Testing this morning was interrupted by these happenings:

 

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/hoping-to-increase-driver-passing-distance-at-night-ive-glued-front-and-rear-reflectors-to-my-wing-mirrors.44501/post-671336

 

As I spectulated on these forums some months ago, control over shutter speed may well be key to capturing clearer views of vehicle number plates at night (something my cheapo Crosstour 4K lacks) - there is much less motion blur, but oodles more noiose because of such high ISO... but I'm pleased to report that ISO 1600 and shutter at 1/240th of a second, is more often than not, capturing large sections of, or whole number plates - these screengrabs from video don't look cinematic, but that's not what want from a cycling-flight-recorder-in-case-of-horrible-accidents.

 

When passing fast and close:

 

 

 

When passing by fast (from a brief period of shooting @ISO 800):

 

 

 

Also a fast pass (ISO 1600 again and hereafter)

 

 

 

It appears I can even get some plate info from approaching vehicles, if they're close enough to the beams of my headlights:

 

 

 

I'm not managing to capture 100% of passing numberplates, I'll do a proper calculation at some point, but it's much more often than not.

 

Well, there you have it - if you own a GoPro Hero 7 Black or similar action camera with full manual control of the same era or newer, it's quite likely that you too can capture number plates while cycling about at night.

Edited January 16, 20233 yr by guerney

gimbal looks freaking awesome

Ikr - first time I saw a cheapo cam(£20) from China I thought wow that's amazing stabilisation until I saw his shadow and a stick like attachment with the cam on, turned out he was using a £300 gimble to test it pml

 

shout out the number plate

I know I preach diffuse a situation if at all possible, but I often catch myself shouting moron and various other expletives before I calm down, it's instinctive.

 

 

I'm not getting 100% of plates,

Vast improvement - I will try & test mine soon

High shutter speed plus using multiple sequential images seems way to get best results.

I don't know what software might help with that; most of the difficult part is probably done in any mpeg encoder.

 

When our group was working on image processing in the late '70s the police had one particular image (from standard film camera) where they really wanted to get the plate number. We couldn't manage it; maybe someone did in the end and they prosecuted a very surprised truck driver?

I will try & test mine soon

 

If you can get control over ISO and shutter speed, I think your camera is likely capable of doing the same - they just didn't built control over shutter speed into my cheapo Crosstour 4k, I'm pretty sure it could have done this too. Kudos to GoPro for including full manual control over settings, instead of making a camera which pleases just surfer dudes and bras showing off - but there's auto mode for that, which works great in daylight.

Edited January 16, 20233 yr by guerney

High shutter speed plus using multiple sequential images seems way to get best results.

 

I haven't tried taking fast sequential photos (my SD card can't handle it anyway, too slow, but it's fast enough for 4k video, weirdly) - these are still captures from video files. VLC (it's free) has a frame capture button, hit to capture the offending plate while playing back later on. Press "E" to advance one frame at a time, right arrow to skip forwards a bit, left arrow to skip back, "+" to speed up playback, "-" to slow it down... it's the best player out there, and the only one I use.

 

 

When our group was working on image processing in the late '70s the police had one particular image (from standard film camera) where they really wanted to get the plate number. We couldn't manage it; maybe someone did in the end and they prosecuted a very surprised truck driver?

 

Film is far superior, depending on the application and film type of course. Oodles more hidden info. The cops also have some very effective deblurring software, which - if they can be bothered to follow up - could be used to get the plate of the vehicle which killed you cycling. Every cyclist should carry a camera. It's saddening how many news reports of killed cylists contain the words "Police are appealing for witnesses".

Edited January 16, 20233 yr by guerney

Capturing the frames from the movie is straightforward as you say. FFMPEG will probably be more convenient for capturing a batch. (VLC , like many other programs, may well be using ffmpeg underneath?) The difficultly comes with processing the batch. If you could interpret the video direct if might already have encoded the motion vectors.

 

I used to use VLC, but for various reasons (which I forget) found Media Player Classic (https://mpc-hc.org/) better. I got that as part of Klite codecs; which I installed using Ninite (https://ninite.com/). If you haven't tried Ninite for suggesting and installing software give it a whirl. It's always the first thing I go to with a new PC.

Capturing the frames from the movie is straightforward as you say. FFMPEG will probably be more convenient for capturing a batch. (VLC , like many other programs, may well be using ffmpeg underneath?) The difficultly comes with processing the batch. If you could interpret the video direct if might already have encoded the motion vectors.

 

Most (some free) video editing programs will extract a region of the timeline to export all frames, but I'd rather just deal with one or two frames I capture during playback (I'd roughly know where the offending plate was during the recording of a journey), instead of having to deal with hundreds or thousands... although if you wanted to browse through that many, Fastone Image Browser (free) is well worth a look.

 

I used to use VLC, but for various reasons (which I forget) found Media Player Classic (https://mpc-hc.org/) better. I got that as part of Klite codecs; which I installed using Ninite (https://ninite.com/). If you haven't tried Ninite for suggesting and installing software give it a whirl. It's always the first thing I go to with a new PC.

 

I used to use that, but on older machines VLC has many options which will keep those machines making themselves useful, if you e experience skippy playback.

When our group was working on image processing

 

That's very interesting! Noted in case I have an image processing question (at some point) and may send you a PM, which you of course will be free to ignore, if such a PM ever arrives.

I'd rather just deal with one or two frames I capture during playback ... instead of having to deal with

I was thinking of maybe half a dozen to a dozen frames, to help reduce the noise and motion blur.

 

I might revisit VLC and Fastone some time, things may well have changed since I last used either of them.

I was thinking of maybe half a dozen to a dozen frames, to help reduce the noise and motion blur.

 

I don't care too much about noise - the noise/graniness at ISO 1600 isn't gigantic and globular alphanumeral view impeding like ISO 6400 is... that's utterly unusable for dark scenes. At ISO 1600, it's going to be noisy on such a small sensor at such fast shutter speed regardless, and VLC is decoding HVEC, which at GoPro's high bitrate isn't going to be responsible for the noise - I doubt if things will be any clearer.

Edited January 16, 20233 yr by guerney

control over shutter speed

Can't say I've seen it on the GP4 maybe in the app if there is one...

Can't say I've seen it on the GP4 maybe in the app if there is one...

 

Is yours a Black version?

 

https://gopro.com/content/dam/help/hero4-black/music-bundle-manuals/UM_H4Black-Music_ENG_REVB_WEB.pdf

 

...if so, you don't have direct control over the shutter and can't use a set value, but you can force the camera to use faster shutter speeds (selected by the camera automatically for the scene, changing with scene lighting conditions - allowing the camera to select shutter speed dynmically can lead to bad results on many cameras - the algorithms vary in effectiveness, also limited by CPU capability) by locking ISO max to say 1600, and lowering Exposure Compensation. It's on page 72 of the manual. Sorry to say, it seems your GP4 operates in rather the same way as my Crosstour 4k, but if your GP4 sensor and software is better, you should have more success than I did.

Edited January 17, 20233 yr by guerney

It's on page 72 of the manual. Sorry to say, it seems your GP4 operates in rather the same way as my Crosstour 4k

Can't really say I've over played, I adopted it without box so I never thought to read the manual lol. I will have a butchers - thanks

Can't really say I've over played, I adopted it without box so I never thought to read the manual lol. I will have a butchers - thanks

 

There's a really good Feiyutech on-person and bike mountable gimbal for the GoPro 4 - footage of MTB rides on Youtube beats the hell out of Hypersmooth.

bike mountable gimbal

It's a rich man toy imo, nice to have & impressive results from the YT vids, maybe if I win the lotto - in the mean time I am going to pull the trigger on that rx5600 xt fingers crossed it'll play nice with my i7 & h61 chipset until I save up for the ryzen 5 5600x, compared with a gimble I will use the rx5600 daily lol.... It's the Cex gamble on which card they send, hopefully not a single fan card not keen...

I am going to pull the trigger on that rx5600 xt fingers crossed it'll play nice with my i7 & h61 chipset until I save up for the ryzen 5 5600x, compared with a gimble I will use the rx5600 daily lol.... It's the Cex gamble on which card they send, hopefully not a single fan card not keen...

 

Is there one at a Cex anywhere nearby? In that situation I always search by postcode, and travel a bit if I have to, if the item is imprtant enough. Single fan would be a bummer.

Edited January 17, 20233 yr by guerney

nice to have & impressive results from the YT vids,

 

They're delicate things, and probably wouldn't last very long used on a bike. Wouldn't want such a huge whirring lump of a contraption on the handlebar anyway. Action camera electronic image stabilisation keeps getting better, as do sensors. If a somewhat old model 7 Black can capture night number plates as we've seen, any newer GoPro product with manual shutter speed control, will certainly do a better job And in future, manufacturers of cheapos might start making better GoPro copies.

Edited January 17, 20233 yr by guerney

In that situation I always search by postcode

I don't think that's an option, it's like the "custom" PC gamble with CeX, you defo get a 5600x cpu but the mobo & ram are just listed as DDR4 and "working", the only possible insight to how objectively good the other components are is the price, two identical "custom", for example the r5 5600x cpu PC, one could be £50 more than the other although other variables come into play if the GPU is listed.

 

If I purchase the GPU RX5600 XT from store assuming there is one in stock, I wouldn't have the right to return if it doesn't work with my aging system, anecdotally, from YT comments section, it should work as a PCIe gen 3 card in my h61 chipset but it gnaws at the back of brain that it might just not work. The thing is, it will be classed as "tested" from store, they would have confirmed it working before stocking it. If I took it back they would test it again & yes it might be faulty but if not & it just doesn't work on my system then I am stuck with GPU until I go AM4 after saving pennies... If I order online ie the gamble I have 14 days return window & no one will be any wiser that I have actually used it as a test run, unless the crafty gits have a breakable Cex warranty sticker, that would be my luck haha....

 

The Rx5600 xt comes as 1 fan, 2 fan & 3 fan designs... I would cherish a 3 fan but 2 fans is enough, just 1 fan doesn't scream power imo

I don't think that's an option, it's like the "custom" PC gamble with CeX, you defo get a 5600x cpu but the mobo & ram are just listed as DDR4 and "working", the only possible insight to how objectively good the other components are is the price, two identical "custom", for example the r5 5600x cpu PC, one could be £50 more than the other although other variables come into play if the GPU is listed.

 

Or it could have just one RAM stick installed, which happened once

 

 

If I purchase the GPU RX5600 XT from store assuming there is one in stock, I wouldn't have the right to return if it doesn't work with my aging system

 

Yes, much safer buying online. You can return anything bought from the store within 24 hours, even if you just change your mind, but they will give you a voucher instead of a refund (I've done this many times, but clarify everry reason for which you might return with the particular store's manager you're buying from first), which can also be redeemed online. Be careful to not lose both parts of the voucher - I snap phtos of them with my phone, just in case.

 

 

they would have confirmed it working before stocking it.

 

So why do they keep sending me non-working items? Oodles of dead or dying hard drives, CPUs, music gear power supplies etc. Perhaps they send out non-working returns for re-testing by the buyer, so they don't have to pay a wage?

 

 

it should work as a PCIe gen 3 card in my h61 chipset

 

You might not get full performance, but it should work IMHO. PCIe3 was designed to be backwards compatible.

 

 

 

unless the crafty gits have a breakable Cex warranty sticker

 

Do they do that? I've never seen one.

 

 

 

The Rx5600 xt comes as 1 fan, 2 fan & 3 fan designs... I would cherish a 3 fan but 2 fans is enough, just 1 fan doesn't scream power imo

 

I'd be more concerned about which manufacturer made it - Asus or Gigabyte motherboards last longest in my experience, Asus writes better drivers, also MSI graphics cards do seem to have lasted well, stable drivers. One big fan will squeal annoyingly at a lower pitch, when it gets screechy (some can be de-squeaked). More than one gives you a more even airflow over the graphics board. You don't want to be saddled with a noname piece of junk which'll last 5 minutes, or last longer while crashing constantly in use - maybe sometime I should order/return/order until I got sent a likely looking Asus, Gigabyte or (third place preference) MSI?

 

Personally speaking I'd hold onto the money, because games are a waste of that and life. But... different strokes for different folks.

Edited January 18, 20233 yr by guerney

one RAM stick installed

kudos - single channel ram on an AMD cpu - the stuff of nightmares for gamers

 

but they will give you a voucher instead of a refund

I did not know that. Oh yes indeed I would insist on clarification, we all know about hindsight.

 

which can also be redeemed online

I need to look into this, I have that 8gb ddrl worth £8[voucher], if anything it'll pay for shipping costs.

 

So why do they keep sending me non-working items?

or the items been rushed through testing by said underpaid staff member, I would imagine only high value items get tested fully, Then I would assume they have a good insurance policy to claim off - I am surprised there wasn't a fly-on-the-wall doc on Cex during the Pawn stars era of TV.

 

You might not get full performance, but it should work IMHO. PCIe3 was designed to be backwards compatible.

Aye, the i7 bottles the 960 so I figure I would get better FPS, textures etc and more CPU percentiles. Tbf it's a case of; now I have the PCIe 4.0 GPU, if its under perform then I have a good solid argument with the other half, for a new platform. AWT-it mobo, ram, & cpu under £400 all new - I have the case, psu & storage good to go, although I may sneak in a small M.2 NVMe in when no ones looking...

 

Do they do that? I've never seen one.

I don't think so, put knowing my luck some dictator will put one over the connector.

 

maybe sometime I should order/return/order

Don't have I to pay for return postage, could get costly. I agree on the brand thing, my 960 is Asus, I would like to stay brand loyal it has being a great brand & card from day one new way back in 2013, never repasted and still has boot thermals of 25 degs and load of 55, although I do blow the fans up to 60% under load.

 

Personally speaking I'd hold onto the money, because games are a waste of that and life.

I get out in the summer, but yep I agree but as my mother would say at least I am not hurting anyone or getting into trouble. One wrong choice/move on the bike and we could end up in the clink or a coffin.

 

Edit -to make matters worse I picked a GPU that now has an updated BIOS for better performance however some need flashing & some brands can't be flashed, oh the joy...

Don't have I to pay for return postage, could get costly.

 

They issue refunds etc. at stores - done it myself many times... so buy/return/buy away, till you get what you want?

 

 

Edit -to make matters worse I picked a GPU that now has an updated BIOS for better performance however some need flashing & some brands can't be flashed, oh the joy...

 

Flashing could cause problems with returns, unless you can flash it back to whatever version it was shipped with.

Edited January 18, 20233 yr by guerney

They issue refunds etc. at stores

Good thinking, I never thought about that. I highly doubt they would know the bios version if flashing a card, the GPU was suppose to compete with the 1660 ti but then Nvida lowered the price of the RTX 2060 so AMD released a bios flash to improve performance but not all cards can handle it - in a nut shell.

 

On an unrelated topic - I am gearing up for some sort of hyperinflation, our local ALDI, if you look hard enough have changed all the "paper" price tags on shelf to small LCD (old mobile size) screens and they are updating the product prices electronically - You could walk in grab something for 99p & by the time you hit the

till its gone up to £1.99 and you couldn't argue the price because they changed it on shelf - crafty barstools.

I highly doubt they would know the bios version if flashing a card

 

Depends on what their testing procedure is for cards I suppose - I believe they don't buy phones which have been rooted, which they can check, which may indicate those phones may have had alternative OSs flashed.

 

On an unrelated topic - I am gearing up for some sort of hyperinflation, our local ALDI, if you look hard enough have changed all the "paper" price tags on shelf to small LCD (old mobile size) screens and they are updating the product prices electronically - You could walk in grab something for 99p & by the time you hit the

till its gone up to £1.99 and you couldn't argue the price because they changed it on shelf - crafty barstools.

 

Are they preparing the ground for getting rid of the tills/sacking a lot of staff?

Are they preparing the ground for getting rid of the tills/sacking a lot of staff?

Aye that could be it, I would hate to see hyperinflation but in matters of doom & gloom I have been known to rather accurate... I did hear of some self service trials down Somerset I believe but that was some time ago, tbf one of our Asda went full self service, one till for fags n lotto & one staff to man the lot, with one on shelve stacking duty near by for busy periods, suffice to say I do not frequent that Asda much any more & if I do I cash a winning quid scratch card at the fag counter, last time I used a self service there I was waiting ages for beer approval or a plastic bag replacement request.

 

Quick question on this return to store for CeX - Order online and return as unwanted for a full refund to original purchase method; not voucher? under the 14 days distance selling regs? I haven't read the t&c's but I will before any purchases. It's been a while since I parted with that kind of cash for a computer part, last big purchase was the MXUS front but the was new.

in matters of doom & gloom I have been known to rather accurate...

 

I'm ready for the Thunderdome

 

 

Quick question on this return to store for CeX - Order online and return as unwanted for a full refund to original purchase method; not voucher? under the 14 days distance selling regs? I haven't read the t&c's but I will before any purchases. It's been a while since I parted with that kind of cash for a computer part, last big purchase was the MXUS front but the was new.

 

I've always paid by Paypal when ordering online from Cex, and they've always refunded in full to Paypal - that payment option sometimes disappears, like a couple of hours ago when I had to pay by card. Cex hive mind beancounter central seems to toggle Paypal on and off, more often off of late. Happened in November too - perhaps it's the dispatching store's preference? Cex is a franchise. Best keep things simple - I just tell them I changed my mind.

 

 

computer part

 

Isn't the end of the world if you get refunded with a voucher, if you're going to order another graphics card from Cex anyway? Just don't lose either part. Entering voucher deets while purchasing could be easier.

 

 

some need flashing & some brands can't be flashed

 

They've been locking BIOs to stop the crypto miners buying them all up - they have their own brews to flash on.

Edited January 18, 20233 yr by guerney