Can't read license plates in Fly 6 videos

[NHAero]

I went to look at video from my Fly 6 (2nd gen unit, improved 720p camera) today because some jerks passed me and hollered out the window, but the quality isn't even close for reading the plate and it's broad daylight. What is your experience with the Fly 6?

[tuscanyswe]

Are you watching it uncompressed or on your smartphone?

I can usually see plates on it in broad daylight but the speed difference of the vehicle and yr bike is ofc going to make a difference at times.

[NHAero]

I downloaded the files to my laptop. Each AVI file is 500-600 MB. I'm using VLC to view on the Mac. Any suggestions welcome if I am doing it in such a way to downgrade resolution.
Thanks

Are you watching it uncompressed or on your smartphone?

I can usually see plates on it in broad daylight but the speed difference of the vehicle and yr bike is ofc going to make a difference at times.

[tuscanyswe]

No thats pretty much exactly what i do. Download to mac and then watch in vlc.

Perhaps the new fly6 has a mode where it does not record in 720p?

You are not the first to think the image quality of the fly6 is lacking tho, i have read / heard before.

I usually only watch the fly12 footage as it is better quality and thankfully no incidents required me to check much footage at all lately.

Try to see some vids on youtube and see if yours are worse or same?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKGF68w5338

Thing is that the image quality is reduced in the peripherials much clearer in the center

[MattTuck]

Shouldn't the rear facing camera be better quality, as it is the blind spot of the rider? I'm not sure what the logic is of having a low quality camera in the back.

I just started thinking about getting a rear facing camera, and I don't understand this design choice.

Their website appears to show the Fly 6 has 1080p video, so maybe they have improved the rear camera.

[tuscanyswe]

Well the cameras are not only for incidents. I guess a lot of the appeal with these cameras is the complete package.

Lights, battery time, video for incident protection but also video for ppl to film their rides etc. And i guess maybe they thought this was big part of the attraction with cameras so went big on the front camera. But speculating ofc.

Rear was upgraded either way like you say.

[tigoat]

Yeah I have that pixel problem too with this camera. Reading a license plate could be tricky even with a higher pixel count video, as it depends on some natural factors like speeding, lighting, viewing angle, etc. I like my fly6 in general but I wish they would offer it with just the camera and without the light so it could be smaller, lighter, and perhaps cost less. They have a 1080 version out but I have not tried it yet. I was actually thinking about getting the fly12 and using it on the rear.

[djg21]

I’ve never had a problem with my 2d Gen Fly 6. At least I’ve never had an issue when I’ve needed to look at recorded video. But resolution can be impacted by a lot of factors including light conditions, glare, etc.

I just got a new Fly 12 CE and Fly 6 CE. They record in 1080p at 60fps. They also have image stabilization, but early reports on DC Rainmaker is that this feature may kill the battery. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/11/cycliq-fly6ce-fly12ce-first-look.html (See comments).

I have yet to use my new cameras outdoors. I probably should have waited to make the purchase. I had such great luck with my old Fly 6 that the early purchase seemed a no-brained given the redesign of the Fly 12 CE and the connectivity features.

Unfortunately, and IMO, the new cameras were prematurely released before many software/firmware issues were fully resolved. The connectivity features (Garmin, iPhone and PC) remain spotty at best, the battery life reportedly is problematic for some, and the incident protection feature inadvertently turning off recording reportedly has been an issue for some. All of this is discussed at length in the comments to the DC Rainmaker review I cited above.

Cycliq just released firmware updates yesterday. It’s also released a beta of Windows software, and recently released a Garmin IQ and iPhone apps that have since been updated a couple of times. Hopefully, the updates will address some of the issues that have been reported.

My sense is that these products were rushed to market despite not being quite ready, and Cycliq should have ironed out the bugs before offering them for sale. It’s really too bad. I have been a big fan of Cycliq’s products. But I’m not happy that I essentially bought a product at a significant expense that is not fully developed, and essentially am serving as a beta tester. Hopefully all the bugs will be worked out before I can get outside on the road.