The Camera Doesn't Lie
Transcend DrivePro™550 Dashcam TS-DP550A-32V
Review by: Jennifer Griffiths
Video & Testing by: Philip Griffiths
Introduction :
Most of us are no strangers to appalling drivers. Some of us have even experienced devastating accidents for one reason or another. Proving you are not at fault can very exasperating and sometimes impossible. But, what if you had undeniable proof? A picture says a thousand words, they say. I say, "a video is indisputable". Today we are going to focus on the Transcend DrivePro™ 550. We will take a few journeys through jolly old England and report our findings. Stay tuned to see the results of Phil's everyday life in Call-Out traffic chaos with the camera as his second set of eyes.
Main Features:
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Sony high-sensitivity image sensor
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Infrared LEDs for night vision
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WiFi Connectivity - using the app which is downloadable at Google Play and the App Store, it allows real-time footage playback and download. This means ease of access to video evidence for reporting incidents to law enforcement and insurance companies without the need to remove the device's memory card.
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GPS/GLONAS receiver
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Built-In Battery
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24/7 Guardian - When the vehicle is parked, enable park mode or the time-lapse video recording function. The former activates recording when motion is detected; the latter takes you right to footage of an incident without needing to view hours of incident-free video.
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Alerts for: vehicles veering out of the lane, getting to close to the car ahead, driver fatigue, headlights needing to be turned on in dim conditions, emergency recording.
Specifications:
Dimensions: 95.6 mm x 65.9 mm x 40.5 mm (3.76" x 2.59" x 1.59"
Weight: 107g (3.77 oz)
USB Type: micro USB to car lighter adapter
Connection Interface: USB 2.0
Network Interface: Wi-Fi 802.11n
see more by following the link: https://us.transcend-info.com/Products/No-958
Manufacturer statement:
Transcend's DrivePro 550 is a dual lens dash camera that provides both drivers and passengers with optimum protection. The front lens features a Sony image sensor and wide field of view for capturing crystal-clear Full HD 1080P (30fps) in-car video recordings at night and low light conditions.
About Transcend :
Transcend Information Inc was founded in 1988 by Mr. Chung-won Shu, Peter, with its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan. Today, Transcend has become a leading global brand of digital storage, multimedia and industrial products with 14 offices worldwide. Not only do we design, develop, and manufacture all of our own products, but, we also market and sell them. At Transcend, we uphold the highest quality and believe in professional service. As a customer-focused company, Transcend has the ability to quickly respond to the market's changing needs.
Things you may want to know about Transcend:
Transcend helps independent retailers by supplying a variety of POS available from posters to full FSDU. Ben Davis will visit most shops. They can also provide online content for retailers with an online presence.
Unboxing:
Inside you find:
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Camera
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Quick Start Guide
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Car Mount
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Cable
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Micro SD card
Installation:
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Install Micro SD card
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Attach the mount to the camera
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Position the camera in the vehicle
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Plug in the camera
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Adjust in settings what options you want to use
Testing:
Phil installed this camera in our truck. Being he does Call Out Computer Repair, he is faced with all kinds of traffic on a daily basis and needs a good dash cam. So, the DrivePro 550 got a workout. The camera records forward facing, and backwards as well as sound. So, if you are going along the road singing before you crash, the insurance company is going to hear you singing your favourite song. Being it records what you do in the car, you might want to give a miss on doing anything like using a phone as well. It will tell on you! This is a good thing though. If you were to say "I had my indicator on" and you did not know how to prove it, the microphone on the camera could pick up the sound it makes. Brilliant.
When I had Phil to enable Park Mode, I got out and walked in front of the truck. At first, we did not see anything. I waved at the camera a bit, walked back and forth. Mind you, this was in a well-lit parking lot. We got a vague shadow like figure. Had Phil not known whom to look for, I doubt he would have recognized me.
Another thing that annoyed Phil is that there is no button to quickly tap to dim the screen at night. Sometimes things like this can be distracting at night if they are too bright. We found that you have to pull onto the shoulder, go into settings, and adjust it that way. I really would have expected a dimmer button on it in all honesty. I looked through all eight pages of the manual that were English and still could not see a mention of one. I decided to try to find a more insightful manual online. I found one in English with a more clear understanding of the camera. I wish I had thought about this prior to the review. I still found no mention of a dimmer button though. You can, however, set it to turn the display off after 1 or 3 minutes. The manual is pretty basic when it comes to how to do things with the main features of the camera. Maybe they will update the online one about this. https://cdn.transcend-info.com/files/Manual/Manual-DP550_EN_v1.0.pdf
When you go to play back your videos, they have made it quite simple to find what you need. They are date and time stamped with letters A and B on them. The A file will be your forward facing camera and the B file will be your back facing camera.
Please note: We mounted the camera at the bottom of the windscreen rather than at the top. Due to Phil being very tall, it obstructed his view at the top.
Pricing:
RRP £134.99
Conclusion:
All in all the camera does a good job. The product could be absolutely amazing if they take on board some of the comments here and come out with a second version. For instance, a dimmer switch and getting the cable to where it is not so messy when it sits on the dash. Judging it on what it is though, it is still a good camera. Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. So if you are on the road all day long and you want a device that will give you all the warnings you will need, or that has just a high-quality picture front and back, this will be the dash cam for you. And on that bombshell thanks for reading!
Stand out point:
Pros:
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Does front and back recording.
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Packaging is attractive and has clear easy to read fonts with real pictures.
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The box is small, and it won't use a lot of shelf space in your store.
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Comes with a Micro SD (they don't mention this on the box but it is a great upseller)
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Lightweight
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No need to worry about changing batteries as it is rechargeable
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Very clear camera
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Two years limited warranty
Cons:
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Relevant information such as what platforms it will work with are not listed on the box. (ie iOS, Android, Windows)
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Cable is a bit hap-hazard. There is only one way you can put the cable in and if you put it on the dash it is really messy.
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No button to quickly dim the display if you need to at night. You have to pull over and go into settings.
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Park mode at night is not clear. The camera is said to have night vision but, the images are not really great.
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Back recording is not full HD it is 720p
They got a Gold Award for this product.
