Have you ever encounter a car accident (touch wood!) and the party at fault insisted that you are the in the wrong. Or, have you ever tried writing a report on the accident? I bet you will hate either one of them. Now, with ViGi Vehicle Video Recorder, you can just plug in the SD Card into your computer to view the footage. This is NOT the first product to do video recording on vehicles. However, it is one of the latest in the market and it records sound.
Yesterday, I met up with the manager cum partner of ViG Services to see this new product for the Singapore Market. It is to be launched this next week with AA (Automobile Association). The actual product model is MT-12 but I call it ViGi for short.
According to Kenny, the manager for this product, highlights of this product are : –
- Easy to Install
- Easy to Use
- Easy to Obtain clear-cut evidences
So, what does it do and why you need it?
It records video when the car engine is on. It helps to capture video in a segment of 5 minutes into the SD Card at 15fps. When the SD card is full, it will overwrite the oldest files and continue to record video.
This product is useful in a collision to determine who is right, who is wrong.
It even has a laser pointer for you to determine the front position. See a close up of the lens and the laser pointer (on top of lens).
It is mounted onto a tripod like suction. This suction is very strong and sturdy. See below.
The suction has a lever to enhance the suction power.
The tripod-like body is bendable but you will need some strength to do so.
ViGi is a simple plug and forget type of video recording. you just need to install the suction and slot in the device and tighten it like a camera tripod. Here is a bottom view with the slot.
The control is at the back.
- It can take Picture or Video with toggling the P/V switch.
- It has small leds to indicate the status (ie. recording or power on).
- It can be downsize (the quality) to take QVGA resolution.
- It has a TV Out to monitor live.
- It has a mini-USB port for data transfer.
- It is powered with a 5Vdc power source (from your 12v cigarette lighter socket).
- It can still continue to take 15 secs of video clip when power is cut off.
- It has time and date stamp for easy reference.
Personally, I have not evaluated on it. First impression is that it looks quite big. The suction is good and sturdy (a must if you do not want jerky video footage). The laser is a plus point for adjustment the lens as there is no monitor. I wish it could have bigger capacity SD Card support (SDHC). Currently, it supports up to 4 GB. The video quality is quite standard but I need to test it to comment. The plus point about ViGi is that it can record sound. This is something other products may not have. The packaging is nicely done.
BTW, here is the specifications of MT-12.
| Image sensor | 1/4″ CMOS | |
| Card support | SD card 1~4GB | |
| Video file formats | AVI | |
| Recording Resolution | VGA (640*480) / QVGA(320*240) | |
| Voice Recording | Yes | |
| Storage pattern | 10min / sector | |
| TV Output | NTSC / PAL | |
| Viewing Angle | 90°C | |
| Recording Frame Rate | 25 FPS | |
| Focal length scope | 60CM ~ Infinity | |
| Power (Voltage) From cigarettecharger |
InputDC12V~24V, Output 5V | |
| Operating Temperature | -20°C —+70°C |
The box comes with a few accessories.
- 3m cable for the cigarette lighter socket.
- A mini-USB and USB cable for data transfer. The device acts as a SD card reader when connected to computer.
- A TV-out cable to connect to TV. In my opinion, this is seldom used.
I have made a short video to show how sturdy the suction cup is and also demonstrating the laser pointer function. The place that I film is very dark. So, pardon the poor quality.
BTW, this company has a very nice website that allows you to upload your interesting clips after using the product. It is like Youtube or ViGiTube ( 🙂 ). Anyway, here is one of the interesting clip.
Click Here to ViGi Website
The initial Sales of this product is to AA (Automobile Association) Singapore for its member. However, you can go to their website to inquire it if you wish to purchase.
The recommended retail price (RRP) is S$329. But for the launch, you enjoy 20% discount. Good news for AA members. They will be getting more discount.
I will be getting a set to test out. Watch out for my evaluation and review.
If you have questions, why not post it here. I will get Kenny to answer them 🙂
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