Android phone as videocams and cpu speed

[bononos]

How would a cheap android smartphone (say unlocked <$150) work as a dashcam? This thread says that phones would overheat and fail if they were video recording for that long. Is it possible for an app to reduce the fps of video recording (eg 5fps) to reduce the cpu load in that case.

And would there be a big difference in ARM cpus btwn generations like the A7 vs A9? Or does the video recording make more use of the video chip/chipset?

 

[Crono]

If you aren't doing 1080p you might be able to get something like an Optimus F6 running as root, turn off all radios and GPS, keep the brightness down or turn screen off, shield it from direct sunlight/excess heat, underclock the CPU, and set the resolution/FPS to as low as possible for your needs without it overheating. If the app you use allows for codec/bitrate to be set, that also might keep CPU utilization down.

There are plenty of people using old smartphones as networked cameras without issue, but there's usually a bit more ambient heat in a car (especially during the summer and on the dash).

 

[Foressst]

very intersting

 

[soccerballtux]

$50 gets you a great chinese made 1080p camera. Someone around here posted a link there's a website dedicated to this very thing

 

[Mopetar]

turn off all radios and GPS, keep the brightness down or turn screen off, shield it from direct sunlight/excess heat, underclock the CPU, and set the resolution/FPS to as low as possible for your needs without it overheating. If the app you use allows for codec/bitrate to be set, that also might keep CPU utilization down.

You'll definitely want the screen off in order to keep the heat down. I'd suggest something like this app which will let you record with the screen off.

Depending on the app and SoC, it might not even need that much CPU if there's a hardware encoder built-in and the app can take advantage of it.

A white case might be a good investment if the the device itself is black as that should help to keep the heat down as well.

 

[Crono]

You'll definitely want the screen off in order to keep the heat down. I'd suggest something like this app which will let you record with the screen off.

Depending on the app and SoC, it might not even need that much CPU if there's a hardware encoder built-in and the app can take advantage of it.

A white case might be a good investment if the the device itself is black as that should help to keep the heat down as well.

That app looks good, going by the feature set. Especially this:

Option to record video without audio. This is for users using the app as a Dash Cam for their car. This allows using voice activated apps while recording video

 

[Rdmkr]

And would there be a big difference in ARM cpus btwn generations like the A7 vs A9? Or does the video recording make more use of the video chip/chipset?

A7 is newer than A9 and is more heat- and power efficient despite the lower performance, if I recall correctly.

 

[Mopetar]

That app looks good, going by the feature set. Especially this:

There are a few that have some other nice features or are specifically designed to be a dashcam app. This one in particular looks rather feature rich, but may be beyond the OP's needs.

 

[shabby]

For $50 you can get a cheap chinese dashcam that has a wide angle lens and better video quality than $600 smartphones http://www.foxoffer.com/g1wh-car-dvr-full-hd-camera-140-degree-wide-angle-p-663.html