Anyone have a "dash cam"...?

[spinjector]

I was wondering if anyone has a dash cam?

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good system?

What about other angles like rear & sides?

[Oldbugman]

Originally Posted by spinjector

I was wondering if anyone has a dash cam?

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good system?

What about other angles like rear & sides?

You mean like the police have?

[spinjector]

Yes. There have been a number of incidents I've had with my car where a dash cam could have saved me a lot of money, such as my windshield being shattered by rocks flying off a truck that I couldn't catch up to, a case of vandalism, and others. Would've been nice to catch the f****ers and get some insurance money.

[Oldbugman]

Originally Posted by spinjector

Yes. There have been a number of incidents I've had with my car where a dash cam could have saved me a lot of money, such as my windshield being shattered by rocks flying off a truck that I couldn't catch up to, a case of vandalism, and others. Would've been nice to catch the f****ers and get some insurance money.

I've installed several Watchguard video units in police cars, they have a few options. I just don't think anyone can just buy one to install in their own personal vehicle. Maybe you can but, I think they are exclusive to law enforcement use.

[spinjector]

Well I'm sure the law-enforcement units carry a premium price tag, so I won't be going that route. But I've seen numerous examples of "personal dash cams" in crash-videos on Youtube, some on cars, and some helmet-mounted cams for motorcycle riders. In one case the helmet-cam showed its perspective as the rider was cut off by a car and thrown from his bike and tumbled around a bit.

The equipment I've been pondering involves the installation of an in-car PC with a dash-mounted touchscreen. The camera system would be just one aspect of it; the other main uses would be Google Earth and an MP3 audio system. Anyone familiar with the website http://www.mp3car.com will know what I'm talking about.

These cheap multi-input "security cam cards" are all over the internet: 4 Channel CCTV DVR Video Capture Card with a range of 4 to 16 inputs. They also come in a range of prices from $15.00 to $1,500.00 depending on resolution, frame rates, and DVR features.

So I figured I'd try one of the cheap cards, pair it up with some cheap cameras, some freeware DVR software, and see what I could come up with. My ultimate goal is to monitor the front, rear, sides, and passenger compartment of the car, and possibly even data logging that shows speed, rpm, brakes, etc - which would have to make use of a VAG-COM interface, which I already have.

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