[Bean]

How long do you save your Dashcam files for on your computer?

Besides saving the files on your computer in a dated folder, do you rename the files to TripID or something?

Thanks

Anything I save to my computer is saved because I believe there may be a chance of the passenger accusing me of something or there was some sort of incident. Given the low cost of hard drive space these days I have no intention of deleting these files within a year's time.
I don't rename the files but I do put them in a folder that describes the event(s) that took place.

BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR is currently $417 (64gb) and $459 (128gb) on Amazon, but only #352 in the "On Dash Car Video" category...

I believe the spirit of this thread is that, ignoring any high costs, what is the best dashcam on the market?
Not the most popular on Amazon or elsewhere. Those numbers aren't going to tell you which camera has the best video quality. They're going to tell you what the masses want and can afford.
We're not interested in what soccer moms are buying their children so that they can feel better when they take the car out.
We want the cam that's going to save our hides when we get assaulted in the middle of the night, the one that has the best chance of catching a license plate when we're hit and run. The one that's not going to fail to save after the moment of impact when there's a collision that cuts the power. etc. etc.

As for the features that matter..

Like I mentioned, something with it's own battery/capacitor so it's able to finish writing the file it's currently recording and properly shut that. The lack of that feature right there eliminates the majority of the dashcams on the market. If your cam corrupts it's file when there's a power loss/impact, then your cam is useless.

Interior Camera with nightvision/IR. Once again you can eliminate the majority of the cameras on the market because they're useless in the dark. Unless you're one of the few rideshare drivers who don't drive at night.

Full 1080p or better.
A lot of people love the Falcon but the truth is, if you're using both cameras at the same time it's not storing footage in HD. That's because it writes both video feeds into the same file which are viewed side by side. The BlackVue actually writes two separate files at the same time, one for each camera. Why pay for an 1080p camera that doesn't store it's files in 1080p?

I think those are the big three must have features. It's several hours past my bed time so maybe I forgot something but I'll close by saying you don't need to buy the 64 or 128GB BlackVue. Just get the 16GB one. The camera's are identical, they just come with different SD Cards. You can swap that out with a bigger one which will cost far less than what BlackVue is marking them up for.

16GB BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR
http://amzn.to/2odmKBq

 

[Maven]

I believe the spirit of this thread is that, ignoring any high costs, what is the best dashcam on the market? Not the most popular on Amazon or elsewhere. Those numbers aren't going to tell you which camera has the best video quality. They're going to tell you what the masses want and can afford. We're not interested in what soccer moms are buying their children so that they can feel better when they take the car out. We want the cam that's going to save our hides when we get assaulted in the middle of the night, the one that has the best chance of catching a license plate when we're hit and run. The one that's not going to fail to save after the moment of impact when there's a collision that cuts the power. etc. etc.

As for the features that matter..

Like I mentioned, something with it's own battery/capacitor so it's able to finish writing the file it's currently recording and properly shut that. The lack of that feature right there eliminates the majority of the dashcams on the market. If your cam corrupts it's file when there's a power loss/impact, then your cam is useless.

Interior Camera with nightvision/IR. Once again you can eliminate the majority of the cameras on the market because they're useless in the dark. Unless you're one of the few rideshare drivers who don't drive at night.

Full 1080p or better.
A lot of people love the Falcon but the truth is, if you're using both cameras at the same time it's not storing footage in HD. That's because it writes both video feeds into the same file which are viewed side by side. The BlackVue actually writes two separate files at the same time, one for each camera. Why pay for an 1080p camera that doesn't store it's files in 1080p?

I think those are the big three must have features. It's several hours past my bed time so maybe I forgot something but I'll close by saying you don't need to buy the 64 or 128GB BlackVue. Just get the 16GB one. The camera's are identical, they just come with different SD Cards. You can swap that out with a bigger one which will cost far less than what BlackVue is marking them up for.

16GB BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR
http://amzn.to/2odmKBq

I agree that bestseller = most popular, is not the same as "the best". I figured that BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR must be considered "the best" for good reasons. Thanks for explaining those reasons. However, I wonder if BlackVue has been resting on its laurels for too long. Has another company released a comparable or possibly better dashcam, possibly for a lower price? In what ways is the 16GB BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR superior to these other dashcams that also advertise Super Night Vision and HQ resolution?

• $400 THINKWARE F770 2-Channel Dash Cam | Front and Rear | 1080P HD Dash Cam with Sony Exmor Sensor + Built-in WiFi + Super Night Vision - 32GB SD Card | Hardwiring Kit Included
• $410 THINKWARE F750 2-Channel Dash Cam | Front and Rear | 1080P HD Dash Cam with Sony Exmor Sensor + Built-in WiFi + Parking Surveillance- 32GB SD Card | Hardwiring Kit Included (older version of 770)
  
• $289 BlackSys CH-100B 2 Channel 1080P FULL HD Front and Rear Pro Wide Angle Dashboard Recorder | Dash Cam With G-Sensor + Up to 128gb Memory | Car Parking Mode | Wifi App

INSTALLATION by a "professional" is recommended for the BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR. What do you think?

Video Reviews

 

[corniilius]

I mostly only Uber on the weekends, so the Falcon meets my needs just fine.

 

[Filinator13]

The Dash Cam Store has a promo code for the BlackVue model DR650S w/IR. It says it is for the 16GB version but it can be used on any of them. They're also offering free shipping in the US (don't know about other countries) and the Magic Pro as an add on for $19.99. They'll also throw in a set of free fuse taps if you buy both the dash cam and the magic pro together. This says it is an April special, so not sure they'll have it next week or not. I found this on a "secret" coupon page on their own site by doing some Googling.

• GHT2STM3 - Take $40.00(USD) OFF the purchase of the BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR (16gb version) during the month of April. Limit 1 per customer. Expires 30 April 2017.

 

[Bean]

In what ways is the 16GB BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR superior to these other dashcams that also advertise Super Night Vision and HQ resolution?

• $400 THINKWARE F770 2-Channel Dash Cam | Front and Rear | 1080P HD Dash Cam with Sony Exmor Sensor + Built-in WiFi + Super Night Vision - 32GB SD Card | Hardwiring Kit Included
• $410 THINKWARE F750 2-Channel Dash Cam | Front and Rear | 1080P HD Dash Cam with Sony Exmor Sensor + Built-in WiFi + Parking Surveillance- 32GB SD Card | Hardwiring Kit Included (older version of 770)
  
• $289 BlackSys CH-100B 2 Channel 1080P FULL HD Front and Rear Pro Wide Angle Dashboard Recorder | Dash Cam With G-Sensor + Up to 128gb Memory | Car Parking Mode | Wifi App

INSTALLATION by a "professional" is recommended for the BlackVue DR650S-2CH-IR. What do you think?

Thanks for hearing me out. I posted that while waaay past my bed time and was honestly worried I had came off offensive.

As for some other company stealing BlackVue's thunder. I honestly hope someone does soon. They need some competition. I researched long and hard just as you have been looking for something that met my needs without costing so much. But honestly, at the time anyway, I couldn't find anything. I almost bought a Qvia which is similar in specs. But much like the three cams you posted it lacked one main thing,
none of those cameras have IR lights on them.

Not only that, even if you installed IR lighting in your car, almost all dash cams designed to shoot the exterior of your car actually have a filter in front of the sensor preventing IR light from passing through.
And I don't care how many buzz words they use to promote whatever sensor their camera is using, it's not going to see light that isn't there. To record the interior of your car at night you need either visible light or IR light with a camera that can see IR light.

I haven't payed much attention to the market since I bought my dashcam but I think the only cameras out there that do that (and somebody chime in if I'm wrong) is the BlackVue, the Falcon and I believe Transend has one as well.
And again, you still have the other necessary (to me at least) features I outlined earlier.

To me the decision was a no brainer. I gladly paid 300-something bucks for a device that could save me tens of thousands. When you think of it that way, the difference in a hundred dollars seems trivial.

 

[Maven]

Questions for anyone using the BlackVue model DR650S 2CH-IR

• Professional Install or Do-it-yourself?
• Extended Warranty?
• More problematic in Hot weather?
• If you had a problem then how difficult to resolve?
• If you tried to return/replace then how difficult and how long after purchase?

The "IR" is essential for night-use. There are several non-IR models.

 

[13uberA4]

Questions for anyone using the BlackVue model DR650S 2CH-IR

• Professional Install or Do-it-yourself?
• Extended Warranty?
• More problematic in Hot weather?
• If you had a problem then how difficult to resolve?
• If you tried to return/replace then how difficult and how long after purchase?

The "IR" is essential for night-use. There are several non-IR models.

I DIY'd mine. It's super easy

No extended warranty, I've purchased them before without ever using them.

These cams like all dash cams are sensitive to the heat. I believe that the type of internal battery the Blackvue has coupled with the correct SD card will keep the cam safe. Using a cheap/wrong SD card, will make the unit overheat, as well as give you errors...constant rebooting etc.... a good card will boot up, and shut down when you turn it off. The recordings will be good. Use a cheap sd card and most files will be corrupt.

I only had one problem where I contacted Blackvue direct. Quick response for a easy fix. Had to manually register for the cloud, because I mounted the cam without scanning the info, and didn't want to take it down.

I would buy a DR650 GW or S on Amazon, then buy the IR camera from dashcam bros. Sell the non IR cam. I did it because I wanted the return time frame. Amazon has such a liberal return policy. I literally tried 4-5 cameras that I returned up to a month and a half later.