When did the price go up on the PDR100?

[Sal Marciano]

I've been considering purchasing one for about 1 year. I really couldn't find anything comparable besides BulletDVR that is quite close in specs to the PDR100.

Recently, I have found another flash based recorder that records at 10Mb/s, includes a rechargeable battery pack, IR remote, etc.

The PDR100 used to be $525. Are there any significant improvements that warrant price increase?

I plan on using it for mountain climbing and want the best possible video quality using a flash memory medium.

[RandallNoll]

Price changed to $595 about 8 months ago. Changes include:

--G-force module now standard (was $100 upgrade). This allows the unit to display g-forces on the screen as well as use the motion-activated auto-record.
--Auto-on. This allows the unit to power up when it senses an external 12v source. Coupled with the g-force module this allows completely automatic recording of an entire weekend of racing without pushing a button.
--Supercap option. This allows the unit to be powered by an external 12v source and continue running when power is lost, long enough to safely save the current recording and shut down.

So, we added what is probably $150 in options to the standard unit, and only increased price $70.

Regarding competing products, the story really hasn't changed in a few years. The vast majority of other DVRs are repackaged imports. We engineer and build all of our units ourselves, so we spec'd everything inside and out. While there are many reasons other recorders don't fit the needs of most of our customers, a few of the key ones are:

-Not rugged enough, causing them to break
--We're used on everything from F1 to weekend racers. We've been dropped out of airplanes and strapped to F-16s.

-When they do break, repairs are not a simple process
--If you need a repair/upgrade we do it in-house, often with 1-2 day turnarounds

-They claim good video quality
--We've been used on SPEED tv, Hollywood movies, Jay Leno's Garage, and others. Production crews use our equipment regularly in the studio and on location.

-They don't integrate with data acquisition
--We integrate with most popular race car data acquisition systems

--Some of the other features:
-2-channel internal microphone that can be 'mixed' with an external microphone
-Audio line-in capability as well as external mic capability
-Continually updated firmware that can be downloaded/updated in the field
-Recorder can be controlled by external data acquisition system
-More recorder and camera mounting options
-Better customer service and trackside support
-Upgradeable to 'R' specs with Deutsch Autosport connectors
-Expandable to 2 cameras

All in all we aren't trying to be everything to everyone, but we are continually working to provide you with the most rugged, feature rich video system you can buy along with customer support that will stay with you down the road.

Hope this helps you make a decision. As always, we can be reached directly for questions/support at sales@chasecam.com or 619-337-2300.

Thanks!