Viofo Dash Camera Doesn't Record Long - What Am I Doing Wrong?

fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 13:50
Last edited 04/01/2023 - 14:25

Hi, I bought a Viofo A129 Plus Duo (QHD+FHD Dual Channel Wi-fi dash cam), given it has appeared on Ozbargain quite a bit but I have noticed it doesn't record very long.

I have a Sandisk 128GB Endurance micro SD card.

3 minute footage for 1 camera is approximately 500,000KB (edited - previously stated 500KB on error). Each footage has SE coordinates and speed in km/h (this did involve customising the settings)

Given there are 2 cameras, a 128 GB micro SD card would only record 2 hours of footage.

The Viofo website claims it should record 9 hours of footage (https://support.viofo.com/support/solutions/articles/1900010…)

I am very confused what I could be doing wrong. Can someone help me out?

Automotive Dash Camera VIOFO

Comments

  • John Kimble on 04/01/2023 - 13:59
    +1

    Formatted the card? Checked resolution settings?

    I have the same dashcam and set my recordings to 2 minutes, each file is about 375MB. I have a 256GB card, I have no idea how long it can go for…I'm guessing a few days to a week of footage.

    • Unorthodox on 04/01/2023 - 14:01
      +1

      Yep, mine is similar to this with anywhere from 300-400mb per 2 minute file.

      • John Kimble on 04/01/2023 - 14:03

        I don't drive much, so most of it is parking mode when it senses movement, and then only until the hardwire kit cuts off.

      • fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 14:15

        Out of interest, did you customise any of your settings?

    • fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 14:13

      What resolution settings would you recommend?

      And is there a reason why you set your recording to 2 minutes? I believe the default setting is 3 minutes

      • John Kimble on 04/01/2023 - 14:23

        Default.

        Just so it's quicker to download and review footage I guess, halfway between 1 and 3? 🤷🏻‍♂️

        • fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 14:32

          Thanks! Maybe I should try returning my camera to default settings and see if that helps.

          However, it looks like even with your settings it would be recording a bit over 10 hours of footage i.e. a 5 hr drive. Still less than the 18 hrs Viofo has on its website for a 256 GB micro SD card (https://support.viofo.com/support/solutions/articles/1900010…)

  • toommy on 04/01/2023 - 14:13
    +1

    I had same issue with A119 v3. Tried multiple endurance SD cards and ran full format on them but nothing works

    • fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 14:14
      +1

      Thanks for sharing! Helpful to know it isn't just me

      • toommy on 04/01/2023 - 21:38

        NW, thanks for posting. I was waiting for a A129 deal but changed my mind after your post.

        • fanbubbles on 05/01/2023 - 09:38
          +1

          All good! I wouldn't go as far as to say don't buy the dash cam (I personally haven't owned mine very long), but assuming we haven't done anything wrong, expect to be able to record way less than what Viofo advertises on its website

  • Charlieeee on 04/01/2023 - 14:27
    +1

    There's a hidden option to enable H.265 which saves about 20% of storage space (works on my A129 Plus). https://www.vortexradar.com/2019/10/how-to-enable-h-265-on-t…

  • ChipsChicky on 04/01/2023 - 14:31

    500,000kb = 500MB (for 3minutes recording per Camera)

    128GB (card size) / 500MB (recording size) = 256 (minutes of total recording)

    256 minutes / 2 = 128 minutes per Camera

    128 minutes / 60 minutes = 2.13 hours of recording per camera before it starts to overwrite.

    • fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 14:35

      Aligned! Thanks for correcting my maths - you're right, it's slightly off.

      However, even with the above calculation it's nowhere near 9 hrs, which is what Viofo has on it's website :(

      • ChipsChicky on 04/01/2023 - 14:37
        +1

        I think you need to lower the resolution to achieve those figures mentioned on Viofo Website and then use this calculation again once you get the recording size per file with lower resolutions.

        • fanbubbles on 04/01/2023 - 14:41

          Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Have you personally lowered dash cam resolution settings to be lower than default?

          Just a bit concerned that lowering resolution would defeat the whole point of me buying a nicer dash cam

          • 7ekn00 on 04/01/2023 - 16:08

            @fanbubbles: Can either have good resolution or long record times, the physics hasn't been invented yet to do both …

            • fanbubbles on 05/01/2023 - 08:58

              @7ekn00: Not doubting the theory of this - I understand lowering resolution saves space. However, Viofo's own website claims 9 hours of footage with default resolution. Per above post, I am only confused because I am getting no where near this figure.

              How long can your dash cam record?

          • ChipsChicky on 04/01/2023 - 17:12
            +1

            @fanbubbles: No, I didn't try this but i know thats how it work's.

            Either you can buy a bigger size sd card or lower the resolution.

            But why would you need to record longer than 2 hours even for a single camera ? If anything happens, you can press the centre button ⚠️ and it will add the current video in a seperate folder which won't be overwritten untill you format the card or delete it yourself.

            • fanbubbles on 05/01/2023 - 08:48

              @ChipsChicky: Not doubting the theory of lowering resolution saving space, I was questioning whether lowering resolution below Viofo's default resolution is acceptable video quality. If you are unsure because you haven't tried it, it's all good - thanks all the same.

              I am confused because Viofo's 9 hr figure is based on the default resolution, not on a lower resolution, and I'm getting no where near that recording length.

              Why might you want to record longer than 2 hours? A one hour drive can take longer with traffic and if you can only check footage after a return trip, that will exceed 2 hours. It can be useful having more footage so you don't have to worry about keeping a second micro SD card.

              Will the centre button keep a footage before and after the current recording video as well? If it doesn't, helpful footage could still be overwritten

    • chriise on 28/03/2023 - 23:02
      +1

      If 500mb is 3 minutes recording, wouldn't it be:

      128GB (card size) / 500MB (recording size) = 256 recordings x 3 = 768 minutes

      /2 for each camera, that's 6 hours.

      Sorry, i know it's an old post - but am I missing something?

      • ChipsChicky on 28/03/2023 - 23:39

        I think your calculation is correct.

  • blitz on 04/01/2023 - 15:10
    +1

    I have noticed it doesn't record very long

    Are you only going on short trips?

    • fanbubbles on 05/01/2023 - 08:53

      I don't rule out longer trips. A one hour drive can take longer with traffic and if you can only check footage after a return trip, that will exceed 2 hours. It can be useful having more footage so you don't have to worry about keeping a second micro SD card.

      That being said, I'm most confused about why I am getting nowhere near 9 hours of footage, which is on Viofo's website. What has been your experience with your dash cam? How long can it record?

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