Should I format SD cards using the camera? (.DAV vs .MP4)

[flatface]

I have installed SD cards in all my cams as a backup.

Currently I have formatted most of them with the camera software.

I'm wondering though, is it really worth it to do so? Is the 'performance boost' really necessary if I am only recording triggers with the SD (not continuous)?

Formatting with the camera means it records in .dav files, which require the dahua video software to play. I'm not too keen on using that software, but I am telling myself that would only really be necessary under the rare situation that my BI PC is stolen or does not restart properly after a power outage.




As an aside, should I instead be recording continuous with the SD cards? They are the Sandisk High Endurance. I find that the cameras are not super reliable in triggering, they get maybe 75%, but miss some really obvious stuff.

For example, my 5442 didn't trigger for this scenario in the attached comical video, where a human is completely inside the intrusion box and crosses the tripwire several times. It triggered with no problem the following DAY when we went out to look at the damage.

The delivery driver in the video forgot to put his car in park and it rolled down a hill into our fence before hitting a tree. Driver definitely got clocked by that fencepost too lol.

Finally, why did BI save this video with the BI frame around it? I exported the video several times at different qualities and it only sometimes included the frame.

View attachment Fence1-2.mp4

 

[Teken]

Are you saying there’s an option to select the formatting type inside the camera?!?

If so choose MP4 . . .

As it relates to recording continuously with a Dahua camera. You have a more than 50% chance the Micro SD card will become corrupt!

Regardless, the system should be set to continuous recording because it’s literally the backup and fail over for the video security system!

The same video data should also be mirrored to an offsite SAN / NAS / FTP / JBOD.

 

[steve1225]

Are you saying there’s an option to select the formatting type inside the camera?!?

If so choose MP4 . . .

As it relates to recording continuously with a Dahua camera. You have a more than 50% chance the Micro SD card will become corrupt!

There are dedicated SD-Cards for security cams with name 'Endurance'...
they use older types of flash memory (MLC), which have much higher writing tolerance that modern TLC or QLC flash types..
I use personally Samsung PRO Endurance everywhere..
highest model (256GB) is designed for 16 years of 24/7 writing at 26 mbit/s speed..

 

[Teken]

There are dedicated SD-Cards for security cams with name 'Endurance'...
they use older types of flash memory (MLC), which have much higher writing tolerance that modern TLC or QLC flash types..
I use personally Samsung PRO Endurance everywhere..
highest model (256GB) is designed for 16 years of 24/7 writing at 26 mbit/s speed..

Yes, very familiar with all the above memory technologies in use today.

We use only Industrial Memory as they are the highest rated for endurance and IP rating for extreme environments.

Nobody wants to be going into a Level 4 lab or nuclear facility every year just to replace a bad card!

 

[flatface]

Are you saying there’s an option to select the formatting type inside the camera?!?

If so choose MP4 . . .

As it relates to recording continuously with a Dahua camera. You have a more than 50% chance the Micro SD card will become corrupt!

Regardless, the system should be set to continuous recording because it’s literally the backup and fail over for the video security system!

The same video data should also be mirrored to an offsite SAN / NAS / FTP / JBOD.

I thought that the camera only recorded to .dav if the SD card was formatted inside the camera. I assumed it would save it as a more generic filetype (.mp4 or .avi) if the SD card was not formatted using the camera software.

If not formatted using the camera, what filetype are the videos saved as?

 

[wittaj]

The camera does not use windows as the operating system so the card will only work in those cameras.

You need to export video out and you have a choice of which format.

 

[flatface]

The camera does not use windows as the operating system so the card will only work in those cameras.

You need to export video out and you have a choice of which format.

This is what I see on my camera that has the SD card formatted in camera. It only provides the .dav filetype.

If I don't format the card in the camera, will that give me the option to export a different format?

 

[Teken]

View attachment 205252

This is what I see on my camera that has the SD card formatted in camera. It only provides the .dav filetype.

If I don't format the card in the camera, will that give me the option to export a different format?

The Micro SD card must be formatted otherwise nothing will be recorded to the disk.

 

[wittaj]

I format all of mine in the camera. Most give the option for mp4 but some don't. Some of the cameras probably don't have the horsepower to do so.

But it would be the same regardless of where it was formatted.

Also make sure you are using Internet Explorer (yea we know LOL but it is still available). Some stuff doesn't show in other browsers.

I just reformatted the SD card in my 5442 camera and it shows the two options:

 

[flatface]

I format all of mine in the camera. Most give the option for mp4 but some don't. Some of the cameras probably don't have the horsepower to do so.

But it would be the same regardless of where it was formatted.

Also make sure you are using Internet Explorer (yea we know LOL but it is still available). Some stuff doesn't show in other browsers.

I just reformatted the SD card in my 5442 camera and it shows the two options:

View attachment 205254

Explorer seems like the answer as .mp4 shows up fine as an option.

Doesn't seem I'm able to download anything though. Do I need to install the plug-in, to be able to download clips, and is it safe? I thought the plug-in would only be to watch videos in the browser.

 

[wittaj]

The plug-in provides additional access to some features.

Whether it is safe is up to each person. If you want better cameras, it is the risk one takes, but that is the same for any camera app by any manufacturer.

There are threads here debating whether it is safe or not..

Here is a recent thread about the plug-in

Most of us have the computer isolated from the rest of the system just in case.

 

[flatface]

The plug-in provides additional access to some features.

Whether it is safe is up to each person. If you want better cameras, it is the risk one takes, but that is the same for any camera app by any manufacturer.

There are threads here debating whether it is safe or not..

Here is a recent thread about the plug-in

Most of us have the computer isolated from the rest of the system just in case.

Thank you

I have tried to install the plugin several times, but the installation window closes halfway through running the plugin.

This is using IE (not edge in IE mode). I access IE with a custom .bat file.

@PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Command New-Object -COMObject InternetExplorer.Application -Property @{Navigate2='about:blank'; Visible=1}

I have also tried using edge in IE mode and have the same issue.

When using normal Edge, Chrome, or Firefox, I can download the .dav files no problem.

However when using IE or Edge-IE, I am able to see the .mp4 file option, but clicking the download arrow using either .dav or .mp4 options does not do anything, no file is downloaded, nothing pops up, etc.

 

[flatface]

So ultimately I didn't bother with this much anymore as I found out that VLC can play .dav files.

However now I am trying to sort out some trigger issues with a 5442, and wanted to look at the (old) GUI playback to see what IVS rules were triggering.

I am not able to do this using Edge as there is no option to display the rules overlaid, and I am not able to install the plugin when using Explorer, the install window closes quickly and doesn't seem to do anything.

Any suggestions?

 

[wittaj]

Try this way? I have no problem doing it this way:

How to enable native Internet Explorer in Windows 10 and 11:

• Open Notepad:
  • Copy then paste the single line of code below into Notepad:
  • CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application").Visible=true
  • Save as OpenIE.vbs
• Make sure the the file name ends in .vbs not .txt, If it ends in .txt you must rename to .vbs
• Create a shortcut to the above file and double-click it anytime you want native Internet Explorer.

You may also need to delete your browsing history in Explorer. I had to do that just last night for it to recognize a new camera I am setting up.

 

[flatface]

Thank you for your help

While that .vbs method does work to open IE, it doesn't allow me to have any video feed with IE, instead I only get the "Please click here to download and install the plug-in" black screen that I was getting before. All camera settings are available but no video feed.

I deleted the IE history. This caused the .vbs file to no longer work until I used my .bat file above to open IE once, after which the .vbs file opened IE but still posed the same problem as before.

When installing the plug-in, the install window pops up for half a second before closing itself. This also happens when running the plugin.exe from the downloads folder as an administrator.

Refreshing or re-logging-in after this has no change on the inability to play video files.

I've also tried using Pale Moon 32-bit with no success either.

Has this happened to anybody else?

 

[wittaj]

Whenever I have an issue like that, clearing the history usually does it. If that doesn't then deleting all the extensions and looking for the plugin folders on the computer and deleting them fixes it.

 

[flatface]

Thanks I'll give that a shot!