TV with DVR & Internet: $84.90/mo
CNET editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/29/2009
- Updated on: 09/30/2009
Short of a simple rear-end collision, liability in car accidents can be difficult to prove. However, a new breed of products eliminates some of the confusion by recording video and GPS data to show what actually happened. The X-Driven DRS-1100 Drive Recorder is such a product. It constantly records driving data, but only saves a file when triggered by a specific event, either a significant shock or the user pressing the emergency button on the unit. By default, the saved file includes 10 seconds of video and GPS data before the event, and another 10 seconds after it. However, it will increase the recording time if the car is moving at high speeds.
Design
The X-Driven DRS-1100 is slightly bigger than a typical Bluetooth speakerphone and has a nicely contoured black plastic case. Its front end is thicker than the rest of the device because its camera lens protrudes out. Since you mount the device to a car's windshield, in the cabin behind the rearview mirror, you can adjust the camera angle slightly up or down. That adjustment is particularly important, as the mounting bracket is fixed. In a car with a near vertical windshield, the X-Driven DRS-1100 camera could not be adjusted to get a forward view.
Two indicator LEDs, blue for the GPS signal and red for power, are on the bottom of the device, next to the emergency button that lets the driver record a file even when an accident hasn't occurred. A covered SD card slot sits on one side of the device, while a port for the power cable is mounted in the other. The most problematic aspect of mounting the X-Driven DRS-1100 in a car is its power cable. It must run from the device to a 12-volt power point. Fortunately, the company provides a very long power cable and several sticky cable ties, so the cable could be run along the edge of the windshield.
There is a software component for viewing footage from the device that is included on a 4GB SD card. The viewer software lets you select any of the files recorded by the DRS-1100, showing the video footage along with a Google map of the car's position during the footage. The software uses standard play, skip, and pause controls for viewing its footage. On the negative side, files from the device are just presented in a list, with obscure names. Using the date and time as names would be helpful, as the number of files accumulates quickly. The software shows the car's speed, which you can toggle between miles or kilometers per hour by clicking the speed display.
Features
The company that distributes the X-Driven DRS-1100 is called CarBlackboxStore.com, and that black box idea is echoed in the product. While driving, it constantly records video and GPS data. However, it only saves that data, in 20 second clips, when it registers an event--usually some kind of shock to the device. You can also manually activate recording by pushing the emergency button on the bottom of the DRS-1100.
