BMW Advanced Eye

[X5Sport]

:pimp:

Well that's the 'p' in pvr innit......and the 'r' could be me......I'm not saying anything about the 'v' though. O:-)

[Dr C]

Here is the reply I got to my question about the battery issue:

There is 2 types of BMW batteries-

Standard battery which is white in colour

AGM battery which is black in colour

 
One of the features of the product is 'park mode'


If the car has been parked and movements or impacts are registered in the video image, a video is automatically recorded before and after the event. This means that the car is being monitored even when the driver isn't around.

Hope this helps

Thanks

Now to ask them about the cost discrepancy as per bobgolden's post...

[touring]

£557 sounds about right; I got mine FOC as part of the deal.

Regarding the battery, I assume I have the right battery with a new car?
My e70 40d battery was black and I had to replace this at 2.5 years, would not dare fit a camera to this as it was always flat!
The Advanced Eye has power management, so it should never deplete your battery to a dangerous level.
So far I am very pleased.

[bobgolden]

[quote="touring"]
£557 sounds about right; I got mine FOC as part of the deal.

Regarding the battery, I assume I have the right battery with a new car?
My e70 40d battery was black and I had to replace this at 2.5 years, would not dare fit a camera to this as it was always flat!
The Advanced Eye has power management, so it should never deplete your battery to a dangerous level.
So far I am very pleased.
[/quote]

What is the image quality like in day and low light conditions. One demo on YouTube was a bit iffy as you couldn't read the road signs let alone number plates. It was claimed to be the official version but obviously that relies on the integrity of the poster.

[X5Sport]

Looking at some of the samples they don't appear to have been uploaded at full HD, and they are copies not from BMW.

The daylight images are OK, and from experience with my RoadhawkHD the video needs to be viewed on a PC via either the supplied utility, or a video editor that can work with HD at a frame by frame level.

Other things to bear in mind - and I don't know what settings are available in the BMW System - are to use the highest data rate available (at least 12Mbps if possible) and a Class 10 microSDHC card with a handling speed of at least 30Mbps or higher.  The SD card speed system often covers bursts but NOT the constant rate.  I found that at 12Mbps, the 30Mbps card was not keeping up, even though technically it should, and after a chat with Roadhawk it was apparent that 'Class' and true data rates are often different to the numbers quoted on the card by the manufacturer.

I use 45Mbps cards in the Roadhawk for 12Mbps HD recording and 90Mbps cards with my 24Mbps HD video cameras.  Both these are confusingly called  as Class 10!  I also recommend using one of the better names such as Sandisk, Lexar and Kingston.  They may be more expensive but they tend to be more reliable both in performance and longevity.  Also bear in mind that a small capacity card will 'wear out' quicker than a larger card as the memory components have a limited number of cycles which get used up quicker on small cards.

Richard

[bobgolden]

Useful advice re transfer rates.  I'd assumed all Class 10s were born equal.

Thanks.

[pvr]

[quote="bobgolden"]
Useful advice re transfer rates.  I'd assumed all Class 10s were born equal.

Thanks.
[/quote]

Nope, the SD cards used in medical equipment have a much higher rate and are designed to last rather a lot longer than the cheap £20 jobs.

[X5Sport]

And exactly why would you know that little snippet eh?

I mean I'm a photographer and know these things, but your 5D Mk3 hasn't used its first battery yet..... >:D

R

Oh, and you need to upgrade it to the new one...

[X5Sport]

One issue I'm now finding with the Roadhawk HD is that if the air temp has gone below 2C overnight (not all of us have palatial garages pvr!) then the camera fails to boot properly and has to be reset two or three times.  Once it's running then it works every time from then on.

Manufacturer has no current fix, so I suspect a design flaw or dodgy component choices.  All four of mine have now suffered this issue.  Three replaced under warranty!

Richard

[bobgolden]

I need a new battery or a new car ?

[X5Sport]

[quote="bobgolden"]
I need a new battery or a new car ?
[/quote]

Aimed at pvr......not for Advanced Eye

[X5-D-Sport]

Hi Richard,
Re power pickup for ciggy lighter you mentioned in youre quote below...
Can you re-describe where I can find this power cable please...
This would be handy to locate, as i could tap power from this tather than having USB wires dangling from the ciggy lighter fitting..
Cheers.
Grant.
................

Drivers side carpet forward tunnel trim.  If you remove it you will find the connector that goes to the centre console 12v socket.  Patch in to the same connection and there you go.  The trim is flipped with a screw at the front behind the horizontal pedal/dash trim above the pedals.

Richard

[X5Sport]

This is for the E70/71.  Is yours an E70 or an E53 - sorry can't remember  :-[

[X5Sport]

According to the latest parts database, the camera system is no longer offered against either the E70 or E71 for some reason.  Only the F15/16/86 have it shown apart from the X3 - both versions. 

I wonder if there's been a technical issue with the E70/71, or an error in the parts database?

[SurreyX3]

I had this fitted when I picked the car up last week. Anyone found a way of making it keep the parking files on a round robin for more than a fraction of a day? (I do have spare GB left on the card so am not running oo space).
There also appears to be no de-sensitise facility for parking mode, so I get a lot of footage of trees moving and people in the distance.
Typically, I might notice a parking scrape a few days later, especially if I have been at work and leave in the dark.
The last car had several thousand pounds worth of damage done to it whilst parked up at work, having had every corner rounded off, the rear quarters and even the wing mirror and the bodywork directly under it - so keen to enhance the parking mode file retention.

With regard to the plod, I note that if a camera has been "factory fitted" then the usual rule of the amount of the swept area it covers, does not apply.

I note that at least one of the other brands mentioned here is deeper yet shallower, so presumably doesn't fall foul of the rules - The BMW unit blocks out more of the swept area, so one presumably runs the risk of getting in to an argument over legality.
No complaints on footage quality under headlights or in the daytime.
My only point of note is that if someone flashes you out of a turn, the angle is not wide enough to see it.