16+ camera system off road (1 Viewer)

[mcgaskins]

When I was in Moab about a week ago, I was very excited to use the new camera system in my 16. I found it helpful in my last LC when climbing up something very steep to help point the tires and ensure I kept my line. I figured since the camera system in the 16 is better and the main screen is larger that it would be more helpful which it is most of the time. To my chagrin however, I actually HATE the way the camera engages in 4 low, and I'm hoping there is a setting that can be changed or a way to view it differently than how I've used it. Ideally, I'd like to use the camera system in 4 low exactly how it operates in 4 high, and the pics below show why that is.

The first pics below show how the camera normally operates in 4 high, and I think the system is great (lens is dirty and pictures are shaky because I'm wheeling - duh).

The next pics show what happens when you're in 4 low. Not only does the front view shrink considerably to simultaneously show the side views (yes you can scroll through a couple views but all have the side view at the same time as the front view), but it also very stupidly tilts in the same direction the truck is leaning! It's so dumb it's not even funny. In 4 high at the same angle of tilt, the camera does NOT show these blacked out areas, so it's not a function of the area in black being out of view - it is definitely a programming/software issue. It takes what's already a small view from the front, and shrinks it further by blacking out 5-30% of the view as you roll over terrain. It's very distracting as well as the blacked out portion moves dramatically all over the place if you're not level - which you will rarely be on the trail. Has anyone figured out a mode or setting that would just leave it the same is in 4 high? Has anyone else been frustrated by this?

 

[LALC]

You are looking at recorded video. This is from the "see what you're sitting on top of" camera view which uses recorded video to show you what your tires are sitting on. That's likely why it's showing the black area because it is playing back video.

 

[mcgaskins]

You are looking at recorded video. This is from the "see what you're sitting on top of" camera view which uses recorded video to show you what your tires are sitting on. That's likely why it's showing the black area because it is playing back video.

No - those are pictures of my screen as I'm driving offroad. I guarantee you it's not a playback. As I would drive off camber the live video feed rolls to the side. I took some video with my iphone I'll try to upload.

 

[JohnJB]

I'd take a hammer to the screen and drive it like a real Land Cruiser... Only for you Matt!

 

[LALC]

No - those are pictures of my screen as I'm driving offroad. I guarantee you it's not a playback. As I would drive off camber the live video feed rolls to the side. I took some video with my iphone I'll try to upload.

Yeah, you're right, my bad. I just checked, it looks different in the recorded view and even has the video player icon on the screen. I don't know why they would cut off the screen if it's not a video.

 

[mcgaskins]

I'd take a hammer to the screen and drive it like a real Land Cruiser... Only for you Matt!

You should have heard one of the guys in an 80 yell out to the rest of the group “Hey that’s not fair he’s got a freaking camera in here!!” when I said I didn’t need a spotter. I thought about telling him I had 4...

 

[mcgaskins]

Yeah, you're right, my bad. I just checked, it looks different in the recorded view and even has the video player icon on the screen. I don't know why they would cut off the screen if it's not a video.

I know what you mean and at first I thought it was too when I was sitting in there incredulously thinking “this cannot be the way it’s designed”. One good thing that came of this experience though was the realization how good (low) the new 8 speed is off road locked into first gear in high range. The majority of the trails I ran could be run 90% in 4 high which was great especially Dome Plateau and Wipeout Hill.

 

[mcgaskins]

@indycole Any thoughts/experiences to share since you also have a 16+?

 

[TonyP]

That tilting thing is weird. I don't get the ideology behind that.

I like the front camera for cresting over stuff (especially in Moab) but the sides are worthless at their Super Nintendo resolution. Or maybe I need to clean them...

 

[indycole]

@indycole Any thoughts/experiences to share since you also have a 16+?

I like the cameras for parking spots, but I have to say that I haven't made much use of them offroad. Oddly enough, the main issue is that the camera lenses are dirty and the display is too dusty to really see anything helpful.

I do remember a couple times where I really appreciated having the cameras on narrow parts of Sante Fe Peak and Handcart Gulch / Webster Pass in Breck. All was well on Handcart but I distinctly remember the camera showing the abyss on my right hand side at the end of Sante Fe peak. That was right before it started hailing and I had to back up about 100 ft on the shelf with assistance from Ms. TRD Burgler.

 

[LALC]

Yeah I'm hoping they come in handy on the Black Bear Pass switchbacks.

 

[mcgaskins]

@Dan Higgins what say you?

 

[TeCKis300]

To me, it looks like view is doing two things:

1) Orthorectification
2) Tilting the scene

I would chalk this up to engineers somewhat overthinking the problem.

Orthorectification as they are trying to give you the least distorted view so that objects in the scene are correctly portrayed in relative size.

The tilting is there so one does not assume they will be driving onto level ground and get caught off guard by the tilt. Remember that the sloped ground looks level relative to a car that is already on that same sloped ground. So from a "virtual" view perspective, one can assume wrongly in this context that the ground ahead is level and there is no fear of overturning. So they are capturing that in the scene by tilting the view.