Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)2 minutes of video added, one high speed highway, other, local traffic. Cloudy day on both. Camera set to highest resolution and in bright mode.
Review:
Itronics ITB-70G iPass Black
Introduction:
The Itronics ITB-70G (also known as iPass Black) is a dashboard/windshield mounted camera with built-in GPS.
Manufacturer claims (not my grammar, copied from their website):
Car black box with video, audio and GPS data recorder
The video and audio data are continuously recorder in H.264 compression format
Records data due to collision, sudden acceleration and brake by the built-in impact sensor
The recorder data is marked as event files in SD memory card
Manual "record" button to record any specific view
The front view camera can be tilted up to 180 degree and record inside the vehicle if necessary. Built in GPS records the driving speed and displays the data using your computer. Information from device is stored in memory card and can be analyzed to help determine what the vehicles were doing before, during and after the crash or event.
Specifications:
Type of Camera sensor: CMOS.
Coverage: 120 degree / 0.3 mil pixels.
Minimum Illumination: 0.9 Lux
Data Compression: H.264.
Sensor: Built in 3 axis impact sensor.
Resolution: 640 x 480 (VGA).
Selectable FPS: High 24fps, Standard 30 fps & 15 fps.
Power Input: 12 ~ 24 v.
Size: 92 mm (W) x 42 mm (H).
Weight: 85g.
What's in the box?:
Main unit, mounting cradle, 4 GB SDHC memory card (made by Sandisk), extra adhesive tape, cable holders, power cable, user manual, SD card reader (via USB port).
Review:
OK, now that the facts are all copied out above, let's get on with the review already!
Presentation:
I emailed the Amazon seller ahead of time to discuss return policies and the like but mainly to test if I was working with someone from the USA. They responded quickly and kindly. The seller was very helpful and I liked the return policy. The item showed up promptly.
The box is quite nice and shiny. Everything is placed in small taped bags to prevent friction during transport. There are remarkably many things to dig through in this little black box. Instructions are on top and the camera and accessories are in a vacuum shaped pack. Camera in a bag on the right, center is the mounting bracket, ready to be taped to the windshield, other side had the power cord and underneath I found the memory card in a sleeve and the memory card reader and cable holders. The card reader is for if your computer doesn't read sdhc cards. There is also an extra piece of double sided rubber based tape, in case you mess up the install.
Installation:
Slide the camera sideways into the mounting bracket, peel back the tape and stick it to the windshield. A nice touch, you peel back the tape and you can see through the rubbery adhesive, it says "Itronics" which can be viewed through the windshield. Put the memory card in the side, shut the flap and plug it in. That is all that is really to it, but the devil is in the details. It is advisable to keep it below any window tinting, so I had to mount it lower than I wished. It also has a bit of a fisheye effect so you may get part of your dash if you mount it too low. I decided that I would mount it behind the rearview mirror with the "REC" button slightly exposed in case I want to push it. Above all, make sure it is level or it will forever record your videos all crooked. You will have to take it down to straighten it. The unit comes with a cigarette lighter power cord and should be routed like your usual radar detector. It comes with looms to route it around your windshield. I am leaving it dangling straight down for now because I plan to hotwire it into the electrical system. If you find a switched source, it will turn off with the car. Otherwise it will stay on and you will have to unplug it from the unit to power it down. If left on with the car off, the mfg claims it will run in a lower power mode, lowering the frame rate. I have not and will not try this.
Operation:
Turn on the car power. You will hear 3 small ascending chimes and it is recording. I didn't realize this when I bought it but the letters "REC" on the record button glow red when it is on, and it started flashing. Per the instructions, the flashing means it is trying to get a signal from the GPS. Once a signal is established, it will stop flashing and stay lit. So I messed around with it for a bit, checking the angle and adjusting it. It took about 2 minutes to get a signal while parked inside my garage. Once it had a signal, I turned off the car and took the memory card to the computer. It lets out 3 descending chimes when you shut off the power. You can wire it into a permanent power supply and it will record in a lower power mode should you be concerned for the night where you parked. It will consume power though, so I have not tried this setup.
Software Installation:
Insert memory card into computer. Click the Playersetup.exe file and the software installs in seconds.
Software Usage:
The instructions explain everything fine in English with a few spots that could use explaining so here are a few tricks that make it easier to understand.
Please click the photo I uploaded, it will open up two more fully labeled photos of the software.
First, when you hover over a button, it doesn't display a description, so you should check the manual.
Second, you should go into settings right away before messing with anything else. The settings button is the gear in the bottom right corner.
Clicking this brings up a small simple menu for my recommended settings:
Route for file save: Find a spot on your hard drive (not the memory card it defaults to) that the files will be copied to, should you decide to copy the files from the memory card.
Capture Image Format: choose BMP or JPEG
Audio Recording: Select on (high), on (low), off. I chose on (high) because it is still too quiet. You can turn off the audio in the menu and there is an "amp" button which tries to make it louder.
Impact Sensor Sensitivity: 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, OFF. I choose OFF. The settings refer to G-forces that it measures in the x,y,z axis. EVERY SINGLE POTHOLE will make this flag a file with an exclamation point. Very annoying since flagged files do not get overwritten and each one will need to be deleted individually. A slow process when there are several hundred to go through. You can also just go to windows explorer and remove them there but they won't show up flagged. You are not obligated to use their software except for to set the settings and look at the g-force readings. WMP and QT play the files just fine.
Recording Quality: High 24fps, Standard 30fps, Low 15fps. I know what you are thinking. I made a typo, high should be 30fps. That is the way it is set up and I don't know what to tell you here except that each of my video editing software's showed that the Standard did indeed record at 30fps and the High did record at 24fps. Resolution stayed the same at 640x480. I keep it in Standard now.
Illumination Control: Standard, Bright. I keep it in standard. Bright didn't seem to help much since it is not a night vision camera. I barely noticed a difference.
Time Zone: set it and forget it.
There is a button with an exclamation point. Click this and all the flagged files will instantly be copied to you hard drive.
Next is a file to file button. Click and the highlighted file will be copied. Trash button deletes the selected file. You CANNOT highlight more than one file at a time in this software.
Next is a folder button that allows you to open files from your hard drive. Then there is a SD card button to go back to the SD card.
Above this is the GPS.
The GPS location is very accurate. It is from Google (I hope the path stays the same forever) and you can change from satellite to hybrid and map and zoom. You cannot scroll because it will automatically center you back in the screen.
Above this is the file selection showing File Name, Size and Date/Time. Every file is 11 megs and 1 minute long, unless you cut the power in the middle of a recording. It has a bit of back up power inside to finalize the file and then shuts down.
To the left is the viewing window for playback and it is date and time stamped, above which is a satellite icon (turns on if the GPS is locked in) and a KM/hour display. There is no way I have found to change this to MPH.
Below this large window is the g-force readings, hover over this and you will get a small reading for each axis.
Below this is a VCR type control, a zoom button, a brightness lever, flip video button, take a snapshot button, volume control and AMP button to make it louder.
Overall the software works fine. It is very simplistic and hasn't locked up yet. I was worried about spyware but it is a standalone product that didn't invade my registry with garbage. I wish there were more settings and I have yet to check the iPass website for a software update. The software comes on the memory card, so I recommend copying it off to somewhere safe in case the card gets bricked. The manual recommends weekly reformatting of the 4GB card. Firmware updates are stated to be easy to do by installing a .bin file on the memory card and inserting it into the camera. Also, inserting a new memory card into the camera will...Read more›
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