Summary: Connecting the camera to a computer, DOD Player software, video demonstration and live driving footage. This product review is continued from DOD LS430W Car Dash Cam Review – Part 1.
DOD LS430W USB Computer Connection
The DOD LS430W car DVR includes a USB cable for power and data to connect the camera to a standard USB computer port. The camera automatically detects the computer connection and displays the “Mass Storage” menu prompt. Press the Camera/Video/OK combo button on the top right of the camera to select Mass Storage mode:
Note: If you want to access the camera configuration menus or practice taking videos and snapshots, you must power up the camera with the included car charging adapter cable.
DOD LS430W Car DVR: Mass Storage USB to Computer Connection
The LS430W displays the blue Mass Storage screen and the SD memory card appears as a Removable Disk drive in Windows File Explorer (or The Finder for Apple Mac). LS430W snapshot photos have .JPG file extensions and video recordings have .MOV (Apple QuickTime) extensions. You can browse the camera SD memory card and copy files to your PC. My 64GB microSDXC memory card is brand new with 58.8GB space available after FAT32 formatting and has no recordings/files:
DOS LS430W Mass Storage Mode: Removable Storage File Transfer
DOD LS430W Car Camera Windshield Mount and Wiring
I installed the sticky tape mount bracket so the camera hangs just below the review mirror on my VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen. The camera is very noticeable in the shade. The 4 meter (= 13.1 feet) cigarette lighter car power adapter cord is pushed into the seam between the headliner and windshield, running to the passenger side of the car. The power cord can be seen where it crosses passenger-side corner post:
DOD LS430W Car DVR: Windshield Mount
The power cord is routed between two sections of interior trim at the corner post, then inside the weatherstrip to the footwell kick panel, behind the kick panel (the kick panel simply snaps in place) and under the floor mat up to the center console (red arrows):
DOD LS430W Car DVR: Power Cord Installation behind the Door Weatherstrip
Camera power cord footwell and floor mat routing details:
DOD LS430W Car Camera: Power Cord behind the Footwell and Floor Mat
I secured the power cord against the side of the center console with two small strips of black Gorilla Tape so I won’t get snagged if the passenger seat is moved. About 2 feet extra feet of power cord is gently looped under the floor mat. The power cord can also be routed underneath the dashboard and secured in place with zip ties or stick-on/screw-on cable clips. Take care the cord doesn’t interfere with glove box door and other parts of the car. The camera is a bit more noticeable in direct sunlight. The red arrow points to the power cord where it crosses the corner post:
DOD LS430W Car Camera: Windshield Mount – Direct Sunlight
Driver’s view of the LS430W mounted below the rear view mirror is shown in the following photo. I have the camera screen saver set to turn off the display screen after 3 minutes to minimize distractions. The camera will continue recording and if I want to turn On the display, I just press the menu key:
DOD LS430W Car DVR Windshield Mount – Driver View
DOD LS430W Car DVR Demo and Driving Video
This is a brief camera overview with actual day and night driving clips:
DOD Player Software
The DOD Player is included on the camera CD and can be downloaded for Windows and Mac from the DOD Support site. The DOD Player will play video recordings directly from the camera SD memory card when connected to a computer in Mass Storage mode. I prefer to copy the .MOV files from the camera to my hard drive for saving and faster playback. Time/Date, 3-axis acceleration and GPS track coordinates (if enabled) are embedded in the video recording. The Player Software will automatically move to the next video recording (.MOV file in the list) for more or less seamless playback. Google Maps with the driving track and current position can optionally be displayed and is synchronized with the video playback. Semi-rural camera video at night:
LS430W Car DVR: DOD Player – Semi-Rural Night Scene
LS430W camera video in a well lighted urban area at night:
LS430W Car DVR: DOD Player – Urban Nighttime Driving
Highway driving night scene about 30 minutes before daybreak:
LS430W Car DVR: DOD Player – Highway Night Scene
DOD LS430W 1080P Video Image
A LS430W 1080P video full size screen capture for a .MOV recording in Windows Media player. The full resolution video image is 1920 x 1080 pixels (2.1 megapixels):
DOD LS430W Car Camera: 1080P Video Image (1920 x 1080 pixels)
The microSDCX Class 10 memory card is purchased separately:
Take care and drive safely,
Bob Jackson
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I also bought LS40W High Def Car DVR. Bought the 32g SD card.
My problem is that it only recorded 1.5 hours of data then just stopped recording and never deleted any of the other files already on there.
It is setup for loop recording but as i said it just stopped recording after 1.5 hours although there is enough space to keep recording for at least another 2 hours.
What have I done wrong and is there any help to resolve this?
Regards, Wilfred
> I also bought LS40W High Def Car DVR.
Is that the LS400W or newer LS430W? The older LS400W was buggy.
> loop recording but as i said it just stopped recording after 1.5 hours
Enabling loop recording should be all you need to do. Is the Loop Recording icon shown on your screen? The number in the icon will be 2, 3 or 5 which indicates the length of the loop recording. No icon is shown if loop recording is turned Off.
Was the memory card formatted using the camera’s internal format function? Have you tried a different memory card?
If you’re still having problems, contact DOD Tech for technical support.
Hi,
I am using a DOD LS460W which is very similar to LS430W.
When I open the file in DOD Player for Mac, the video stutter and jerky while the rest of the information is fine. If I play it in other dash cam viewer program, the video are fine.
Do you know any reasons why it is happening?
Thanks,
Francis
I’m not a Mac user and wouldn’t know. Best to contact DOD technical support.
Hi there,
i’ve forgotten the code which protects the menuand so i can’t get into the menu.
Is there a way to reset to factory settings?
I testet the reset button for 1 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, but I didn’t succeed.
Model LS430 W
Thanks for infos
Eric
The factory reset button is illustrated on pages 4 and 5 of the LS430W Product Manual.
Hi I am using a DOD LS430W and it shows a 64gb micro sd card n the picture has anyone used one with that card even know it says up to a 32gb card thanks
Greg
I’m using a 64GB memory card and describe how to format it in DOD LS430W Car Dash Cam Review.
I just setup a New LS430W. I had 2 new 64GB micro SDXC card a Samsung microSDXC Pro 64GB, and a Patriot 64GB PS001098-PSF64MCSXC10BK
You have to use the Format Program which can be downloaded from the DOD Tech Site.
http://dod-tech.ca/support/articles/formatting-a-64gb-microsdxc-card-for-dod-tech-cameras/
The Samsung Card Did Not work in the LS430W. After Formatting the Samsung Card showed 67GB available space. Every time I tried recording it showed a Format Error.
The Patriot Card PS001098-PSF64MCSXC10BK Worked. After Formatting using the program FAT32-Formatter.exe it showed 63GB of space. Didn’t have any problems recording in the camera.
Looks like you have to try a different brand SDXC card if you have one that’s not working.
how do i set my ls430 to record all time driving my truck through my city thats about 1 hr.I have to press the ok button on top of cam to record again I”m using sandisk ultra 32 bit card thank you
Enable “Loop Recording” which is found in the “Video Recording Settings” of the camera menu. See pages 16 and 17 of the LS430W Product Manual.
Is it possible to playback files on the camera screen without connecting to a computer as you can do with the iPhone app “witness driving” please? Thank you.
Yes – see “Playback Mode” in the LS430W Product Manual.
Hi bob more problems when i go to dod player to watch a recording i click on add then a recorded file and click open which puts it into dod and then i click on that file and i get the following message the file you are attempting to play has an extension (.MOV) that does not match the file format . playing the file may result in unexpected behavior . i can play the file through windows quick time movie but not through dod player any ideas cheers greg
I recommend contacting DOD Technical Support for issues with the DOD Player application.
hi,
is it possible to buy in the uk. a 240v mains adapter to use the ls460w in the house.
Simple, buy a USB wall charger that supports 100V – 240V (U.S. & World Standard) input and plug the USB Mini Cable that came with the camera into the charger. I do this all the time with my Apple iPhone USB wall charger. It will power the camera as if it were plugged into a computer’s USB port.
Disclaimer:
The DOD-Tech LS460W (and LS430W) camera user manual states:
So while my Apple iPhone USB charger has worked fine for me, use at your own risk.
Thanks,
Bob
Hi Bob,
Looking at getting the 430W, specifically interested in recording 3 or 4, 20 min. driving sessions around a race track and wondering what the best mode to use on the dash cam for this would be; 5 min. loop or just a continuous recording, i.e. No looping?
If I choose No Looping, and I turn the camera off between sessions, then turn it on and start another recording, will it overwrite the previously recorded session, or simply add the new session recording from where previous recording left off?
Thanks!
I have my LS430W setup for 3 min loop recording. “Loop” simply means it will overwrite the oldest videos when the memory chip is full. A 64GB microSD card holds about 8 hours of video in 3 minute length .mov files before overwriting. There are no gaps in the video recordings from one file to the next. I choose 3 min recordings for smaller files (avg file size is 233MB) and easier file management because a car crash, hit & run, motorist and bicyclist fighting (the motorist failed to yield the right of way), meteor streaking across the sky, etc. would be way shorter than 3 mins. Shorter recordings also minimize the need for video editing software to snip out the uninteresting parts.
For racing 20 min loop recordings may be more suitable if you’re planning to watch the entire race with a minimum set of video files. The DOD Player will automatically load and playback each recording in sequence. Or you can combine the files with video editing software for a single video file.
Try the different recording options and see what you like best.
Thanks,
Bob
How is the Parking mode work? I think it has motion detector so that it will capture any movement while your car is being parked, but wonder how the camera gets the power. Does this have enough power to capture video while your car is being parked? Or does it need a special wiring for this feature?
Thank you.
Please see this comment for Parking mode operation and power options.