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.
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:
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:
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):
Camera power cord footwell and floor mat routing details:
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:
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 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 camera video in a well lighted urban area at night:
Highway driving night scene about 30 minutes before daybreak:
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):
The microSDCX Class 10 memory card is purchased separately:
Take care and drive safely,
Bob Jackson
