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My friend recently bought a 2017 Z06 and we were both at Sebring a couple weeks ago. After sharing PDR footage it was clear that the 2017 PDR has some nice improvements over my 2016. First, the video quality was much better. I also noticed the brake force indicator uses the entire 5 bars. I brake harder and later than him and mine never goes over 2 of the 5 bars. GM/Cosworth also added a bit more information about the vehicle mode in the overlay.
HOLY crap, you weren't kidding bro. It's like watching a video game with that better resolution. I mean look at that thumbnail above. Incredible. Thank you for posting it. I swear, this better be a simple software update for the rest of us!!! Heck, I'd even pay to have the camera/lens upgraded!
That is nice. Wonder what it takes to get that update? I had my 15 Z PDR software updated in September and I lost some visual clarity along with a fair amount of low light sensitivity. I took a couple of videos after the update and there were sections of the track that were in shadows where the cars in front of me aren't visible except when they hit their brakes.
Since the PDR equipment lives in the windshield cluster by the rear view mirror, it wouldn't be that difficult to swap out camera modules if this is a hardware change.
I do think time of day and lighting have a large impact on perceived quality
There's the man who gets it. The cameras are still 720p, so there's no resolution change. There might be different processing done in software to make the colors pop a bit more, but I'm guessing lighting has more to do with it.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared)
C3 of Year Winner (track prepared) 2019
Originally Posted by jvp
There's the man who gets it. The cameras are still 720p, so there's no resolution change. There might be different processing done in software to make the colors pop a bit more, but I'm guessing lighting has more to do with it.
I deleted my comment as there was certainly a difference between the two shown in the video, but do agree with that last part you quoted, the video quality varies greatly depending on lighting conditions. I still maintain that the difference between the 17 example and my latest video on my 2016, is minimal at best with very similar resolutions.
Last edited by fleming23; Feb 1, 2017 at 08:59 AM.
Great editing... just as I was thinking that I would like to have a reverse camera angle as you pass the Porsche you flip to your buddies PDR. I used to work in post production in my youth.
Also, great camera comparison since both cars are under the same exact circumstances at the same time. Other than something on the glass that could alter the image clarity it certainly seems they've figured something out.
Now if the reverse camera could only look as good as my friends Honda,lol.
great camera comparison since both cars are under the same exact circumstances at the same time.
Thanks. And you're exactly right. Same time of day and situations. The 2017 is dramatically more clear and colorful. For everyone that didn't pick up on it, there is a video transition from one car to the other just after I pass the Porsche.
First couple minutes is my car. Then it's from the 2017. Night and day difference and my 2016 was built in May of 2016.
A tech had to adjust the cover of the PDR to prevent the corners on the screen from getting blury. Seemed to be common on a bunch. Not sure if 2016 fixed this problem
I have just dropped off my 2016 Z06 for a leak in the trans and a PDR update. My service advisor believes there is an update for the earlier cars. I took a picture of the software version to verify that they update it and I'll report back if the resolution is better with the new software. While lighting makes a difference, the video quality in the 2017 is much better.
Last edited by LagunaSecaZ06; Feb 1, 2017 at 09:59 PM.
There's the man who gets it. The cameras are still 720p, so there's no resolution change. There might be different processing done in software to make the colors pop a bit more, but I'm guessing lighting has more to do with it.
The hardware may not have changed. That doesn't mean the software hasn't been improved to make better use of the hardware resolution. 720P should provide better resolution than what I am seeing in my videos. The ones taken by the 2017 are much crisper than the ones my PDR takes and it does much better adjusting to shadows than mine does.
So how do we find out if there is a software update?...
It sure looks like a bit of difference in the software - the PTM mode is displayed under the RPM display for the 2017, whereas the mode in the older PDRs like in my 2016 is above the RPM.
I guess that could be in the hardware firmware, but even that should be able to be upgraded in the older model year cars.
Updated my PDR software today. 2016 Z06. TIS shows an update 17-NA-013 for the PDR software. Unclear what year it is for. It did updated my car. The version is below. I did not check the previous version. If someone can check a 2017 PDR version for comparison.
2017 PDR changes
