How do you select a Micro SD card for your Dashcam?

[RickyC]

I believe this is a very important selection to make your dashcam work well, especially when you move up to 2K or 4K dashcams.
Not sure you guys discussed this topic before or not.
I would like to create a new thread to discuss this in details.

I select Micro SD cards based on following criteria:
Writing Speed;
P/E(Program/Erase) cycle times
Working temperature;
Proof protections;
Pricing;
Warranty;
and more

As Hikvision makes our own Micro SD cards, I would like to share what I selected for our current 2k/4K Dashcams later.

 

[RickyC]

For Writing Speed, I just need a card with marks of UHS-I, U3 or V30 for Hikvision 2k/4k dashcams.
Class 10 is useless mark already.
So for 2k/4k dashcams, if you select Hikvision MicroSD cards, you have to start with 64GB/128GB to have UHS-I, U3 or V30.

I saw someone select a card with C10, U1 and "up to" 60MB/s for a 2K dashcam.
it will be not good for sure.

your thought?

 

[SawMaster]

I'm poor, so price matters. But I also understand that it's worth spending for good cards. Some cams are 'picky' about cards with only a few ones working well so my approach is to see what others have experienced with the same cam(s) I have using various cards and then I buy the biggest one(s) I can afford which have been reported to be good.

Phil

 

[RickyC]

I'm poor, so price matters. But I also understand that it's worth spending for good cards. Some cams are 'picky' about cards with only a few ones working well so my approach is to see what others have experienced with the same cam(s) I have using various cards and then I buy the biggest one(s) I can afford which have been reported to be good.

Phil

Pricing for sure will be important criteria.
Wondering if C$27 for 128GB, U3/V30, UHS-I, Micro SDXC, 500 P/E circle times, is good enough or not?
Ricky

 

[RickyC]

Why is P/E(Program/Erase) cycles an important spec of a MicroSD card?
"Micro SD cards are capable of a limited number of PE cycles because each cycle causes a small amount of physical damage to the medium. This damage accumulates over time, eventually rendering the device unusable. The number of PE cycles that a given device can sustain before problems become prohibitive varies with the type of technology. "

How long is the life expectancy of your card in your dashcam?
That will depend on its P/E cycles, capacity of the card, and how long your dashcam work every day.

Hikvision P1 Micro SD cards has 3000 P/E cycles;
Hikvision M1 Micro SD cards has 3000 P/E cycles;
Hikvision L2 Micro SD cards has 500 P/E cycles;

If I select a L2 64MB card for my F6S 1600P dashcam, assuming I drive my car 2 hours per day ( ignore the parking mode recording). A 64MB card stores 7.3 Hours video.
So 3.65 days is max recording days on this card.
with 500 time cycles, my card can work 500x3.65 days=3650 days, that is 5 years.

However, if my car is for commercial use and on the road for 16 hours per day, I can store only 0.45 days video on this 64GB card.
With 500 time cycles, my card can work 500x0.456 days=228 days or 0.62 year

If I use a 128GB card, it can store 14.6 hours video or 0.913 days of my car. With 500 time cycles, my card can work 500x0.913 days=456 days or 1.2 years
If I use a 256GB card, it can store 29.2 hours video or 1.825 days of my car. With 500 time cycles, my card can work 500x1.825 days=912.5 days or 2.5 years

If we use a better P1 or M1 card with 3000 P/E cycles, you will have 6 times longer life span now: 3.6 years (64GB), 7.2 years (128GB), 15 years ( 256GB)

Ok, What I wanted to say is that, for regular Dashcam users with average 1 hour or 2 hours driving time each day, low cost cards with 300-500 P/E cycles should be good enough;
But for commercial use dashcams with much longer daily driving time, you better select higher quality cards with 1500 or 3000 P/E cycles.

Hope you guys agree with my calculation.

Ricky

 

[kamkar]

As a guy on a pension price matter a lot too, but it is actually rare i buy the cheapest cards i can find ( locally in a trusted store )
Another thing i have focused a lot on lately is if the cards have warranty for in dashcam use ( or CCTV cameras ), this is actually just a few of the memory cards

I hope hikvisions memory cards are cheaper than Axis branded ones, those have some times almost blown me off my computer chair.

On average spread out over the week i drive 15 - 30 minutes daily, so my almost micro car do not get much exercise and they ( the tree huggers ) better not blame me for the world turning grey / black

 

[Nigel]

Ok, What I wanted to say is that, for regular Dashcam users with average 1 hour or 2 hours driving time each day, low cost cards with 300-500 P/E cycles should be good enough;
But for commercial use dashcams with much longer daily driving time, you better select higher quality cards with 1500 or 3000 P/E cycles.

Hope you guys agree with my calculation.

With a 3 channel dashcam set on high quality, a 128GB card tends to give about 8 hours, not 14.6, so I'm not sure about your calculations.

Also, with commercial use I would expect the card to be replaced regularly at service time so that it is guaranteed to always work, whereas for home use it tends to be forgotten about, until you have an accident 3 years after installation, at which point you find it hasn't been recording for the last 8 months!

So I do recommend getting a card with a good write cycle specification.

Some of the Samsung ones seem to have twice the lifetime specifications than other common brands.

Or you could go for an industrial grade card like the Viofo ones which are rated for 3000+ write cycles, and which also give very fast read speeds: https://www.viofo.com/en/accessorie...rance-mlc-memory-card-uhs-3-with-adapter.html

Clearly a 3000 write cycle card is going to last a lot longer than your 300 write cycle card. If it costs twice as much then that is really 80% cheaper in the long run! (If you, "agree with my calculation" ?)

 

[RickyC]

As a guy on a pension price matter a lot too, but it is actually rare i buy the cheapest cards i can find ( locally in a trusted store )
Another thing i have focused a lot on lately is if the cards have warranty for in dashcam use ( or CCTV cameras ), this is actually just a few of the memory cards

I hope hikvisions memory cards are cheaper than Axis branded ones, those have some times almost blown me off my computer chair.

On average spread out over the week i drive 15 - 30 minutes daily, so my almost micro car do not get much exercise and they ( the tree huggers ) better not blame me for the world turning grey / black

Thanks, @kamkar !
I don't think Axis really makes any cards.
We have our own factory manufacturing cards and SSD etc.

From my calculation, if you drive 1 hour daily, a card with 500 P/E circle will be good enough.
We do have a 300 P/E circle card: C1 cards. with much lower price tag.

Ricky

 

[RickyC]

With a 3 channel dashcam set on high quality, a 128GB card tends to give about 8 hours, not 14.6, so I'm not sure about your calculations.

Also, with commercial use I would expect the card to be replaced regularly at service time so that it is guaranteed to always work, whereas for home use it tends to be forgotten about, until you have an accident 3 years after installation, at which point you find it hasn't been recording for the last 8 months!

So I do recommend getting a card with a good write cycle specification.

Some of the Samsung ones seem to have twice the lifetime specifications than other common brands.

Or you could go for an industrial grade card like the Viofo ones which are rated for 3000+ write cycles, and which also give very fast read speeds: https://www.viofo.com/en/accessorie...rance-mlc-memory-card-uhs-3-with-adapter.html

Clearly a 3000 write cycle card is going to last a lot longer than your 300 write cycle card. If it costs twice as much then that is really 80% cheaper in the long run! (If you, "agree with my calculation" ?)

@Nigel How long can a 128GB card store recordings of your dashcam?
That depends on video bitrate of your dashcam at your selected resolution and frame rate as well as the capacity of your card.
This information should be given by the manufacturer.
For Hikvision F6S dashcam, if you do recording at 1600P 30fps, you can have following retention time on your different cards:



So 14.6 hours storage is only for F6S on 128GB cards recording at 1600P/30fps.
Our new 4K+1080P dashcam will come with 24+6Mb/s=30Mb/s bitrate, so it will get almost 8hours retention time on a 128GB card
Of course , When we do calculation we need to convert MB =Mb/8.

totally agree, It is nightmare for a dashcam owner or their installer to find out no recording available after a critical incident.
No matter it is the second week of the installation or 1 year after the installation.

Hikvision has different Micro SD cards with different P/E circle times: 300, 500, 1500, 3000.
Pricing difference can be 3 times- For 128GB , $12-14 to $36-40

Ricky

 

[Nigel]

@Nigel How long can a 128GB card store recordings of your dashcam?

Depends on which dashcam.

The Viofo A129 Pro 4K can record at 80Mb/s, so a lot more than your 30Mb/s. You can also set it to use lower bitrates with reduced quality, but most people who spend the extra for an A129 Pro do so to get the extra image and audio quality, so will be wearing the cards out at over twice the rate that your Hikvision does, and for them, the more expensive cards make sense.

I also have a Blueskysea B4K, but that uses a bitrate only a little more than yours, so the cheaper cards make more sense.

We do see posts from people asking how to recover video that was never recorded due to card faults though, and it is quite often on well used cards that have worn out, so I do recommend the longer life cards, and also cameras that are good at detecting and reporting card faults. Unfortunately faulty card detection doesn't seem perfect on any cameras!

Pricing difference can be 3 times- For 128GB , $12-14 to $36-40

If you get 10 times the card life for 3 times the price, then that is a good value card!

Not sure it actually works out that well very often, but the expensive cards are rarely poor value, especially if it results in you actually recording the incident you needed recorded instead of missing it!

Most people go with brand name cards that they are familiar with though, for example Sandisk, which are not particularly good value.

 

[RickyC]

The Viofo A129 Pro 4K can record at 80Mb/s, so a lot more than your 30Mb/s.

Don't you know the lower bitrate number means the better compression technology on this dashcam?
I don't believe the Viofo A129 Pro 4K has 80Mb/s bitrate, because if that is true, you will have to use V90 cards for their storage.
I could not find that data in their datasheet.

I am not surprised to see Hikvision Dashcams have lower bitrate as video compression technology is one of our advantages for many years.

f you get 10 times the card life for 3 times the price, then that is a good value card!

Yes, Hikvision P1 Mirco SD cards with 3000 P/E circles do have 10 times longer life span than a Micro SD card with 300 P/E circles .
In fact a Hikvision128GB P1 Micro SD card is only around $40. Not a good value card?

Ricky

 

[Kremmen]

Over the years I've seen many reports here of Sandisk problems and very few regarding Samsung.

My Samsung Evo Plus has been going strong and error free since about Oct 2018. But, on average, I'm only doing about 3 hours a week.

 

[Nigel]

I don't believe the Viofo A129 Pro 4K has 80Mb/s bitrate, because if that is true, you will have to use V90 cards for their storage.

V90 means 90 M Bytes per second, not M bits per second, so actually it is very happy with a V30, or even a good quality class 10.

Don't you know the lower bitrate number means the better compression technology on this dashcam?

That is not correct, even if many people say it is!

I am not surprised to see Hikvision Dashcams have lower bitrate as video compression technology is one of our advantages for many years.

I am not convinced, but I have never tested one of you cameras, so I will not judge the results...

 

[kamkar]

I have never tested 2 similar cameras head 2 head with different compressions used, it would be a interesting experiment,,,,, maybe i could do it with the T130 and A139

 

[Nigel]

I have never tested 2 similar cameras head 2 head with different compressions used, it would be a interesting experiment,,,,, maybe i could do it with the T130 and A139

Yes, possible, but those cameras use different bitrates depending on the compression codec, so you need to do some experimentation to identify if the differences are due to bitrate or due to codec.

If you are testing at high bitrates then you need to do it at speed under trees, preferably with their leaves on. Easier to see the differences at low bitrate settings.

 

[kamkar]

I did not want to compare the same bitrate in different codecs, they claim H.265 can do the same as H264 at a much lesser bitrate, that is what i would like to see, not if H.265 is that much better at the same bitrate.

Yeah would have to seek out a more challenging location to test, a open road with fields on either side would be useless, same probably too a road in town even if there are buildings on either side.
And i am not aware of any 70 kmh road here that is in between buildings, those larger roads are often a bit outside of the town, in my Birth town Aarhus the old O1 ring road have been eaten up by the town and though it do have houses on one side there are 3 lanes in each direction and a "large" center divider where in the old days there was bomb shelters, and the speed limit are also just 60 kmh now as i recall

The newer O2 ring road there, it is just 2 lanes in each direction, and it is flanked by 3 - 4 M tall noise barriers and no houses near it aside for some office buildings in a few places.

The main route 21 ( going to Viborg ) it is getting expanded ATM but only on the outer parts of it outside the O2 ring road, the parts that go almost to the center / downtown of Aarhus i remain will remain unchanged so a extra wide 1 lane in each direction.
And for good reason during rush hour route 21 / Viborg - road is a mess of traffic.

I have only experimented with H.265 on the mobius M2 back in the day, but never compared it to other cameras,,,,, and really the M2 wasent in my car much i got it for recording on our trips with the RC cars.

 

[RickyC]

V90 means 90 M Bytes per second, not M bits per second, so actually it is very happy with a V30, or even a good quality class 10.

Yes, I made mistake here. 80Mb/s needs 10MB/s speed cards.
But it is just average speed. You will need buffer for the peak.
For 4K + 1080P dashcams , still recommend at least V30 cards,


How about pricing and specification of this Hikvision 128GB M1 card?
3000P/E, 85MB/s Write Speed, V30 rating, TLC, UHS-I
US$19-26

Ricky

 

[Nigel]

Yes, I made mistake here. 80Mb/s needs 10MB/s speed cards.
But it is just average speed. You will need buffer for the peak.
For 4K + 1080P dashcams , still recommend at least V30 cards,

Dashcams record continuously, there should be no peak.

Yes, you need some buffering, and for dashcam use you need enough to be able to erase a load of files/cells and start some new files while still recording, without exceeding the buffers, which can be a problem with some cards, for example if they have a very slow erase function.

For 4K you need a card that exceeds the class 10 specification, but it doesn't need to be as fast as a V30 since dashcams do not have bitrates as high as GoPro or other high quality 4K 60 fps cameras, and also the recording is continuous, you don't get periods of very high data such as a GoPro running at 4K at 120fps.

The main problem for dashcams is that they never stop writing, so the card never gets a chance to do its erasing or wear leveling.

How about pricing and specification of this Hikvision 128GB M1 card?
3000P/E, 85MB/s Write Speed, V30 rating, TLC, UHS-I
US$19-26

Your attachment is about TLC Nand, which is normally not rated at 3000 P/E, but it doesn't give a P/E specification in the attachment.
I'm not sure I believe the 3000 P/E, so can't comment on the price!