Replay XD Cameras

[Richard Dziak]

What model of Replay XD cameras are the F1000 drivers using?

Due to the sponsorship by Replay XD to the F1000 Series and the videos I have seen here, I am considering placing an order for a Replay XD brand camera.

Please advise which models Replay XD is testing on the F1000 cars.

Thanks.....

[Brian.Novak]

I don't know what the Pro-Series guys have been given, but I have a XD1080 and love it. Ran it on my Piper F1000 all last year with excellent results.

Not sure if they are using the new 1080 mini or not. It has the same capabilities but is just smaller.

[Richard Dziak]

I don't know what the Pro-Series guys have been given, but I have a XD1080 and love it. Ran it on my Piper F1000 all last year with excellent results.

Not sure if they are using the new 1080 mini or not. It has the same capabilities but is just smaller.

Are you running the Replay XD1080 on battery only, or do you have it wired to 12v power in your car?

[TimH]

Yes, I think they're getting the mini. I can say the 720 is plenty good enough, though it does benefit from the 12V connection.

[ghickman]

Richard
The camera we are using is the 1080 Mini.

We are running it on the 720 setting.

Pretty awesome video, the way we had it sitting just to the left of my head makes you feel like you're riding along in the car.

Whats real impressive is how stable it is and the fact it didn't blank out half way thru the race like other cameras do.

Its easy to operate also.

Gotta hand it to RePlay for having the vision to sponsor the series, what better marketing could you have than real life use.

[Richard Dziak]

Richard
The camera we are using is the 1080 Mini.

We are running it on the 720 setting.

Pretty awesome video, the way we had it sitting just to the left of my head makes you feel like you're riding along in the car.

Whats real impressive is how stable it is and the fact it didn't blank out half way thru the race like other cameras do.

Its easy to operate also.

Thanks Gary........are you running it under battery only or off your 12v power system in the car?

Your video was excellent and looks like the new Phoenix was running well.

[RSS]

My question is how did they get the sound to be that clear. I have the old 1080 and a 720 but all i ever get is wind noise no matter how many of those wind covers i put on. New mic in teh 1080 mini maybe?

[Will Velkoff]

I would suggest getting the hardwire kit. I had a battery crap out on mine due to vibrations.

Replay was great about repairing it free of charge, but from that point on I decided to just hard wire it to not have to worry about it anymore.

[Brian.Novak]

Are you running the Replay XD1080 on battery only, or do you have it wired to 12v power in your car?

I'm running battery only. I believe I was getting a day out of it no problem as long as you remember to turn it off in between sessions and charge it at night.

[ccoffin]

My question is how did they get the sound to be that clear. I have the old 1080 and a 720 but all i ever get is wind noise no matter how many of those wind covers i put on. New mic in teh 1080 mini maybe?

I noticed the sound quality in JR's video was much better than that of Vollum's, so if they are using the same camera there must be something specific that they each did that changed their quality of sound relative to one another.

.... Maybe you just need to buy a citation to get excellent sound quality out of your replay camera?

[Richard Dziak]

Thanks for the responses....

Order placed for the Replay 720XD HD kit, priced at $74.67.

Seems like a great price for such a fine mini HD camera. I will see how it works out.

Sponsorship does work and creates sales.

[ghickman]

Richard
We're using the internal battery, seems to work just fine.

The new Phoenix is working awesome, best formula car I've ever driven.

Most likely the differences you may hear in the sound is where the camera is placed and if there was tape over the mic opening. The kit comes with pieces of pre-cut tape to put over the mic to reduce wind noise etc.

Nicholas Belling was managing all the RePlay cameras this past weekend. It was awesome because he was always on top of making sure the cameras were running properly.

[Richard Dziak]

Richard
We're using the internal battery, seems to work just fine.

The new Phoenix is working awesome, best formula car I've ever driven.

Most likely the differences you may hear in the sound is where the camera is placed and if there was tape over the mic opening. The kit comes with pieces of pre-cut tape to put over the mic to reduce wind noise etc.

Nicholas Belling was managing all the RePlay cameras this past weekend. It was awesome because he was always on top of making sure the cameras were running properly.

The video footage is excellent. Replay XD will give GoPro and others a run for their money.
This industry is getting very competitive with tecnology that provides better imaging at extremely low price points.

[Richard Dziak]

The Replay XD720 Camera works great. I ordered the external microphone and it also works great. Extra mounts for the Replay cameras are very expensive and appear to be overpriced.

When looking for items like suction cup mounts which sell under the Replay trademark, those who use these Replay cameras may want to consider aftermarket items. The Replay suction cup mount sells from $25.00 to $29.99 and the same mounts can be found on eBay for as little as $7.95 for the Pana Vision mounts. I also suggest buying the tripod snap mount, for using on a tripod or monopod. These can be bought for as little as $4.99.

When ordering direct from the Replay website, the tripod mount is priced at $4.99, but minimum shipping by Replay is $13.50 as they use UPS for shipping logistics and Replay refuses to use USPS logistics for order fullfillment. Many camera shops and on-line sellers offer trademarked accessories and offer shipping under USPS rates which can save up to 70% shipping costs vs. buying direct from the Replay store.

eBay aftermarket items offer a great alternative to the trademarked items. Many accessories that fit the GoPro brand and found in the aftermarket under private label will be useful to the Replay user. By owning the Replay branded tripod snap mount, just about any aftermarket mount with a tripod screw can be used for mulitple uses. I highly suggest anyone owning a Replay camera buy this tripod snap mount. I would have to make the suggestion to Replay that this mount be offerred in any kit that they sell.

The Replay cameras appear to be a good value, however the only drawback to these cameras are the lack of any type of display. The end user needs to make sure that they have the camera pointed in the proper direction and not to close to the object being recorded otherwise the FOV may not be what you wanted when viewing the recorded image.

For the use of mounting on a Formula race car or race car in general they serve the purpose well, as a large FOV (Field Of View) is available.

I bought both a XD720 and Mini 1080. Both provide excellent results. I couldn't be happier.

[mikey]

note you can hook the replay up to your laptop and view it as a usb webcam. this allows you to position it in live view mode.

[Richard Dziak]

note you can hook the replay up to your laptop and view it as a usb webcam. this allows you to position it in live view mode.

Yes, you are correct. However due to the mini size and portablity of the Replay camera line, who really wants to carry a laptop around as a video display.

What makes these Replay cameras so great, they can be carried around in a pocket, small belt camera case etc.

It is however important that the user keep in the mind the FOV when recording close to any object, person or group of people, building etc.

[TimH]

Somebody had a thread last year with a picture of his Replay mounted to the rollbar with a couple of hose clamps linked together. I put a bit of padding in between the big clamp and my rollbar for my second camera facing the rear. It has worked just as well as the factory Replay mount for my front camera, and is less bulky.

[BURKY]

Somebody had a thread last year with a picture of his Replay mounted to the rollbar with a couple of hose clamps linked together. I put a bit of padding in between the big clamp and my rollbar for my second camera facing the rear. It has worked just as well as the factory Replay mount for my front camera, and is less bulky.

http://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58655

[Robert J. Alder]

Just got my new RePlay 1080 Mini. What the heck are the two little .txt files that were already on the memory card.

Time.txt with the following in it:
UPDATE:N
2024-01-16 22:03:50

And XD1080.txt with obviously a bunch of config stuff in it.

Do I need to do anything or is my 1080 Mini going to explode in 2024?

[Richard Dziak]

Just got my new RePlay 1080 Mini. What the heck are the two little .txt files that were already on the memory card.

Time.txt with the following in it:
UPDATE:N
2024-01-16 22:03:50

And XD1080.txt with obviously a bunch of config stuff in it.

Do I need to do anything or is my 1080 Mini going to explode in 2024?

The .txt file lets you make changes to the internal software/firmware of the camera. Changes are completed by changing the UPDATE: N to UPDATE:Y via attaching the USB cable from the camera to your computer and accessing the Properties in the computer programming.

However, before you make any changes to the internal firmware of the camera, be sure you know what you are doing. Any changes made by the consumer may end up screwing up the firmware, causing the camera to lose the internal software/firmware.

These cameras come out of China and there are many knockoffs of the Replay type barrel or cylinder video 1080P or 720P cameras. They operate the same way. You can find the same barrel cylinder 1080P video Sport DV cameras for as low as $59.99 that work in the same fashion as the Replay branding.

So be very careful not to screw up the default setting that the camera was originally programmed too, otherwise you may regret the results.

Otherwise both the Replay and the camera's like the Sport DV F9 1080P all work the same and come out of China. The cameras are just imported into the USA with individual trademark names, such as Replay, Sport DV F9 or Sport DV M500.

They are awesome cameras for sports recording or other applications. I own both the ReplayXD branded camera and the Sport DV F9 1080P camera. They are both great.

[mikey]

it is not that big of deal if you mess up the settings.. just reload the default settings through the text file. look at your manual, it will explain what all you can affect through the .txt file

[Robert J. Alder]

Egads! You mean I have to RTFM (Read The Friggin' Manual)? Actually I did read it but missed the little tip about http://replayxd.com/replay-xd1080mini-advanced/
Thanks,

[Robert J. Alder]

Probably a RePLay forum for this, but you guys are so smart thought I'd ask here first.

On the new 1080 Mini you can manually change configurations. Cool. A nice upgrade from my really old Replay camera. Now questions for folks with experience in setting some of the advanced settings:

No activity 5 min Shut Down (ASD)
When camera is turned on and the SD card is fully inserted and there is no activity, the camera will shut down in 5 minutes.
(0) OFF
(1) ON (Default)

Cool. Can't tell you how many times I've forgotten to turn of the camera and have 30 minutes of the interior of my trailer or pit space, a full chip, and a dead RePlay battery. Now that that operator error is taken care of, what to do if you've started the camera on the grid and have to sit for five minutes+ due to some delay and your pit crew (I wish) has left the scene? I guess you can just wave your hand in front of the camera to keep it going? (Usually I can't reach the camera buttons when all strapped in.). Hopefully waving my hand in front of the camera or someone walking around the car will keep the video running.

Microphone Gain (MIC) 0 ~ 7 (-12 db ~ 30 db)The internal and external microphone option features an auto-gain function, sometimes certain environments have and increased or decreased decibel range which can be tuned accordingly.
(0 ~ 6) Decrease Mic sensitivity
(7) Default

Any experience with what is best for this setting? I see they also provide some little clear strips to put over the mic hole to "manage" for best sound, but I wonder if anyone has experience with those strips coupled with this config setting. On my old Replay sound wasn't always the for engine sounds.

Stamp Function (TS)
Permanently embed a timestamp and/or a watermark in your video.
(0) STAMP OFF (Default)
(1) STAMP DATE/TIME, Add time/date from Time.txt Text File fro SD card.

I'm confused. This controls a watermark (or not) on the video. Default is (Off) and OK by me -- don't want a watermark time stamp on the video. But the (1) coding is confusing. I note that time stamp on the video files also picks up on the Time.txt file as a starting point for video session files. So, I change the time.txt to a current date and time and changed the Update code to "Y" (in both the Time.txt and the XD1080mini.text config files) but left the TS code to (0). Then rebooted (i.e. power on). So, now there's no time/date watermark on the video (good) and the new additional video files are appropriately date/time stamped. Way cool! So does the thing now magically know the date for next time I use it, say a month from now? If so, it's a smart little bugger. Which bets the question, when might the time/date Time.txt need to be updated and then rebooted? If battery goes totally flat???

[mikey]

my understanding of "no activity" means no physical activity i.e. powered on but record not pressed. i do not believe the camera discerns whether or not there has been motion in view or sound. thus i am also of the belief that if you have the camera set to start recording as soon as you press on (one touch mode) then the auto-off feature would be rendered ineffective as well.

as far as time, my understanding is that once you set it with the .txt update, then as long as there is battery power in the camera it can keep time (like a watch) and you don't need to set it every time.

a little testing would verify both understandings, but i don't have time to mess with it for a few days.

[Richard Dziak]

my understanding of "no activity" means no physical activity i.e. powered on but record not pressed. i do not believe the camera discerns whether or not there has been motion in view or sound. thus i am also of the belief that if you have the camera set to start recording as soon as you press on (one touch mode) then the auto-off feature would be rendered ineffective as well.

as far as time, my understanding is that once you set it with the .txt update, then as long as there is battery power in the camera it can keep time (like a watch) and you don't need to set it every time.

a little testing would verify both understandings, but i don't have time to mess with it for a few days.

You are correct...

[Robert J. Alder]

Thanks for the input. Makes more sense. A video "motion" detector (in my dreams) would was asking a bit too much.

[Robert J. Alder]

Just for everyone's edification, I used RePlay's online Support and sent an email to ask what MIC setting they would use given use on an open wheel, open cockpit car. They responded very quickly (the next morning). The default setting is 7. They suggested 4, which I've re-set via the XD1080.txt config file (cool feature). But haven't yet been on track to try it or to experiment with the little "breath-right" transparent strips they provide to maybe improve sound. I'm hoping the application of one strip might cut down on wind noise possibly generated by that little open MIC hole.

Anyone have any other real time experience on managing for best sound?

By the way, as Mikey suspected, the time is kept in the unit until the battery goes completely dead. FYI, I put a completely blank chip in (no text files or folders) to do some testing --- Upon powering up, the camera wrote two new .txt files and created the necessary folders. The newly created time.txt file picked up on the camera's internal date/clokc just fine. And the XD1080.txt file captured all the current setting.

[Richard Dziak]

Consider buying the EXTERNAL Microphone and using a windscreen over the small lavalier microphone. There is enough cord to run up into your helmet for potential sound and voice from the driver, eliminating the wind noise that one might get by using the 1080P or 720P camera with the built in microphone.

I bought the external Replay mic via a internet seller of Replay products, and bought several windscreens that simply slip over the mic. They work great.

Try it. The external micrphone is a nice addition to the Replay accessories.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/360464147039?lpid=82

[Robert J. Alder]

Will do. Many years ago (video on cassette - that long ago) I had a little pencil MIC that I could velcro into my helmet and hook up to the cassette video recorder. But what a pain getting in car, all hooked up (pre-Hans, no less) and then being sure I could exit without getting entangled or tear the crap out of all the wiring. But, great fun putting narration on the video. Just had to learn how to think out loud and self-edit what came out of my mouth.

But yes, I'll probably try it. Thanks for the tip.

[Robert J. Alder]

Raced this past weekend using the new MINI 1080 for the first time. Great. Per previous thread, I set the MIC "gain" setting at 4 per their recommendation. Also used one little "breath-right" wind reduction strip over the mic hole per their suggestion. Sound was pretty darn good. For a couple of session I set it back to 7 (also with the wind strip) and felt the 4 setting rendered better sound.

Next outing I'll try 3 to see how it works.

FYI, I also have one of the older original non-hd Replay cameras. You can't fiddle with the MIC gain like you can on the new Mini, but it did recommend something over the MIC hole (in the back screw on cover on that old unit) to reduce sound/wind. I'd used just Scotch tape over the hole and it helped. But this past weekend I used the factory authorized wind-strip supplied with the MINI and it did a much better job (than Scotch tape) of cleaning up the sound on that older camera.