Hyundai Motor Group to equip its vehicles with imbedded black box

All new vehicles introduced by Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors will be equipped with a black box. Hyundai Motor Group announced Thursday that it will present a built-in vehicle blackbox dubbed Drive Video Record System (DVRS) with its vehicles starting with the eighth generation Sonata sedan, which is to be released next month.

DVRS, which can be paired to the indoor screens and smartphones, is differentiated from the existing products designed to save videos only. Hyundai's new DVRS boasts a set of additional features such as high-definition recording in front and rear sides, recording during parking, shocking sensors, imbedded memories and smartphone pairing as well as video editing.

“According to our market survey, many consumers wanted the video recording function, often called the black box, to be a basic option for their purchase, so we’ve developed an imbedded black box or a next-generation DVRS for potential customers,” said an official from Hyundai Motor Group.

The new technology harnesses a 32GB-storage device for a default, allowing for three-hour consecutive recording and 10-hour recording on parking mode (with supplementary batteries on). Endurance has been reinforced to enable recordings in cold winter snaps or scorching summer heat.

Stored video files can be played, edited, or even deleted on indoor displays or smartphones. Users can share the videos or captured images with other through smartphone apps or social media network services. In particular, the DVRS technology offers a Time Lapse function, which summarizes long-term videos or images into a shorter version for a set of varied image applications.

Some experts concern that if Hyundai Motor Group, which takes up more than 70 percent of market share in South Korea, releases their products with black boxes equipped with, it will inevitable have a considerable impact on local manufacturers of navigation systems or Hi-pass devices.


bjk@donga.com