Crisp images and washed out video.
Over the last few days, Battery Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell users have noticed a substantial change in image quality. Google just confirmed a big update arrived with the promise of brighter images and better video, but we’re seeing mixed results.
According to several users on the Google community forums, video quality is far worse than ever. Reports suggest images and videos are washed out, over-exposed, and don’t look very good. However, we’re also seeing the opposite, with owners on Reddit praising the change for image quality and improved brightness.
Google confirmed it rolled out an automatic software update this week for the battery-powered Nest Cam, Nest Doorbell, and more with improved HDR and other image quality enhancements. Here’s a sample image provided by Google and a few words on the change.
“High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging on Nest Cams makes it possible to see details even in environments that have both dark shadows and bright highlights. With HDR, the camera captures multiple exposures and combines them into a single optimized video frame to render a better dynamic range. For example, Nest Cam’s HDR helps you see important details, like an unfamiliar person standing on your front doorstep with bright sunlight shining behind them.”
It sounds like Google also worked hard to optimize hardware and software to work together for crisp images, even when zoomed in. That said, we’re still seeing a mixed response from owners. One owner on Reddit said a video with anyone wearing a white shirt is so washed out it’s almost blue, and shirts are glowing. We see similar complaints about washed-out trees, grass, faces, and more.
Most owners should be on the latest software, as it started rolling out earlier this week. So, if you noticed a substantial change to your Battery Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell, this is why. Hopefully, you’re seeing an improvement, and if not, Google will likely continue fine-tuning the software for the best results.
Source: Google
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