A modern video recorder is a high-tech device that many car drivers 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 for himself any of the hundreds of models presented on the device market, based on the capabilities of his pocket and individual wishes.
If before DVRs could only record events taking place on the road, now they have some additional interesting features. Now manufacturers combine in one electronic device the functions of a registrar, GPS-receiver and radar detector, so beloved by CIS drivers. This article will be about 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 of a car was made as an experiment in 1926 in New York. Then the exit of the fire brigade on a call was completely filmed on a movie camera.
In the 70s, the first prototypes of car recording devices appeared - the predecessors of modern DVRs. As it often happens, the military industry gave the first impetus to the development of fixation video devices. 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 did not get much distribution among motorists.
But progress did not stand still, the gadget was improving, and by the 90s it began to be used everywhere by law enforcement agencies of various countries.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the device for video recording of traffic conditions "went to the masses." Then manufacturers began to supply the device with additional options: LCD display, GPS module, accelerometer, motion sensor. Along the way, the quality of shooting video material also improved.
Legal side
When using the registrar, you should not ignore the legal part of the question. In Russia, a video shot using a car recorder may well serve as evidence of the guilt or innocence of a particular person in court. The same situation has developed in Belarus and Ukraine.
But in most countries of the European Union it is forbidden to use a registrar to a private person. Shooting other cars or people is considered a violation of their civil rights and freedoms.
In the United States, the right to film what is happening on the road is granted only to police and special-purpose drivers.
The main parameters and features that characterize any DVR
All registrars have a number of important characteristics that determine its functionality, utility 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 small details the image contains. For example, with a low resolution, it is impossible to consider the registration number of the vehicle in front. Such a registrar is only suitable for confirming the very fact of a violation that entailed an accident.
- Frame frequency. Currently, registrars 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 record into separate pictures.
- The sensitivity of the matrix of the camera of the DVR. The higher this indicator, the better the video quality when shooting in low light conditions.
- Recorder lens viewing angle. The larger the value of this parameter, the wider the camera’s coverage of the space in front of the car, that is, both the roadside and the oncoming lane fall into the frame, and not only the narrow zone directly in front of the car hood.
- Compression ratio. The raw data in their raw form occupy a large amount of space on the memory card, therefore, to reduce the size of the video files, they are compressed using a special device - an 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 jolting and vibration. To reduce the effect of these phenomena on the recording quality, an electronic stabilization system is used.
- Battery. Sometimes it is necessary for the recorder to work offline with the power off of the car network. For such needs, a battery is used in the recorders.
- Motion Sensor. This option is necessary when you want to enable image recording only when a moving object appears within the viewing angle of the lens. This function is useful when parking the car in order to record the fact of damage by another moving car.
- Cyclical video and loss. This function allows you to record video continuously, replacing the oldest files with new ones. It is usually divided into equal parts of time. At the beginning of recording a new file, cheap registrars experience a delay and it takes a few seconds to switch, and it is at this point that an accident can occur. In good devices, this phenomenon is not observed.
- Accelerometer With sudden braking or an unexpected change in the position of the car in space, the accelerometer puts the device in emergency mode. In this mode, the video is recorded in a special format that is protected from deletion.
- Radar detector. This option helps in finding 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 for the review of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno combo device. Real reviews about the device indicate that the manufacturer was able to create a really high-quality gadget that combines the functions of a DVR and a radar detector in one case.
Packaging and delivery
The device comes in a small rectangular cardboard box. On the lid there is a glossy image of the gadget, the name of the model, as well as a list of traffic police registration systems, which are determined by the built-in radar detector.
At the ends and at the bottom of the box is full information about the technical characteristics of the gadget and the manufacturer of the device.
The overall impression of the packaging and its materials remained positive. A box made in such high quality would not have been scammed by a gadget of a higher price category.
The delivery set is rather modest, although not surprising. The device itself was found in the box, its mounting system on the windshield, a cable for power from the car’s cigarette lighter, as well as a detailed user manual in Russian and a warranty card.
With the kit everything is clear, let's move on to the appearance of the device.
Appearance, impressions
The compact size of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno DVR is immediately surprising. From the reviews and descriptions of the device, we can conclude that the same first impression the device makes for many users. The manufacturer was able to achieve such a small size for a combined device by using a novelty - a compact patch antenna.
About 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 novelty uses an Ambarella A7 video processor. Above the camera at the corners of the front panel there are: on the left - a laser receiver of a signal from radar systems, under it there is a patch antenna, on the right - a microphone hole. In the lower left corner is the name of the device model.
At the upper end of the device there is a mount for fixing the device on the windshield using a reliable hinged 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 housing, 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 with an inscription informing that the country of manufacture of the gadget is Korea. In "Chinese" realities, this is not common.
On the side of the device facing the driver, on the left side there is a large LCD display, to the right of it were found control buttons and a speaker grille of the device. To the left of the screen, the power and confirmation buttons are attached.
The system for attaching the device to the windshield consists of a suction cup and an articulated swivel mechanism. Everything is done soundly and efficiently, the mechanism of 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 are well adjusted to each other, no creaks and backlashes were found. Numerous reviews and reviews of Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno confirm the excellent build quality of the device.
Now we will 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 diagonal high-definition LCD screen.
- Sound. There is a function of voice indication of warnings and events. It is possible to view already captured footage with sound.
- Detection. The system detects the following radio ranges of radars: 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 provides a battery capacity of 370 mAh.
- Dimensions of the device. It is compact, visually looks a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes. Length - 90 mm, width - 60 mm, height - 30 mm. The weight of the DVR is 120 grams.
Work with the settings menu of the combined device
Owner reviews of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno about the device’s menu layout are good, everything is made accessible and understandable.
The menu has three main sections: the radar part, setting up the DVR, viewing captured video material.
The options for setting the first section of the menu (radar):
- setting sound accompaniment;
- disable / enable the use of the speed stamp displayed on the saved videos;
- setting the reception of the required radar frequencies;
- informing the driver of the car in case of exceeding the maximum permissible speed on this section of the road;
- switching settings between different radar detection modes depending on the vehicle speed;
- notification settings about traffic police cameras depending on the distance to them.
Features of the second section of the menu (registrar):
- setting the quality of video shooting;
- tincture of the recording cycle;
- exposure selection;
- sensitivity adjustment of the G-sensor;
- setting to automatically start recording a movie.
The third section of the menu is designed to work with videos. In it, you can view the footage and, if necessary, delete unnecessary clips.
The work of the radar part of the gadget
First of all, attention is drawn to the use of a new type of antenna in this unit, which differs from that used in many models of radar detectors.
Instead of the usual surround massive speaker, a new type of signal receiver is used - a patch antenna. With this innovation, it was possible to achieve an acceptable sensitivity of the radar part of the device, while more than halving the external dimensions of the body of the DVR.
The antenna is assisted by the built-in GPS module in locating vehicle speed cameras. The device’s memory contains a predefined base of coordinates for the location of stationary cameras.
A more advanced algorithm for determining the camera signal allows, judging by the reviews, the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno radar detector to almost completely eliminate false alarms during movement.
When approaching the camera, the gadget with the help of a sound notification and the information displayed on the screen, provides information about the type of camera, the distance to it, the speed value allowed on this section of the road.
Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno radar detector is noted separately in reviews for the ability to timely detect radar systems that are “beating in the back,” that is, intended for shooting the back license plate of a car. Such a function is not available to every modern device.
DVR Features
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 capturing video in 4K resolution. It is used mainly in video surveillance systems, but has recently become used in the production of car DVRs.
For processing video in the electronic part of the device is responsible for the Ambarella A7LA30 processor. From the very beginning, it was not planned to use the seventh generation equipment in DVRs (it was produced for use in action cameras), however, automotive electronics manufacturers were interested in the excellent characteristics of the chip. After that, Ambarella released several modifications of the A7L processor.
The maximum resolution of videos shot with a combo device is 1920 × 1080 pixels (Full HD) at a frequency of 30 frames per second. Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno pleased with the excellent video quality in adverse weather conditions. The image reads perfectly the numbers not only in front of the traveling vehicle, but also the registration plates of cars in the oncoming lane. Thanks to the excellent optics, the picture is clear and bright, the distortions practically do not rush into the eyes, except that the shape of the image changes slightly in the corners.
The quality of shooting at night is at an average level, which is quite acceptable for a registrar of this class.
Summarizing
The Korean company, judging by the reviews of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno model, got an excellent gadget that combines the functions of several devices.
Do not forget about the use of the modern processor for processing video images Ambarella A7L when creating the device. When using this chip in conjunction with the OmniVision OV4689 sensor, it was possible to achieve a really clear and high-quality image.
The size of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno combo device was unexpected. Reviews of many drivers confirm this. How could you push 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 famous publication "Behind the Wheel" conducted an independent study of the functioning of seven models of combined devices. Among the subjects was present and the hero of our review. According to reviews by the editorial staff of Za Rulem, the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno was recognized as the best combo device.
Unfortunately, there are also dissatisfied users who did not like this device. As a rule, negative reviews on Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno indicate that the main drawback arises 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 the release of device software updates.
However, the majority of positive reviews for Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno. Buyers note the excellent quality of the captured video material, the unpretentiousness of the device to the shooting conditions.
On the radar part of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno, the reviews of the owners are also only positive. The device promptly warns the driver about any types of equipment used by the traffic police to register a speed violation by cars.
The price of the device fluctuates around 8-9 thousand Russian rubles. Given the functionality of the gadget, it is impossible to call such a cost high.
Following 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 reviews of the Silverstone F1 Hybrid Uno A12 specifications, it follows that a more powerful processor allows you to shoot better quality video than a device with an A7 processor. The price of modification is in the region of 12 thousand Russian rubles.