ShakeNBake

The latest system from Racelogic is about to touch down. I’ve managed to get a chance to play with a HD2 demo unit for a few weeks, thanks to a good friend who both introduced me to Racelogic, and who has been working with racelogic to get more people looking at their products in the US. I'll be posting some data from the BMWCCA event at COTA. It's a great setup for GT cars, with proven data integration on 997 GT, 991GT and 981GT4 cars. Many folks don't blink an eye at a set of 5K track wheels with hoosiers. For half that you can learn how to drive with some serious technology. There may be a little VBOX vs AIM in here too.

This review is for HPDE’ers and Coaches
To start with, I am going to approach this review in the context of driving instruction/self instruction. Racelogic, in my opinion, after having owned a G2X, a Traqmate + Chasecam, an AIM Solo DL+smartycam GP, and Racelogic VBOX Lite, has a lot of advantages that make it very difficult to resist. If I was put on the spot to summarize why, I’d say it’s because it’s damn simple, and offers unparalleled video and data comparison abilities. I will concede right now, for all of you fellow AIM users, that AIM has the best solutions for racecars. Their LCD dashes, detailed analysis, sensor integration, and large-scale approach to data analysis are bred on the race track for both amateurs and pro teams alike. There are lots of different use cases for data analysis, and to date, you still need to buy the right weapon for the task – there is still not a do-it-all solution. So again, we’re talking about driving instruction here, dialed more towards the HPDE’er or the race coach, not the race team dialing in suspension.

Here is the mind blowing thing about the Video VBOX systems. You can see video and multi-channel data, synced up together in the same app.

Snapshot of Circuit Tools.


In this video below, you can see three laps playing at the same time, from three different points in time, different car setups, side by side, with all channels of data available to see at the same time. You can step through the data by clicking on points in the data or positions on the track, and the video will sync right up – down to the exact frame in the video. Racelogic encodes track position into their video data, so pick a square inch on the track, you can see years of data, with 8 videos of laps syn’d up side by side.
BTW – make sure you watch these in 1080p, fullscreen.

(Specifically this is a Lap in a GT4 at various states of CAN-bus data integration, and various mods/tires, you can see how skipping to a different position on the track jogs the video and syncs all laps up)


An even better example – this is a 3.8GT3RS driven by Andy Lally on R7s at TWS (purple), next to my best ever lap in grey-black version of the same car on Pirelli DH (Red), and my GT4 with R7s (blue). Wild…consider this for a second. I can see data overlaying on video, I can see velocity traces, acceleration, brake/throttle – and see exactly where the differences are, down to inch precision on the track. And I can interact with it, diving into specific channels of data, or segments of the lap. That gets me excited, and is why I moved to VBOX away from my AIM setup. (GT4 data has a broken brake channel, I was debugging the scene...)


When I say easy…here is what you need to do to start looking at VBOX data.

1. Drive like a demon
2. Park the car
3. Pull the SD card out
4. Put it in your PC/Mac
5. Open Circuit Tools
6. Transfer data (1min, even with HD2)
7. Pick a session
8. Boom, you are looking at the fastest lap, with video and data all on the screen at once.
9. Select another lap to compare
10. Boom, you are looking at side by side video, and data traces.
11. And this will get even easier once you can download over Wifi (though slower I’d guess)

The downer for AIM users is that the best AIM has is only able to let you jog through video by lap. You can’t compare laps side by side by track position, you can’t sync to data – it’s still not integrated. It’s a video player app, separate from a data analysis app.

AIM’s data analysis app, Race Studio, is great - but limited to data only.


This is a screenshot of the AIM video player – you can select individual laps, but you can’t compare side by side by position, and no other data…it’s a different app than data analysis.



HD2 Improvements at a Glance:
OK, so on to the HD2. What’s new? I’m comparing the HD2 to the DVD quality VBOX Pro and Lite units. I never got a chance to play with the HD unit that came out last year.

• High-res Real-time graphic overlays. The prior HD model did not do this. (VBOX Lite and Pro have been doing this while, but the detail is limited when rendering on interleaved DVD quality video)
• Hardware is now comparable in quality to, actually I’d say it finally surpasses, AIM. The main unit feels like a solid billet of aluminum (it's extruded), and all the connections are Lemo (used in F1) like the old Pro units.
• Video quality is a massive step up. You jump from the old DVD quality to full 1080p30 (I think it’s 30fps) or 720p50, on two cameras.
• Field of View (FOV) is much wider – more like what you see from the car with your eyes.
• Wireless features, such as an iphone app that lets you preview video to help test your CAN integration or camera aiming, and a bluetooth based start/stop button. They also have a wireless ODB2 interface coming.

HD2 and Lite installed in a GT4 - Ready to go.

ShakeNBake

Hardware:
The HD2 hardware is similar in configuration to the PRO and Lite. There is a central unit, 2 Cameras, a GPS receiver, and an OLED display for showing the driver data while driving.

HD2 From Racelogic's Website:


Vbox Lite from Racelogic's Website:


The quality of the HD2 is even better than the old Pro units. Lemo connectors, thicker wires, and heft. It feels like it’s a solid heatsink. The VBOX Lite in comparison feels like a video game cartridge with SVHS connectors – but it does the job fine.

HD2 Lemo Connectors


The HD2’s dimensions are larger than the Lite and Pro. It’s also much heavier, which makes mounting it more difficult than the VBOX Lite.


The cameras are waterproof, and unlike the the cameras on my VBOX Lite, they do not have an integrated ¼” interface. The mount is a saddle-like interface that uses a rubber ring to secure the camera. It seems to work really well, and is easier to deal with than the old bullet-cam’s ¼” UNC interface.



Install:

Outline of HD2 Components and Interfaces, from Racelogic's website



The install is identical to the VBOX lite and pro. There are two points of integration with the car.

1. 12v fused power, which you can hardwire into a switched circuit, or use a cigarette lighter connector. It was easy in the RS/GT4
2. CAN Hi/Low. You can hardwire this or use an inductive interface, at various access points in the car. There is a CAN twisted pair in the fuse box area, center cash, and near the ECU. Probably other places, but those are the popular tie in points in Porsches. Theoretically you can get a CAN connection via the OBDII connector, and soon wireless on the HD2, but it’s been troublesome on the AIM systems, so I don’t think current or previous gen Porsches will work with the OBD2 connector. I would love to be proved wrong, since it would remove the most difficult part of the install.

Inductive CAN interface is less intrusive (All VBOX system can use it)


There are 5 components that need to be located and wired back to the main unit.

• Forward looking camera – hard mount to rollbar or with supplied suction cup window mount. I mounted mine in the window.
• Rear or driver facing camera - hard mount to rollbar or with supplied suction cup window mount.
• GPS Receiver – Magnetic, and should be on the outside of the car for best results. It will work stuck to the roll bar, but along COTA’s front straight, sometimes there are dropout issues.
• Mic (I zip tied to OLED display)
• OLED display- supplied suction cup window mount.

That might sound like a lot, but I was able to install the HD2 in less than an hour, with a CAN integration. Now, to do a good job of cable routing/hiding, it might take 2-4 hours. I could see a coach swapping between cars in 30min. Aiming the cameras is trivial now with the Wifi iphone app that streams live video.

You don’t have to calibrate accelerometers. VBOX gets acceleration from GPS velocity vs. time data.

Setup:

To configure the system, you first create a “Scene”. A scene contains the graphic overlay design, the CAN configuration, math channel configuration, and recording options. The VBOX setup software has been completely rewritten for the HD2. The interface is cleaner, and easier to use in my opinion. As before, you can create your dashboard and connect the graphics to GPS derived data, math channels, or CAN channels like brake, rpm, steering, and throttle. The HD2 has 32 CAN channels, which is, for all intents and purposes, infinite, compared the the 4 channels in my VBOX Lite. There are many pre-drawn dashboards and components to choose from. You can draw your own in illustrator or coreldraw and import. It’s likely that whomever you buy it from will take care of this part. I put together some vector graphics for the GT4 using CorelDraw and Autocad, which you can see later in the Quality section. Since my graphics are vector based, it was easy to scale them up for the HD2.

Once you have the setup you want, you download it to an SD card, and insert into the main unit. On the HD2, you can see the updated setup right away using your iphone connected to the HD2’s Wifi. On the older units you needed to use a laptop and a USB cable. It was very clunky in comparison to the wireless iphone feature.

VBOX Video Setup app for the HD2 (totally new)


GT4 Scene

ShakeNBake

On Track Use:

The HD2 is identical on the track to prior gen units. You can configure it to startup automatically when at a recognised track and traveling over a certain speed, which makes it set and forget. The OLED display has the exact same functions as on the PRO and Lite units. You can see:

• Lap number
• Lap time
• Predictive lap time,
• Velocity
• Best Lap time
• Lap time history

This is where the VBOX starts to reveal it’s intended use cases. The AIM dashboards are a whole different animal and are meant to replace the dash in a racecar. I would not be surprised if you could watch Netflix on the new color LCD AIM dashboards.


OLED Display is the same unit as the OLED option for the VBOX pro. There are three options, a plastic or a metal unit (more expensive), or a metal unit than can act as a standalone laptimer.


OLED Display configuration options



Viewing Data on your Laptop:

The HD2, again, is identical to the Lite and Pro units. You pull the SD card out, insert in your laptop, and load “circuit tools”, and follow the simple instructions. Within 1 minute you are looking at video and detailed multi-channel data.

One point to note is that the HD2 files are about 3-5x larger than the old DVD quality files. VBOX Lite DVD quality files for a 20min session were about 800MB. Files are about 4GB for the HD2 on the high quality setting for the same session. For me, the problem is that my MacbookPro only has a 512GB SSD drive, and this is going to put pressure on my ability to carelessly store all of my data. You can adjust the quality of the HD2 video to reduce the file size, but it’s still a lot larger than the old DVD quality files sizes.

ShakeNBake

Image Quality:

The HD2 is clearly on a whole different level. The resolution, shutter speed, and color rendition are far, far superior. HD2 is true 1080p, with TWO cameras at full resolution. It can even do 720p at a higher framerate I hear, which is a killer feature. AIM’s best HD is 720p30fps, and with single camera.

Here is an example side by side of my VBOX Lite and the HD2 for the same lap at COTA. I have to point that this is a 480i vs a 1080p video, in Racelogic's Circuit Tools, side by side, synced to data, playing back......like the honeybadger it does not care, it just works. You can immediately see the HD2 video is better, smoother, and has higher contrast.

Side-by-side

Full Screen HD2

Full Screen HD2 in the sun


Aim HD in the Sun – similar quality, but you can see the rolling shutter warp every once in awhile. You can’t see it in the youtube video, but its apparent in the raw MOV files.

When you look at still frames, you can really see the improvement.

DVD VBOX Lite Full frame


HD2 Full Frame


VBOX Lite Sunlight Full Frame


HD2 Bright Sunlight Full Frame


AIM HD Smartycam GP Full Frame


Zoom-in of VBOX Lite Dash graphics


Zoom-in of HD2 Dash graphics


Zoom in of VBOX Lite track detail


Zoom in of HD2 track detail (I took this from the same data point as above, but the field of view on the HD2 is such that the car was smaller)


Zoom in of Aim HD track detail (car was similar distance away in the video)




Field of View:

The field of view is much wider in the HD2. Here is a how much of the image the VBOX Lite is capturing with its camera positioned in virtually the same place on the window.



Audio Quality:

It seemed like the HD2 has better audio than my Lite, but it’s close. I had some audio sync and dropout issues that racelogic is looking into. Mounted by the OLED displays, the mic is sensitive enough that it can pick up passenger/driver speaking without much trouble.

GPS Accuracy:

Racelogic has an automotive division that has perfected the use of GPS for measurement, and the VBOX inherits this knowhow. The VBOX has the most accurate position data I’ve seen across the various systems out there. There is no drift. You can compare data that is years apart, from different installs, drivers, cars, etc….overlayed onto satellite imagery, and it’s exactly right. It’s the first system I’ve used where you can actually use position data to compare lines through corners without pulling your hair out – across users and time. The HD2 delivered on this expectation. I could look at HD2 position data along side my VBOX Lite data and see the slight different lines in the GT4 I was experimenting with though T4 and T5, relative to data I had from a year ago in the RS. AIM is getting better with their software position correction, but I still see friends struggling to use GPS data for analyzing their lines

A close up of the Circuit Tools GPS position overlay on the COTA track map.



Here is a series of exported laps overlayed onto google earth. Spot on (look close).

ShakeNBake

Summary:

The HD2 is impressive. Racelogic has in my opinion the best system you can buy right now….or buy soon. It is the easiest system out there, by far, and has highest quality in terms of software, video quality, and hardware. It reminds me a lot of how apple products (used to be), it just works, no messing around – anyone can make this work. Your triumph will that you will become a better drive rather than just surviving the frustrating process of getting the various data sources off the system and onto your laptop, or installing the latest firmware. (Dig: I think every single person I have talk to, helped, or walked into a conversation with, for some reason mentioned firmware when talking about their AIM system. I know I must have updated my SoloDL and SmartycamGP 5 or 6 times over the course of two years of ownership.)

For VBOX Lite and pro users, the wireless preview is very nice, quality is obviously an improvement. I’ve had a few times where I wish I was able to see more detail to sate my voyeuristic curiosity. For Lite users with 4 measly CAN channels the HD2 has seemingly unlimited 32 CAN channels. Honestly, beyond that, for current VBOX users, as a tool for instruction, I can’t argue that the quality of video gives it a big advantage. The Pro and Lite products are still extremely good. The Pro unit with 4 cameras is the better learning tool in my opinion, because you can place cameras on the driver, the foot well, etc. For a coach moving the system between cars, the wireless preview on the HD2 is a killer feature though.

Epilogue - Many folks have mentioned to me that they have an AIM system because their circle of track companions have AIM systems. It's invaluable to have comparison data, so this is a big factor in making a decision in a system - however, IMO without syncing data to video, there is only so far that will get you. I know when I was looking for a new system a few years ago, VBOX was not even mentioned to me by someone who sold both. It was not until I saw a friend working with Andy Lally and data that the lightbulb went offt. Racelogic has a couple other entry points at a lower price that get you the GPS data, not to mention that Porsche's own data system can also share GPS data files with Racelogic software. The lack of a large installed base is a bit of a failure that I'll throw back to Racelogic, but they have excellent support from the factory, and care very deeply about motorsports.

Nur93

Thanks For a great post, very much like this new hd2. And I am sure I will order it even its quite a few dollars.

Only thing I dont like with these cameras is they can't handle to be put far back in car. Sure i will have 2 cameras and then no problem as on in front windscreen and on side angle to driver. But lets say I only buy on camera, and I want to mount it behind me to also get my driver input on film. Well them raclogics cameras have a hard time to adjust to this and you can hardly see track in front due to that focus thing. If you mount camera way in to car it is not sure you even get anything than a blurry white surface outside cars(hence you dont see road)

FergusH

Are you talking about autoexposure problems, where the inside of the car looks ok but the outside is too bright? If so, Racelogic say they are going to fix this. I actually asked them about it back in January when - ironically! - I noticed that one of your videos on YouTube is too bright on the outside. They replied and said this:

"The VBOX Video HD2 is designed to have smart metering available through the iOS/Android preview app. Once the camera is installed, you can draw on the screen the section you want to see best, and the camera will adjust its exposure to keep that section exposed properly."

They said this feature wouldn't be available at release time (it's not: I got my HD2 yesterday) but it does seem like something they are going to do. I decided to get a two camera system anyway.

Nur93

Thanks Fergus. Yes thats it, I guess it will bee a fix futher on then as you say(softweare?) No need to buy new camera then?

Matt Romanowski

Great review. I can't wait to see the rest.

The only thing I would correct is that the cases are aluminum extrusion, not billet. Still very tough and durable.

ProCoach

Bravo, ShakeNBake!

What a superb and comprehensive review of this great new technology!

Rennlisters benefit tremendously from exactly this sort of information. Nuggets and whole meals you, TexasRS and now FergusH are feeding to people who want and need this information to drive quicker, better and safer.

The struggle continues to be for most, when considering adopting or upgrading their "driver optimization tech," to strike and maintain a better balance between the "geekiness" and time-intensive work of the more powerful, configurable systems and the ease of use and access to IMMEDIATE clues on where (and most importantly HOW) to go faster. The VBOX Video HD2 is really making it easy to do the latter, and at VERY high quality.

Let's face it, while there are many folks who have AiM, MoTeC and other mid-level to pro level display/loggers, there are few that even scratch the surface of what some of these systems are truly capable. While I have some hardcore folks who have multiple systems in their cars, and some people even hold off buying a system because they don't want to feel "roped in" to a particular package or approach, what EVERYONE needs is a maintenance-free, automated, quick, and with between-session analysis capability of picking two, MAYBE three things MAX to work on the next session.

Video is STILL king. Perhaps the most valuable post-session process is simply watching your two or three fastest laps (in order from fast to less fast) and WATCH for where your actual performance varies MOST from what you remember yourself doing. Where that diversion is most pronounced is where you work on next!

The video reviewed this way MUST have integrated and embedded (for simplicity's sake, as well as being truly plug-n-play) information ON it so you can see g's, speeds, track position, lap times (to identify target performances in a gross way) and can benefit from additional info like RPM, throttle and brake, though the latter set of information is certainly not required. While some others add this info after the fact, only the AiM SmartyCam HD (when connected to a logger or accessories) and the VBOX Video HD2 (standalone) do this.

I started selling and using Video VBOX products in December of 2010, right after the release of the VBOX Lite. Nigel and Nikki were and are great emissaries for Julian Thomas and his company and really made a compelling case for the ease of use and the side-by-side, JUSTIFIED TO A GPS POSITION, comparison between two or more laps/drivers/cars. Much of my success pushing this tech forward is due to the unique way Racelogic (makers of VBOX Video HD2) approached this issue of "most effective video coaching" and the way I and many others have adopted this methodology to help others help themselves.

The great benefit of this, in one word, is accessibility. No one NEEDS a coach, but drivers CAN learn to coach THEMSELVES. By doing so, the tools used to do this make trends quickly identifiable and action plans forward clear (with a little education, first ). There are many choices, but a few that stand out, and this is one of them.

As a large US dealer, I have waited more than THREE years from the time this initial concept was mooted to less than a month ago when the final release of the hardware became available. It's REALLY exciting, and ShakeNBake's review fires me up even more!

A few things from my skimming of posts so far (as of 7/6/16):

1) Racelogic has a new release (1.2.8, released this week) of Circuit Tools 2 now compatible with the HD2 for OS X. You can use this to cut out a lap for upload or reference and it's a very good native app. No longer are Apple users stuck using Windows under Boot Camp and/or emulators like VMWare or Parallels to quickly analyze, compare or export specific laps for upload.

2) Scene (background elements, or gauges, bars and other indicators in the video) creation is NOT for the faint of heart. ShakeNBake makes it sound easy, and it is if you have done it as much as he has, but the best way forward is to first run the system with the default loaded scene and get your bearings, then begin to experiment.

IF you're a 981 GT4 owner and you have or want a CAN connection, I recommend that you PayPal ShakeNBake a shareware contribution for a specific, ready-made and done scene for your CAN enabled modern car. Older cars? Just use it standalone, there's plenty of info there.

3) On the camera issue, the purpose of the two camera system is to overcome the overexposure issue of a camera in a dark place being "blown out" (white out) by exterior views IN the field of view.

a) I recommend ONLY, with THIS system, placing the forward facing camera as high and centrally as possible inside the front windshield facing forward and centrally aimed. Make sure it is 20 degrees plus DOWN from horizontal, otherwise you will get absolutely beautiful view of the sky! You want both front edges of the car and their relation to the edge of the track.

b) I recommend ONLY, with THIS system, placing the cockpit cam as high in the top right corner (for an LHD car) of the windshield facing down towards the driver to capture head, hands, legs, knees and not much of what is outside the driver's side window. LEVEL this camera with the door sill horizontally.

The cameras are 166 degrees field of view, a bit wide for my taste, but an element of the new iOS app for aiming will be a "cropping" tool, to get rid of the areas of the video that you don't want or need.

4) CAN addressing and protocols (.ref files) are still hit and miss for this system. Certainly for specific cars, folks like Grady Willingham have developed an excellent 997 GT3RS protocol, I have a wonderful C6 Corvette protocol from Racelogic, ShakeNBake has developed a 981 GT4 protocol, etcetera, but this system is NOT NEAR as friendly as AiM to harvest CAN information and channels from. Inquire first.

In closing, this system has been very, very popular and well received. I've sold all nine of my original stock (FergusH, patient man that he is, got the FIRST one and ShakeNBake got my original tenth for his demo!) and will have more in a week to ten days.

After years of not stocking more than one VBOX device, I am now confident enough to order a dozen at a time, because I KNOW this is the answer many folks are looking for and the balance that a lot of drivers CAN USE between power and ease-of-use.

Thank you, JCL! (ShakeNBake)

To answer the inevitable questions, the Racelogic USA and authorized dealer price list (from me) is as follows:

RLVBVDHD2-2: 2-camera system with mounts, mic, antenna and accessories $2795 USD

RLVBVDHD2DSP: 2-camera system with mounts, mic, antenna and accessories, PLUS black splash proof aluminum/ABS housing OLED display $3145 USD

Common accessories include:

RLCAB015L (2-meter length) is the unterminated power/data cable for HD2. $80

If you are also using the OLED display, you will need the new RLCAB081 cable.

One end plugs into the CAN/serial port on the back of the HD2 and splits out into two Lemos marked CAN on one and serial on the other. (12" long) $150

I stock or can ship anywhere in the CONUS and provide unparalleled support. Email me via my profile or send me a PM. Thank you again, JCL!

jlanka

Wow, looks like a nice system. I'd love to get one, but I'm invested in an AIM for the SPB. I also have a Racekeeper in the GT3. But who knows? Might end up getting it anyway

ProCoach

The major reason I sell, support and use myself nearly every weekend all of these brands mentioned is because each of them does several things well, and some a few things better than the others.

The technology has now matured enough so that there is an HD option for your iPhone or Android device all the way up to MoTeC's VCS-HD, but the sweet spot for most is ease of use.

How easily can you get information that will help you, as a driver, make intelligent decisions?

Out of all them, this system (and it's standard definition predecessor) is what I have found to be the easiest to get that information. As ShakeNBake pointed out, he's been through a bunch of 'em, and found this to be true, also.

Does it mean folks who have something that works well for them should jettison their current solution for this? Probably not, and I don't recommend that. Ever.

OTOH, if folks are NOT getting what they need out of their current system, or are investigating new systems and willing to make the investment in a system that's ease of use, ESPECIALLY IN THE ANALYSIS AREA, is unparalleled, then this the ticket.

I have even sold these to IMSA and other pro teams, expressly because they can get what they need, FOR THE DRIVERS, quicker than from what they have in the car! Now, they need what they have in the car to stay there, but this is worth the add-on to them...

ShakeNBake pointed out the best criteria for use and/or potential purchase when he wrote:

"I will concede right now, for all of you fellow AIM users, that AIM has the best solutions for racecars. Their LCD dashes, detailed analysis, sensor integration, and large-scale approach to data analysis are bred on the race track for both amateurs and pro teams alike.

There are lots of different use cases for data analysis, and to date, you still need to buy the right weapon for the task – there is still not a do-it-all solution.

So again, we’re talking about driving instruction here, dialed more towards the HPDE’er or the race coach, not the race team dialing in suspension."

All good stuff. This technology has transformed and immeasurably enhanced our evaluation, learning moving forward in our performance as drivers over the last five years!

I'm always glad to talk more about it via email, text or phone. Thanks to ShakeNBake for this terrific review.

Spyerx

Nice job, but how good are the YouTube videos you an upload directly from the camera system? :-) Kidding... Kinda. Lol

After using the AIM setup SmartyHD/SoloDL for a couple years now, I've become very adapt at the data analysis side and often end up in the pits looking at others data with them. On my Mac I can easily play 2 videos side by side at the same time with synchronized start, and see the data on the video, getting other data elements is obviously more challenging. So it's sort of a hackish way to do the video thing the AIM software sucks at.

So the side by side video analysis WITH the data seems to be the systems strong point. That looks awesome.

However, the dash, I really like the Solo being able to display multiple elements at the same time with no pressing to cycle between views - for example last lap, best lap, running lap, predictive lap, +/- differential, whatever. That seems to be a weakness in the RL system.

So, post run win = RL
on track win = AIM

Question for you Shake: Do you miss the realtime data you get from the AIM while on track? Or do you find the lack of distraction a BENEFIT???

I don't know anyone using this system here in SoCal, most seem to run AIM, Trackmate, or Motec. Would be cool to see it live, video right out of the unit, and the software tools.

FergusH

Good! It's incredibly simple: when you're done with your session, just take out the SD card and put it in your computer. Each time the HD2 has started recording (based on movement), there will be a .mp4 video file and an associated .vbo data file. The video file is 1920 x 1024 at 30 frames per second. (Racelogic say they'll be adding a 60 fps option via a software upgrade.) If you open the .vbo file in Circuit Tools, it will automatically open the video too. But, to your question, the .mp4 video file already has the data overlaid; there's nothing you need to do other than upload the file to YouTube.

Yeah, that was my main reason for buying the HD2: any side-by-side video comparison with other solutions was just too time consuming, to the point that I just didn't do it enough.


With the HD2, you can see: live speed, maximum speed, lap timing, lap count (total and current) and predictive lap timing. Here's the details from Racelogic's OLED manual. You can only see one thing at a time and there are buttons on the side of the OLED to switch modes. I'm a newbie (only driving on the track for a year) and so far, using my iPhone, I haven't wanted to look at a screen at all while driving. Perhaps the bigger, brighter OLED screen on the HD2 will change that but I don't think I'd want to see multiple things on the screen at once.

Well, it is brand new! You can play with Circuit Tools yourself: the software is free and you can find .vbo files on the Internet that over people have posted. I'm also happy to share files with you or do any tests you're interested in.

FergusH

No need for a new camera, is what I understand. I assume this change is just for the new HD2.