AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red review: a registrar with LDWS and other "goodies" + "inside"

At the beginning of last year, I did not think that the registrars would expect a different evolution, except for improving the quality of shooting, and the appearance of the next hybrid models with a radar detector or an action camera function. Fortunately, you don’t have to get bored, at least two curious “tricks” were found in the models of the end of the past - the beginning of this year. The first is the LDWS lane control system, the second is a warning about speed cameras via GPS. To study both features, it was decided on the example of AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red. I have not talked about the registrars of this Russian (without sarcasm) brand for a long time, but here I got the opportunity to get acquainted with the current flagship. Some more useful information before the kat - the model is shooting in Super Full HD resolution (thanks to Ambarella A7), the price is 7,090 rubles (~ $ 202). There is a cheaper version,



Just in case, I’ll write a few words about the brand. AdvoCam is owned by Videomax, which “has 17 years of experience in the professional video surveillance market.” Plus "factory" in the city of Alexandrov, Vladimir region. There, domestic engineers are developing devices, and then checking the quality of the finished product. China stays between these two stages and performs only the role of an assembly shop. A few months ago, I personally managed to "penetrate" this plant, which I will try to tell you about in the near future. This means that the phrase “Russian brand” in the case of AdvoCam is much more correct in comparison with many umbrella brands, or rather, their products.

Packaging and equipment


Compared to previous models, the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red box turned out to be a bit “clumsy” - writing in different fonts and an abundance of “stickers” do not benefit a holistic perception. However, there are no problems with the availability of useful data - at the ends and at the back they clearly explain what LDWS is, than Super Full HD is better than 1080p, and at the same time they instruct about the functions of all the buttons on the case. What I personally liked the most - there is a table of the maximum duration of the saved video, depending on the size of the memory card.







The internal set is typical for the latest AdvoCam registrars (but not “generally” in the market). Firstly, there is a 4 GB card immediately inserted into the slot. It holds about half an hour of shooting at 1296p, 40 minutes at 1080p and one hour at 720p. I believe that selling recorders without a memory card is unacceptable, except in the case of the most affordable models. Whether 4 GB is enough is a private matter. The accelerometer, for automatic marking of important files, has not been canceled. As well as the ability to manually assign the current file an emergency label. Given that in the vast majority of cases, the useful video duration does not exceed even one minute ...



The charging unit from the cigarette lighter is not particularly pleased. I would not have paid attention to this if it had not been for the AdvoCam-FD7 Profi-GPS - it has a full USB connector in the unit for installation on charging other devices. Moreover, I found exactly the same useful accessory in the kit of the fresh AdvoCam-FD Black-GPS, which is positioned as the most inexpensive recorder from the current AdvoCam models.



As I understand it, for some time now AdvoCam has signed Viktor Travin, president of the college of legal protection for motorists, to advertise his registrars, notorious in Russian automobile circles. Travin is known to me from commercials explaining the legal aspects of using filming from the registrar in court. The brochure in the box briefly describes what to do with the video in the event of an accident - from the moment of the incident to the analysis in the traffic police. I think a "must have" for the glove compartment of any motorist. For even if you carefully read the "do", it is not a fact that in a nervous situation you will remember at least something. Then AdvoCam laid out , so to speak, the full version of the recommendations. Which can be used by owners of registrars of other brands.



From the rest - a software disc, miniUSB cable and compact instructions.



Installation


I will not say that the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red bracket is directly branded, for some time I have seen a similar holder in many registrars of other companies. Be that as it may, it is precisely this option that has invariably met me in AdvoCam models for at least a year. Useful property number one - the power connector is located directly in the holders. And when connected, it is initially located at the top point of the structure, hiding the cable from the eyes and unequivocally motivating to lay under the casing. This is much better than the side power connector on the case when it is not far from the cigarette lighter - and often motorists don’t hide the wire at all, but throw it directly. Moreover, thoughts like “then I will do it right” do not even arise. Plus, if you need to quickly remove the recorder from the mount and shoot a particularly interesting event outside the car’s interior,


A useful feature number two is the articulated holder. The recorder can be rotated as you like, time is spent on it minimally. The leg between the hinge and the body of the device is microscopic, therefore, the holder practically does not increase the overall dimensions of the “observational structure”. Perhaps I would not refuse an additional bolt to adjust the rigidity of the hinge. This would eliminate the likelihood that the hinge will loose in the future. Although I am familiar with drivers who use this bracket for about a year and do not observe any special signs of “reeling”.



I am not a fan of the completely hidden installation of registrars, but if you want AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red, you can almost completely “obscure” the rear-view mirror. Yes, there is a large 2.7-inch screen. But the height is only 48 mm - other models without a screen are even larger.



Case, management


Registrars do not apply to devices that should have a memorable appearance. So it’s extremely rare that we are pleased with something like interesting body elements or, especially, colors. AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red is notable for one detail - a bright red insert on the front side. There is also an AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Blue model with a completely similar case, but a blue stripe. I do not think that the point of installing a registrar is that motorists or traffic police do not know about the ongoing shooting. And so - an additional reason to notice the registrar and, in any case, change the belligerent mood to constructive communication.



The case is made of plastic resembling softtach. There was no particular tendency to accumulate operating traces, although AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red does not guarantee absolute protection from fingerprints. And it’s better not to touch the glossy insert at all.



In addition to the lens, the front side has IR illumination and speaker slots.

The usual connectors are AV-out, miniUSB and miniHDMI. If desired, through miniUSB, you can also connect the recorder to the computer, and supply power from the cigarette lighter - you never know what happens to the bracket.





Button control is built on six buttons. For some reason, AdvoCam emphasizes “One touch technology” - one-touch control of the main functions: protecting the file from being overwritten, mute / unmute audio, turn on the backlight, ”etc. In fact, all this is practically no different from a set of buttons and their tasks in other registrars. Plus, AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red has the same complaint as its “colleagues” - there are no visual picograms that would characterize the performance of a particular function. For some reason, there are up / down icons, although it is so intuitively clear which button is responsible for moving in which direction. You can not say about turning on / off the screen or microphone. In fairness, the key assignments for a couple of days are remembered, in the future I did not turn to the instructions.





I’ll take it to the pluses that there is no solo photo mode, a separate button allows you to take a quick photo at any time. Accordingly, you do not have to press the “M” key once again, making your way to the list of settings. By the way, the buttons have a clear course, nothing hangs and does not rattle. And in general, the assembly of the case is good, there are no cracks or backlashes.



Inside


Out of curiosity, he looked inside the case. In principle, nothing special, you can do without comments.



















Settings, at work


It’s hard for me to judge how much AdvoCam and other brands depend on some “stock” firmware regarding the possibility of making changes. In the sense that in some models of the brand I saw the separation of settings into several tabs (video / "rest"), but specifically in AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red there is a continuous list. All basic options such as changing the resolution, setting the license plate number, controlling WDR, backlighting, etc. in stock. The only thing missing is a couple of points for the video, such as exposure, white balance. Although I suspect that 99.9% of drivers would not have touched them, even if they were available.

Now I will talk about LDWS. This system controls the presence of the car in the current lane and produces a loud sound signal when shifting to the lane to the right or left. According to the system, a roadside or “oncoming” trip can occur - with attendant sad consequences. It is clear that LDWS is the prerogative of travelers and truckers. Therefore, if you are going to buy the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red, think carefully about whether all the features of the model are useful to you. It may be more reasonable to opt for the same AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Blue. If you absolutely want Super Full HD, then AdvoCam-FD7 Profi-GPS.

LDWS should be treated with the understanding that the system is far from ideal. This is not a complaint about the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red, but LDWS features even in the registrar for $ 300, at least as an option in the car for $ 50,000. Most of all, the system likes excellent layout and sunny (in extreme cases - clear) days. If the conditions are met, there will be practically no false positives, and warnings will be exclusively in the case. Cloudy weather has been outlined, twilight is approaching, half-erased markings are in front of you - LDWS will begin to "junk". This statement, again, was confirmed in AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red to the same extent as in other registrars I tested with LDWS. I note that (in my experience), brands always honestly warn buyers about the vagaries of the system. Considering that in Russia, intercity roads are not always distinguished by quality coverage,

We turn to the second important feature - the warning about speed cameras. The principle of operation is extremely simple - there is a built-in database of cameras, a GPS recorder determines our location and looks for the nearest "POI". It is clear that warnings are received only about stationary complexes, including Strelka ST, which is especially popular in Russia (and elusive for some radar detectors). In my opinion, warnings about cameras are needed exclusively for inattentive drivers, and not wanting to avoid punishment of conscious riders. And even if you monitor the speed, a registrar warning enhances vigilance. In the end, “Strelka” not only monitors speed, but also severely punishes rebuilding “into the wrong lane”.



With regard to the completeness of the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red base, there is still room for improvement. I compared it with the camera bases in the Progorod navigator, the registrar recognized about 70%. Given that the list is updated almost monthly - a good result. In theory, by the end of the summer, the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red will get a comprehensive list of cameras. The database is stored in the speedcam.txt file in the root directory of the memory card. Accordingly, the most “refined” drivers do not need to wait for any updates - you can import data from third-party projects with daily “updates”.

I can’t say that I am glad to expand the functionality of the GPS receiver, since so far I consider the possibility of using it exclusively to record a movement track to be an extremely dubious “bun”. Finally, a few words about the accelerometer - the sensor worked as it should, the sensitivity level I set to “3” out of seven possible (more - higher sensitivity).

Video


Shooting is carried out in the resolution of 2304 x 1296, 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720 pixels. Everywhere - with a frequency of 30 fps. Additionally, there is a TimeLapse mode with a reduced frequency of 1 fps and the ability to fit on a 64 GB card up to two weeks of continuous shooting. A motion sensor - “parking mode” is attached to the standard recording, in which shooting automatically starts when there is movement in the frame. As practice shows, a useful option, even if you go a couple of minutes shopping at the store.

Components, from the point of view of the current flagships, in a good sense are "pop." A five-lens glass lens, a decent 3 megapixel Aptina (1/3 ") sensor and an Ambarella A7 processor, which does not need special presentation. It appears that the" filling "of the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red is not afraid of shooting in low light conditions or in bad weather - which is a priority for Russia and surrounding countries. In general, in order not to spread for a long time, I will immediately give examples of day and night shooting. Under the video - links to the original files.


Original file


Original file

Frankly, no matter how much I looked at shooting new-fangled Super Full HD recorders with Ambarella A7, I did not notice any noticeable and fundamental difference in the recording quality between them. Yes, at maximum the camera produces even 2304 x 1296 pixels, without a hint of interpolation. But to say that this does increase the clarity by one and a half times (including the readability of license plates) - no, I won’t say this. Once again, I am somewhat confused by an incomprehensible effect, ahem, "pile" - there is a feeling that, regardless of the conditions, a certain "noise" is working. Nevertheless, in general, the picture does not lag behind the top Full HD recorders with prices up to 10,000 rubles. I will say even more - AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red removes no worse than some models for 12,000 rubles.

Conclusion


If you need "full stuffing", then AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red would be a good choice. Here and Super Full HD, and (a kind of, but still) a radar detector, and the LDWS system. There are other pluses such as mounting, a complete memory card, etc., but they can be found in more affordable models of the brand. As I already said, the issue price is 7,090 rubles (~ $ 202), for the version without GPS and an accelerometer - for 6,290 rubles (~ 179). In my opinion, it’s the “golden mean”, as there are much more expensive models on the market with a similar set of functions, which do not exceed the AdvoCam-FD8 Profi-GPS Red in any way. On the other hand, recently AdvoCam released the budget AdvoCam-FD Black-GPS for 4,590 rubles with a very decent quality of shooting. If you build on it, the surcharge of two and a half thousand rubles for LDWS and Strelka does not look excessive.

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