January 28, 2013 at 14:32Highscreen Black Box Full HD DVR Review
I must say right away that I practically do not drive, since in a megalopolis it is
much more convenient for me to travel by public transport and taxi. That is, God himself
told me to get not only a navigator, but also a registrar.
Over the past few years, many registrars with a
value of hundreds of dollars or more have appeared on the Russian market . Moreover, even an inexpensive model, for example,
Highscreen Black Box Full HD, can be a pleasant surprise.
The Highscreen Black Box Full HD Car DVR is packaged in a small
cardboard box. Inside it you can find:
As you can see, there is nothing superfluous in picking. And even something is missing - for
reasons of economy, the user is offered to buy an HDMI cable and a memory card on
their own.
Highscreen “black box” looks very unusual against the background of “relatives”. When
looking at the Black Box Full HD dashcam, it seems that its design is
borrowed from compact cameras. This is a plus.
Perhaps the Black Box Full HD is one of the most compact recorders - it
fits easily in the palm of your hand. Weighing about 70 grams, the overall dimensions of the device
are 79x55x25 mm. Thanks to this, the device will look good even in
small city cars.
The Highscreen Black Box Full HD case has rounded corners and is made of
black plastic with a soft-touch coating. Build quality is good, no backlash or
There are no gaps, which is why the case seems monolithic. This is a big plus, since
many poorly-assembled state employees start rattling when driving, which affects
the quality of the recording.
The front of the Black Box Full HD has not only a lens, but also a microphone and
speaker. There you can also find the battery compartment. To
access it , you must slide the cover, which occupies more than half of the front panel of the
device.
On the top of the Black Box Full HD is a small power button. Since
it protrudes slightly from the device’s body, it’s
not difficult to turn on the device without distracting from the road. At the top is a reset button.
Below is a TV-out - a 3.5 mm Jack jack.
At the back there is a 2.36-inch TFT-screen with a resolution of 960x240 pixels, which for
better reliability is covered with a transparent layer of glossy plastic. To the right of the display
you can see a number of buttons - “Up”, “Down”, “Menu”, “OK”, as well as an indicator of the operation of the
device.
On the right side, you can find miniUSB and miniHDMI ports, as well as a slot for microSD
memory cards. Black Box Full HD supports cards up to 32 GB.
Like almost any other DVR, the Highscreen BlackBox Full HD is attached to the
windshield using a suction cup mount.
To install the mount on the windshield, it is necessary to fix the holder
using a special lever at its base. Then you need to install the recorder
in a special container and adjust its position in space. The
installation process should take only a couple of minutes, and when you get used to it - even less.
The installed DVR can be deflected back and forth and tilted left
to right, even with tightened latches.
The mounting design does not imply the possibility of rotation of the recorder
around an axis in the horizontal plane. So record a conversation with the inspector
DPS, turning the registrar's eye to the window, will not work. To do this, you will have to
remove the recorder from the container, which, in general, should not cause any
difficulties.
The recorder is securely fixed in the container. Like the mount itself, it practically
does not shake and does not stagger.
Despite its compact size, Highscreen BlackBox Full HD is equipped with its own
battery, so it can be used outside the car. True, extreme
sports will have to be forgotten, because the device is enclosed in a conventional case and
comes without special mounts.
In offline mode, the battery will drain in about 2 hours, which is quite a bit.
But again, a car recorder, as a rule,
needs its own battery only for the correct completion of recording in an emergency or for taking
damage to a vehicle during an accident and talking with other participants. In
general, most of the time the Highscreen BlackBox Full HD is powered by a
car cigarette lighter .
The DVR can record video in Full HD quality. Moreover, we are talking
about "honest" 1080p. You can evaluate the video quality yourself by the
given examples of clips, as well as the quality of photography.
In my opinion, BlackBox Full HD writes video in high quality not only in the afternoon, but
also in the evening. However, in complete darkness, when there is not even street lighting, there is no talk of high
detail - like 90% of DVRs are on sale. We must
admit that for a budget device recording quality is generally good.
Recording is carried out on a microSD memory card in segments of 2, 5 or 10
minutes. The video is written in cycles: when filling out the card, the registrar saves new
clips over the old ones. At the same time, the recording is “overlapped”, that is, each
new video starts at the same time as the previous one is saved. In maximum
quality, a 2-minute clip takes about 150 MB.
If necessary, you can activate the G-Sensor, according to which the recorder
can independently start recording video. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the
accelerometer cannot be adjusted, so a large hole in the roadway can
lead to the start of recording. However, such pits sometimes become the causes of accidents, so
there is nothing wrong with that.
In my opinion, the BlackBox Full HD is not the most friendly control. In
particular, I did not like the fact that the registrar, for example, does not have a separate
start and end button for recording. The manufacturer “hung” this function on one
of the four buttons, namely, on the menu call button.
In general, the menu is simple. One screen - one function. In general,
even a blonde from a joke will figure it out.
As you may have noticed in the photographs, in this section there is not a single item
relating directly to the shooting. The manufacturer considered that it is advisable
to make a choice of resolution, exposure, effects and duration of clips, etc.
in a separate menu.
To call it, you must hold the OK button for several seconds.
The Highscreen Black Box Full HD recorder is compact in size and has
an unusual appearance that will appeal to the owners of "small cars". However,
much more important is not so much good performance as high quality video
for a device costing about 4.5 thousand rubles.
Of course, the Black Box Full HD is not without flaws. Firstly, this is a poor bundle
, which does not include a memory card. Secondly, this is not the most convenient
organization of access to various functions.
Larger photos are available in the album.
More videos on the YouTube playlist.
much more convenient for me to travel by public transport and taxi. That is, God himself
told me to get not only a navigator, but also a registrar.
Over the past few years, many registrars with a
value of hundreds of dollars or more have appeared on the Russian market . Moreover, even an inexpensive model, for example,
Highscreen Black Box Full HD, can be a pleasant surprise.
Equipment
The Highscreen Black Box Full HD Car DVR is packaged in a small
cardboard box. Inside it you can find:
- Recorder Highscreen Black Box Full HD
- Windshield mount
- Car charger
- Battery
- Cable for synchronization with PC (miniUSB, USB)
- Composite cable (Jack 3,5 "male", 2x RCA "female")
- Quick start guide and warranty card
As you can see, there is nothing superfluous in picking. And even something is missing - for
reasons of economy, the user is offered to buy an HDMI cable and a memory card on
their own.
Appearance
Highscreen “black box” looks very unusual against the background of “relatives”. When
looking at the Black Box Full HD dashcam, it seems that its design is
borrowed from compact cameras. This is a plus.
Perhaps the Black Box Full HD is one of the most compact recorders - it
fits easily in the palm of your hand. Weighing about 70 grams, the overall dimensions of the device
are 79x55x25 mm. Thanks to this, the device will look good even in
small city cars.
The Highscreen Black Box Full HD case has rounded corners and is made of
black plastic with a soft-touch coating. Build quality is good, no backlash or
There are no gaps, which is why the case seems monolithic. This is a big plus, since
many poorly-assembled state employees start rattling when driving, which affects
the quality of the recording.
The front of the Black Box Full HD has not only a lens, but also a microphone and
speaker. There you can also find the battery compartment. To
access it , you must slide the cover, which occupies more than half of the front panel of the
device.
On the top of the Black Box Full HD is a small power button. Since
it protrudes slightly from the device’s body, it’s
not difficult to turn on the device without distracting from the road. At the top is a reset button.
Below is a TV-out - a 3.5 mm Jack jack.
At the back there is a 2.36-inch TFT-screen with a resolution of 960x240 pixels, which for
better reliability is covered with a transparent layer of glossy plastic. To the right of the display
you can see a number of buttons - “Up”, “Down”, “Menu”, “OK”, as well as an indicator of the operation of the
device.
On the right side, you can find miniUSB and miniHDMI ports, as well as a slot for microSD
memory cards. Black Box Full HD supports cards up to 32 GB.
Car mount
Like almost any other DVR, the Highscreen BlackBox Full HD is attached to the
windshield using a suction cup mount.
To install the mount on the windshield, it is necessary to fix the holder
using a special lever at its base. Then you need to install the recorder
in a special container and adjust its position in space. The
installation process should take only a couple of minutes, and when you get used to it - even less.
The installed DVR can be deflected back and forth and tilted left
to right, even with tightened latches.
The mounting design does not imply the possibility of rotation of the recorder
around an axis in the horizontal plane. So record a conversation with the inspector
DPS, turning the registrar's eye to the window, will not work. To do this, you will have to
remove the recorder from the container, which, in general, should not cause any
difficulties.
The recorder is securely fixed in the container. Like the mount itself, it practically
does not shake and does not stagger.
Exploitation
Despite its compact size, Highscreen BlackBox Full HD is equipped with its own
battery, so it can be used outside the car. True, extreme
sports will have to be forgotten, because the device is enclosed in a conventional case and
comes without special mounts.
In offline mode, the battery will drain in about 2 hours, which is quite a bit.
But again, a car recorder, as a rule,
needs its own battery only for the correct completion of recording in an emergency or for taking
damage to a vehicle during an accident and talking with other participants. In
general, most of the time the Highscreen BlackBox Full HD is powered by a
car cigarette lighter .
The DVR can record video in Full HD quality. Moreover, we are talking
about "honest" 1080p. You can evaluate the video quality yourself by the
given examples of clips, as well as the quality of photography.
Video examples:
Day:
Evening city:
Night track:
Examples of photos:
In my opinion, BlackBox Full HD writes video in high quality not only in the afternoon, but
also in the evening. However, in complete darkness, when there is not even street lighting, there is no talk of high
detail - like 90% of DVRs are on sale. We must
admit that for a budget device recording quality is generally good.
Recording is carried out on a microSD memory card in segments of 2, 5 or 10
minutes. The video is written in cycles: when filling out the card, the registrar saves new
clips over the old ones. At the same time, the recording is “overlapped”, that is, each
new video starts at the same time as the previous one is saved. In maximum
quality, a 2-minute clip takes about 150 MB.
If necessary, you can activate the G-Sensor, according to which the recorder
can independently start recording video. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the
accelerometer cannot be adjusted, so a large hole in the roadway can
lead to the start of recording. However, such pits sometimes become the causes of accidents, so
there is nothing wrong with that.
Office and menu
In my opinion, the BlackBox Full HD is not the most friendly control. In
particular, I did not like the fact that the registrar, for example, does not have a separate
start and end button for recording. The manufacturer “hung” this function on one
of the four buttons, namely, on the menu call button.
In general, the menu is simple. One screen - one function. In general,
even a blonde from a joke will figure it out.
As you may have noticed in the photographs, in this section there is not a single item
relating directly to the shooting. The manufacturer considered that it is advisable
to make a choice of resolution, exposure, effects and duration of clips, etc.
in a separate menu.
To call it, you must hold the OK button for several seconds.
Conclusion
The Highscreen Black Box Full HD recorder is compact in size and has
an unusual appearance that will appeal to the owners of "small cars". However,
much more important is not so much good performance as high quality video
for a device costing about 4.5 thousand rubles.
Of course, the Black Box Full HD is not without flaws. Firstly, this is a poor bundle
, which does not include a memory card. Secondly, this is not the most convenient
organization of access to various functions.
Technical specifications Highscreen Black Box Full HD
| Matrix: | CMOS, 5 MP (Aptina) |
| Lens: | 120 degrees |
| Video processing processor: | Ambarella A2S60 |
| Video Resolution: | 1920 × 1080/1280 × 720/848 × 480 pixels |
| Frame frequency: | 30 fps |
| Fragment Duration: | 2, 5 or 10 minutes |
| File format: | Mov |
| Photo Resolution: | 5 megapixels |
| Magnification: | digital, 4x |
| File format: | Jpg |
| Storage device: | microSD memory card up to 32 GB |
| Display: | LTPS TFT-matrix, 2.36 ”, 960x240 pixels |
| TV connection: | miniHDMI, AV-Out |
| Sound: | built-in microphone and speaker |
| PC connection: | miniUSB (USB 2.0) |
| Tongue: | Russian English |
| Battery: | Replaceable lithium polymer battery, 550 mA / h |
| Charger output voltage: | 5 v |
| Additionally: | accelerometer |
| Dimensions: | 79x55x25 mm |
| Weight: | 67 g |
Larger photos are available in the album.
More videos on the YouTube playlist.