Slow start - From when does dashcam start recording when hardwired or plugged in?

[Stratus]

I've just gotten 2 x DR750X-2CH Plus cams for my wife's and my car. This is my third dash cam and 2nd being dual channel. The previous ones were amongst the cheapest on the market (like A$50 to A$80). The first (about 8 years ago) was ultra-reliable but died when I accidentally caused it to short circuit. The second was a dual channel model and lasted about 3 years though the rear channel died within a few months (seemed to be a software issue which could not be resolved). The front also became less reliable as time went on and accessing the settings had always been frustrating. It also kept draining the battery despite having a cutoff. Following that I just used my phone to record which is ultra reliable but doesn't have the wider angle and isn't as practical.

This time I decided to try a top end dashcam for various reasons including confirmed reliability. Very early days but so far everything is very good and importantly settings are easily accessible.

Surprisingly however it takes a very long time to start recording - 24 seconds from when the ignition key is turned to when the the voice announces recording. This is with the cams plugged into the cigarette lighter as I have yet to hardwire. My previous cams started recording within a couple of seconds and in this regard the recordings would show my leaving my car space confirming the quick start. With Blackvue I'm well down the road before anything is recorded.

Is this a standard length of time for the Blackvue to start recording? It seems inordinately slow.

Once hardwired and with parking mode enabled can I expect there to be a seemless change from parking mode to driving mode (ie without a gap of 24 seconds missing)? Otherwise can I expect a faster start up in driving mode when hardwired?

 

[Ralph2]

No.. you will have a noticeable gap as it goes into parking mode. This evidently is by design giving you time to close doors etc that do not trigger events. At least this is how it is on my DR900x-Plus. Never did time how long it takes before recording.

 

[rcg530]

No.. you will have a noticeable gap as it goes into parking mode. This evidently is by design giving you time to close doors etc that do not trigger events. At least this is how it is on my DR900x-Plus. Never did time how long it takes before recording.

There are two things going on when transitioning between normal mode to parking mode. The video recording mode transition and the point in time when the DR900X Plus transitions from normal mode G-sensor settings to parking mode G-sensor settings.

I have a DR900X Plus 2-channel installed in my car. It currently only has the front camera (due to space limitations).

Here are some timestamps showing the times when it transitions from normal mode to parking mode and parking mode back to normal mode. It's about 4 seconds going into parking mode and about 2 seconds exiting parking mode and another 7 seconds before the GPS is back online.

End of normal mode timestamp:


Start of time-lapse parking mode timestamp:


End of time-lapse parking mode timestamp:


Resuming normal mode after exiting parking mode timestamp:


Normal mode when GPS comes back online timestamp:


Pittasoft implemented a change in the DR900X and DR750X firmware back in July 2021 (which is included in the current model "X Plus" firmware) which has a 3-minute delay after transitioning to parking mode before switching from the normal mode to parking mode G-sensor settings. This was to allow you to exit the vehicle and close the door without triggering a false positive impact event.

Here's the description of the change in the DR900X/DR750X firmware changelogs:

Parking Mode Impact Notifications scenario update (when using ignition-based Parking Mode, i.e. with the built-in voltage monitor): to reduce risks of false positives (due to closing a door when leaving the vehicle, etc.), the dashcam will skip sending notifications or playing impact-related voiced alerts for impacts that occur within 3 minutes of Parking Mode activation.

 

[Stratus]

Thank you for the replies. Good to see there is only a very small time gap in the recording when going from parking mode to driving mode. I'm less concerned with the gap from driving to parking (should be less danger of an accident once the car has stopped moving and is parked).

I just edited my first post as I have the 750 and not the 900! Silly typo...