New to this - looking for general suggestions as well as questions about the DDai M6+

[Taylor7500]

First things first, am based in the UK if that makes a difference in terms of availability of various models.
So, I need a dashcam because we all know they're a good thing to have but don't really know the first thing about dashcams and what's out there and want to make sure I get the right one for me. Budget wise it needs to be below £100. I've already done a little digging and found this thread which recommended the DDPai M6+ so I have a couple of questions specific to that model but of course that's one thread so if there are better models available I'd like to hear about them. I think it's best if I give a general idea of the sort of thing I'm looking for then move to specific questions.

General Needs
So the absolute necessities are a jolt detection and ideally a manual remote button which will take video of what's going on and not risk overwriting it should I be driving for long enough afterwards to otherwise fill up the storage. That recording needs to be retroactive and also record what's happened for a time period before activating it (though I imagine that's fairly standard) for a reasonable enough time to ensure that all the relevant information is recorded. Video and sound quality need to be clear enough to get all the correct information but I'm not going to split hairs over whether it's 1080p or 2k or whatever so long as it's good enough when it's needed. The main thing though is that it needs to be relatively low-maintenance. This is also going to be used by my non-tech savvy family so if it's going to need to be taken out every 6 hours and have the video cleared before it'll happily start recording again then that's a dealbreaker.

In my mind the best setup would be something which records as you go, but as the storage fills up it automatically overwrites the old, incident-free footage I won't be needing anymore. In the event that there's an incident or there's a reason I want to manually start recording then that footage will be kept safe from overwriting for access afterwards. Passively low maintenance with little-to-no work needed until an incident comes and I need that footage.

DDPai M6+
So, I've looked at this model and it appears to tick most of my boxes, however I have a couple of questions about it and am wondering whether anyone more familiar with the model would be able to let me know.

• If the jolt detection happens, how far back does the recording save? Will it, for example, save the previous 5 minutes of driving or will it only start recording once things go wrong?
• I noticed in the original video I watched that the button recording will only record the 10 seconds before pressing the button. Has that since been updated or is it still just an 11 second clip?
• Does the camera overwrite old footage when the storage is filled or must that all be manually handled?
• If old footage is overwritten, is incident footage and manually-triggered footage kept safe from being overwritten?
• Simply put, is this model worthwhile?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[kamkar]

Normally and i think this is the case with the M6+ is that there are a short memory buffer but you only get a few seconds from before the triggering event.
There are also some that don't have this buffer and so as you can figure out they are really no good in some situations.
The latest fab is to deal in recording segments instead, so if you record in 3 minute segments, two 3 minute files will be saved, depending on actual place in current segment this can be current file + next one, or current file + previous one.
I am not sure what kind of parking mode exactly the M6+ use as i have never owned one.

Sounds like the M6+ have a 10 second pre-buffer also applying to the manual event button.

All dashcams should delete the oldest files when the memory card are full, on a 32 GB card you in general have 8 hours of footage ( from a single camera )

Event files triggered by G sensor or manual event button are saved in a Read Only ( RO ) folder, and so are protected from automatic deletion as part of camera recycling to make room for new stuff.
BUT ! some cameras now also do recycling of the RO folder if it are full,m in general this are not that big of a deal as the RO folder will have room for quite a few event files.
So only if your sensitivity are not set correct will your camera generate so many events while parked that RO folder recycling might be a issue ( uncommon )
And this recycling in RO folder are also on newer cameras, older cameras you can risk suffocating your memory card in RO files and so no room for regular recording files.

Not totally on top of the M6+ but i do think there are newer and better options out there in that price range.
The viofo cameras seem to be quite popular at the moment and have a enthusiast following making mods for them.

 

[Taylor7500]

The latest fab is to deal in recording segments instead, so if you record in 3 minute segments, two 3 minute files will be saved, depending on actual place in current segment this can be current file + next one, or current file + previous one.
I am not sure what kind of parking mode exactly the M6+ use as i have never owned one.


All dashcams should delete the oldest files when the memory card are full, on a 32 GB card you in general have 8 hours of footage ( from a single camera )

Event files triggered by G sensor or manual event button are saved in a Read Only ( RO ) folder, and so are protected from automatic deletion as part of camera recycling to make room for new stuff.
BUT ! some cameras now also do recycling of the RO folder if it are full,m in general this are not that big of a deal as the RO folder will have room for quite a few event files.

Not totally on top of the M6+ but i do think there are newer and better options out there in that price range.
The viofo cameras seem to be quite popular at the moment and have a enthusiast following making mods for them.

Based on the review I saw I think the M6+ does the same thing with three minute clips on auto but manual only gives you 11 seconds.

Shall need to look into making sure the read only folder isn't overwritten just to be safe.

Shall look into viofo, thanks for the advice.

 

[kamkar]

3 minute segment size are pretty normal for default settings nowadays, but most dashcams can do 1-3-5 minutes ( at least )