Comparison images: Rivian Drive Cam vs. Aftermarket Dash Cam (+ video samples added)

[pc500]

So this is the best solution the software and hardware group at Rivian could come up with and thought this would be an acceptable solution.

This is the same group of people who think they can build a better UI/OS than Google or Apple.

The video quality is bad. Over time with software they can flatten in (like the reverse image), but they likely favored including all camera data from the fringes of the lenes for dashcam purposes and would need to cut some of it out to do so. Might take some CPU cycles they don't have to do in real time for 6 of them.

Even then, cameras will be no better than say the reverse image. I suspect the cameras will be upgraded in a future build. Dash cam was an afterthought and not really why those cameras were put in place. They are adequate, for their original autonomous driving and computer vision purpose.

Early Tesla's before their dash cam... Were black and white and grainy.

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[kozak79]

YouTube look up wham bam teslacam.

Love that channel, but curious to see a side-by-side of the same subject if someone has a Tesla and a Rivian.

 

[pc500]

Love that channel, but curious to see a side-by-side of the same subject if someone has a Tesla and a Rivian.

Someone may eventually post, but It's night and day.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

The video quality is bad. Over time with software they can flatten in (like the reverse image), but they likely favored including all camera data from the fringes of the lenes for dashcam purposes and would need to cut some of it out to do so. Might take some CPU cycles they don't have to do in real time for 6 of them.

I think it would be fine to "fix" the image in post. Record it as-is to minimize power use and CPU load. But a software program can clean it up on playback.

Once I am comfortable installing the OTA I may play around with some scripts to do that on my mac.

 

[godfodder0901]

I think it would be fine to "fix" the image in post. Record it as-is to minimize power use and CPU load. But a software program can clean it up on playback.

Once I am comfortable installing the OTA I may play around with some scripts to do that on my mac.

Rivian have already shown the ability to do it in real time as well with the bird's eye view.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Rivian Drive Cam sample videos by owner:

Quality of the image is highly dependent on the camera lenses being clean. It was raining out this morning so my images are all blurry garbage like I'd expect them to be.

 

[Autolycus]

Very correct. And this is specific to the state you live in, and is not true in the majority of US states (vast majority are one party consent so merely having the drivers permission or your own is adequate).

That's not actually true. The driver isn't a party to the conversation in many potential scenarios. (so in some states the driver can't be one of the parties whose consent is required. In some states the driver can.)

 

[pc500]

That's not actually true. The driver isn't a party to the conversation in many potential scenarios. (so in some states the driver can't be one of the parties whose consent is required. In some states the driver can.)

You hit a third nuance: Most states are single party consent. So if they're talking to the driver -- most likely scenario in an accident -- it's fine. An even smaller number simply allow recording if you could hear it.

 

[pc500]

Definitely disappointing since they've been hyping up gear guard/dashcam features for a while now. What's the point of a dash cam if you can't read license plates?

In some cases, plate reading is useful. That's hard without 4k cameras, TBH. In the non hit and run scenario (IE: both parties disagreed what happened), the quality you have is fine.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I am curious to see the Tesla vs Rivian camera comparison.

I had a 2018 Model 3P and I felt like the Tesla footage was pretty crappy. The same kind of issue where it was difficult to read the license plate if the car wasn't right in front.

The other thing that really limited its capabilities is they'd only give footage of 4 camera. That meant no wide angle view to capture wide intersections.

Tesla footage also could have gaps in recording where you'd see it suddenly skip, and the UI for a long time was terrible.

 

[Whale Blubber]

Wonder if an aftermarket camera swap is feasible / if the UI would be able to handle it even if you can bolt in a sharper lens.

 

[pc500]

Wonder if an aftermarket camera swap is feasible / if the UI would be able to handle it even if you can bolt in a sharper lens.

Unlikely, because the same camera feeds are used for other vehicle functions

 

[AsianPersuasian]

Where are people plugging in their phones now that the drivers side USB-C is in use?

Under the dash

 

[gonefishing]

Can everyone do testing on the DashCam? Can you check to see if they are using the same camera as the cameras used for the parking? From 360 cameras parking youtube videos, there is a front, rear, and both sides view with decent quality and I suspect they are using the same camera. It should be the same resolution quality and wide lens (not fisheye) if it is.

If it is, Rivian is purposefully lowering the quality of the dashcam

 

[godfodder0901]

Can everyone do testing on the DashCam? Can you check to see if they are using the same camera as the cameras used for the parking? From 360 cameras parking youtube videos, there is a front, rear, and both sides view with decent quality and I suspect they are using the same camera. It should be the same resolution quality and wide lens (not fisheye) if it is.

It is the same camera setup for Motion, Incident, and Drive cams. It also has the same fish-eye effect that the individual camera views have (even the front camera).

If it is, Rivian is purposefully lowering the quality of the dashcam

I don't know about that. Seems like full 360 degree coverage at an expected resolution, codec, and frame rate.

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