[Mudcow]

I noticed that I have the ability to do manual video recordings (with thumb drive) on the iDrive 8 in my X5M. Have any of you used this in place of a dashcam? Just curious what the experience has been. I have a dashcam ready to put in but it would be sweet if the built in setup works just as well.

[JKM]

It works great you just have to practice (and remember) to trigger the recording when you need it. It’s not automatic like a DashCam. You have to hit a button to make it record. In the settings you can set how much before and after if records.

[blinsc]

Unless you only plan to use it for accidents or emergencies, the quality and other aspects of the video are far too poor to use like a traditional dash cam.

For instance, if you want to document a road trip through a scenic area, you will be sorely disappointed.

The first, and biggest, issue is the quality. The frames are 1024x576 @ 30 fps, but then stretched so the output is 16:9. Here's a sample frame I grabbed:



You probably won't believe this, but when I recorded that sample, I was close enough to the car that's in the right lane to read the emblem on the back (911 Carrera GTS). But the video is so low to the ground and distorted because of the wide (or tall, in this case) angle, that you can't even really make out what kind of car that is.

Another side effect of the distortion is it makes the video feel "sped up."

The rear view is the same, and the side views are even more distorted.

The only real difference between recording to the vehicle and to USB is the length and when it starts. Recording to the vehicle has limit of 1 minute (+/- 30 secs from start) whereas recording to the USB starts when you press the button and is only limited by available space on the USB drive.

Now it's possible I've somehow managed to not get the best quality out of it, but I don't think so - I checked every single setting.

Another sample from my driveway: