The newest BlackSys dahscam, now with 2 x FHD, world premiere!

The CH-200 is the flagship 2 channel dash cam from the renowned Korean dash cam manufacturer BlackSys. It builds upon the success of the CH-100B by offering significant upgrades to the internals while keeping the body just as small and resilient in high heat environments. It is a market leader offering Full HD recording on both front and rear cameras with dual Sony EXMOR sensors, while most of its competitors still only offer 720P on the rear. Compared to its predecessor, the CH-100B, the CH-200 offers much better video quality at a higher bitrate as well, furthermore the transition to MP4 files makes it much more user-friendly for iPhone and Mac users. Additional features like driver safety systems, larger micro SD support, and time lapse recording are welcome upgrades as well.

The BlackSys CH-200 looks exactly the same as the CH-100B. What are the differences then?

The price point of the CH-100B was also fantastic as it would undercut other WiFi Full HD + HD 2-channel systems. Add to that a very sophisticated parking mode feature and it’s easy to understand why the BlackSys CH-100B is such a popular choice.

That being said, the 2-channel marketplace has evolved over the years since the CH-100B was first launched and there’s a few areas we felt the CH-100B could improve upon. Thankfully, with the launch of the new BlackSys CH-200, there are some significant upgrades that easily make it one of the best dash cams on the market. We’ll go through what has and hasn’t changed with this new model.

Video quality

With the addition of the Ambarella A12 Processor and dual Sony EXMOR CMOS sensors, the BlackSys CH-200 is now capable of Full HD + Full HD recording at a much higher bitrate than the outgoing CH-100B. During the day, the overall video quality looks a lot more refined with less graininess compared to the old model. At night, there’s no comparison at all particularly with the rear camera that can actually see through a fairly dark aftermarket tint. The ability to pick up license plates from further away distances and poorer lighting conditions has been improved significantly.

iOS and Mac compatibility

The old CH-100B recorded videos in a AVI file format, while most customers didn’t mind this too much, it did pose a bit of an inconvenience for iPhone users as they weren’t able to export saved videos into their photo gallery. With the new CH-200, files are now recorded in an MP4 file format which is more Mac and iOS friendly. This means that iPhone users can now download and share video files downloaded through WiFi without the need to transfer them onto a camera.

Time Lapse in Parking Mode

The CH-200 retains the ability to record in motion detection but adds the option to use time lapse mode. As the new device records in a higher resolution and bitrate, memory card space becomes a greater concern. Time lapse records video at one frame per second and reduces memory consumption significantly. It’s not a perfect solution as the low frame rate makes for choppier footage and the camera does not record audio in time lapse mode which may be useful for catching vandalism. Most users will still prefer motion detection mode but for those that park on a busy street where motion detection will be triggered nonstop, time lapse can come in handy.

ADAS features

ADAS stands for advanced driver assistance systems. The CH-200 has three of these alert systems which work through the speaker on the front camera and the green LED on the front unit.

• Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) which will alert the driver when the car drifts out of the lane. This system works when you drive over 65 km/h. When you depart the lane intentionally, the system will not warn.
• Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS) which will alert if the driver is approaching the car in front too quickly.
  
• Forward Vehicle Starting Alarm (FVSA) hich will alert if the car in front has left from a standstill such as when the traffic light turns green.
  

These features can be enabled, disabled, and configured to the user’s preference.

What hasn't changed

It’s also worth mentioning what’s stayed mostly the same with the CH-200 as the CH-100B was such a popular device. The successes with the CH-100B should be carried on over to the CH-200.

Design

The most obvious is that the design is essentially identical; this is great as it’s narrower and shorter than most other 2-channel parking mode dash cams. From the outside this camera is a lot more compact compared to other cameras as the bulk of the device extends into the cabin which keeps the frontal area small.

One nice thing about having the same design carried over, is that the wires and mounts are backwards compatible. This means that if you had an older CH-100B and wanted to upgrade, it's an easy switch! Note that the rear camera is not detachable from its mount and would then need to be completely replaced.

Memory Card Partitioning

Customizable memory card partitioning is one of the features that made the CH-100B one of the best parking mode devices available. Allocating more space to motion detection recording and event recording helps to protect those important parking mode files. Some of Blacksys’s competitors dedicate too much space for driving recording, while others don’t have memory card partitioning at all. This gives a big advantage to the CH-200 and is part of why it remains one of our most recommended parking mode dash cams.

Operating Temperature

Despite the higher powered processor and video sensors of the CH-200, the operating temperature remains at a high 70°C and 158°F. Over the thousands of CH-100B we have sold, we have yet to hear about any heat related issues thanks to the super-capacitor and high temperature cutoff which protects the device by shutting down in extreme temperatures.

Summary

We’re simply blown away with the upgrades made to the BlackSys CH-200 as it addresses all the gripes we had with the CH-100B. The video quality is significantly improved and the device offers even greater convenience than before thanks to the file format and ADAS features. Everything we loved about the CH-100B that set it apart from its competition remains as good as it’s ever been. We can’t help but to be excited about this device as despite all these improvements, the price point still undercuts other 2-channel dash cams by a significant amount, carrying on the BlackSys tradition.