SMARTY BX1500 PLUS 120 HD Smart Black Box Car Drive Recorder

• HD MINI CAR AUTO VIDEO AND AUDIO DATA RECORDER
• 3G SENSOR, AUTO OR MANUAL (continuous) RECORDING
• INTEGRATED GPS, TRACK AND VIEW EXACT VEHICLE LOCATION WITH GOOGLE MAPS
• 120 DEGREE LENS (much better picture/video quality than 170), with 4GB SD CARD, RCA
• HIGH QUALITY. 1 YEAR WARRANTY

This device works exactly as indicated. The installation was easy with the provided 3M tape and power routing through the headliner and down to the fuse box was simple in my 2005 Honda Civic. Rather than buy the separate installation cable, I just snipped the cigarette lighter adapter off to expose the wires and connected it directly to 12v and ground (make sure it's to a lead or fuse that only operates when the car is running). The image quality is as good as any product like this needs to be, but is definitely not HD. The 1280x960 resolution is obviously interpolated from a smaller resolution, probably 640x480. For this reason, I just run my camera at 640x480 @ 15FPS to get maximum card usage. Also, if you are at all worried about 15FPS, don't be. It's smoother than you might think.

The missing feature: The software will only allow you to export one small 40-60 second snippet at a time. For accident/incident purposes, that's fine, but how cool would it be to record a full roadtrip and maybe speed up the video.

Anyway, it gets 3 out of five stars because there's no 3.5 option. The inability to export longer time frames or a the very least bulk export multiple events is a bummer.

**The attached video was recorded at the full 1280x960 resolution and features a voicemail and partial conversation with my sister-in-law. Enjoy.**

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I have two of the original civilian dashboard cameras. I swapped out this newest version into the same frame as my previous front facing one. It fit without any issues. My original is 170 degree wide while this one is only 120 degrees. I would have kept it the same, but I was too slow in ordering it and it went out of stock. However, I am pleased because now license plates in front of me are legable.

Version one let me down just a bit. My rear facing camera wasn't recording (although the light indicated it was functional) when I got rear-ended. Couldn't show if they were on the smart phone or not. But the forward facing camera showed the person in the crosswalk and my reason for being stopped at a green light.

The software has changed a little bit and isn't compatable with the first version but that's okay. Both work well independantly. With the audio recording capability, it should require a password to hear, IMO.

Not sure if the 170 degree wide angle would still have the same legiblabilty with license plates, but that is the only thing I would have done differently.

NOTE: Not all SD cards work with either model. Not sure if the Eye-Fi cards work with this one yet (it would be nice for an automatic upload once I drive into the garage but that's just guilding the lilly).

Easy to install the hardware, the software, and to transfer the video. Not Mac compatable w/o virtual machine software (i.e. Parallels or Fusion). Well worth the peace of mind.

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Of all the black boxes I've tried, this one is by far the best. The unit is solid, very easy to set up and for the past month has worked flawlessly. The GPS is very accurate. The video is not what you can call HD but it does catch enough detail to do it's job. I can easily read license plates at red lights, but on the move will depend on lighting and speed your traveling. The one downside I have is night time recording and this is why I can only give it 4 out of 5 stars. Recording at night is not very good and is very grainy. It will still capture what you need if your ever in an accident but it's not as good as daytime recording. I've tried the Black Vue 400 and liked the quality of the video but the software was an absolute nightmare to deal with compared to the Smarty software, which is very solid. Believe me, I've done a lot of research on these things and can safely recommend the Smarty. You won't be disappointed.

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I got this after moving from the Northwest to the South. Stories of police corruption ran rampant, least of all, recording speeds on tickets 15-20 MPH over what you were doing. So, it would do well for me in that respect. The video is ok, but even on the highest settings, I can't really read liscense plates at 70 MPH on the freeway. It would catch any accidents or movements clearly, though, just not the fine details, I think. The gps, travel log, and MPH recorder would all be useful for me in court, should anything happen. Audio is ok. Software takes getting used to, and the manual seems to be translated from Korean. Both my wife and I think it's a good piece of insurance.

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This is one of those reviews that could go on and on if I'm not careful, so I'm just going to highlight some bullet points. For a true sense of what the camera is like in action go to video sites and search for videos recorded using this camera.

I've been using it steadily for a month now and here are my thoughts:

-solid build quality

-easy to install (will have to see how well the tape holds up in 100 degree weather)

-manual in English

-software in English and easy to use

-for me the video is only okay

-15 fps is a bit choppy

-license plates are legible only when close and lighting makes a big difference

-nighttime resolution is weak; if it's not in the headlights, there's no detail

-4GB card is adequate for my needs and previous files are overwritten flawlessly

-card can be a bit difficult to remove as the finger depression is shallow and narrow

All-in-all, it is a solid unit that will do the job, I just wish the image quality was better and so I rate it, well, adequate.