$14 Dash Cam
erco
Posts: 20,256
Sorry, this makes two erco deals today; I'm overextended. Nonetheless, it looks decent and I had to have one. Includes 2.5" TFT LCD screen and LiPo battery. Might be useful for other security apps or maybe on a mobile bot. Will advise upon receipt.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321451968673
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321451968673
Comments
I own such device. The sensor resolution is 320x480. Sensitivity is horrible, it lacks IR filter, so colors are pinky. Battery swelled in about of 3 months just lying on shelf.
You get what you've paid for.
LOL. It was obviously pasted into the picture for maximum market manipulation.
Recording resolution: WXGA: 1280 x 960 Pixels
• WVGA: 720 x 480 Pixels
• VGA: 640 x 480 Pixels
CuriousOne's mention of the 320px resolution of the sensor sounds about right. For the higher recorded resolutions they just line double. It's all digital, you know. Easy stuff to do.
FYI time: Disable the audio. In California, it is illegal to record audio without a person's consent if it's stored permanently. Oddly enough, recording video without consent is generally okay, as long as the person doesn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g. bathrooms, changing rooms) -- this discrepancy comes from decades-old wiretap laws that have never been updated. The camera needs to be in clear view, and a sign on the hood of your car that says "Smile, you're on Candid Camera (TM)," might not hurt. I'm only half joking.
In CA dashcams are legal only a very specific spots on the dash. Look that up before installing it.
-Tor
Many of these cameras will not use true MP4, which requires a license. It's some "open source" variant, which may need converter software if you want to use it on your PC. There is actually no set resolution for M-JPEG -- which is often used in professional-level editing systems because of how its encoding works -- and MP4, but there are the cheap Chinese codecs in wide use associated with these formats, and a large number of imported products that use them. Both formats require patent licensing to use for encoding.
I once actually owned the Golden Gate Bridge. Since it was built during the depression, they created a deed to the common man that was awarded by lottery at its first opening.
It is a long story of how the deed came down to me, and eventually I sold it because I needed to raise some cash.
But the good news is that the guy that owns it now is in need of cash. And I can get it for you. Any takers?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Too bad it is a questionable device. I'd put one on my dog to see where he goes at night.
The USB cable just might plug into my TL-MR3020 mini wireless router (which is hacked with OpenWrt) to get your wifi link up and running. That can also connect to a Propeller.
Nice try. The bonds used to finance the construction of the bridge were all bought by Bank of America, then a San Francisco company. It was fully paid for by the time of completion. Such is the glorious life of a California bond measure! Nice when you can get a rich uncle to pay for everything!
I guess you don't believe me. I am not surprised.
You do understand that just because you own something, doesn't mean that you have to owe money on it, don't you?
That statement makes no sense. I own a lot of things I don't owe money on. The clothes I'm wearing, for example.
I thought you were joking. Whatever you had was a novelty, a gag, like saying all Americans "own" the Grand Canyon because it's mostly on federal land, and we're all taxpayers. Try building a house in it.
There was never a "lottery" to the deed or legal ownership of the bridge. The owner of the bridge today is unchanged from when it was designed and built.
The Golden Gate Bridge Authority is a management corporation that collects tolls and manages maintenance. They don't have to own the bridge to do their job.
And the ownership isn't likely recorded in either San Francisco or Marin counties or the State of California, as both ends of the bridge are on Federal property. (The Presidio on the SF side; and Fort Cronkhite on the Marin side.) The owner of record is likely listed in Washington, D.C.
Sorry you missed the fun of a rather dubious sales pitch.
Of course, the owner of bridge can be entirely different from the owners of the land it sits upon.
So tell me, who owns the Golden Gate Bridge?
So we can stop this nonsense of who owns it, please read the first sentence here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge,_Highway_and_Transportation_District
Since this "lottery" would have been quite newsworthy, how about simply pointing to an authoritative Web site that mentions it?
A "fun" sales pitch can be easily misconstrued when it comes to offering things for sale that don't belong to you (or your friend).
What I need is a deal on a lightly-used Space Needle. Gents?
These actually look pretty cool.....like I need ONE MORE THING to collect/hoard/build.
So how is that squirrel collection coming along???
C.W.
Let's keep it on topic.
I just realized that if you combine this with a rearview cam, your situational awareness in the cockpit could really get screwed up!
Once you got used to it though, you could add a tweet button to your steering wheel and some under dash processing which would allow you to send your current dashcam picture to your favorite social networking site. Maybe a feed to Waze for instant traffic/police updates?
Never Mind..Carry On
It was Chatter after all
Prayers and good thoughts for your granddaughter.
Sorry to hear about your granddaughter, but good to know she's on the (slow) mend.
I don't know about WA state, but police can't give a ticket unless they see the actual infraction. The *result* of the accident, for the most part, is insufficient to warrant a citation.
You only need to hire an attorney if you wish (or need) to go outside your insurance company. If the other driver is not insured, you'll actually end up suing your own insurance company (it's odd how uninsured motorist policies work), so the insurance status of the other driver is the first thing to check. If you sue the other driver, and they are insured, you will in effect be suing their insurance company, not them. It can be tough to get reasonable money from them, and in general the personal liability lawyers are the only ones that make money.
What's more, if you get a settlement, and if your own insurance company has paid out anything already, they're re-paid first. You get less than you thought. At least this is how it often works. YMMV. States and insurers and circumstances can alter a lot of things.
In any case, because there were significant injuries to at least one party, I'd actually suggest a half-hour consultation with an attorney. The other party could end up suing, even if they didn't have any injuries at the time.
Words of wisdom from an experienced California driver.
I hope you realize that all three items are equally dubious. That was Gordon's reason for mentioning buying a bridge. $14 Dash cams may be a complete waste of your money. Note that the seller specifically will NOT warrant the fidelity of the color. I think Gordon mentioned that this was the crux of the issue.
I was rear ended about 30 seconds after turning onto a main street from a driveway where the traffic in the other two lanes was stopped for a light. I was moving about 10 mph. I was completely baffled when the trooper wrote me a ticket. Another vehicle claimed to have seen the accident and said that it was my fault. When I saw them talking to the trooper I was sure that they were telling him how the guy changed lanes to avoid the stopped traffic, he was probably trying to get to the front of the line so he could cut back in front of everyone when the light changed. The trooper, who showed up about 10 minutes after the accident, said that because of the witness, he had to cite me. I am convinced that the "witness" was a friend that was following the moron that hit me - but there is no way that I could prove it so I didn't fight it.