I've had my dashcam since June but only in the last week have I finally started uploading to YouTube and learning enough about video editing to create compilation videos and to add a censor bleep for my sometimes-copious use of profanity. (I've uploaded a few to Photobucket.) Here are my first three YouTube uploads. The first two are short single-incident videos, the third is a compilation. The captions in the compilation are a little messed up at times because I added captions to some of the clips before creating the compilation, only to decide when sequencing that I wanted to speed them up. That in turn messed up the captions. Well, I know for next time, anyway.
Not bringing this up to criticize, but the date in your first two videos reminded me how little this sort of thing mattered to me on the original 9/11. It's one of my most vivid memories of that day, how petty irritants like this simply vanished from my consideration for a time; they just stopped mattering altogether.
Years have since passed, of course, and I still find myself grappling over how to avoid being excessively affected by annoying drivers. Talking it out helps, and I'm sure posting it on YouTube does too. :-)
I love the use of the Russian national anthem in the last video in what I'm assuming is a nod to the ubiquity of dash cams in Russia.
What video editor do you use? I have a few videos I haven't uploaded yet from over a year ago because they need editing.
Quote from: Takumi on September 25, 2013, 09:27:21 AM
I love the use of the Russian national anthem in the last video in what I'm assuming is a nod to the ubiquity of dash cams in Russia.
What video editor do you use? I have a few videos I haven't uploaded yet from over a year ago because they need editing.
Heh. Actually, I wasn't thinking at all about the use of dashcams in Russia. I just like their rendition. But I really like your comment and in the future if anyone comments about it I now know what I'll say! :-D
I used Windows Movie Maker (running on Windows 7) because it's free. I don't want to spend money on better editing software until I'm a bit better at doing this. WMM is not without its problems. Even with 16 GB of RAM it sometimes runs slowly or has problems playing back video at seemingly random times (the solution seems to be just to let it sit for a while). The interface in the old version that ran on Vista was a lot better than the current version, but my old Vista PC is just too slow despite having a beautiful display. Maybe I'll try pulling out that old machine, cleaning as much as possible off the hard drive and stripping down the boot configuration, and then using it for video editing.
1995hoo,
Where was the first scene on the third video taken? I live in Silver Spring, and it looks like it's somewhere in DC. It seems to be an intersection to avoid or at least watch out for. Do a lot of people make lefts from the right lane there?
Oh, the other thing is, I enjoyed how you attributed one guy's boneheadedness to being from New Jersey, whereas from where I'm watching this, everyone's boneheadedness is most readily attributable to being in what appears to be the greater D.C. area! :-)
Quote from: mrsman on September 29, 2013, 01:32:30 AM
1995hoo,
Where was the first scene on the third video taken? I live in Silver Spring, and it looks like it's somewhere in DC. It seems to be an intersection to avoid or at least watch out for. Do a lot of people make lefts from the right lane there?
Corner of 9th Street and Maine Avenue SW near the waterfront and the tennis stadium. I was on my way to Nationals Park and I'd just come off I-395 via Exit 4 (the ramp that comes up next to the traffic emerging from the Ninth Street Tunnel). Yes, lots of people make illegal left turns out of the straight-thru lane. That's hardly unique to there in DC, though; I see the same at lots of intersections. I just haven't driven in DC as much over the summer since I got my dashcam, but now that Caps season is starting I will be down there a lot more often.
Quote from: empirestate on September 29, 2013, 02:46:18 AM
Oh, the other thing is, I enjoyed how you attributed one guy's boneheadedness to being from New Jersey, whereas from where I'm watching this, everyone's boneheadedness is most readily attributable to being in what appears to be the greater D.C. area! :-)
Heh. I probably should have just said "out of area plate." Only thing is, there are a lot of people with out-of-area plates who actually live here (military/government), so there's no way to know if the other driver doesn't know the road or is just being a dick.
In NJ, making a turn off of a divided highway is usually easy, get in the right lane and take the jughandle! Some of those intersections look like they could use such a thing.
Any good Dash Cam recommendations?
Quote from: dfwtbear on October 01, 2013, 03:00:24 PM
Any good Dash Cam recommendations?
I only know the one I have, which is a Chinese-made device (well, what isn't?!) called a DVR 207. Got it from a place in New York called Spy Tec Inc., very fast shipping. It was $70 plus the cost of a 32 GB SD card. Been very satisfied so far, especially for the price! I haven't hardwired it because I move it between cars.
Is this some kind of special dash cam that you're using, or just a run-of-the-mill camcorder like most of us use? If so, what's the difference between it and a regular camcorder?
Quote from: hbelkins on October 01, 2013, 10:21:07 PM
Is this some kind of special dash cam that you're using, or just a run-of-the-mill camcorder like most of us use? If so, what's the difference between it and a regular camcorder?
I wasn't going to post a link lest it be construed as advertising for the seller, but your post changes my mind so you can decide for yourself:
http://www.spytecinc.com/hd-car-camera-with-night-vision.html
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 02, 2013, 07:47:28 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on October 01, 2013, 10:21:07 PM
Is this some kind of special dash cam that you're using, or just a run-of-the-mill camcorder like most of us use? If so, what's the difference between it and a regular camcorder?
I wasn't going to post a link lest it be construed as advertising for the seller, but your post changes my mind so you can decide for yourself:
http://www.spytecinc.com/hd-car-camera-with-night-vision.html
I don't mind you posting this link at all. I have pondered the concept and thought about getting one for fun. So having an idea of cost, availabilty, etc. is useful for any road enthusiast interested. Have you tried it out at night yet? If so, what were the results?
Quote from: Alex on October 02, 2013, 09:39:16 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 02, 2013, 07:47:28 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on October 01, 2013, 10:21:07 PM
Is this some kind of special dash cam that you're using, or just a run-of-the-mill camcorder like most of us use? If so, what's the difference between it and a regular camcorder?
I wasn't going to post a link lest it be construed as advertising for the seller, but your post changes my mind so you can decide for yourself:
http://www.spytecinc.com/hd-car-camera-with-night-vision.html
I don't mind you posting this link at all. I have pondered the concept and thought about getting one for fun. So having an idea of cost, availabilty, etc. is useful for any road enthusiast interested. Have you tried it out at night yet? If so, what were the results?
I have used it at night and in indoor parking garages (underground garage type stuff). Let me follow up with some video samples. I deleted most of the night/underground stuff because I didn't have anything in them worth putting in a compilation, but I can pull some out of the Recycle Bin and use them as samples.
The camera has an infrared sensor that allows it to work well enough (not fantastic, but adequate) in low light such as a garage. The tricky part about night-time driving is that if you use the motion sensor to tell it when to start recording (I do, as it's easier that way), the camera may not start recording even though you're moving because there's simply not enough light. This has happened to me multiple times even on suburban roads with a decent amount of traffic.
I'll follow up in a while with night and underground samples. Got to find some in the Recycle Bin and then edit them a bit because I have it set to film in five-minute chunks. A five-minute sample video would be unnecessarily long and a waste of Photobucket space (I don't think I'll put the samples on YouTube).
One other thought.....the power cord is vital. Spy Tec's page mentions two-hour battery life if you don't use the cord. My experience suggests that's a generous estimate. I just use the cord pretty much all the time. I'm wondering when some overzealous Virginia cop might decide he thinks it's a radar detector. I have it mounted up by the rearview mirror in between the E-ZPass and the SunPass.
I'd love to see some still shots of how you have it mounted.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 02, 2013, 10:55:14 AM
I'd love to see some still shots of how you have it mounted.
I'll do that later today. Nothing too remarkable or interesting. It comes with a suction-cup mount and I have that stuck to the windshield behind (I guess it's really in front of) the rearview mirror. I just let the power cord dangle down because, as I mentioned before, I move the camera back and forth among three different cars, so I need to be able to move the power cord as well unless I go out and buy two more of them (although it wouldn't be easy to hardwire the cord in the RX-7 because it's a convertible, meaning I can't tuck the cord into the headliner).
Following up on my promise to upload sample videos. Two videos here. Actually, it's three videos. I combined two videos from last Wednesday night into a single video (there's a slight blip where I merged the files; you might notice it as we cross Pennsylvania Avenue). We were on our way home from a Capitals preseason game and the video has a good mixture of various lighting conditions. I've sped it up to four times actual speed for space reasons and to make it less boring, as it'd be about a ten-minute clip at full speed. The other is from August and in that one I was driving my wife's car, which has less-powerful headlights than mine (you can tell where I put the highbeams on and off). I've left part of the second video at actual speed so you can get a sense for how it picks up ambient noise, but I've sped up part of it where nothing was happening. The sequence at the end where the dumbarse in front of me almost stops at a green light will find its way into a future compilation video, as will the idiot woman who walked in front of me right as the left-turn light went green.
Frankly, I think my biggest difficulty is Windows Movie Maker. The old version that ran under Vista was a lot better than the current version. Sometimes it slows to a crawl for no reason whatsoever, and when that happens often my entire PC slows big-time (you know how it is when the mouse pointer feels like it's underwater?). But the biggest hassle is that sometimes I just have to let it sit until it cooperates. For example, in the second video below, I split the video in order to speed up part of it. I then wanted to split it again so the final part wouldn't speed up. But when I split it the first time, it didn't let me see any of the video after the split. It was THERE, it just wouldn't display. I don't know why this happens, but from what I could find online it's a common problem. After I let it sit for about ten minutes, the part after the split displayed, and I then split it again at the point where I stopped behind the white Acura. Then the same problem happened again with the final segment. At least the substantive work I'm doing this morning is on paper, as some of the PC slowdowns have been intolerable.
I wound up having to upload to YouTube because Photobucket rejected the uploads for whatever reason.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 02, 2013, 10:55:14 AM
I'd love to see some still shots of how you have it mounted.
As promised, here are some pictures. I resized them all to save some space. The first one is simply the camera without the power cord to give a sense for how it looks that way. As I said in a prior post, I almost never use it without the cord because the battery drains too quickly (especially at night or in garages). I flipped down the screen to give a sense for how that looks, but I seldom have the screen down while I'm driving because I find it distracting (I do sometimes flip it down at red lights at night to make sure the camera is running). The final picture is there to give a sense of what the included suction-cup mount looks like. The camera screws onto the mount, so when I want to download pictures I usually just pull the whole thing off the windshield and bring it inside with me. It's easier than removing the memory card (lest I drop it and lose it) and it's definitely easier than unscrewing the camera from the mount.
I also took two pictures looking in from outside, but they didn't really come out well due to too much sky reflection (about all you see are the E-ZPass, the suction cup, and the SunPass). I tend to leave the camera in place when I'm parked most places I go; the main exceptions are if I want to put up the window shade due to sun or if I'm in an area where I feel there's more chance of a break-in (main one there being down in Buzzard Point in DC).
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FMiscellaneousOctober2013004_zps88cca7b2.jpg&hash=09d926817381143b4e0ee6d753029eac87a14ff6) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FMiscellaneousOctober2013007_zps2ca91093.jpg&hash=dff3148c39eae524d443a50b4c08b5bc98041cc0) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FMiscellaneousOctober2013008_zps7c156010.jpg&hash=88bc7684e9bb075e950502d8c69a090f63ee57c3) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FMiscellaneousOctober2013009_zps1b179fe7.jpg&hash=21c082c8c91e6ee395bee66a8845bd43df236e09) (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi31.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc378%2F1995hoo%2FMiscellaneousOctober2013011_zps80fa9855.jpg&hash=521c122db7a221a53800445a6be09d5fef68c6e8)
Latest installment, compiled this weekend:
Here's my latest compilation:
I don't understand why so many people find this lousy half-mile stretch of road in DC so confusing:
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 02, 2013, 10:00:09 AM
....
One other thought.....the power cord is vital. Spy Tec's page mentions two-hour battery life if you don't use the cord. My experience suggests that's a generous estimate. I just use the cord pretty much all the time. I'm wondering when some overzealous Virginia cop might decide he thinks it's a radar detector. I have it mounted up by the rearview mirror in between the E-ZPass and the SunPass.
I now have an answer to the comment above about a cop thinking it's a radar detector! We were in slow traffic on I-66 today and an unmarked cop car was passing on the right, when suddenly he slowed, matched his speed to mine, and whooped his siren quickly. I thought he wanted to get over to go after the guy to my left who wasn't an HOV, but he gestured at my dashcam. So I put down the window and called over, "It's not a radar detector." He said, "What is it?" I replied, "It's a video camera." He drove away without further inquiry. I didn't even flip down the screen!
It occurred to me later that I could have said, "Officer, what point would there be in using a radar detector in traffic this slow?"
Posting this one because it raises the sort of question that people here might find interesting: Why isn't there any advance signage warning of the "NO TRUCKS" restriction on Washington Boulevard past the Pentagon until AFTER the point where all trucks must exit?!
Erratic driving in the DC area:
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 31, 2014, 04:16:08 PM
Erratic driving in the DC area:
Really enjoyed that! The wife bickering was an added bonus. :nod:
Quote from: Alex on March 31, 2014, 05:29:53 PM
Really enjoyed that! The wife bickering was an added bonus. :nod:
Thanks. Note also the discussion during the second clip about the new APL signs that were then going up in Springfield.
Edited to add: BTW, if Takumi watches that, I bet he can figure out the parts in which I'm driving my wife's car instead of mine. The sound of the DOHC inline-4 as opposed to my SOHC V-6 is rather distinctive.
Here is the follow-up compilation I assembled over the weekend:
BTW, at about the four-minute mark this one includes a clip of the new 11th Street Bridge in DC, including the new outbound ramp to the bridge that opened in February.
Compilation about one of my pet peeves–people who leave way too much space between vehicles when they stop:
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 07, 2014, 09:46:29 PM
Compilation about one of my pet peeves–people who leave way too much space between vehicles when they stop:
My favorites are the ones who leave a full car length between them and the stop line.
Quote from: Brandon on April 07, 2014, 09:56:14 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 07, 2014, 09:46:29 PM
Compilation about one of my pet peeves–people who leave way too much space between vehicles when they stop:
My favorites are the ones who leave a full car length between them and the stop line.
And then they complain when the light doesn't change.
I haven't watched the video, but I tend to leave more space than others might prefer when I'm stopped behind someone so if I get rear-ended, I won't get knocked into the back of the vehicle in front of me. It also gives me a little room to maneuver if something happens, such as the car in front of me stalls and can't move.
Quote from: hbelkins on April 08, 2014, 06:33:05 PMI tend to leave more space than others might prefer when I'm stopped behind someone so if I get rear-ended, I won't get knocked into the back of the vehicle in front of me. It also gives me a little room to maneuver if something happens, such as the car in front of me stalls and can't move.
I generally do that as well. if I'm on a hill, I also tend to roll back an inch or two when someone is getting behind me, just to give them a heads-up that I may roll backwards several inches because hey, stick shift on a hill. (I only use the e-brake if it's a fairly major hill, or someone crowds me from behind and I don't
have 6 or 8 inches of breathing room.)
I sometimes roll back intentionally on hills too. Scared the crap out of a student driver one time.
I know what you mean about leaving room in case you're rear-ended. But I've always tried to keep an eye out so I can move over in the lane if needed to help someone get into the turn lane or the like. People used to do that as a matter of routine. Nowadays it seems like nobody pays attention anymore.
I also tend to roll back a little bit in order to clue folks in that I need a bit of roll back room when starting on a hill. Sadly, in my experience, it seems folks either don't know what or why I'm doing it or they just flat out don't give a shit. As a result, I've become quite good over the years rolling back very little when starting on hills.
I just watched several of your erratic DC driver videos. Man, some of the drivers down there are absolutely horrible. Seems to be a lot of dickheadedness as well. I see you love blasting the horn too. Well done, it's a heavily used tool on my car as well.
Quote from: signalman on April 09, 2014, 04:04:24 PM
.... I see you love blasting the horn too. Well done, it's a heavily used tool on my car as well.
Both of my parents grew up in Brooklyn (Mom in Bay Ridge, Dad in Flatbush), and many of their relatives either lived there for many years afterwards or still live there, so I suppose I have enough New Yorker in me to make frequent use of the horn a genetic thing. :-D
I have to say I like having a very nice, loud horn!
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 09, 2014, 04:11:18 PM
Quote from: signalman on April 09, 2014, 04:04:24 PM
.... I see you love blasting the horn too. Well done, it's a heavily used tool on my car as well.
Both of my parents grew up in Brooklyn (Mom in Bay Ridge, Dad in Flatbush), and many of their relatives either lived there for many years afterwards or still live there, so I suppose I have enough New Yorker in me to make frequent use of the horn a genetic thing. :-D
I have to say I like having a very nice, loud horn!
Yeah, I'd say that you have a bit of New Yorker in your blood. I know that you have mentioned it not only here, but in other threads as well.
I also like your loud aggressive horn. I wish my car had a more aggressive tone to it. Mine is a bit weak and wimpy...like "meep, excuse me" I want something more aggressive that conveys "fuck you, asshole!" Current car is a 2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. I'll be getting rid of it soon for a 2014 Honda Civic Si. Unfortunately, the Civic's horn is also wimpy. However, I know that can be changed. I may just have to do that.
My horn is the stock horn (2004 Acura TL), but the low horn driver has failed three times over the years, which I find quite bizarre. Each time it was replaced under warranty (factory or the extended warranty), but the extended warranty expired in December so I'll have to pay myself next time or else just get aftermarket horns. It sounds rather.....effeminate, for lack of a better word, when only the high driver sounds. I've never had that happen on any other car and I have no idea why it happened even a single time, let alone three times.
Griot's Garage has audio samples online for the various horns they sell. I like that idea and I wish other merchants would do the same. The Hella Horns shown in the Griot's catalog sound rather high-pitched for my taste, though.
Regarding New Yorker, perhaps it's more a Jersey influence, if you consider the amount of Springsteen playing in the most recent videos!
Quote from: 1995hoo on April 09, 2014, 04:35:52 PM
Griot's Garage has audio samples online for the various horns they sell. I like that idea and I wish other merchants would do the same. The Hella Horns shown in the Griot's catalog sound rather high-pitched for my taste, though.
Regarding New Yorker, perhaps it's more a Jersey influence, if you consider the amount of Springsteen playing in the most recent videos!
I like the idea of having audio samples of the horns available too. That's a great idea.
I can definitely tell that you like Bruce and you curse plenty when complaining about other driver's driving. Sounds like Jersey influence to me. Well done!
How I spent Friday afternoon:
I highly recommend this, especially if you can get a discount voucher (my wife got it for half price through Groupon or one of those similar outfits). Loads of fun.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2014, 02:57:27 PM
How I spent Friday afternoon:
I highly recommend this, especially if you can get a discount voucher (my wife got it for half price through Groupon or one of those similar outfits). Loads of fun.
That sounds fun as hell! Too bad I'm dirt poor and can't afford anything.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2014, 02:57:27 PM
How I spent Friday afternoon:
(video link removed)
I highly recommend this, especially if you can get a discount voucher (my wife got it for half price through Groupon or one of those similar outfits). Loads of fun.
I've seen this offered at other race tracks, and I've always wanted to do it. It looks like a lot of fun. I know regular NASCARs don't have speedometers in them, so I'm guessing this one didn't either. I'm curious as to how fast you got to go. I didn't hear you shift past third gear (their rules, I'm guessing).
Quote from: signalman on May 05, 2014, 05:01:19 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2014, 02:57:27 PM
How I spent Friday afternoon:
(video link removed)
I highly recommend this, especially if you can get a discount voucher (my wife got it for half price through Groupon or one of those similar outfits). Loads of fun.
I've seen this offered at other race tracks, and I've always wanted to do it. It looks like a lot of fun. I know regular NASCARs don't have speedometers in them, so I'm guessing this one didn't either. I'm curious as to how fast you got to go. I didn't hear you shift past third gear (their rules, I'm guessing).
I was up to fourth gear, actually; they want you in top gear before you leave the apron as you enter the track. According to the certificate they gave me afterwards, I got to 96.76 mph. I could have gone faster had the acceleration point coming out of the corners been further back, but oh well....you know, hitting 96 mph on a straightaway that's less than half a mile long when you were required to be completely off the accelerator prior to that straightaway isn't bad. (As you say, there was no speedometer in the car. The spotter tells you to take it up to a particular RPM level.)
That's really cool. Apparently I missed the third to forth shift. In any case, I'll have to do this one day.
Galaxy S3
They had no issue with you recording the run? WOW! Also, is there a person with you, in case you lose control of the car? (Sorry, I'm not into auto racing at all.)
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 05, 2014, 08:58:27 AM
They had no issue with you recording the run? WOW! Also, is there a person with you, in case you lose control of the car? (Sorry, I'm not into auto racing at all.)
They provide the camera (for an extra fee, of course). You're not allowed to bring your own.
No passenger.