Dashcams: They aren't just for Russians anymore

[MUSIC] Where would the dash cam industry be. [FOREIGN] Without Russia? From once in a lifetime meteor strikes that they've captured to once in a lifetime near misses on Russian roads. [SOUND] That seem to happen constantly. That's the backbone of Youtube I think. My inbox has been overflowing with questions from people about dash cams, how they work, and which one they should get. So let's take a look. [MUSIC] Okay, here's a good example of a basic dash cam on the market today. This is kinda like the cost of admission in the industry. Like all dash cams, it's always recording, until it's out of space, and then it starts to overwrite the oldest clip first. > That will depend on how big a card you put in it. It records 1080P of video, you see it and control it by a two inch screen on the back with simple menu buttons. It also will record if the cord is bumped while parked and it will save clips if the car is bumped while driving, that's a collision and it will make sure you don't lose that video. [MUSIC] Now our next camera is what I would call premium basic. Still a pretty basic camera, but this is something that you didn't see until very recently. A dashcam from a name brand. For the extra money, you get more than just a name brand. You get this interesting design that should look more factory when it's installed, adhered to the inside of your windshield. You've got GPS location here, so we can time-stamp but also location-stamp each clip, and it's got an unusual video frame rate that will ensure it never misses the state of those new LED traffic lights that have their own troublesome frame rate. [MUSIC] Okay, with the Vantrue N2 Pro, we're entering into the dual-camera range The front camera shoots a super high def 14 x 40 lines resolution, or run the front and the interior camera together, and they both roll at 10 ADP. That interior camera also has four little infra red emitters so it can Illuminate the cabin of your car for the camera, but you won't even see it doing so. [MUSIC] Now the Thinkware F800 Pro is really starting to get into departure territory. Notice it has no Screen. This guy mounts kind of like this. You set it up and view it through your smart phone via wi-fi. But where this camera really diverges is in its smarts. By using the forward vision, it can also tell if you're drifting across lane lines, closing too fast on the car in front of you, and even let you know about speed cameras ahead. You can also add a second camera, but rather than being a cabin camera, it sticks on your rear glass. To look out the back of the car toward traffic. [MUSIC] Now the Owl Car Cam is very security and exigency-focused on grabbing moments, whatever type they may be. The Owl has an interesting cantilever arm it mounts to. The display is quite large and it's a touch screen. The whole device is very cloud-centric. Most of your clips with live in the cloud at some point unless you pull them down to your device. And of course, that leads to a fee, ten bucks a month after your initial year. It also has a smart power connector. So it'll draw power to operate while the car is parked, let's say, but never to the degree that it kills your battery. [MUSIC] The Waylens Horizon can capture track runs or leisure drives with unique on screen attributes for either, very much the enthusiasts choice. The Raven is an odd bird, it combines aspects of a head up display. A connected car device with tracking and a front and interior dash cam that you can inspect anywhere by a live streaming over its 4G radio. Under 300 bucks to start but you'll need to pay somewhere between 8 and $32 a month after a trial period to get all the connected features. One last option is to get a mirror that replaces or goes over your factory mirror and has a forward looking camera. Now I've not found any of these that run full time with an overriding logic like a true dashcam but at the push of a button you can grab what's outside the car to the front at some number of minutes per clip that you set. Finally, for tips for any dashcam you buy. If it uses an SD card, get a big one. That'll give you a longer look back. Take time to dress the power cable. Nobody wants to see that hanging down all the time, hopefully, you least of all. Third, think about audio. All these cameras do record audio inside the car, but some states require all parties give consent for that first. Finally, remember that dash cams cut both ways, they may prove you were wrong. Or they may just prove that you were in the wrong. [SOUND]