DashCam / SD card questions

Rebelious wrote in post #18053800
My family ordered a dirt-cheap Wintec 32 GB SDHC card thru the local Wal Mart ("site-to-store", meaning I go to the nearest store for pick-up) for $8 and change. So that should be good.

I have a question about these cards generally.

Let's say this cheap contraption captures some really interesting video that they want to keep and play back on the TV at a later date. Let's say instead of transferring the footage to a hard drive, they just take the card out of the device, replace the card with another one, and set the card containing the footage aside. Whenever they want to see the special footage, they simply pop the "old" card back into the device and connect the device to a TV for playback. In essence, the cards are being used like tiny VHS cassettes. Assuming the cards aren't being banged around alot, and assuming the device and the cards are typically stored in a cool, dry, dirt-free place, how long can the video footage survive on those cards? Do the cards have a measurable lifespan?

$8 for 32GB, you are looking at a TLC card, which isn't the best out there. At to how long the video footage can service on a TLC card that is store at room temperature. The property you are looking for is called "data retention". Take a popular TLC card like Sandisk Ultra, the guarantee spec from Sandisk is 2 year at 40C when it is new. At the end of endurance (about 100 cycles), it is 7 monthes at 40C. Now temperature change has a exponential effect on DR. 2yr at 40C is equivalent to 16yr at 25C.

For dash cam useage, I will say go with a MLC card like Sandisk Extreme. MLC usually have endurance of about 1000, DR spec at new is 10yr@55C, which equal to about 500yr at 25C.

This is an old thread, but I was hoping if anyone can reply to me. I don't want to create a duplicate topic. My question is which SD card is the best to use for a dash cam. I saw several names here: https://dashcamcar.com​/best-micro-sd-card/ , like Scan Disk, Samsung pro and Transcend. Then there is the talk about SD card endurance, what does it mean? Is 32GB enough for a dash cam? Thanks

gregoryryan wrote in post #18861269
This is an old thread, but I was hoping if anyone can reply to me. I don't want to create a duplicate topic. My question is which SD card is the best to use for a dash cam. I saw several names like Scan Disk, Samsung pro and Transcend. Then there is the talk about SD card endurance, what does it mean? Is 32GB enough for a dash cam? Thanks

https://carcamcentral.​com …sd-cards-for-dash-cameras

this should help, if you're looking for MicroSD

gregoryryan wrote in post #18861269
This is an old thread, but I was hoping if anyone can reply to me. I don't want to create a duplicate topic. My question is which SD card is the best to use for a dash cam. I saw several names like Scan Disk, Samsung pro and Transcend. Then there is the talk about SD card endurance, what does it mean? Is 32GB enough for a dash cam? Thanks

What brand and model dash cam? If yours can handle more than 32 GB, then with current prices I would suggest you go more than 32 GB. Memory is very inexpensive these days and headed downward. Now on the brands, I do not know of one called Scan disk, there is one called Sandisk and it is one of the popular and reliable brands. I suggest however that you don’t buy these cards online unless you know the source. Don’t buy from eBay, especially for the sake of saving a $1 or $2 over Best Buy. There are many versions of these cards from places that deal in counterfeits. Once you determine what you need and want, then buy from Best Buy, B&H or Adorama.

John from PA wrote in post #18861312
What brand and model dash cam? If yours can handle more than 32 GB, then with current prices I would suggest you go more than 32 GB. Memory is very inexpensive these days and headed downward. Now on the brands, I do not know of one called Scan disk, there is one called Sandisk and it is one of the popular and reliable brands. I suggest however that you don’t buy these cards online unless you know the source. Don’t buy from eBay, especially for the sake of saving a $1 or $2 over Best Buy. There are many versions of these cards from places that deal in counterfeits. Once you determine what you need and want, then buy from Best Buy, B&H or Adorama.

Thank you @smp_homer for the link.

The dash cam is blackvue DR550-GW 2CH. Thanks for the tip. I think I'll just walk to a shop and get one.

gregoryryan wrote in post #18861453
Thank you @smp_homer for the link.

The dash cam is blackvue DR550-GW 2CH. Thanks for the tip. I think I'll just walk to a shop and get one.

That device can use a 16 GB or 32 GB microSD card. The manual should you need it can be found at https://dashcamtalk.co​m …N_Ver.2.02_1307​24_WEB.pdf.

gregoryryan wrote in post #18861269
This is an old thread, but I was hoping if anyone can reply to me. I don't want to create a duplicate topic. My question is which SD card is the best to use for a dash cam. I saw several names like Scan Disk, Samsung pro and Transcend. Then there is the talk about SD card endurance, what does it mean? Is 32GB enough for a dash cam? Thanks

Get a good card. The last time I needed dash car cam footage the file was corrupt. Checking all other files on the card I found every 2nd file corrupt. That was 2016. At the time I did some research and found that the Lexar 633X MicroSd was the card used by most of the good dash cam manufacturers to test their cams. So I got a Blackvue cam and a Lexar 633X card. I got a 128GB. The bigger the card the less it is being overwritten obviously. It has proven reliable, I often remove card and do some checking, not every file but I have never found a corrupt file. Back when I got my cam and card there was only one high endurance card announced. One of the advantages of the high endurance is the claimed higher reliability when writing to a card near full capacity. In a dash cam, that is often most of the time. With my 128GB card if I wanted to be diligent I could remove the card every few weeks or format it in the cam to reduce the time the card is near 100% capacity. The smaller the card the more often that would need to be done.

Choderboy wrote in post #18861662
Get a good card. The last time I needed dash car cam footage the file was corrupt. Checking all other files on the card I found every 2nd file corrupt. That was 2016. At the time I did some research and found that the Lexar 633X MicroSd was the card used by most of the good dash cam manufacturers to test their cams. So I got a Blackvue cam and a Lexar 633X card. I got a 128GB. The bigger the card the less it is being overwritten obviously. It has proven reliable, I often remove card and do some checking, not every file but I have never found a corrupt file. Back when I got my cam and card there was only one high endurance card announced. One of the advantages of the high endurance is the claimed higher reliability when writing to a card near full capacity. In a dash cam, that is often most of the time. With my 128GB card if I wanted to be diligent I could remove the card every few weeks or format it in the cam to reduce the time the card is near 100% capacity. The smaller the card the more often that would need to be done.

The manual, see my reply #21 for link, seems to indicate that the device can only use a 16 or 32 GB card.

Bigger is better was my point, so 32GB would be my choice over 16GB.
Also pointing out why I spent more after having to pay insurance excess due to dash cam / card not being able to prove I was not at fault.

John from PA wrote in post #18861668
The manual, see my reply #21 for link, seems to indicate that the device can only use a 16 or 32 GB card.

I have a different make/model dash cam, but it too indicated 32 gigs was max size, I tested it with 64 and 128, and no problem. I wonder if the 32 is all they had at the time to test with

SMP_Homer wrote in post #18861713
I have a different make/model dash cam, but it too indicated 32 gigs was max size, I tested it with 64 and 128, and no problem. I wonder if the 32 is all they had at the time to test with

Define “no problem”. It is my understanding that if you format an oversize card in many dash cams, then remove the card and check it in a PC it is only using 32GB of the total space. This is primarily due to anything over 32GB needing exFat and that, although a standard, is proprietary to Microsoft and a licensing fee has to be paid by the device manufacturer. It is also entirely possible that the manufacturer of your device paid that fee and hence you have that capability.

Cam is definitely using all 128 gigs (and 64 gigs)
I have often pulled out the micro card out, and inserted it into the micro slot of my Surface Pro to retrieve stuff, often see it with little space left. Never found anything to be corrupt. I let the camera do all the file managing, and I never delete anything, with the exception of the camera has this thing where if it detects "impact" it does an emergency recording that will not be overwritten (it basically only puts the files in a diff folder). This "impact" is often just a pothole/speedbump, or me flipping the mirror up/down (is mounted to back of mirror). Once in a while, I clear out that folder because there's nothing really useful there.

As a side note... my wife backed into me once, enough to cause $3400 in damage to my front end, but the camera did not register that as impact.

Been using a Sandisk 64G High Endurance micro SDXC the last 2 years in the Viofo A119S. Check the card manufacturers warranty for dash cam usage. Many manufacturers will not warranty the card if it has been used in these types of recording devices. These cards are pretty reasonable for storage size even so..

I carry a spare as well. One of those scenarios that the card fails and a block from home something happens. Some stoopidity I've encountered and there is lots of that in So. Cal.

The driver of the Yukon crossed over the double yellow car pool lane when traffic on his side was stopped. (He was a single BTW.) Car pool was moving at about 35-40. He fled the scene. CHP visited him at his house 2 days later for a "discussion" back at their "office".

Blind bike rider to cross in front of oncoming traffic.

I have Anker Roav DashCam C1 dashcam's in both the wife's suv and my truck. They have worked almost everyday for a few hours and so far have never had to replace them. I am using Samsung 64GB 100MB/s (U3) MicroSDXC EVO Select Memory, I do reformat them once a quarter, just to be safe.