Dash Cam Recording Time Calculator

Dash Cam Recording Time Calculator

A lot of people who are looking for a dash cam have inquired about how much video (or footage) can you save to the memory card? The quick answer is that the amount of “storage minutes” on each camera will vary because this really depends on two main factors, the size of the memory card itself and the bit rate.  Below is a rough estimate of how much video your memory card can store.  For example, if you have an Pruveeo MX2 Dash Cam Front and Rear Dual Camera (and suppose the bit rate is 6Mbps) and you have a 32GB card, you will get approximately 12.1 hours of video.  Note that this is just a rough estimate because cameras copy their footage to the SD memory card which occupies some space itself.  Another thing to keep in mind is that the rate can vary depending on video quality conditions, however most dash cams run on a very consistent bit rate.

A ‘guide’ as to how many minutes of recording is available based on the recording resolution and frame rate and the memory in the dash cam.

Bit Rate Information

A bit rate is the number of bits processed per unit of time.  Essentially the lower a bit rate, the more video can be stored on an SD card. So low bit rates are good for volume but higher bit rates are a better choice if you are seeking better video quality.

Typically a bit rate is calculated in Mbps – for most dash cams is usually between 5 and 20.  Most dash cams come factory set with their own bit rate but there are a few that allow an owner to adjust it.

If you are looking to know what bit rate of a video there are a few ways to find this out.  The easiest way to find this out is to just to follow a few easy steps of: Right click the video, Select “Properties” and Select the “Details” tab; and then you should be able to see a “Total bitrate” number.

If you happen to be a VLC user, you can see the bit rate by following: Tools, Media Information, and then the Statistics tab when playing the video.  See if you can find the item called “content bitrate”.

There also happens to be an open source software called MediaInfo, which provides this same info as well.

SD Card Information

Most dash cameras on the market these days all support SDHC cards with a size of 32GB.  However a lot of the high end versions are now supporting SDXC cards which have an impressive capacity all the way up to 2048GB.

We recommend the SD EtremePRO 64GB for quality and peace of mind on storage space. // Discount Dash Cam

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