This is the first time I got my hands on a 4K dashcam and I have to be honest, I’m very impressed. I have used several 2 channel dashcam before but after using the Blackvue DR900S-2CH for 2 weeks I have only positive emotions. I have used low/mid-level dashcams but DR900S-2CH is King Kong among the dashcams, its a winner for sure.
What’s in the Box?
I have to mention this when I first pulled out both of the dashcams I was quite surprised because its the first time I have seen this kind of quality protection.
both of the dashcams had protective films and the lenses had caps on them. I have never seen this kind of lens protection as usually, the lenses are with only protective films. It defiantly feels like a high-end dashcam, even before testing it I was quite excited.
- Front Camera
- Rear Camera
- Rear camera connection cable
- Micro SD card
- Power cord
- micro SD card reader
- Quick start guide
- Cable clips (8EA)
- Spare mount sticky pads
- Pry tool
Optional :
POWER MAGIC PRO – A Battery Pack for Parking Mode that will allow 12-hour operation time
POWER MAGIC ULTRA BATTERY – High-capacity Battery for Parking Mode that will allow 24-hour operation time.
POWER MAGIC PRO – A hardwiring Kit with Parking Mode Switch
that will power to your BlackVue from your vehicle’s battery according to the configured voltage and timer to prevent vehicle battery discharge.
Power Magic EZ – Powers your BlackVue from your vehicle’s OBD II port.
Design and Features
The first time I held the front dashcam I thought it was quite big, well its the biggest dashcam I have held. I really liked the design of the Blackvue DR900S-2CH and it looks very luxury. Both cams can be twisted to adjust to the best angle for your car, which was very convenient and made the setup very easy.
When attached, I cannot see the front camera at all, since it was installed behind my rearview mirror.
Proximity sensor
You can toggle audio recording ON and OFF by simply waving your hand in front of it. The sensor can also be configured to trigger Manual Event videos in the settings.
Wi-Fi button
You can turn Wi-Fi ON/OFF (short press), reset your Wi-Fi password (hold until voice prompt, then short press) or format the microSD card (hold until voice prompt, and then hold again). All actions are confirmed by a voice prompt.
Setup
Setup is like any other dashcam and I prefer installing my dashcams under my rear mirror especially if its a dashcam without an LCD screen like the Blackvue DR900S. basically im hiding it so it won’t interfere with my visibility. It does not have any LCD screen, that’s the main reason why I hide it and forget about it. I will be connecting the dashcam to the OBI II port as I want the 24H surveillance working. You will need a Power Magic Pro, Power Magic Battery Pack or Power Magic Ultra Battery to enable this feature. I didn’t want to use the provided power cable, that goes to the separate lighter because I’m using the automatic phone holder and I can’t power both of them as the Blackvue DR900S power connection is not micro USB or Type C, its something else.
I would defiantly want to see a USB power cable because most people use other electronics that require power and if you are using the power cable that provided with the kit, you won’t be able to use anything but the Blackvue DR900S.
The rear camera was applied in the same way, in order to center it, I used the app. I have a rear spoiler and I knew that the visibility won’t be great but that’s something I was fine with. the best spot for me was the top middle as its the only spot that will bring me max view. like all the rear cams I had to hide the wiring inside the roof cover. The only thing left is connecting the rear camera to the front using the long wire that came with the kit. In order to understand which cable end goes where they made a special mark that clearly states what goes where.
BlackVue App and Viewer
Like many other dashcams on the market, BlackVue also has an app and a viewer where you can change settings and review videos sorted by time and type.
With the BlackVue App, you could retrieve recorded videos whenever you want.
Performance
I have menthol before that its the first time I came across a 4k dashcam and the video quality is more than good. The main camera used an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, four times as many pixels as Full HD. Video quality during the day was excellent and cars and landmarks are easily visible and are very clear.
With H.265(High-Efficiency Video Coding), the video files stay small so you can record for as long as a standard Full HD dashcam
The rear has a 2.1 megapixels Full HD Sony STARVIS sensor with a resolution of 1920×1080 @30FPS that ensure best image quality under low light.
all the rear cams suffer in the dark because the only lighting is from the rear stop signals that’s why the video quality is not as good, but still decent as long as there is light from headlights or streetlights. It worked much better in the city where there was lighting all around, Also due to my spoiler position, I could not see much.
Hardware Specs
- Model Name : DR900S-2CH
- Color/Size/Weight : Front: Black / Width 118.5 mm x Height 36 mm / 91g
Rear: Black / Width 67.4 mm x Height 25 mm / 25 g - Memory : microSD Card (16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB / 128 GB)
- Recording Modes: Normal recording, Event recording (when the impact is detected in normal and parking mode), Manual recording and Parking recording (when motion is detected)*
For Parking mode recording, a Parking Mode Battery Pack (Power Magic Battery Pack) or a Parking Mode Hardwiring Kit (Power Magic Pro) is required. - Camera : Front: 8-Megapixel CMOS Sensor
Rear: Sony STARVIS™ CMOS Sensor (Approx. 2.1 megapixels)
Viewing Angle : Front: Diagonal 162°, Horizontal 136°, Vertical 77°
Rear: Diagonal 139°, Horizontal 116°, Vertical 61° - Resolution/Frame Rate: <Front — Rear>4K UHD (3840×2160) @30fps (Extreme) — Full HD (1920×1080) @30fps4K UHD (3840×2160) @30fps — Full HD (1920×1080) @30fpsFull HD (1920×1080) @60fps — Full HD (1920×1080) @30fpsFull HD (1920×1080) @30fps — Full HD (1920×1080) @30fps* Frame rate may vary during Wi-Fi streaming.
- Video Codec: H.265 (HEVC), H.264 (AVC)
- Image Quality : Highest (Extreme): 25 + 10 MbpsHighest: 12 + 10 MbpsHigh: 10 + 8 MbpsNormal: 8 + 6 Mbps
- Video Compression Mode: MP4
- Wi-Fi : Built-in (802.11n 2.4GHz / 802.11ac 5GHz Dual-band)
- Microphone: Built-in
- Speaker (Voice Guidance) : Built-in
- LED Indicators : Front: Recording LED, GPS LED, Wi-Fi LED, Front Security LEDRear: Rear Security LED
- Buttons: Wi-Fi / Format button:* Press once to turn on/off Wi-Fi.* Press and hold for 5 seconds and once voice commands start, release the button. Then press once again to reset the Wi-Fi SSID and password or press and hold for 5 seconds to format the microSD card. Proximity sensor: Touching the proximity sensor turns on/off audio recording or triggers manual recording depending on the firmware settings.
- Sensor 3-Axis Acceleration Sensor
- Backup Battery: Built-in supercapacitor
- Input Power :DC 12 V – 24 V (DC Plug: (Ø3.5 x Ø1.35), MAX 1 A/12 V)
- Power Consumption: Avg. 380 mA (4.56 W at 12 V, when GPS is On and Wi-Fi is Off)Avg. 360 mA (4.32 W at 12 V, when GPS and Wi-Fi are Off)* Actual power consumption may vary depending on use
Video Samples
My Opinion
I have been using Blackvue DR900S-2CH for more than 2 weeks and I love it! It’s my first 4k dashcam and I can’t see any other dashcams that can record in the same quality. It looks great, easy to use, hides well on my windshield, and the most impotent part, shoots at 4k. The only problem I had with the Blackvue was the price, price is quite high and its the most expensive dashcam I ever tested but if you have the money to spend and you want to the best video quality and features, the
Blackvue DR900S-2CH is a cam you must consider.
Price: From $499+
Blackvue DR900S-2CH CAN be purchased from:
blackvue.com
Disclosure: Blackvue DR900S-2CH Dash Cam was sent to me by blackvue for reviewing.
