Dashcam Viewer

Free, Plus & PRO versions

USER’S MANUAL v4.0.6 15 March 2025

Welcome to Dashcam Viewer!

Dashcam Viewer is a macOS and Windows application for viewing videos, GPS data, and
G-force data recorded by dashcams and action cams. With Dashcam Viewer you can play
your videos on the main screen while watching your vehicle’s speed, distance, position,
bearing, and G-sensor data update on graphs, data displays, and maps. You can group
your videos into trips, geotag key points in your route for later review, and export your
route to common file formats such as comma-separated value (CSV) and GPS-exchange
(GPX), or Google Earth (KML), for further data analysis. Read on to learn more of
Dashcam Viewer’s extensive capabilities.

Dashcam Viewer on Windows showing 2-channel player window, dashboard display,

speed graph, map route, and control panel

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 Table of Contents
Features ....................................................................................................................... 4
Dashcam Compatibility ................................................................................................ 5
Dual Camera support ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Extended GPS compatibility ................................................................................................................................... 8
System requirements ................................................................................................... 9
Mac Version ................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Windows Version ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Dashcam viewer versions – Free, Plus, Pro ................................................................. 10
Before you Begin… ..................................................................................................... 11
Installation Guide ...................................................................................................... 11
Installing Dashcam Viewer on macOS ............................................................................................................ 11
Installing Dashcam Viewer on Windows ...................................................................................................... 13
Quick Start Guide ....................................................................................................... 14
Importing GPS data from GPS-Enabled GoPro HERO Cameras ........................................................... 15
Features and Controls ................................................................................................ 17
Main Viewer Window ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Control Center Window........................................................................................................................................ 26
Videos ............................................................................................................................................................................. 26
Trips ............................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Geotags.......................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Map Window ............................................................................................................................................................. 36
Graphical Data Displays........................................................................................................................................ 39
Dashboard window ................................................................................................................................................ 42
Audio Event Detection .......................................................................................................................................... 46
The Data Browser ................................................................................................................................................... 47
Importing Custom GPS and Accelerometer Data (DTS Format) ......................................................... 52
Preferences window .............................................................................................................................................. 54
Additional Menu Options ........................................................................................... 63
Check for new version........................................................................................................................................... 63
Register Dashcam Viewer.................................................................................................................................... 64
Shortcuts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Arranging Windows ................................................................................................... 66
“Clean Up” Windows ................................................................................................................................................ 68
FAQ............................................................................................................................ 70
Data Integrity Codes .................................................................................................. 75

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Internet Services ........................................................................................................ 77
Disclaimer .................................................................................................................. 77
Special Thanks ........................................................................................................... 77
Contact ...................................................................................................................... 77

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FEATURES

• Resizable main viewing screen. • Weather display widget for retrieving

• Zoomable and translatable video weather conditions at the location and
view. date of the currently-playing video.
• Heads-up display of current date, • Automatic transition between
time, speed, distance, position, and sequential video files.
bearing. • Optionally skip the first n seconds of
• Heads-up display of altitude, HDOP, consecutive videos during playback.
and Satellites-in-View (some dashcam • Variable playback speed control.
models). • Jump to fastest part of route, or to
• Geotag key points in your route, title any loaded video file instantly.
them, and jump to these points • Slider controls for direct access to
instantly. Reverse geocode your any video file or any position in a video
file.
geotags.
• User-configurable instant replay
• Save geotags to a text file. Import
button
geotags back into Dashcam Viewer.
• User-selectable compass pointer
• See a listing of all video files you load
• Navigation buttons to jump ahead or
and hide files that are not of interest.
back by one or ten video files.
• Front/rear camera view switching for
selected dual-camera dashcams, and • Display of current video file name,
duration, frame rate, and file size.
picture-in-picture mode.
• “Real time” display of vehicle’s • Drag and drop loading of video
directories.
location, speed, and route on a Google
• Dark Mode support on Mac and
Map (Mac) or Mapquest Map.
Windows.
OpenStreetMap is available in
• Export video segments of user-
version.
• Audio event detection. selectable duration, playback rate, (and
direction in version).
• Trip binning and statistics.
• GPS data export to CSV, GPX, KML,
• GPS data caching for lightning-fast
and GeoJSON file formats.
reloads.
• Export current video window to PNG
• Map pans automatically to keep
or JPG file.
vehicle centered, or you can keep map
fixed. • Provide or override native GPS data
• Click on vehicle’s map route to jump with user-supplied data in GPX or
custom DTS data formats.
to that position in video.
• Merge multiple sequential videos into
• Click on vehicle’s Graph trace to
jump to that position in video. a single large video at one of 7
• Audio event detection. playback rates.
• Click to reveal currently-playing
• Support for GPS-enabled GoPro HERO
video in Finder.
action cams. Includes geoid altitude
correction. • Support for km/h or mph units.
• Graphical displays of speed, distance, • Support for time biasing to sync
bearing, altitude, HDOP, Satellites-in- videos and data.
• Keyboard and mouse shortcuts.
View, and X, Y, Z shock sensor data.
• User-configurable speedometer • Support for MP4, MOV, TS, and AVI
• Auto-scaling of graph data. videos.

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 • Graph’s data traces are color-coded • Controls for video brightness and
based on vehicle speed. contrast (Windows version only).
• Compass display of vehicle’s • Support for internet connection via
direction. proxy server.
• Multi language support: English,
Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French,
German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish,
Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Vietnamese.

DASHCAM COMPATIBILITY

Dashcam Viewer is compatible with the following popular dash cams and action cams.
New dashcams are constantly being released and this list is may not be current. If you
do not see your dashcam here, it may already be supported. If your dashcam videos play
correctly in Dashcam Viewer but you do not see GPS data, we may be able to add
support if you provide sample videos and GPS data.

• 70mai Dash Cam Pro1 • Navicam NC1000W

• amiGO! DC710 • Nanoq 0903
• Abee V51 • Nexar Beam
• Akaso Dash Cam V1 • NextBase 302G (Windows),
• Akeeyo AKY-D9 380GWX, 412G, 412GW, 512G,
512GW, 522GW, 612GW
• Alfawise LS02
• Novatek A118C
• Alpine F800 Pro
• Papago GS S780 2CH and 34G
• Aukey DR02
• Polaroid E272S
• Ausdom A261 Car DVR
• Polaroid PD-G55H
• Auto-Vox X1, X22
• Porsche Dashcam
• Azdome BT07
• Powerucc Panorama II,
• Azdome GS63H
Panorama S, Panorama X2
• BlackBox B40 A118
• RAC02, RAC210, other RACs
• BlackVue DR400, DR500,
• RedTiger F7N
DR550GW-2CH, DR650GW-
2CH, DR750LW-2CH, DR750S- • Rexing V1LG
1CH, DR750S-2CH, DR900X- • Rexing V1P
2CH • Roadhawk HD, HD-2, DC-2
• Blaupunkt BP 3.0 (Mac only) • ROAV C1 Pro, C2 Pro
• BlueSkySea B1M 2CH (pre- • Rollei DVR 110 (Mac version
20200707 f/w) only)
• BlueSkySea B4K • ROVE R2-4K
• ROVE R3

1 The 70mai Dash Cam Pro encodes using the HEVC (h.265) codec. Video playback in Dashcam Viewer will require a 2016 or later model Mac. To
date, no other model from 70mai works with Dashcam Viewer due to an incompatibility with the way GPS data is encoded.
2 Auto-Vox X2 and JADO D860 only: All GPS data has been cracked, except the longitude sign. So as a workaround for now, the longitude value is
interpreted as positive every other time DCV is started and negative every time else. So if your position is incorrect on the map, just quit and restart
DCV and it will be ok. Once the longitude sign has been cracked, I will remove this workaround.

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• BOBLOV F2 • SeeZeus GT680W
• BMW Advanced Car Eye 3.0 Pro • Silent Witness SW010.1
• CAMDII K2S • SONY AS-100V Action Cam
• Cobra CDR855BT • SpyTec A119
• Contour+2 Action Cam • Street Guardian SGZC12SG,
• Cooau Dash Cam D30 SG9665GC, SG9663DC (possibly
• Crosstour CR750 other models as well)
• Crosstour CR900 (early • SuperEye RJ0090
versions) • Thinkware F200 2CH
• DC710 Ambarella A7 • Thinkware F550 (Mac only)
• DOD 512G • Thinkware F750, F770
• DOD GS600 • Thinkware F800Pro Dual
• DOD GS980D Channel
• DOD LS460W, DOD LS470W, • Thinkware U3000 dual-channel
DOD LS475W • Thinkware X1000 and U1000
• DOD RC500S 2CH • Transcend DrivePro 220
• E-prance 1296P Super HD • Transcend DrivePro 230
dashcam (1080p mode) • Transcend DrivePro 250
• E-PRANCE 3H2F GS6000 • Transcend DrivePro 520
• Falcon Zero F170HD • Transcend DrivePro 550
• Garmin Dashcam 20 (Windows), • Uniden iGO Cam 60
35, 45, 55, 56, 57 • V-SYS P6FL, M6
• Gator GHDVR410 • Vantrue Element 1 (E1)
• GoPro HERO action cams (GPS- • Vantrue N2 dual-channel
enabled) • Vantrue N2S
• Guardian G1 Bodycam • Vantrue N4 (front/center)
• GRDIAN Defendr • Vantrue X4 UHD
• GS1000 "Orange Menu" family • Vantrue X4S
of dashcams • Vicovation Vico-Marcus1, Vico-
• HP f800x, HP F210, HP F310 Marcus3, Marcus4, and Marcus
(Mac Version), HP F520G (Mac 5
version) • Vicovation Opia2
• INNOVV K1, K2, K3, and K5 dual • Viofo A119, A119S, A119G
• INNOVV K6 (no GPS, only • Viofo A119 Mini2
playback) • Viofo A129, A129 Duo, A129
• ION Adventure CamION Plus Duo
Dashcam Wifi (Mac version) • Viofo A129 Pro, A129 Pro Duo
• iSymDVR (iPhone-based DVR (Windows)
app) • Viofo A139 Dual
• iTracker MINI 0906 (TS Format) • Viofo A139 PRO
• JADO D8601 • Viofo A229 Dual
• Junsun 4K Dash Cam, S590 • Viofo A229 PRO

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 • Kaisser Baas R20 (Mac Only) • Viofo G1W-S
• Karkam M1 • Viofo MT1 Dual
• KDLinks R100 Dual-Channel • Viofo T130
• Kenwood DRV-320 • Visiondrive VD-9600 Dual
• Kenwood DRV-A510W Channel (Requires front/rear
• Koonlung K1S channel separation. Visit
• LAMAX S9 Dual dashcamviewer.com to
• LUKAS LK-7200 Car DVR download the free movie
• Maisi E720 separator application for Mac)
• Mini 0801, 0803, 0805, 0806, • VSYSTO B6 Dual
0806S, 0807, 0826, and 0906 • WASPcam 9401 P.O.D
Dual-Channel • WheelWitness HD Pro (Mac
• Miofive S1, Miofive S1 Ultra version. Windows version
• MiVue 698D, 792 untested)
• MiVue 388, 580, 658, 680 • WheelWitness HD Pro Plus
• MiVue 955WD • Whistler D28RS
• MiVue J60, J85 • Wileye DV-1 2-channel
• NavGear Super-HD-Dashcam • YEECORE D21
MDV-3300 • YEECORE D22
• Zetronix zBlackBox-HD3

DUAL CAMERA SUPPORT

Some dashcam models support front and rear cameras. Dashcam Viewer allows you to
select the front or rear channel for display in the main player window. In addition,
Dashcam Viewer can display both front and rear videos simultaneously in a picture-in-
picture mode.

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 2-channel, front and rear, Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode (Mac version)

EXTENDED GPS COMPATIBILITY

Almost all dashcams and action cams record clock time and vehicle position (latitude
and longitude) at a data rate of 1 Hz. Many also record G-force data from internal
accelerometers. Some dashcams, including the BlackVue, HP F210, Vicovation, and
others, record extended GPS information including vehicle altitude, HDOP, and Number
of Satellites in View. When extended data readily available in the data stream, Dashcam
Viewer will process and display it in the Graph window.

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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC VERSION

• macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later. Intel or Apple Silicon CPU.

• Mac models earlier than 2016 may not be able to play videos encoded using the
HEVC (h.265) codec. Use h.264 if your dashcam supports it.
• Internet connection for Mapquest/Google Maps/OpenStreetMaps functionality
• 1600x1200 or higher screen resolution recommended

WINDOWS VERSION

• Windows 10 or 11 recommended but Dashcam Viewer may also work under

Windows 7 and 8 but these are not recommended.
• Requires K-Lite Codec Pack Basic3 to be installed first. This pack includes codecs
Dashcam Viewer requires to play the various multimedia formats. Other codec
packs, like LAVfilters, may work but have not thoroughly tested. Earthshine
Software is not affiliated with the makers of K-Lite Codec Pack.
• Intel i7 processor or better, with nVidia or AMD graphics card recommended,
although it may run on lower-end systems
• 1600x1200 or higher screen resolution recommended
• Internet connection for Maps functionality

3 K-Lite Codec Pack URL is http://www.codecguide.com/download_k-lite_codec_pack_basic.htm

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DASHCAM VIEWER VERSIONS – FREE, PLUS, PRO

Dashcam Viewer is available in three versions: Free, Plus, and Pro. All versions share the
features listed above, with the differences between versions listed below.

Feature Free Plus

Number of videos 2 600 1200

Number of Geotags 2 10 100

Audio event detection 1 video 5 videos 100 videos

GoPro HERO support 30 secs 1 video 100 videos

OpenStreetMap display No No Yes

Compass Icons 2 2 24

Size of GPS data cache (files) 1,000 1,000 10,000

Video merging 2 videos No limit No limit

Video clip export duration 5 secs No limit No limit

Video clip export features Basic Free+Image Plus+Image

Sequence (up Sequence (all
to 1 fps) frames), reverse
video

Data Export Current Current, all Current, all

video only enabled enabled, current
trip, all videos

JPG image export contains GPS No Yes Yes

data in EXIF block of file

Trip Gap-Time control No No Yes

Annoying Startup Window Yes No No

License Personal Personal Commercial or

Personal

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All licenses are per person (or per seat). By purchasing a license you are authorized to
install on up to two computers you operate. The versions are activated by applying the
registration code you purchased. You can differentiate the Free/Plus versions from the
Pro version by the startup screen:

Startup screens for Dashcam Viewer Free/Plus (left) and Pro (right)

Upgrades from the Plus version to the Pro version are available. Please visit
https://dashcamviewer.com/resources/pro-upgrade/ for more details. Include your Plus
version proof-of-purchase info in the email.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN…

1. Before you start, make sure your dashcam’s internal clock is set to the correct
time zone for your area. Dashcam Viewer relies on the video file creation
timestamps to sync the video to the GPS data so this setting is important. If your
camera’s time zone has not been set correctly or if you are viewing videos and
GPS data from someone outside your time zone, the time bias can be
compensated for. See the Preferences and FAQ sections below on time zone
biasing.

2. For best performance, copy the contents of your dashcam’s SD card to your
computer’s hard drive. Alternatively, if your Mac or PC has a built-in SD card
slot, insert your SD card directly into your computer. As a fallback you can insert
your dashcam’s SD card into a USB card reader attached to your Mac or PC, but
this may result in video stuttering, poor performance, or “timeout error” if you
USB bus is not fast enough.

INSTALLATION GUIDE

Installing Dashcam Viewer takes just a few simple steps:

INSTALLING DASHCAM VIEWER ON MACOS

1. Double-click on the .dmg file to mount the Dashcam Viewer disk image in the
Finder. You should now see the Dashcam Viewer window in the Finder.

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 The contents of the Dashcam Viewer .dmg file after mounting in the Finder.

2. Drag Dashcam Viewer on to of the Applications folder shortcut. This will copy
Dashcam Viewer to your Applications Directory.
3. Double-click on the Dashcam Viewer icon. The first time Dashcam Viewer is
run, you’ll see a window similar to this:

Message from macOS when Dashcam Viewer is first run.

4. The first time you run Dashcam Viewer, the macOS may display the “Verifying…”
window for a minute or so. This is normal. Please be patient!

The first time you run Dashcam Viewer, macOS ‘verifies’ it. This may take a minute or
so.

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 5. All done! The next time your run Dashcam Viewer it should start-up
immediately. To keep Dashcam Viewer in the Dock, right-click its icon in the
Dock and choose “Keep in Dock”.

Right-click on the Dashcam Viewer icon in the Dock to keep there.

INSTALLING DASHCAM VIEWER ON WINDOWS

1. After downloading, run the setup.exe installer. Follow the prompts to complete
the installation. Upon completion you should see a Dashcam Viewer icon on
your Desktop.
2. The first time you run Dashcam Viewer, you will be prompted to install the K-
Lite Codec Pack Basic. This is required because Microsoft’s DirectShow media
layer does not include many of the codecs used by dash cams, like MP4. This is a
free install that includes the codecs Dashcam Viewer requires to play the various
multimedia formats. Other codec packs may work, but K-Lite is the only one
tested.

Click on the “Download K-Lite Codec Pack” button to be directed to the Codec Guide
website.

3. Click on the ‘Mirror 1’ link to download the Pack and follow the installation
instructions. Warning: the Codec Guide website has links that read “Start Now”.
These are advertising links and will not download the codec pack.

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 Click the Mirror 1 or Mirror 2 link to download the codec pack installer.

4. After codec installation, re-run Dashcam Viewer. Upon startup, click the “Don’t
Show Me This Again” button. This will prevent Dashcam Viewer from repeatedly
reminding you to install the codecs.

QUICK START GUIDE

1. Run Dashcam Viewer and load your video files via the Open Video Folder or Open
Video Files menu or toolbar button. Dashcam Viewer will auto-detect your dashcam
model by examining the middle video of the set. Once it detects the dashcam
model it will find the GPS data associated with the videos file(s) you selected.
Therefore it is critical that the middle file loaded have valid GPS data
associated with it or Dashcam Viewer won’t know how to load the GPS data for
any of the files.

If you have a dual-channel dashcam, load from the directory containing your Front
channel videos. You load videos by either selecting individual video files or by
selecting the video files’ parent folder. You can load them in three ways:

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 a. Select the Open Video Folder… option from the menu or toolbar. Navigate to
your SD card’s video folder. Click the Choose button.

Choosing the video folder for a StreetGuardian SG9663DC dashcam on the Mac. On
Windows, you would not see th video files listed in the browser—you would only see
folders listed.

b. Drag and drop your SD card’s video folder or individual video files into a gray
area of the Dashcam Viewer’s main window.
c. Select the Open Video Files... from the menu or toolbar. Navigate to your
video folder and select the individual video files you want to play (you can
choose either MP4, MOV, TS, or AVI files). For dual-channel dashcam, select
both the front and rear videos. If you select front videos only, Dashcam
Viewer will try to find the corresponding rear videos.
d. To abort importation of a large set of videos, click the “Cancel” button and
importation will halt leaving just the set of videos that has been processed so
far.

2. That’s it! Dashcam Viewer will begin playing the first video in the folder or in the
list of videos that was selected. By default files are loaded according to file
modification date (this can be changed to name ordering in the Preferences).
When Dashcam Viewer reaches the end of the video it will jump to the next video
in the list and continue playing. It will do this until all videos have been played.
Keep reading to learn more about Dashcam Viewer’s features and options.

IMPORTING GPS DATA FROM GPS-ENABLED GOPRO HERO CAMERAS

To load the navigation data embedded in GPS-enabled GoPro Action Cam videos
(currently the GoPro HERO5 and above), simply select your file(s) from the File->Open
menu or drag the files onto Dashcam Viewer. The data will be located, processed, and
displayed.

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GoPro HERO cameras store altitude data relative to the WGS84 ellipsoid. This is different
than Mean Sea Level and can result in negative altitudes for activities that actually occur
on the Earth’s surface. Dashcam Viewer solves this problem by applying a Mean Sea
Level (MSL) correction (know as a geoid undulation) to the GoPro altitude data. If you do
not want Dashcam Viewer to apply the MSL correction, remove or rename the “egm96-
15.pgm” located in Dashcam Viewer’s “geoid” directory (Windows) or in the Dashcam
Viewer.app/Contents/Resources/geoid directory (Mac).

The unregistered version of Dashcam Viewer will display GPS data for the first 30
seconds of each video loaded. The Plus version will display the GPS data for 1 complete
video, and the version will show GPS data for up to 100 videos loaded at a time.

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FEATURES AND CONTROLS

After loading a series of videos, there are a number of features you can use. Most
features are common in both Mac and Windows versions, although a few features are
available only in one or the other platform.

MAIN VIEWER WINDOW

1. SELECT VIDEO FOLDER

Click this button to load a new folder of videos into Dashcam Viewer.
Tip: You can drag a video folder into the player window to load the video folder.

2. SELECT VIDEO FILES

Use this button to load one or more individual video files from a folder.
Tip: You can drag video files into the player window to load them.

3. DATA BROWSER

Select this option to examine and export your GPS track data in different formats.
The available formats are (1) comma-separated-value, CSV, which is compatible

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 with Microsoft Excel, (2) GPX, which is compatible with Garmin BaseCamp (3) KML,
for Google Earth, and (4) GeoJSON. See the Data Browser section for more
information.

Data Browser and Exporter

4. EXPORT VIEWER WINDOW TO JPG OR PNG IMAGE FILE ON DESKTOP

Click this button to take a screenshot of the main window. The image file will be
written to the destination of choice with the video name, latitude, longitude, and
time-of-video embedded in the filename. For example,
“AMBA1412.MOV_33.639860,[email protected]”.

In the Plus and Pro versions, if you select JPG, the latitude and longitude will be
written into the EXIF block of the JPG.

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 Your position is embedded in the filename (as well as the EXIF section of the JPG
image in the Mac version).

Image viewer applications that are EXIF-savvy, like Preview on the Mac, will
automatically display the vehicle position in a map.

5. EXPORT A PORTION OF THE CURRENT VIDEO TO A SEPARATE VIDEO FILE

OR IMAGE SEQUENCE.

Use this feature to export a fragment of a video to a separate video file or series of
images. When you click this button you will be asked to enter the start time,
duration, and/or stop time for the clip fragment.

After clicking the Export Video button you enter the start time and duration for the
new video or image sequence.

Export To Video Options: For video clip exportation, you also have the option
to exclude the audio track, resize PiP video frame, and change the playback rate.
Slowing-down the playback rate will produce a slow-motion effect useful for
isolating short events, like a collision. version users can also export clips
in reverse.

Important: When experimenting with playback rate, be sure to use the GPL
version of ffmpeg. Dashcam Viewer ships with the LGPL version. The GPL version
has a much better default encoder and will produce superior video quality. The
process for obtaining and installing the GPL version is listed in the FAQ section.

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 Note that playback rates other than 1x are not supported when exporting PiP
clips.

Exporting a clip to video respects the currently-selected Dual-Channel Mode. For

example, if the current dual-channel mode is rear/front picture-in-picture, then
the clip will be exported in the same mode. Note that the free version of
Dashcam Viewer is limited to no more than 5-second clips. Also, please ensure
that the file path names to your videos do not include quotes or Unicode
characters. If you see a duration of -0:01 seconds, this is indicative of path
names that have quotes or non-ASCII characters in them.

Example of varying the PiP Sizes in a clip export.

From top-left, clockwise: 5%, 15%, 35%, and 50%.

Important: The PiP mode exports require the GPL version of FFmpeg, not the
LGPL version that comes with Dashcam Viewer. Download the Mac GPL ffmpeg
here4 and the Windows GPL ffmpeg here5. See the FAQ section below for how to
replace the LGPL version that comes with Dashcam Viewer with the GPL version.
Note that PiP exporting takes significantly longer than single channel exporting.

Export To Image Sequence Options: This feature will export individual frames
of the video to a destination folder, beginning at the current video time. This
capability can be useful for including key action sequences in emails,
presentations, hard copies, or other media where including video clips is
unfeasible. User options include the choice of image format (JPG, PNG, or BMP)
and the frequency of image export. The highest frequency is one frame every

4 https://evermeet.cx/pub/ffmpeg/snapshots/ (get the latest .zip file)

5https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases (get the latest win64-gpl version, e.g.: ffmpeg-n4.3.1-

20-g8a2acdc6da-win64-gpl-4.3.zip)

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 0.25 seconds. Due to the way seeking is performed, the beginning of the image
sequence may not match exactly the current time of the video. If this is a
problem, simply rewind the video back a few seconds and repeat the export.

If Export All Frames is checked, all frames of the video, starting at the current
time, will be exported to images. This can produce a LOT of images so be sure
you use it wisely. Export All Frames is only available in the version.

By default, the start time is the current point in the video. You cannot extend the
duration beyond the end of the current clip. Note that the GPS data will not be
preserved in video clips.

6. DUAL-CHANNEL MODES

Click this toolbar button to switch between the dual-channel display modes. There
are four modes supported by Dashcam Viewer: Front, Rear, Front/Rear (PiP) and
Rear/Front (PiP).

When the dual-channel button is clicked Dashcam Viewer will switch modes,
maintaining the current position in the video.

This feature does not apply to single-channel dashcams and the toolbar button is
therefore unselectable.

7. MERGE MULTIPLE VIDEOS INTO A SINGLE LARGE VIDEO

By clicking the Merge button you can combine multiple videos into a single large
video file. In addition, Dashcam Viewer will create a GPX file containing the GPS data
from the selected videos. Since the GPX file will have the same base name as the
combined video file, you can load the video file back into Dashcam Viewer and the
GPX file will be detected and loaded as well. This can be useful for consolidating or
organizing routes.

Additional options include the removal of the audio track and adjustment of the
playback rate. If you choose a playback rate other than 1x, Dashcam Viewer will
create a second combination video that plays back at the desired rate. Choosing
accelerated playback rates is useful for condensing long journeys into short travel
vignettes. Important: When experimenting with playback rate, be sure to use the
GPL version of ffmpeg. Dashcam Viewer ships with the LGPL version. The GPL

21
version has a much better default encoder and will produce superior video quality.
The process for obtaining and installing the GPL version is listed in the FAQ section.

Merge Videos window

Select the first video and the last video. Only videos that are enabled in the Control
Center Window will be available for merging. Videos that are disabled will not be a
part of the merged video, nor will their GPS data be exported.

Click the Merge Videos… button and enter the destination for the combined video.

Dashcam Viewer will use ffmpeg to combine all the videos between your first and
last selections into a single big video. There will be no loss in video quality so make
sure your video destination has enough space to hold the entire merged video.
Also, make sure there are no quotes or commas in the source video files’ path.
Upon completion the following window will appear:

All done!

22
 Click Yes to go see your video file and GPX file.

In 2-channel dashcams, the video channel displayed in main screen, either front or
rear, will be merged (unfortunately picture-in-picture merging is not supported at
this time).

Note that in the free version of Dashcam Viewer you are limited to merging only two
videos. The paid versions do not have this restriction. Also, please ensure that the
file path names to your videos do not include quotes or Unicode characters.

8. SYNC WINDOW MOVEMENT

If this option is toggled ON, all the windows will move together if any one of them
is moved. If the option is OFF, then the windows can be repositioned independently.
The idea is to first position the windows independently the way you like, then “lock”
them into position by toggling this option on.

9. DETECT AUDIO EVENTS

This option scans the videos’ audio track in search of sudden sounds, such as
horns, brake squeals, or collisions. On quiet tracks it will also identify subtler audio
events such as a loud voice or even turn blinkers. This feature is thoroughly
discussed in the Audio Event Detection section.

10. MODIFY PREFERENCES

This toolbar button opens the Preferences window. See the section on the
Preferences Window for more details.

11. RE-CENTER VIDEO(S)

This option re-centers the video in the window. This is useful if you had previously
zoomed or panned the video and now want to return to the nominal state. If you
have a 2-channel camera, this button also puts in the 2nd channel video in the top
left of the main video. Re-centering can also be invoked by double-clicking in the
main viewer window.
Tip: On the PC version, clicking this button may clear the “black screen” issue seen
sometimes when animation is paused.

12. ZOOM IN (MAIN VIDEO)

This toolbar button zooms into the main video, making the details in the video
easier to read. You can also use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out.

13. ZOOM OUT (MAIN VIDEO)

This toolbar button zooms out of the main video, making the video window smaller.
You can also use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out.

14. ZOOM IN (2 ND CHANNEL VIDEO)

23
 This toolbar button zooms into the 2nd channel video, making the details in the
video easier to read. You can also use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out if the
mouse is in the 2nd channel video frame. Note: You will only see this toolbar button
if using a dual-channel dashcam.

15. ZOOM OUT (2 ND CHANNEL VIDEO)

This toolbar button zooms out of the 2nd channel video, making the video window
smaller. You can also use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out if the mouse is in
the 2nd channel video frame. Note: You will only see this toolbar button if using a
dual-channel dashcam.

16. CURRENT SPEED

The current vehicle speed is displayed in the top-center of the Main Window. The
units of speed can be changed in the Preferences.

17. CURRENT DATE/TIME

The day, date, and time are shown in the top-left of the Main Window. DCV uses
the modification date of the video to determine the time since GPS data may not be
available at all times. Sometimes the modification date/time of a video can change
if the file is copied. Use the Clock Bias setting to compensate for this.

18. MAIN WINDOW

For a single-channel dashcam, the Main Window displays the dashcam’s videos in
sequence. For dual-channel dashcams that are supported by Dashcam Viewer, the
front and rear channel videos can be swapped using the Dual Channel Modes
button. Front/rear and rear/front picture-in-picture modes are supported.

24
 Customized 2-channel display configuration (Mac version). Rear-channel on left,
Front-channel on right

Tip: You can zoom in/out of the video using the mouse wheel. This works in both
the primary and secondary video windows.

Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in to see detail

Tip: You can pan the video by click-dragging it in the Main Window.
Tip: Use the Re-center toolbar button to reset the zoom/translation settings.

19. CURRENT VIDEO SCRUBBER

This slider bar is used to scrub through the currently playing video. The graphs,
map, and dashboard displays dynamically update as the video is scrubbed.

20. REVEAL VIDEO BUTTON

Click this button to reveal the current video file in the Finder (Mac) or Explorer
(Windows).

21. CURRENT VIDEO FILENAME, FILE SIZE, AND FRAME RATE

This box displays the current video filename, file size, and frame rate.

22. PLAY PREVIOUS VIDEO

Use these buttons to jump back either 1 or 10 videos in the sequence.

23. INSTANT REPLAY

Click this button to quickly replay the last few seconds of the video. This is useful
to review key events, such as a collision. The replay time can be set in the
Preferences.

24. PLAY/PAUSE VIDEO

Toggle the play/pause button to start/stop the video (s). You can also use the
spacebar to toggle play/pause.

25
25. INCREASE/DECREASE PLAYBACK RATE

Increase or decrease the video playback rate. Playback rates of 1/16x to 5x are
supported. Note that some stuttering may occur if the playback rate is too fast for
the computer.

26. PLAY NEXT VIDEO

Use these buttons to jump ahead 1 or 10 videos in the sequence.

27. CREATE GEOTAG

Clicking this button adds a new Geotag to the Control Center Window Geotag list. A
Geotag is a bookmark that allows you to quickly jump to a particular point in the
video sequence. Geotags are shown as numbered markers in the Map Window. You
can double-click on a Geotag within the Geotag list to instantly jump to that
particular time in the video sequence. By default, the Geotag title is the street
address of the tag’s location. The free version of Dashcam Viewer is limited to
creating 2 Geotags. See the section on the Control Center Window for more
information.

28. VOLUME AND MUTE CONTROLS (WINDOWS VERSION HAS ADDITIONAL

COLOR CONTROLS)

Click the speaker to mute the volume, or adjust the slider to change the volume. On
the Windows version there are additional controls to adjust the brightness, and
contrast.

29. VIDEO FILE SELECTOR

This slider allows you to jump to a specific video in the sequence.

30. JUMP TO PULLDOWN MENU

Use this menu to instantly jump to a specific video, or to jump to the fastest point
in the video sequence. The list shows the video filename, start date, and duration.

CONTROL CENTER WINDOW

The Control Center provides instant access to your videos, trips, and geotags. The
features and capabilities of each list are explained below.

VIDEOS

The Videos list populates itself immediately after loading a series of dashcam videos.
Each video is analyzed upon loading and summary information for each video is
displayed. This information includes the filename, video duration, file size, file start
date, and maximum speed. The currently-playing video has a green background. Videos
can be started by double-clicking a video list item.

26
The Control Center’s Videos List. In the list above, videos 44 and 45 are inactive and the
currently-playing video is 42.

A wrench icon to the right of the filename indicates that post-processing was
performed on the video’s GPS data due to some problem with the integrity of the data.
Hover the mouse over the wrench icon to learn more information about the type of
problem(s) encountered. A complete list of integrity codes is listed near the end of this
document.

Dashcam Viewer does its best to patch the problem but you may still notice data issues
with these particular files.

The checkered flag is displayed to the right of the video filename having the fastest
speed in the series.

You can remove a video from the series by clicking off its checkbox. When you do this,
its background will turn grey, it will not be double-clickable, its data will be removed
from the Map and Graphs, and, if it was the high-speed video, the checkered flag will

27
find a new home. Click the Hide button to remove these inactive videos from the list.
Click the Show button to bring these items back. The Invert button inverts the selection
of inactive and active videos.

Features of the Videos list are itemized below:

1. VIDEOS LIST

Click this tab to toggle between the Videos, Trips, and Geotags lists

2. HIDE/SHOW BUTTON

Clicking the Hide button will remove the inactive videos from the list. Click it again
to reveal the inactive videos.

3. INVERT BUTTON

Invert will make the inactive videos active, and the active videos inactive.

4. VIDEO COUNT AND DURATION

The information line shows the number of active videos and their total duration.

5. VIDEO INFORMATION

Each item in the list shows the video filename, video duration, file size, file date, and
maximum vehicle speed. Note that the file date is retrieved from the file system so if
the file was modified in any way the date displayed here may not correspond to the
actual date/time of the recording.

6. CURRENTLY-PLAYING VIDEO

The currently playing video has a green background. Double-click on any active
(non-gray) video to make it the currently playing video.

7. DOUBLE-CLICK VIDEO ITEM

You can double-click an active video item in the list to jump to it. If playback was
previously on, the video will start playing immediately.

8. CHECKERED FLAG

The checkered flag is awarded to the video with the fastest speed. Sorry, no prizes
are given.

9. ACTIVE/INACTIVE CHECKBOX

Clicking the checkbox off makes the video inactive. Inactive videos are removed
from the playback sequence and are shown with a gray background in the list. Their
GPS data is also removed from the Map route and Graphs. Use this feature to remove
uninteresting videos from the playback sequence. Click the checkbox on to make the
video active again.

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10. WRENCH ICON

The wrench icon appears next to videos whose GPS data needed some kind of post-
processing. Hover the mouse on top of the icon to see a short explanation. A
complete list of data integrity error codes is presented near the end of this
document.

TRIPS

When the videos are first loaded, Dashcam Viewer bins them into “trips”. By default, a
“trip” is defined as a contiguous set of 1 or more videos with no breaks of greater than 1
minute. For example, a drive to work with no stops would constitute 1 trip. If there was
a stop at a grocery store, this would constitute 2 trips.

The Trip List

29
There are several reasons why binning videos into trips is useful. Dashcam Viewer
computes statistics for each trip, including the beginning date/time, the duration of the
trip, the amount of gap time between trips, and the number of videos in a trip.

All videos constituting a trip can be hidden by clicking the icon. A trip can be played
by double-clicking on it. To only show a single trip, Enable All trips, go to the Videos
tab and select Invert, then double-click on the Trip you want to view.

Features of the Trip list are itemized below:

1. TRIPS LIST

Click this tab to toggle the Trip list.

2. ENABLE ALL

To show all trips (and unhide all videos), click this button.

3. TRIP INFORMATION

The trip list item provides the following information:

a. Trip start date/time: The date/time listed is based on the video file
timestamp.
b. Trip duration: The total amount of trip time.
c. Trip distance: The total distance of the teip.
d. Count: Number of videos in the trip
e. Gap time: The amount of time between the end of the previous trip
and the start of the current trip. Note that the Gap time is computed
using the GPS data of the videos, not the file timestamp.

4. DOUBLE-CLICK TRIP ITEM

Double-click a trip in the list to begin playing it in the Viewer.

Trips items are color-coded based on duration. Longer trips are red and shorter trips
are green.

Although the default trip gap time of 60 seconds is adequate for most cases, advanced
users may desire fine control of this value. The version supports user-
customization of the trip gap time in the Preferences. The shortest allowable trip gap
time is 1 second.

30
 Trip Gap Time customization (PRO version only)

Once this value is changed, Dashcam Viewer immediately re-calculates and re-
populates the Trip window with the updated list of Trips.

31
GEOTAGS

Geotags are key points in the video sequence that you can highlight and return to
instantly. They can represent important points in your journey, such as the location of a
good restaurant, a clear view of a drunk-driver’s license plate, the location of a deep
pothole in the road, or your awesome pass on the racetrack. Of course these are just
examples. The use for geotags is limited only by your imagination.

Dashcam Viewer uses a reverse-geocoding service to determine the address of the tag
location. This address becomes the Geotag title. A marker is also shown in the Map
view.

To create a geotag you simply click the icon in the Main Window at the point of
interest. Alternatively, you can tap the ‘g’ key on the keyboard. This will add an item to
the Geotag list. By default, Dashcam Viewer will attempt to find the local address of the
location and use this as the Geotag’s title (you can override this behavior in the
Advanced Preferences).

A numbered marker will also be added to the Map. For reference, the video name,
date/time, vehicle speed, location, and video time will be shown in the list item.

32
 (Left) Geotag list, (Right) Geotags in the Map window

Double-click on a geotag in the list to jump to that point in the video sequence. You can
give each geotag a custom title by clicking on the gear icon. To delete a geotag, click
the trashcan icon. To delete all the geotags in the list, click the Clear All button.

You can export your geotag data to a tab-delimited text file for external processing in
Excel or another program. To do this, click the Export button and a *.text file will be
produced. You can also load the geotag *.text file back into Dashcam Viewer to see your
saved geotags. When exporting, it is important to save the geotag file to the same
directory as the video files if you want to reload it later. Be sure to load the videos
first before loading the geotag file. Geotags that refer to a video that is not loaded will
have a gray background and will not be selectable.

You can create two geotags with the Free (unregistered) version of Dashcam Viewer, up
to 10 with the Plus version, and 100 with the version.

The Geotag functions are itemized below:

33
 Geotags List

1. GEOTAGS LIST

Click this tab to toggle between the Videos, Trips and Geotags lists.

2. EXPORT BUTTON

Export the geotags to a tab-delimited file. If you plan to import these geotags back
into Dashcam Viewer be sure to save the geotags file to the same directory as your
dashcam videos.

3. IMPORT BUTTON

Click this button to load a geotag file back into Dashcam Viewer. Be sure to load
your videos that are referenced by the geotag file first, then load the geotag file. If
the geotag file references videos that are not loaded, they will appear in the list with
a gray background.

34
4. CLEAR ALL BUTTON

The Clear All button will delete all geotags in the list.

5. GEOTAG INFORMATION

The geotag list item displays meta information about the event including title, video
filename, time in video, vehicle speed, date/time, and latitude and longitude.

In addition, the meta information includes two “live” distance measurements. The
first is the Line-Of-Sight (LOS) distance magnitude from the geotag to the current
position of the vehicle. This distance includes the altitude difference, if altitude data
is available. The Route distance is the distance to from the geotag to the vehicle
current position as measured along the route line.

Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Route distances explained

LOS distance is useful for to determine distance “as the crow flies”.

6. CHANGE TITLE

You can edit the default title of a geotag by clicking the gear icon.

7. DELETE GEOTAG

Delete a geotag by clicking the trashcan icon.

8. GO TO A GEOTAG

Double-click a geotag to jump to that point in the video sequence.

35
MAP WINDOW

Google hybrid map showing vehicle position, speed, route, and geotags

The Map view displays the time-history of vehicle’s route as well as its current position
and speed. You can choose between Google and Mapquest map services, as well as
Satellite, Road, and Hybrid map renderings. users will also have the option to
display Open Street Maps (OSM) maps.

36
Clicking the button will export the current vehicle location to Google Maps (using
your default web browser).

The Route line and video start Markers can be individually toggled on or off in the view
using the checkboxes at the top of the window.

Selecting the Follow checkbox will automatically pan the map to follow the vehicle.
Unselecting this checkbox will freeze the map and the placemark point will move with
the vehicle.

When the Click To Go button is checked, clicking on the map near vehicle’s route line
will make Dashcam Viewer jump to that time in the video sequence. This way you can
quickly jump to any point in the video sequence by simply clicking your position on the
map. Deselect the Click To Go button to disable this feature.

The N Up button controls whether the map is oriented in the North Up direction (the
default) or is oriented dynamically based on the vehicle’s direction. This feature only
applies to Google Maps and only for certain regions that have high-resolution 3D
imagery available. Regular “road” maps and “satellite” maps don’t support rotation.
Zoom-in deep to see if “3D imagery” mode appears for your region.

The Map window can be shrunk to a small size. If the window width is smaller than the
minimum size for the control bar, then the controls will hide themselves. You can access
the controls by simply increasing the width of the map.

Small map with controls hidden. Simply widen the window to see the controls.

The vehicle’s speed throughout its journey is reflected in the color of the route line.
Faster speeds are bluish and slower speeds are reddish. The color scale can be adjusted
in the Map Preferences (see above).

37
 Map preferences for the route color scale

Choices include the number of colors in the scale and whether the maximum speed of
the scale is based on a fixed speed or the fastest speed in the current journey.

Standard Map controls apply (zoom in/out, switch from map to satellite layers). You can
choose between Google and Mapquest map APIs. If you change the map type, please
reload your dashcam files to refresh the routes and markers.

38
GRAPHICAL DATA DISPLAYS

Tip: You can click in the Graph view to jump to a specific time in the video sequence (on
the Windows version, two clicks may be required)

The Speed graph displays the

combined time-history of the
vehicle’s speed over all of the
data in the video folder.

The Distance graph displays

the distance covered by
integrating the vehicle’s speed
over time. The color-coding
indicates vehicle speed at the
time.

The Bearing graph shows the

history of direction for the
vehicle. North is 0 or 360-
deg, East is 90-deg, South is
180-deg, and West is 270-deg.

39
 The G-Forces graph displays
the X, Y, and Z components of
acceleration from the
dashcam’s shock sensor. The
G units vary from manufacturer
to manufacturer so the plots
should be considered relative
G-force, scaled from minimum
to maximum observed value.
Not available for all dashcams.

The Altitude graph displays

the elevation of the vehicle
above sea level. Not all
dashcams capture this
parameter.

The HDOP, or Horizontal

Dilution of Precision, is a
measure of GPS accuracy at
the receiver. Lower
numbers are better and
indicate higher confidence
in the positional fix. Higher
values indicate a poor
dispersion of satellites in
view and/or a low number
of satellites in view. Not all
dashcams save this metric.

40
 The Sats In View graph shows the
time history of available GNSS
satellites used to make the
geolocation “fix”. In general, the
more satellites in view the better
the fix (and lower the HDOP).
GNSS satellites are constantly in
motion so the 7 satellites in view
now may be a different 7 in an
hour or so. Terrain and urban
canyons will block visibility to the
weak GPS signals and worsen
geolocation accuracy. Not all
dashcams save this metric.

The data in the Speed, Distance, Altitude, HDOP, and Sats in View graphs can be
automatically scaled by clicking the Autoscale button in the top left of the graph. You
can click in the graphs to jump to that time in the video sequence (two clicks may be
required in the Windows version).

41
DASHBOARD WINDOW

The Dashboard displays current information about the vehicle’s position, speed, and
distance. In addition, the Dashboard can be used to switch speed units, show the
weather at the time and place of the drive, and show the driving day on a calendar.

1. Computed speed, total elapsed distance, current date/time, mph/kph toggle

2. Current vehicle direction (bearing). Click the arrows to change this widget to
weather or calendar views. Click on the car image to switch compass pointing
icons.

If the “Get Weather” button is clicked, DCV will attempt to retrieve the historical
weather conditions at the vehicle’s latitude/longitude (#3) for the given date
displayed (#1). DCV uses VisualCrosssing.com for the weather data.

3. Current vehicle position (latitude/longitude). Also, vehicle altitude, number of

GNSS satellites used in geolocation, and GPS accuracy (HDOP) meter (if data
available).

42
Note that bearing is only updated when vehicle speed is greater than 3 mph (or km/h) to
avoid jitter.

A single click on the speedometer face will toggle speed and distance units
between mph and km/h.

Single-click on the speedometer face to change speed and distance units from imperial
to metric and back.

Additionally, you can double-click on the speedometer to reconfigure the maximum

speed.

Double-click on the speedometer to alter its maximum speed behavior.

You can manually enter a maximum speedometer speed between 10 and 300 (mph or
km/h), or you can choose Auto, which choose the maximum speed for you based on the
videos you’ve loaded.

You can change the compass pointer icon by clicking on the icon itself. For example, the
figures below show the available compass pointers for the Free and Plus versions of
Dashcam Viewer.

43
 Red car and motorcycle compass icons available in the Free and Plus versions. Click on
the icon to switch images.

The version expands the list of compass icons to 24. The menagerie of available
icons is shown below:

Compass icons available in the Free, Plus and PRO versions. Click on the compass to
toggle among the various choices.

The selection of compass icon is persistent between runs of Dashcam Viewer.

44
 Use the Windows menu to orient the Dashboard horizontally or vertically.

Don’t like the horizontal orientation of the Dashboard? You can orient the Dashboard
vertically by choosing “Vertical” from the Windows menu.

You can reduce the width of the Dashboard widget until only the speedometer is shown.
This minimalist size may be preferable for small displays.

Dashboard resized to only show the speedometer.

45
AUDIO EVENT DETECTION

Important events in the video series are often characterized by sudden changes in
volume. For example, the sound of a collision or the sound of a horn can be heard
against the normal driving noise background. Dashcam Viewer’s Audio Event Detection
can assist in locating key sound events in a series of videos.

To activate this feature:

1. Load the series of videos.

2. Click the Audio Event Detection toolbar button. This will reveal the Audio Event
Detection controls at the bottom of the Graph Window.

3. Click the Find Audio Events button. Dashcam Viewer will proceed to scan the audio
tracks for unusual audio events.

Audio events will appear as little squares along the graph time axis. You can quickly
jump to an event by using the blue forward and back buttons. The detection algorithm
sensitivity can be varied by increasing or decreasing the sensitivity control from 1 to 10.

46
As the control value is decreased, more squares will appear. Red squares indicate the
most significant events, yellow less significant, and green squares are the least
significant events. The detection algorithm is applied independently to each video so red
squares in one video may not have the same event significance as those in a different
video.

Sudden sound events do not need to be loud to be detected by the algorithm. The
sound of a car blinker or a sudden voice can stand out against the background if the
background is quiet enough. This could be either desirable or undesirable depending on
what the user is looking for in the audio track. Behind the scenes, Dashcam Viewer uses
ffprobe to assist in event detection. Event detection will continue to be refined based on
user feedback.

Dashcam Viewer will process all the videos that are loaded, up to the limit imposed by
the version. The Free version has a limit of 1 video, the Plus version has a limit of 5
videos, and the version has a limit of 100 videos.

THE DATA BROWSER

The Data Browser allows you to examine and export your dashcam’s GPS track data in a
variety of formats. The available formats are (1) comma-separated-value, CSV, which is
compatible with Microsoft Excel, (2) GPX, which is compatible with Garmin BaseCamp (3)
KML, used in Google Earth, and (4) GeoJSON, which is used in GIS applications.

To invoke the Data Browser, click the DATA toolbar button or select Data Browser from
the File menu. The Data Browser window appears and, by default, displays CSV data for
the current video being played.

47
 The Data Browser Window showing CSV data

Click on the tabs to reveal the other data formats (GPX, KML, and GeoJSON)

48
EXPORT FORMATS:

CSV – data is displayed in comma-separated value format. If Dashcam Viewer can

decode your dashcam’s altitude, G-force, HDOP, and/or Satellite Count data, these data
will also appear in columns. CSV format is useful for display in Microsoft Excel.

A CSV file will be produced from the GPS data and include the following fields as
columns:

• Video filename
• Date (Local)
• Time (Local)
• Date (UTC)
• Time (UTC)
• Latitude (Degrees)
• Longitude (Degrees)
• Speed (from Dashcam, in output units)
• Distance (Computed from waypoints)
• Bearing
• Shock sensor X [horizontal] (some dashcam models)
• Shock sensor Y [horizontal] (some dashcam models)
• Shock sensor Z [vertical] (some dashcam models)
• Altitude above Sea Level (some dashcam models)
• GPS HDOP (some dashcam models)
• Number of GPS satellites used in geolocation (some dashcam models)
CSV files can be imported into a variety of programs for further data analysis.

Note: If the UTC date and/or time is not correct in the CSV file, you can apply an offset
using the UTC Offset setting in the Advanced Preferences.

GPX – GPS Exchange Format is an XML format designed to serve as a common GPS data
exchange format for software applications.

The GPX file format is widely supported in the commercial GPS receiver market. For
example, tracks in GPX format can be displayed in Garmin BaseCamp. There are a
number of interesting websites that can analyze your data. One of my favorites is
https://www.gpsvisualizer.com, which has a plethora of GPS data analysis tools, maps,
and plots.

49
 Vehicle’s track exported to GPX file and viewed into GPS Visualizer.

Choose either GPX v1.0 or v1.1 format by clicking the appropriate button. If the data will
be imported into Garmin BaseCamp, use v1.0.

When you click Save, Dashcam Viewer will export the entire route as a single GPX file.
You will also have the option to export each video’s individual track data to separate
GPX files. The files will be named based on the video names.

Click Yes to create individual GPX files for each video segment, as well as a
large GPX file for the entire route. Click No to create just the large GPX file for
the entire route.

Since Dashcam Viewer reads GPX files too, the single-file export feature can be used to
load the GPS data back into Dashcam Viewer. GPX files placed inside the video directory
are loaded ahead of the embedded GPS data in the video, so you can use this method to
‘override’ the GPS data for a given video. This allows you to filter out bad data or insert
corrected GPS information into Dashcam Viewer.

Another note about GPX files: Some popular activity cameras, like the GoPro Hero 4 or
lower series, do not have a built-in GPS receiver. However, if you are operating an
external GPS receiver, like a Garmin eTrex or equivalent, in tandem with your activity
camera you can export your GPS route from your receiver into GPX format. Give your
GPX file the same base name as the activity camera video file and make sure the two
files are in the same directory (for example, “MyGoProVideo.MP4” and
“MyGoProVideo.GPX”). When the video is loaded into Dashcam Viewer, Dashcam Viewer
will load the corresponding GPX file and use this as the GPS data source for the video. If
you need to make time offset corrections, you can do this using either the Graph
shortcuts or the Preferences.

Note: If the UTC date and/or time is not correct in the GPX file, you can apply an offset
using the UTC Offset setting in the Advanced Preferences.

50
KML – like GPX, KML is an XML-based data format used to display geographic data in an
Earth browser such as Google Earth.

GeoJSON - GeoJSON is yet another format for encoding a geographic data into a file for
use in GIS applications. Altitude will be exported if available. Also, Geotags will be
exported as Point features.

EXPORT MODES:

Current Video – this mode displays GPS data for the currently-playing video in the
Player window.

Enabled Videos – this mode displays GPS data for all of the enabled videos in the
Control Center window. Enabled videos are those that have a check box next to their
name. This mode is only available in the Plus and versions.

Current Trip Videos – this mode displays the GPS data for all videos in the currently
playing Trip. This mode is only available in the version.

All Videos – this mode displays the GPS data for all videos that have been loaded,
regardless if they are enabled or not. This mode is only available in the version.

EXPORT OPTIONS:

Copy to Clipboard – click this button to copy all of the data in the active Browser
window to the system clipboard, where it can be pasted into the application of your
choice.

Save As… – click the Save As button to save all of the data in the active Browser window
to a file. In the case of GPX, you will also be given the option of saving each video’s GPX
data to a separate file.

Close – Close the Data Browser window.

51
IMPORTING CUSTOM GPS AND ACCELEROMETER DATA (DTS FORMAT)

Dashcam Viewer can ingest custom geolocation and g-force data. This feature makes it
possible to supplement action-cam video with user-defined GPS/G-Force. The
video/data file pair can then be loaded and displayed in Dashcam Viewer.

To use the feature, user-supplied GPS and G-Force data must be formatted in the XML
format specified below (known as DTS format). Unlike GPX format which only specifies
date/time, latitude, longitude, altitude and speed, the DTS format adds XYZ G-force
acceleration as well as two other GPS-specific metrics, HDOP and “Number of Sats In
View”.

A single <trip> tag must be followed by a <name> tag. A name usually corresponds to
the name of the video file. After the name is a <segments> tag, which denotes an array
of <segments> to follow. A <segment>, or array element, is described below.

There should be one segment tag for every second of video (thus a data cadence of 1
Hz). If the data is specified at greater than 1Hz, then it will be filtered to 1Hz.

A segment tag consists of the following attributes:

Table 1: Segment tag attributes

Attribute Required Examples Notes

date Yes date=“2020-11-10” UTC

time Yes time=”00:46:58.1” UTC

lat=”N33.757805”
In degrees. Use at
lat=”33.757805” least 6-digits of
lat Yes
lat=”S05.862762” precision past the
decimal point.
lat=”5.862762”

lon=”W118.088675”
In degrees. Use at
lon=”-118.088675”
least 6-digits of
lon Yes
lon=”E012.294458” precision past the
decimal point.
lon=”12.294458”

52
 Units of
meters/sec. If not
provided, speed
spd No, but recommended spd=”12.34”
will be calculated
based on lat/lon
points.

alt No alt=”56.78” Units of meters

Heading or
bearing, in units
of degrees (0-
head No head=”120.45”
360). If not
provided, bearing
will be computed.

Horizontal
Dilution of
hdop No hdop=”1.45”
Precision.
Unitless.

Number of GNSS
sats No sats=”12”
satellites in view.

Acceleration or
G-Force in X
accx No accx=”0.52234”
direction.
Arbitrary units.

Acceleration or
G-Force in Y
accy No accy=”0.230468”
direction.
Arbitrary units.

Acceleration or
G-Force in Z
accz No accz=”-0.8002930”
direction.
Arbitrary units.

An example of valid and complete DTS file for a short 3-second video is shown below:

53
 <?xml version="1.0" ?>

<trip>

<name>2022_0127_092502_F.MP4</name>

<segments>

<segment date="2022-11-10" time="00:47:20.0" lat="N33.757757" lon="W118.088728"

alt="0.22" spd="1.0" head="0.0" hdop="0.8" sats="12" accx="0.5234" accy="0.2294"
accz="-0.7993"/>

<segment date="2022-11-10" time="00:47:21.0" lat="N33.757760" lon="W118.088733"

alt="-1.07" spd="1.5" head="0.0" hdop="0.8" sats="11" accx="0.5235" accy="0.2284"
accz="-0.7983"/>

<segment date="2022-11-10" time="00:47:22.0" lat="N33.757753" lon="W118.088733"

alt="-1.07" spd="1.0" head="0.0" hdop="0.8" sats="11" accx="0.5239" accy="0.2291"
accz="-0.7993"/>

</segments>

</trip>

Sample DTS file content for 3-second video

The name of the DTS file must match the name of the video file it represents. For
example, if the video is named “2022_0127_092502_F.MP4” the corresponding DTS file
must be named “2022_0127_092502_F.dts”.

PREFERENCES WINDOW

54
55
 The Preferences window

TIME PREFERENCES:

• Clock Bias – bias used to synchronize the embedded video timestamp with the
displayed time. Use this setting to match the embedded video timestamp to the
timestamp displayed by Dashcam Viewer. This setting does not affect the time
biasing between the video and the GPS data. For that, use the Time Bias.
• Time Bias – bias, in seconds, used to synchronize the GPS data and the video. This
is useful if the dashcam video is out-of-sync with the Map, or the timezone is
incorrectly set for your timezone, or if you are viewing videos creating by
someone in a different timezone.
Tip: If the Graph view is selected, you can use the “,” and “.” keys to adjust the
Time Offset plus or minus 1-second. Similarly, you can use the “m” or “/” keys to
adjust the Time Offset by 10-seconds.
• Skip Time – this setting tells Dashcam Viewer to skip the first n seconds of each
video during playback. Some dashcams have a built-in overlap of a second or so

56
 between consecutive videos. Enter the overlap time for (near) seamless playback
between consecutive videos.
• Replay Time – enter the amount seconds that the Instant Replay feature goes back
in time.
• Trip Gap Time - if the amount of time between two consecutive videos exceeds
this value, then a new Trip is created in the Trip list. The default value is 60
seconds. If this value is changed, the Trip list is immediately recomputed. This
setting is only available in the version.

GENERAL PREFERENCES:

• Speed Units – select the units for the speed and distance displays.
• Altitude Units – select the units for the altitude graph and data display.
• Temperature Units – select the desired units for the temperature display in the
historical weather widget.
• Video Sequencing - This setting controls the play order of the videos. “By Date” is
a better option for dashcams that write video files in a continuous loop (i.e, new
files overwrite older files as the SD card fills up). “By Name” is a better option for
viewing a series of miscellaneous videos in a folder.
• Aspect Ratio – You can choose to have the video fill the viewer window or maintain
its native aspect ratio. In the latter case you will see black bars filling the unused
space.
• Screenshot – Chose the desired image type for screenshots (invoked from toolbar
in Main window). PNGs are lossless but take up about 8x the disk space. To the
naked eye, JPG is almost identical to PNG and much smaller file size. On the Plus
and PRO versions, the GPS coordinates of the vehicle are saved to the EXIF block
of the JPG file.
• Dark Mode (Windows Only) – Enabling dark mode applies a dark theme to all of
Dashcam Viewer’s windows and widgets. Dark mode is preferred since it focuses
attention on the window contents rather than the window controls. Changing this
setting requires Dashcam Viewer to be restarted. Note that Dark Mode is
supported on the Mac via the System Preferences.
• Language – This setting allows you to change the language of the text and phrases
used in Dashcam Viewer. After making a change, restart Dashcam Viewer to see
the change. The Default setting will attempt pick a translation based on your
computer’s system setting. If a default translation is not available, then English
will be used. Currently, Arabic, English, Dutch, Chinese, German, Hungarian,

57
 Italian, Polish, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, and Vietnamese are available. Special
thanks to the dashcam community for providing the translations (see Thanks
section below).
• Ignore GPS Data – Use this option to load videos without attempting to load their
GPS data. This will allow you to quickly load videos for viewing, but will not show
their GPS data. The message “NO GPS LOADED” will appear at the top of the
player window when this option is invoked. To prevent use, this option is set to
OFF each time Dashcam Viewer is run.
• Click-To-Go Enabled in Graphs – If this option is selected then clicking the mouse
button in the Graph window will make DV jump to that point in the video
sequence (approximately). This is useful for immediately jumping to a point of
interest in video sequence, such as a sudden stop.
• Invert Mouse Zoom – This checkbox inverts the direction of zoom when using the
scroll wheel to zoom in/out of the video window.
• Network Proxy Settings – If you connect to the internet via a proxy server, you can
enter the server settings here. Restart Dashcam Viewer after making changes for
them to take effect.
• Check for Updates on Startup – If this button is checked, Dashcam Viewer will
check its server to see if a newer version is available. You can also invoke this
option manually via the Help menu.

AUTOLOAD VIDEO DIRECTORY UPON START-UP PREFERENCES:

• It can be useful to have Dashcam Viewer load a specific directory of videos upon
startup. This can be achieved by typing the video directory in the Autoload
Directory field. Alternatively, you can click the Use Current Directory to
automatically input the current video directory into the field. To enable this
feature make sure the checkbox to the left of the field is checked.

MAP PREFERENCES:

58
 Map Preferences Window

• Vehicle Marker – choose either a colored round marker or default map placemark
for the vehicle location.
• Marker Size – select a size for the round vehicle marker.
• Number of Colors in Route Line – choose between 1, 5, 10 or 14 colors in the color
scale used to indicate vehicle speed. A key of the colors used is shown to the
right of the selection combo box. The scale ranges from a speed of 0 (red) to the
maximum speed (blue, defined below)
• Vmax Color is Based on – In the color scale, blue indicates the fastest speeds in
the vehicle’s route. You can define the speed the blue color represents, either by
a fixed value or the maximum speed achieved for the entire journey. The fixed
value method is useful for comparing the speeds of one journey against the
speeds of another journey.

59
ADVANCED PREFERENCES:

Advanced Preferences Window

• Speedometer Auto – Choose this option to have Dashcam Viewer auto-select the
maximum speed on the speedometer widget. The maximum speed is chosen
based on the current series of videos loaded.
• Speedometer Max – Alternatively, you can enter a maximum value for the
speedometer between 10 and 300 (mph or km/h). A quick way to edit the
maximum is to double-click on the speedometer face.
• Use street address as default Geotag name – When creating a Geotag, Dashcam
Viewer will try to use the vehicle’s current address as the tag’s title. If you
uncheck this box, Dashcam Viewer will simply call the tag “Untitled Event”.
• Windows Stay On Top – This option controls whether the ancillary windows (Map,
Dashboard, etc.) float on top of the Main Window. When the ancillary windows
float on top of the Main window, you have more control of the window
configuration. However, on some computers (Windows Surface) this feature may

60
 not be advantageous. If you deselect this checkbox, the Main Window can be
placed on top of the ancillary windows. You must restart Dashcam Viewer to
make this change take effect.
• GPS Data Cache – The GPS Data Cache will dramatically improve data load
performance for dashcams that embed their GPS data in the video itself. The first
time a video is loaded the GPS data is extracted from the video, which can be
time-consuming if many videos are being loaded at once. With GPS Data Caching
enabled, the next time any of these videos are loaded the data will be read from
the cache in a compressed format. This can reduce the load times by a factor of
100 or more. The Free and Plus versions cache up to 1,000 files and the
version caches up to 10,000 files. Once the limit is reached, the oldest files in
the cache will be deleted to make room for the newer ones being loaded. The
current cache usage is shown as a percentage in the GPS Data Cache title. A
typical one-minute video uses approximately 4kB of space in the cache.
• Reveal Cache… - Click this button to open the GPS Data Cache folder on the
Desktop.
• Clear Cache – Use this button to delete all the cache files in the GPS Data Cache
folder.
• Hide windows when application is put in background – [Windows Only] If checked,
the Map, Graph, Dashboard, and Control Center windows will hide if Dashcam
Viewer is put in the background. Sometimes this is desirable to eliminate
desktop clutter when not using Dashcam Viewer. If unchecked, these windows
will remain visible when Dashcam Viewer is put in the background.
• UTC Time correction – Although most dashcams store their GPS data relative to
UTC time, some store their GPS data in local time. For those dashcams, enter the
correct time zone offset from UTC here. This will ensure the UTC timestamp is
correct when exporting GPS data to CSV, GPS, or KML formats. For most dash
cams this preference should be left at 0. But if your dashcam records GPS data
in local time, say Pacific Standard Time, you would enter a value of -8. This
setting is applied when exporting data to CSV, GPX, and KML files.
• Local Time correction – Enter your timezone offset from UTC here. For example, if
you were in the Pacific Standard Time zone you would enter a value of -8.
Dashcam Viewer will enter a default value based on your current timezone. This
value is used when exporting data to a CSV file.

61
GRAPH PREFERENCES:

Graph Window settings

The y-axis scale and number of tick marks can be controlled independently for
each graph. By default you will have settings for the Speed Graph, Distance Graph,
and Bearing Graph. If your dashcam model supports Altitude, HDOP, or Number of
Sats-in-View, then you will see additional tabs for these graphs as well.

Min – choose the minimum value for the plot

Max – choose the maximum value for the plot
Ticks – select the number of gridlines/ticks for the plot

Tip: When a graph view is selected, the “1” and “2” keyboard keys will
decrease/increase the Max value of the plot. The “3” and “4” will decrease/increase
the number of gridlines.
Tip: You can click in a graph to jump to that point in the video sequence. See the
Click-To-Go Enabled in Graphs option above.

Note: Settings are preserved from run to run of Dashcam Viewer.

62
ADDITIONAL MENU OPTIONS

CHECK FOR NEW VERSION

Check for New Version window

Check for New Version (under the Help menu) will go online to check if a newer version
of Dashcam Viewer is available. If so, clicking the bottom left button will download it to
your computer. If you are up-to-date the features in the current version will be shown.
This feature can be toggled to run at program startup in the Preferences.

The modification history for Dashcam Viewer can be found here6.

6 https://www.dropbox.com/s/jsfvrfnrgr4dsa2/history.pdf?dl=0

63
REGISTER DASHCAM VIEWER

Register Dashcam Viewer to remove the 2-video limitation

The Register option is located under the Help menu. After purchasing the Plus or Pro
version of Dashcam Viewer from our website7, you will be sent a registration code which
will remove the limitations. Use Command-C to copy the code to the clipboard and the
Paste button to enter it in the Register field. A video tutorial on how to register
Dashcam Viewer is here8. Registering will personalize Dashcam Viewer and your name
will appear as the registered user under the About menu:

7 http://dashcamviewer.com
8 https://youtu.be/CMPr7FaQScE

64
 The About window displays the Dashcam Viewer version and registration status

SHORTCUTS

A number of shortcuts have been added to facilitate use of the program. These include
buttons to move forward second-by-second, take a screenshot, pause/resume, and
more. Please see the list below:

Shortcuts window

PLAYER WINDOW:

65
 • When the Main Window is selected, the spacebar will start/stop the video player
and the arrow keys will jump 1 or 10 files forward or reverse as indicated above.
• The P key will take a snapshot of the viewer window and save it to the directory last
specified when clicking the Export Image toolbar button. If no directory has been
specified, the P key will write the screenshot to the Desktop.
• The A,S,W,D (and 4,5,6,8) keys will translate the video in the video frame. The Q
and E (and 7 and 9) keys will zoom out/in of the video. The 0 key resets the zoom
and translation to default values.
• Click the “g” key to create a Geotag at the current location.
• Click the “r” key to swap front and rear videos in the Main Window (applies to dual-
channel dashcams only).
• Click the “c” key to copy the current vehicle location (latitude,longitude) into the
clipboard.
• Cmd-F, F11, and Alt-Return (Windows) will toggle Fullscreen mode.

GRAPH WINDOW:

• When in a graph view, the “1” and “2” keyboard keys will decrease/increase the
Max value of the plot. The “3” and “4” will decrease/increase the number of
gridlines.
• The “m”, “,”, “.”, and “/” adjust the Time Offset by -10, -1, +1, and +10 seconds,
respectively. This is useful for graphically synchronizing the video to the cursor in
the graphs.
• Click anywhere in the data portion of the graph to jump to that point in the video
sequence. This feature can be turned off in the Preferences.

ARRANGING WINDOWS

66
 Options available under the Window menu.

Dashcam Viewer allows you to move, resize, and gather its 5 main windows. Sometimes
the windows can become hidden or overlap in an inconvenient way. To quickly bring all
the windows back to their nominal positions, select Reset Window Positions from the
Window menu.

This will rearrange the program’s windows to their original configuration as shown
below.

Dashcam Viewer after Reset Window Positions was selected.

To maintain relative positioning of the windows, select the Sync Window Movement
option and all 5 windows will move together if any one of them is dragged.

67
Use the Toggle Fullscreen option (Cmd-F) to expand the Main window to fullscreen and
hide the ancillary windows. To return to the previous state, simply choose Cmd-F again
(or F11 or Ctrl-F on Windows).

“CLEAN UP” WINDOWS

Sometimes it’s useful to gather the ancillary windows around the Main window, without
the Main window changing position. To do this, select Clean Up from the “Windows”
menu.

To control whether the Dashboard and Graph windows appear above or below the Main
Window, simply move the Dashboard window anywhere above or below the Main window
before selecting "Clean Up". Similarly, place the Dashboard window to the left or right of
the Main window to make the Dashboard clean up to the left or right.

The Control Center and Map windows will clean up to the left or right of the Main
Window depending on where the Control Center window was before the Clean Up
command was issued. Similarly, the Control Center window will clean up to the top or
bottom depending on where it was relative to the Main Window before the Clean Up
command was issued.

Examples of the Clean Up function are shown below.

68
Using “Clean Up Windows” command to gather all windows around Main window.

69
FAQ

Note: Additional FAQ items are listed online here9.

Q: I’m seeing the message “No GPS Data for this segment” on the Graph display. What
does it mean?

A: The “No GPS Data” error message will be shown if Dashcam Viewer cannot find a
corresponding GPS log file for the currently playing video. If this happens the speed,
latitude, longitude, etc, readouts will indicate 0. It can also happen if the first video file
loaded has no GPS data associated with it. Try removing the first video file from the
folder and reloading the folder. Although infrequent, this can happen under normal
dashcam operation.

Q: Something is wrong. I can no longer see my videos or see my GPS data. How to I
revert all of Dashcam Viewer’s settings?

A: Run Dashcam Viewer with the Shift-key held down. You will be presented with the
following dialog.

Clicking ‘Yes’ will erase all the stored settings, such as window positions, window sizes,
button settings, map settings, and preferences. These settings will revert to defaults. A

9 https://dashcamviewer.com/resources/frequently-asked-questions/

70
video describing this process is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki5YASpxAaA.
Also note that your registration code will need to be re-entered if you select this
option.

Q: When I merge videos nothing happens.

A: Be sure that the file directory path to the source videos does not have quotes,
commas, or Unicode characters in it.

Q: When I load a video nothing happens.

A: This can happen if you load only the rear or “B” channel video (s) from a 2-channel
dashcam. To avoid this, load the corresponding front or “A” channel video. Loading the
front channel automatically loads the rear channel.

Q: In the video window the player shows my vehicle moving but my speed is indicated as
0 mph.

Q: I see data plotted in the graphs but the cursor isn’t moving.

A: Could be a couple of things. When the dashcam unit is first powered up after being
off for a long period of time, it requires a minute or so to acquire signals from the GPS
satellites. During this time the vehicle’s latitude, longitude, and speed are unknown and
are displayed as “0” in Dashcam Viewer.

This could also happen if the dashcam’s timezone is set incorrectly. DV relies on the
accuracy of the video file’s timestamp to sync the video with the GPS data. The
dashcam’s timezone should be set to the computer’s timezone. If not, the difference in
timezones should be entered in the Time Bias Preferences.

A third possibility is that the video’s original timestamps have been altered. This can
happen if the files were copied from the SD card to another location. In some cases the
copy process changes the file modification date. To avoid this issue, open the original
SD card’s video folder in DV rather than opening a copy of the folder on a hard drive.
The downside is that this may affect playback performance if the SD card is connected
via a slow USB reader.

Another possibility is that DV is confused by extraneous files in the video directory. Be

sure not to add any files to the dashcam’s video directory.

Lastly, if nothing seems to fix the issue, try loading the set of videos files again but this
time skip the first video file. In other words, load all the video files except the first one.

If none of these tips work, try the hard reset procedure noted above.

Q: When I use Dashcam Viewer to export a video clip from my dual-channel dashcam,
how come I don’t get a picture-in-picture video as a result?

71
Dashcam Viewer ships with the LGPL version of FFmpeg10. The LGPL version will only
export the front channel to your video clip when you choose the Export Video option.
The solution is to replace the LGPL version of FFmpeg with the GPL version off the
internet. You can download the Mac GPL ffmpeg here11 and the Windows GPL ffmpeg
here12.

Mac GPL ffmpeg installation: The GPL Mac FFmpeg download comes as a zip file. Select
the most recent ffmpeg .zip file (not the .zip.sig file) and download it. On newer
macOSs, applications downloaded from the internet need to be verified the first time
they are run. To do this, immediately right-click on the ffmpeg icon and choose Open.
You should see a dialog that looks like this:

Open ffmpeg manually after it is first downloaded.

Click “Open” and it will run in the Terminal and immediately quit. Now you are ready to
replace the old version as follows:

Right-click on Dashcam Viewer and select Show Package Contents

1) Right-click on the Dashcam Viewer icon and select Show Package Contents. This
will open the contents in a new window.

10 http://ffmpeg.org
11 https://evermeet.cx/pub/ffmpeg/snapshots/ (get the latest .zip file)

12https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases (get the latest win64-gpl version, e.g.: ffmpeg-n4.3.1-

20-g8a2acdc6da-win64-gpl-4.3.zip)

72
 Locating ffmpeg in the Mac version of Dashcam Viewer

2) Open the Contents/MacOS folder. You will see the LGPL version of ffmpeg.
Move it to a safe location outside of the package.
3) Now move the GPL version of ffmpeg into the MacOS folder. Close the package
window and you’re good to go!

Windows GPL ffmpeg installation: Unzip the ffmpeg package and copy the ffmpeg.exe
(located in the bin directory) to the Dashcam Viewer directory. You will be asked if you
want to replace the existing ffmpeg.exe. Click Yes.

One caveat. Since each version of Dashcam Viewer ships with the LGPL version, you will
need to repeat this process every time you update Dashcam Viewer.

Q: I’m using the Mac version of Dashcam Viewer and sometimes, after loading a video, I
only see part of the video frame because the video is too large for the window.

This is a bug in the 3rd-part video library used by Dashcam Viewer. To restore the video
to its proper size, simply double-click in the Main Window.

Q: The timing between the video and the vehicle’s position on the map is slightly off.
How do I fix it?

This can happen if the dashcam’s clock is slightly off. To compensate for it, go to the
Preferences and disable the Always Auto-Fix Timezone Offset option. Then bring the
Graph window to the foreground. Use the ‘,’ and ‘.’ keys to dynamically adjust the time
cursor position until the Map position of the vehicle and the video match. To
compensate plus or minus 10-seconds at a time instead of 1 second at a time, use the
‘m’ and ‘/’ keys. When the vehicle’s position on the Map matches its position in the
video, you can click the Save Settings in the Video window so that when this video is
played again the same adjustments will be applied.

73
Q: [Windows version] I get an error when I run Dashcam Viewer, “The ordinal 4369 could
not be located in the dynamic link library LIBEAY32.dll”. What is causing it?

This problem seems to be related to multiple versions of LIBEAY32.dll on your system.

Please see http://superuser.com/questions/272752/intelligence-server-configuration-
and-libeay32-dll-registration-error-microstr for a solution.

Q: [Windows] Videos appear to stutter during playback.

A: This occurs on some Windows PCs, usually the lower-end models or older models. It
is due a technical issue with the 3rd party video library used in Dashcam Viewer. The
ideal PC system is an i7 processor running Win10 and an nVidia or AMD processor.

Q: The Map shows me driving on the sidewalk. What’s up with that?

A: Could be a number of things. For starters, obscuration of the sky by buildings and
terrain can block line of sight to the GPS satellites. Fewer GPS satellites translates to
higher dilution of precision (DOP) and less positional accuracy at the dashcam. Also, the
GPS receivers and antennas in these cameras are commercial units are not designed for
high accuracy. Lastly, you may actually be driving on the sidewalk. Please watch out for
pedestrians.

Q: Dashcam Viewer is hanging on my MacBook Pro with Retina display running Yosemite
(OS X 10.10). Any idea why?

We have found that the Graphs display on Dashcam Viewer has an issue with some
Retina Macs. Try this tip from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202471.

Open the Dashcam Viewer using Low Resolution mode:

1) Quit the application if it is currently open.

2) In the Finder, choose Applications from the Go menu.

3) In the Applications folder that opens, click the application's icon so it is highlighted.

4) Choose Get Info from the File menu.

5) Place a checkmark next to "Open in Low Resolution" to enable Low Resolution

mode.

Close the window and double click the Application to reopen it.

74
DATA INTEGRITY CODES

Occasionally the GNSS trajectory data stream produced by your dash cam will contain
errors or be incomplete. Dashcam Viewer attempts to detect and workaround these
errors, if possible.

When a problem is detected, a small wrench icon will appear next to the video
filename in the Control Center View.

Hover the mouse over the wrench icon to disclose the integrity check issue.

Hover the mouse over the wrench icon to learn more information about the type of
problem(s) encountered. The list of integrity issues is detailed below:

1. Some GPS data points out of chronological order. Sorting required.

This error is issued if the data are out of order or there are duplicate points.

2. Bad GPS time value detected in at least one point

This error will be reported if the time code is earlier than 01-Jan-2010 or greater than
19-Jan-2038, AND the latitude and longitude values of one or more points are null
(0.0).

3. The latitude and longitude of at least one point are null.

This error will be issued if the latitude and longitude values of one or more points are
null (0.0).

4. Bad GPS time value detected in at least one point.

This error will be reported if the time code is earlier than 01-Jan-2010 or greater than
19-Jan-2038, AND two consecutive longitude values are more than 5 degrees apart.

5. Encountered invalid longitude value.

This error will be reported if two consecutive longitude values are more than 5 degrees
apart

6. At least one point required an artificial time code.

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This error is issued if two consecutive waypoints in a video’s data stream have a
difference in time of greater than 5 minutes. If this situation is detected, new time codes
are issued at one-second cadence starting at the last ‘valid’ point and ending with the
last point in the file. Thus, all original time points starting at the point in which the
invalid time was detected are replaced by time values that ‘make sense’ but may still not
be correct. This video’s data should be considered suspect.

7. At least one point required an artificial time code.

If a point with a time value outside the range of 01-Jan-2010 and 19-Jan-2038 is
detected, this integrity code is issued. An attempt is made to assign the point a new
time value and latitude, longitude, and speed values of the last ‘good’ point.

8. Lat and lon are zero. Revert to last good lat and lon.

This error is issued if both the latitude and longitude values of a point are zero. In this
case the last ‘valid’ latitude/longitude values are assigned to this point.

9. Erroneous speed value detected. Revert to last good speed.

This error is reported if the speed value of a point is greater than 500 km/h. If this
situation is detected, the last ‘good’ speed is used instead.

10. Missing points in data stream. Front-loading with filler points.

A discrepancy between the number of points in the data stream and the duration of the
video was detected. If there is more than one point missing, front-load the data array
with dummy points. The number of dummy points is equivalent to the number of
missing data points. The assumption is that the missing points are at the front of the
file, not at the back or in the middle.

11. First data point is out-of-scope. Interpolating a correction.

This integrity code is issued if the horizontal distance between the first two consecutive
points is greater than 5.0 km. If this is the case, the first point in extrapolated based on
points 2 and 3.

12. At least one point is out-of-scope. Interpolating a correction.

Some dashcams have been found to output a sudden single non-sensical erroneous
latitude or longitude value. This integrity check finds singleton points that are actually
valid lat/lon values, but are out-of-scope of the data set. In other words, it flags outlier
points that don’t belong in the data. The definition of outlier is a point 5.0 km beyond
its neighboring points (this would require a speed of 18,000 km/h!). If this is detected,
the outlier point is given a corrected position based on linear interpolation of its
neighboring points. This check will not catch the case of two consecutive points being
out of scope out-of-scope. In this case, errant lines will be seen on the Google Map. If
such lines are present, this could indicate a bad dashcam GPS unit or problem in camera
firmware.

13. Last point is out-of-scope. Interpolating a correction.

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This integrity code is issued if the horizontal distance between the last two consecutive
points is greater than 5.0 km. If this is the case, the last point in extrapolated based on
the previous two points.

INTERNET SERVICES

Dashcam Viewer requires internet connectivity for full functionality. The following are
the web services Dashcam Viewer uses and their functions:

1. Google Maps API: this web API is required to display Google Maps in a
window.
2. Mapquest API: this web API is required to display Mapquest Maps in a
window.
3. Visualcrossing.com: this web API is used to fetch historical weather data
(used in the Dashboard widget).
4. Here.com: this web API is used for reverse-geocoding of lat/lon locations.
Used in Geotags.
5. Amazon web services: this service is used to check for updates and for
license validation checking.

DISCLAIMER

Dashcam Viewer is supplied “as is” and all use is at your own risk. This document is not
intended to express or imply any warranty that the operation of the software will be
uninterrupted, timely, or error-free. Under no circumstances shall Earthshine Software
be liable to any user for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary
damages, arising from or relating to this agreement or the software.

SPECIAL THANKS

Earthshine Software would like to thank mollydog, DaveP, BrazilianGuy, DashcamDave,

kevinhill, rcg530, LateralNW, DesertBike TheSpanishInq, and, of course, jokiin (those are
their DashCamTalk forum handles), John Asson, James Lazos, Edward S, Julian P, Terry
W., Tony J., Paul Schmehl, Martin Underwood, and Jeffrey Friedl for their support and
advice with this project.

We would also like to thank Juergen Weidlich, Markus Staeger, Alex Soll, Andrew Zinkov,
Bill Danson, Phuong Nguyen, Jo De Vulder, Dany Labrecque, Mehmet Baydar, John
Westman, Tamás R., Widmo W., and Iculator Z. for their help with foreign translations.

A special thanks to Hadj Tahar Berrima for making his excellent speedometer source
code available.

Finally, special thanks to my beautiful wife, Joy, for her encouragement and support with
this project.

CONTACT

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For questions, suggestions and bug reports please email [email protected].

Thank you!
John Coggi
Earthshine Software, LLC

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