Modern video recorder is a high-tech device that many drivers of vehicles cannot do without. And if the first registrars could not boast of a high-quality image or additional functions, at the moment the consumer can choose any of the hundreds of models on the market of devices, based on the capabilities of his pocket and individual wishes.
If earlier DVRs could only record events on the road, now they have some additional interesting features. Now manufacturers combine the functions of a recorder, a GPS receiver and a radar detector so beloved by CIS drivers in one electronic device. This article will focus on such a combined device, the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno DVR. Reviews about the gadget are mostly positive, the device was very favorably received by the target audience. What allowed the device to earn such a reputation among car owners? Let's try to figure it out.
A bit of history
The first video recording from a car was made as an experiment in 1926 in New York. Then onthe fire brigade responding to the call was completely filmed on camera.
In the 70s, the first prototypes of car recording devices appeared - the forerunners of modern DVRs. As is often the case, the first impetus for the development of video capture devices came from the military industry. These devices were used on military equipment and were intended mainly for tracking.
After some time, the registrar migrated to civilian vehicles. The first devices were bulky and extremely expensive, so they were not widely used among motorists.
But progress did not stand still, the gadget improved, and by the 90s it became widely used by law enforcement agencies of various countries.
At the beginning of the 21st century, a device for video recording of road conditions "went to the masses." Then manufacturers began to supply the device with additional options: an LCD display, a GPS module, an accelerometer, a motion sensor. Along the way, the quality of shooting video material has also improved.
Right side
Do not ignore the legal part of the question when using the registrar. In Russia, a video recorded using a car recorder may well serve as evidence of the guilt or innocence of a certain person in court. The same situation has developed in Belarus and Ukraine.
But in most EU countries it is forbidden for a private person to use a registrar. Filming other vehicles or people is considered a violation of their civil rights and freedoms.
In the US, the right to film what is happeningon the road is only available to police and special purpose vehicle drivers.
Main parameters and features that characterize any DVR
All registrars have a number of important characteristics that determine its functionality, usefulness and final cost:
- Resolution of the recorded video. The most optimal resolution is Full HD, in extreme cases - HD. The higher it is, the more fine details the image contains. For example, at low image resolution, it is impossible to see the registration number of the vehicle in front. Such a registrar is suitable only for confirming the very fact of the violation that led to the accident.
- Frame rate. Currently, the recorders support shooting at a frequency of 5 to 60 frames per second. Naturally, the more frames fit in one second of video, the better. Especially if you need to decompose some fragment of the recording into separate pictures.
- Sensitivity of the DVR camera matrix. The higher this value, the better the video quality when shooting in low light conditions.
- Viewing angle of the lens of the registrar. The higher the value of this parameter, the wider the camera coverage of the space in front of the car, that is, both the roadside and the oncoming lane fall into the frame, and not just the narrow area directly in front of the car's hood.
- Compression ratio. Video data in its raw, original form takes up a large amount of space on the memory card, so to reduce the size of video files, they are compressed using a special device -analog-to-digital converter. It is important for the manufacturer to find a middle ground: compress the file, but at the same time try to maintain the quality of the video image.
- Digital image stabilization. While the car is moving, the recorder is subject to shaking and vibration. To reduce the impact of these phenomena on the quality of the recording, an electronic stabilization system is used.
- Battery. Sometimes it is necessary for the recorder to work offline when the car network is turned off. For such needs, the recorders use a battery.
- Motion sensor. This option is necessary when you want to enable image recording only when a moving object appears within the lens field of view. This feature is useful when leaving the car in a parking lot to record the damage caused by another moving vehicle.
- Video cycling and loss. This function allows you to record videos continuously by replacing the oldest files with new ones. It is usually divided into parts of the same time. When you start recording a new file, cheap registrars experience a delay and several seconds are lost for switching, and it is at this moment that an accident can occur. Good devices do not have this phenomenon.
- Accelerometer. In case of sudden braking or an unexpected change in the position of the car in space, the accelerometer puts the device into emergency mode. In this mode, the video is recorded in a special format that is protected from deletion.
- Radar detector. This option helps in detecting specialized traffic police devices,designed to calculate the speed of a moving car.
- GPS module. Allows you to display the speed of the car on the video, and also registers the route of the car in a separate file on the memory card.
- Infrared illumination. Allows you to improve the quality of shooting in the dark.
Now let's move on to the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno review. Real reviews about the device indicate that the manufacturer managed to create a really high-quality gadget that combines the functions of a DVR and a radar detector in one case.
Packaging and scope of delivery
The device comes in a small rectangular cardboard box. The cover contains a glossy image of the gadget, the name of the model, as well as a list of traffic police speed registration systems, which are determined by the built-in radar detector.
On the ends and at the bottom of the box there is full information about the technical characteristics of the gadget and the manufacturer of the device.
The overall impression of the packaging and materials of its execution was positive. A box made of such high quality would not shy away from a gadget of a higher price category.
The scope of delivery is quite modest, although not surprising. The box contained the device itself, the system for attaching it to the windshield, a cable for power supply from the car's cigarette lighter, as well as a detailed user manual in Russian and a warranty card.
Everything is clear with the kit, let's move on to the appearancedevices.
Appearance, impressions
Immediately surprised by the compact size of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno DVR. From the reviews and descriptions of the device, we can conclude that the device makes the same first impression on many users. The manufacturer was able to achieve such a small size for a combined device by using a novelty - a compact patch antenna.
Approximately half of the front panel of the gadget is occupied by the camera lens. On the left, next to the optical module, you can see an inscription proudly indicating the fact that the new product uses an Ambarella A7 video processor. Above the camera at the corners of the front panel are: on the left - a laser signal receiver from radar systems, underneath it is a patch antenna, on the right - a microphone hole. The name of the device model flaunts in the lower left corner.
At the top end of the device there is a mount for fixing the device on the windshield using a reliable swivel holder with a suction cup.
On the side faces of the gadget are: a slot for microSD memory cards, a connector for connecting an external power adapter, a RESET button recessed in the case, which is responsible for resetting the device to factory settings, as well as several ventilation holes.
On the bottom of the device there is a sticker with a serial number, as well as an inscription informing that the country of manufacture of the gadget is Korea. AT"Chinese" realities are rare.
On the side of the device facing the driver, on the left side is a large liquid crystal display, to the right of it were found the control buttons and the speaker grille of the device. To the left of the screen, power and confirmation buttons were attached.
The system for attaching the device to the windshield consists of a suction cup and a hinged swivel mechanism. Everything is done soundly and with high quality, the mechanism for fixing the device to the holder does not cause any complaints.
The overall impression of the build quality of the gadget is positive. All recorder panels fit well with each other, no squeaks or backlashes were found. Numerous reviews and reviews of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno confirm the excellent build quality of the device.
Now let's get acquainted with the technical part and other parameters of the device.
General description and characteristics
So, here are the main parameters of the device:
- Display. The recorder is equipped with a 2.31-inch HD LCD screen.
- Sound. There is a function of voice indication of warnings and events. There is an option to view already recorded footage with sound.
- Detection. The system detects the following radar bands: KKDDAS Strelka, X, K. There is also the possibility of detecting a laser.
- GPS. The DVR has a built-in location module.
- Battery. Autonomous operation of the device is provided by a battery with a capacity of 370 mAh.
- Device dimensions. It is compact, visually looks a little more than a pack of cigarettes. Length - 90 mm, width - 60 mm, height - 30 mm. The DVR weighs 120 grams.
Using the settings menu of the combined device
Owner reviews of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno about the menu layout of the device are good, everything is made accessible and understandable.
The menu has three main sections: the radar part, DVR setup, viewing the recorded video.
Setting options for the first section of the menu (radar):
- setting the soundtrack;
- disable/enable the use of the speed stamp displayed on saved videos;
- setting the reception of the required radar frequencies;
- informing the driver of the car in case of exceeding the maximum allowable speed on this section of the road;
- setting switching between different radar detection modes depending on the speed of the vehicle;
- setting alerts about traffic police cameras depending on the distance to them.
Features of the second section of the menu (recorder):
- setting the video quality;
- recording cycle setting;
- exposure selection;
- G-sensor sensitivity adjustment;
- setting the automatic start of video recording.
The third section of the menu is forvideo work. In it, you can view the footage and, if necessary, delete unnecessary clips.
The operation of the radar part of the gadget
First of all, attention is drawn to the use of a new type of antenna in this device, which differs from those used in many models of radar detectors.
Instead of the usual volumetric massive horn, a new type of signal receiver is used - a patch antenna. With the help of this innovation, it was possible to achieve an acceptable sensitivity of the radar part of the device, while reducing the external dimensions of the DVR case by more than two times.
The built-in GPS module helps the antenna in locating the speed cameras of the car. The device memory contains a pre-installed coordinate base for the location of stationary cameras.
A more advanced camera signal detection algorithm allows, judging by the reviews, the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno radar detector to almost completely eliminate false positives while driving.
When a camera approaches, the gadget, using a sound alert and information displayed on the screen, reports information about the type of camera, the distance to it, the speed value allowed on this section of the road.
The Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno radar detector is separately noted in the reviews for the ability to timely detect radar systems that "hit in the back", that is, designed to shoot the rear number plate of the car. This function is not available to every modern device.
DVR specifications
The optical module of the DVR is based on the OmniVision OV4689 matrix. The sensor allows you to achieve very good image quality in low light conditions. This CMOS sensor is capable of shooting video in 4K resolution. It is used mainly in video surveillance systems, but has recently become used in the production of car DVRs.
Ambarella A7LA30 processor is responsible for video processing in the electronic part of the device. From the very beginning, it was not planned to use the equipment of the seventh generation in DVRs (it was produced for use in action cameras), but manufacturers of automotive electronics were interested in the excellent characteristics of the chip. After that, Ambarella released several modifications of the A7L processor.
The maximum resolution for videos shot by the combo device is 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD) at 30 frames per second. Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno pleased with excellent video quality in adverse weather conditions. The image perfectly reads the numbers not only of the vehicles in front, but also the registration plates of cars in the oncoming lane. Thanks to excellent optics, the picture is clear and bright, distortion is practically not evident, except that the shape of the image slightly changes in the corners.
The quality of shooting at night is average, which is quite acceptable for a recorder of this class.
Summing up
The Korean company, judging by the reviews of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno, turned out to be an excellent gadget that combines the functions of several devices.
Don't forget about the use of the modern Ambarella A7L video processor when creating the device. When using this chip in conjunction with the OmniVision OV4689 matrix, we managed to achieve a really clear and high-quality image.
The size of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno combo turned out to be unexpected. Reviews of many drivers confirm this. How could you cram so many devices into such a box? This was achieved primarily through the use of a patch antenna instead of a classic horn receiver.
The well-known publication "Behind the wheel" conducted an independent study of the functioning of seven models of combined devices. Among the subjects, the hero of our review was also present. According to reviews, the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno was recognized as the best combo device by the editors of the publication "Behind the wheel".
Unfortunately, there are also dissatisfied users who did not like this device. As a rule, negative reviews on the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno indicate that the main drawback stems from the dampness of the firmware of the device, which causes glitches in the device. It should be noted that all problems associated with firmware bugs are quickly resolved by releasing device software updates.
But the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno is mostly positive. Buyers note the excellent quality of the filmed video,unpretentiousness of the device to shooting conditions.
About the radar part of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno, the feedback from the owners is also only positive. The device warns the driver in time about any type of equipment used by the traffic police to register speed violations by cars.
The price of the device fluctuates around 8-9 thousand Russian rubles. Considering the functionality of the gadget, such a cost cannot be called high.
After the hero of the review, its modification appeared with a more powerful Ambarella A12 processor. The rest of the device is identical to its predecessor. From the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno A12 performance reviews, it follows that a more powerful processor allows you to shoot better quality videos than a device with an A7 processor. The price for the modification is around 12 thousand Russian rubles.
