Why do dash cams record in clips, and not one long continuous file?

BlackboxMyCar Updated by BlackboxMyCar

Dash cams record continuously as you drive and monitor occurrences on the road. These cameras record in video files that are, depending on the model, 1 to 3 minutes long.Customers have expressed their dismay that this format makes it more difficult to record a day at the racetrack or compile a road trip together; however, we have the answers as to why all of the dash cam manufacturers that we carry have decided to go with this format:    

1. Corruption

If a file is to become corrupted on the microSD card, it is very likely that the remainder of the files on the card will still be intact and not corrupted. If cameras recorded in one large file, you will lose all of your data as they become unreadable. This is highly important so that you don’t lose important footage that had been recorded previously.

2. Organization

It is much easier to search for individual files based on their type (continuous, motion detection, event, manual, etc.) and date/time, rather than have to search through one large file.

3. Downloading

It will also be much easier to download small 1-3-minute clips to your smartphone or computer than it would if transferring a large 128GB packet of data using the same method - this can take up to several hours as these are high bitrate files of data.  

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