.
Getting hot isn't the same as overheating.
Starvis2 is a huge improvement
Excellent review - Thank you! Still tossing up between going to A229 Duo to save some money or if the price of the A139 pro (2 ch) is justifiable. Do you have any recommendations between the two? Power consumption for parking seems higher on the A139 pro and slightly better quality, but not sure if I need 4K as 2K might be sufficient.
The A139 Pro's HDR feature is still being worked on (improved) with each firmware release. VIOFO added a new "Auto" setting to the "HDR" setting which allows you to use a new "HDR Timer" to schedule when the HDR feature is enabled/disabled. The HDR feature is more helpful during nighttime hours.
The A229 Duo's 2.4" LCD screen seems like a nice feature, but in my real world use of the A229 Duo, I don't use it all that much. The A139 Pro does not have a screen which is fine since the VIOFO app is capable of managing the A139 Pro's settings and accessing the stored video files on the A139 Pro's microSD card.
The A229 Duo's rear camera is a 2K camera while the A139 Pro's rear camera is a 1080p camera. Either one seems to work okay, it's just a matter of whether that feature difference matters in your use of the dash camera.
If you decide the A139 Pro is the one for you, I just added some affiliate links in the video's description section for BlackboxMyCar since they are now selling the A139 Pro dash camera. Using my BlackboxMyCar affiliate link should save you 5% off of your purchase price. If you decide to buy it directly from VIOFO, I have those affiliate links in the video description section as well. VIOFO is having a "Spring Sale" right now as well. I also have a discount code for the A139 Pro when purchased on VIOFO's site that will save you $20 USD. Discount code 5TWFEBGH
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you. Already located your code and will definitely use it to help out if I go with it!
Does that mean you think A139 pro will get more updates going into the future instead of the A229? What about heat?? I'm in a part of the planet that gets quite hot and have heard the old A139 has had some issues with heat and hoping it hasn't come to the new one.
A part of me is just wanting to save money and go the A229, even though it's not as good, it's still a decent camera overall yeah?? Pity your viofo code for the A229 had expired, would love to help if I go for that instead. Thanks for your quick response!!
The A229 Duo is a decent dash camera. With regard to heat, the A229 Duo's screen did blank out at times due to summer time heat while in parking mode. I live in Northern California (near Sacramento) and last summer was very hot here (100F to 115F outdoor temps). The A229 continued to record, but the screen did have sections that blanked out while it was hot. VIOFO stated that the blanking of the screen was "normal" for extreme heat conditions. When it cooled down, the screen returned to normal functionality. The A139 Pro also gets warm/hot too, but I have not had the A139 Pro in the summer time heat yet to see how it behaves.
The majority of the VIOFO product line will be receiving updates to their front image sensors over the next year or so to start using the Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor family like the A139 Pro is using the Sony STARTVIS IMX678 image sensor now.
The A229 Duo just had a firmware update released for it this past week. VIOFO is still updating the A229 Duo firmware to address bugs. One example of a new feature since the review of the A229 Duo is that VIOFO added a 2592x1944 24FPS video resolution. I have not tried that 4:3 video resolution yet. The A139 Pro's updates will mainly focus on taking advantage of the additional HDR capabilities of the IMX678 image sensor.
I think the A229 Duo will be a good choice for overall video quality, just be aware the A229's front screen may have some blanking issues in extremely hot parking mode situations.
8:23 You should have shoot the video while facing the sun to see the difference.
Good video! I use the VIO FO 139 PRO video recorder. I am satisfied with the quality of the video. tell us about the new firmware. What has been changed? what has been improved in the new firmware? thank you!!
From what VIOFO has stated in the change log for the firmware update:
v1.1_0629:
1 Optimized: WiFi issues.
2 Optimized: Get stuck or slow when switching from parking mode.
3 Other Bug Fixes.
Overall things have been working well with that firmware installed.
Great review thank you very much!
One question, can I connect it to a portable Hotspot router placed inside the car to have live view from my house of what's happening in my parked car?
The A139 and A139 Pro do have a "Wi-Fi Station" feature which allows the A139 or A139 Pro to connect to another Wi-Fi network such as one at your home or even one in your car. Any devices on the same Wi-Fi network can access the dash camera. Unfortunately, that is not going to allow you to connect to the A139 Pro from your home's Wi-Fi network while the A139 Pro is connected to the car's Wi-Fi hotspot. That type of internetwork connectivity requires the use of a cloud service which VIOFO does not currently have for their products. There is an article on the VIOFO website that discusses the use of the "Wi-Fi Station" feature of the A139 / A139 Pro dash camera. viofo.com/blog/how-to-switch-a139-dash-camera-to-wi-fi-station-mode-with-app-b76.html
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you so much for your kind reply. Should I then consider the Blackvue DR750X-3CH Plus with their own CM100G LTE or my own router for my requirements?
Is it possible to use a Jackery, EcoFlow Delta or Bluetti larger power station instead of the smaller Battery banks for dash cams such as the Blackvue B-124X during parking mode? Thank you 🤗
The current BlackVue dash cameras on the market have BlackVue Cloud support. You can use a Wi-Fi hotspot in your car to connect the BlackVue dash camera to the BlackVue cloud service. I don't have a Wi-Fi hotspot in my cars, so my BlackVue DR900X-2CH Plus has a CM100LTE connectivity module to achieve connectivity to the BlackVue Cloud service. Thinkware has a cloud feature as well, but I've not used it in a very long time, so I don't have a good feel for how well it works. The BlackVue Cloud service works well (overall). The DR750X-3CH Plus front camera records 1080p 60fps video. With it being a 3-channel, the front camera's video bitrate is reduced to account for the two other channels (interior / rear) being recorded.
I have a review video for the DR750X-3CH Plus on my channel if you're interested in that dash camera. ua-cam.com/video/EO33voTOC5c/v-deo.html
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you very much 🤗🤗🤗
Great video! thank you very much for the video review! please tell me, what settings did you use on your registrar? I ordered a 3-channel recorder complete set. probably I will use 2 channels always to get a high-quality video. if necessary, switch the rear and inner camera.
I'm not quite sure what you're asking when you ask about settings used on my "registrar"?
I primarily used a 3-channel configuration with resolution setting of 4k 2160p 24fps + 2k 1080p 24fps + 2k 1080p 24fps. 1-minute looping recording, maximum bitrate, low bitrate parking mode and I powered it using the updated VIOFO HK3-C hardwire kit. I hope that answers your question.
@@RetroCarGuy530
19:17 Testing on a bench and finding the same current draw or close to what you tested. Very interesting. Tested new firmware release did not notice any change
Great review. I already have a hardwire in place with my old dash cam with a 2 amp fuse. I was wondering if the 2 amp will be ok to use with this front and rear dash cam?
In the video's power consumption test section, I list the power consumption for a 3-CH, 2-CH and 1-CH configuration. The 2-CH front/rear configuration consumed a max of 607 mA (0.6 amps), so a 2 amp fuse should work just fine.
Really detailed review, wow, thank you. I am considering this and it may be a question to ask VIOFO themselves but you reckon it's possible to run a 4k unit on front and rear? Only issue would be manually pressing the save functions if you wanted both front and rear as they would be separate units then. Also not sure if the car / power adapters can handle that much. Otherwise might go 2ch or 3ch but not too bothered about the interior one, especially if it lowers the bitrate / overall quality of the front + rear as a result. I have some old footage from my A119 v2 from a few years ago which I would be able to make a little comparison myself, but would be nothing on what you did here. Definitely deserve the sponsored units :)
If you wanted to save the front and rear videos, you could purchase two of the VIOFO Bluetooth remotes and pair one with the front and one with the rear. I haven't tried pressing the button in the front of the car with a camera in the rear, but I don't see why that wouldn't work.
Planning to use this for scenics during my cross country from NYC to LA in May. Can I get a suction cup mount and can it be positioned to not film the air vents? Thanks
VIOFO does not offer a suction cup mount for this dash camera. The front camera lens can be rotated to avoid capturing the interior vents of the vehicle, but the amount of sky it will capture will be overwhelming in the field of view and it may darken the captured footage due to the extra bright sky (daytime).
Thanks for this! Can the front camera be angled to record just scenery with none of the hood for a 4K movie? thanks.
You can adjust the front camera lens quite a bit with the A139 Pro. You could tilt the front camera lens up to get less of the hood, but it may darken the image to compensate for the large amount of sky you're recording instead of aiming the vertical center of the field-of-view at the horizon. You could use the 4K 1600p resolution setting that cuts off a portion of the top and bottom of the field of view to help reduce recording a large part of the vehicle's hood and/or dashboard.
Hi, thanks for the indepth video. I'm currently stuck in a choice between Viofo a139 Pro and Viofo a220 Duo, however, I can not seem to find any review videos comparing the two. Do you know why this is the case? Could you also clarify which is the most future-proof option?
I didn't include the A229 Duo in my comparison simply because I ran out of windshield space for dash cameras. I did include the VIOFO T130 in my comparison shots in this video. The T130 and A229 Duo both use the Sony STARVIS IMX335 image sensor for the front camera (in the A229 Duo's case it's also used for the rear camera as well). I think it's more of a question (first off) do you need 4K front video or is 2K QHD video sufficient for your needs. There's rumors in the dash camera user forums of an A229 Pro with a 4K front image sensor. That would be more even comparison since that is rumored to have a newer Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor like the A139 Pro has now. I think the more futureproof purchase is likely to be the A139 Pro. VIOFO is continuing to work on the HDR feature and there is a "big" firmware release coming for the A139 Pro at the end of January or beginning of February 2023. We don't know the full set of features/updates in that release, but improved HDR functionality seems to be a part of the release(?).
Hey @retrocarguy530 I have Questions about the parking modes. Which mode is best for low power consumption ( 1 channel) as it looks very similar on your charts. The Main question is do need to get a battery pack? As I currently have it wired to the fuse and am worried about it draining the battery. Thank you
All three parking modes of the A139 Pro consume a considerable amount of power. The power consumption charts show that a 1CH will consume the least amount of power in time-lapse parking mode. If you power it by you vehicle's battery, I cannot give you an estimated parking mode recording time since the condition of the vehicle battery (health and charge level) and what low voltage cutoff setting you are using (11.8, 12.0, 12.2, 12.4) will factor into that time calculation. With a 76.8 Wh dash camera battery pack, my estimated parking mode times range from 22 hours to just under 25 hours. With a 96 Wh dash camera battery pack, my estimated parking mode times range from 28 hours and 31 hours.
@@RetroCarGuy530 thank you. I have my cut off at the highest setting (12.4). I think I will use the parking feature situational. Any long-term parking will be in a trusted place. Since I daily drive my car it should be fine in those uses. Thank you for putting me at ease and your work on this.
Hello, I have read in many user comments that the a139 pro 2ch device gives an error in the heat. The view stopped recording while in hot weather parking mode. What do you say about this situation?
I have not experienced any such failure with the two different A139 Pro dash cameras that I have been testing. The weather is starting to get hot at my location, so that will test it further.
Excellent explanation, thank you very much. In the camera file, the video shows an incorrect time and when I play the video, the time is correct, how can I set the time?
Make sure the time zone setting is correct for the local time where the A139 Pro is operating. The A139 Pro does not adjust for daylight saving time, so you must adjust the time zone setting when a DST transition occurs. The time value gets updated from the GPS signal. If the time zone setting is correct and it obtains a GPS signal lock, the A139 Pro time should be correct. You can also use the VIOFO app to sync the time from your phone to the dash camera as well.
@@RetroCarGuy530 Thank you very much I will check it out
I wonder what SoC this A139 pro uses
The Novatek NT96687TBG
How do these things hold up in an environment like an Arizona summer? The windshield gets very hot.
I still have some questions with regard to high summertime heat as well. I was testing this in late fall / early winter in Northern California. Last summer, I did run an experiment with a VIOFO A119 Mini where I used some home window glass film (with small holes) to block the amount of direct sunlight that reached the A119 Mini. I mounted the GPS mount directly to the window glass, but put the window film around the mount. It did help reduce the runtime temps about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Would this dashcam be recommended for a hot climate like Australia? Also, if I don’t drive my car every day, is the parking mode going to drain my car battery?
It could be a viable dash camera for hotter climates. It did get a bit warm during my testing in the late fall / early winter in Northern California. I just haven't had any time with the outside temps being above 86F/30C to give an informed response on how hot this camera with the Sony STARVIS 2 image sensor gets. I'm kind of intrigued by the new BlackVue DR770X dash camera (general design). The main unit is not placed on the windshield so it avoids the direct solar heat exposure. Unfortunately, it only records 1080p for all three of its channels.
They work fine in Australia
Would love to see how this fares against the U1000. Also, can you swap from 3Ch mode to 2Ch mode once you're done doing uber?
I don't have a Thinkware U1000 to compare it with (at this time). You can change the channel configuration of the A139 Pro by removing the cable for the camera you want to eliminate when the A139 Pro is powered down.
Hey, just wondering is the clear sticker (static film) necessary to install? If so where does it go? Thanks I’m advance.
The clear stickers are intended to be used on the window glass before installing the dash camera. It should make it easier to remove the dash camera mount from the window glass. I've never used them in my installations.
@@RetroCarGuy530 great thank you as always!
So in the video-samples beginning at around 08:36 it's observable that with HDR -off- sharper images are delivered. The ones with HDR -on- look smeared. That's ... not encouraging.
add: when movement is in the scene. Standing at the trafficlights at night both modi seems to deliver the same sharpness, or more correctly: detail-resolution. Maybe a problem of the double high/low-exposure when the cam is on HDR?
VIOFO has promised some sort of big firmware update for the A139 Pro after the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival break for them. I don't know exactly what's included, but HDR improvements seem to be one of changes implied to be included in the new firmware. Late January to early February 2023 is when I would expect to see the new firmware.
@@RetroCarGuy530 Maybe it would have been a better choice to have implemented a log-profile instead of or additionally to the HDR-functionality. Log doesn't need two exposures. It produces a very flat, "boring" image in which the shadows are lit up and the highlights dimmed down and it's usually known to produce sharper results with less artifacts than HDR. HDR on the other hand is preferred when you want to keep vivid colors in the scene. But in my opinion: a dashcam is a documentation-device. I'm not interested in vivid colors in a crash-scene. I want to extract structural details from the video-material. So i would definetly prefer a flat, boring video without smearing by "double exposures" and artifacts over a crisp and vivid looking one. I think you will find some comparison videos on yt when searching for "log vs hdr" for example. You can also simply try it with your android-smartphone. Download the app "HedgeCam 2", then go to "settings" and there "video-settings" and there "tone-mapping". Choose "Gamma 2.8". It's a flat-profile which gives VERY good results when using the smartphone as a dashcam which i did for a long time with exactly this app and profile. Downside of most smartphone is but the small sensor(s) so they struggle in lowlight. A combination of this 1.8" Starvis and a log-profile might be a hit, even though the videomaterial would look "bloodless" which most (stupid) buyers might shy from ... :( And Thank You for this information. Will be interesting what magic they have to offer. One additional thing i would wish for is a choice to kepp wifi in -on- state constantly instead of it shutting down after 10min. And btw.: Me stupid broke the pivotable lens-head when that little camera thingy flopped out of my hands onto the ground. So i opened up the camera (4screws and three snap-in claws on the housing side with the larger diameter rounding) and found that this lens head is hold in place and thight to the main housing by a transparent plastic-"spring-ring" with special shape which also serves as a rotation range limiter and which had jumped off the collar of the lens head that reaches into the main housing. It's somewhat fiddly to get that ring back in place but it's doable and the lenshead and it's mechanical function was like new after the repair ...
Can I watch it when it,s recording while driving?
The VIOFO app can be used to connect to the dash camera over Wi-Fi. When connected, you can see the "live view" on your phone's screen while the dash camera is recording.
Ik heb een dashcam viofo t130 3ch die heeft 4K geen ultra. alleen optie 1 Chan 4k ultra heeft is dat echt zo?
The T130 dash camera is a 2K 1440p front camera, 1080p interior camera and 1080p rear camera which record at 30 fps. The A139 Pro when operating in 4K 2160p mode along with the interior and rear 1080p cameras will only record at 24 fps. If you select the A139 Pro resolution of 4K 1600p along with 1080p for the other two cameras, it will record at 30 fps.
So you can run the parking mode when using the Blackvue b-124x battery pack? I have a Blackvue 900s I'm looking to replace. I'm just hoping I can still use my b-124x and expansion with the A139 Pro (parking mode). I thought the A139 Pro detected the change in voltage to switch to parking mode. Pretty sure the 900s goes off movement/gps.
You can use the A139 Pro with the BlackVue B-124X, but you should use the VIOFO HK3-C hardwire kit that would be spliced together with the 3-wire B-124X dashcam output power cable.
Thanks for the reply. Okay my next question. That hardwire kit has that box that detects low voltage to know when to turn off the dash cam in normal setup. But if I splice the B-124x in now is it going to detect the voltage of it instead? Resulting in turning off the dashcam before my B-124x is completely drained. I don't want to end up losing recording time.
Yes, that is a side effect of having the HK3-C in the circuit to provide power to the A139 Pro. You can set it to the lowest setting of 11.8 volts and it will leave some amount of the B-124X's charge unused. In theory (I've not tested), the A139 Pro can also use the cigarette lighter USB power adapter to provide power and still go into parking mode after about 5-minutes of no vehicle movement. The A139 Pro is a 5-volt device which relies on an external device to convert the vehicle's 12-volt (or 24-volt) power to 5-volt power. VIOFO's state's they recommend the use of the HK3-C to power the A139 when parking mode operations is required. You could use the B-124X's cigarette lighter dash camera 2-wire output power connector to provide power to the VIOFO USB power adapter and see if the A139 Pro goes into parking mode after 5-minutes of no vehicle motion.
Can you set 2 ch for driving and parking at 3ch automatically?
There is no firmware setting to enable/disable a camera based on the recording mode.
@@RetroCarGuy530 thanks for the reply
There is a way to manually disable / enable the interior camera. You can long-press the yellow triangle button to turn it off manually, and long-press again to enable again. The 2-channel mode vs 3-channel mode will be remembered across power shutdowns / powerups.
Initially, allow the A139 Pro to power up. While in normal recording mode, long-press the triangle button until it beeps. The LEDs on the A139 Pro front camera will go through a rotating pattern until it restarts recording and it announces that it's recording with 2-channels (front + rear).
Just before you want the A139 Pro to go into parking mode, long-press the triangle button again to turn on the interior camera. After the A139 Pro announces it's recording with 3-channels, you can allow the A139 Pro to go into parking mode.
After your parking mode session ends and the A139 Pro returns to normal recording mode, long-press the triangle button again to have it return to 2-channel recording mode.
It's not automated, but at least there is a way to decide if the interior camera will record or not via a long-press of the lock button.
Thanks for this video. It's a good dashcam with this sony imx678 . I hope the price goes down soon.
Thanks for watching!
CPL Filter / HDR On you have less motion blur and less artifacts but the color tones are darker. Sometimes HDR may not be the best during the Day time as it is better for Night time use. CPL Filter in nearly all situations better to have on the lens than off. I am surprised how bad the BlackVue DR900X Plus is with the comparisons, normally it is better reading the license plate and would expect the VanTrue to be the worst of them all. We know that Night time affects all the dashcams, ought to ignore and skip this whole process. Basically, since Starvis II is used you get better resolution and the High Dynamic Range as before was WDR "Wide Dynamic Range". Only the front camera is better as nothing else changed. The A139 Pro in Parking mode that it has higher battery drain and overheating issue even at night hour which temperature often drop at night. Imagine parked in the sun how Hot the A139 Pro must get. Again, Viofo failed to resolve heat problems.
I believe the Viofo A119 V3, A119 mini and the A129 Plus will be most satisfactory at a much lower cost. So far anything labeled Pro is not doing very well. * The $20 off can be had through Viofo website which the Offer continues in January 2023. Thank you for your dedicated effort and explanation of the A139 Pro as there are more Cons than Pros for this new product.
What it best of choice between OBD 2 install or hardwire kit install sir
It depends on how you're getting the power out of the OBD-II port. An OBD-II port has constant power so anything providing power from it would need to be able to turn on/off the power going to the VIOFO dash camera. The VIOFO A139 Pro requires 5-volt power via a USB-C connector, so the 12-volt OBD-II power would need to be converted from 12-volt power to 5-Volt USB power. If you want fully functional and supported parking mode recordings from the A139 Pro, you need to obtain the VIOFO HK3-C hardwiring kit.
@@RetroCarGuy530 or a Rhundo RS-21S if your 12v socket is always on. The included in box attachment does the USB power converting for you already, and the splitter kills the power automatically when it detects a set level of low voltage from your car battery when you're parked, just as the hardwire kit does.
If you're powering the dash camera using the included cigarette lighter power socket USB power adapter, there is no low voltage protection using that approach. You must use a VIOFO HK3-C hardwire kit to power the dash camera because the HK3-C has a low voltage cutoff feature.
@@RetroCarGuy530 except I already said that the splitter (Rhundo device) has the low voltage cut off. Which is why you use it.
Still not really worth it and disappointing they don’t have a 4k front 4¥ rear option since majority of the accidents in the states are rear end collisions.
There are no such cameras offering 4k front 4k rear
@@chefgav1 thank you captain obvious. Read what I said.
And not technically true. I run two vava 4ks one front one rear. TA da.