Four criteria for choosing a memory card for a DVR, the best models and operating instructions

Not all memory cards are suitable for DVRs. If you choose it incorrectly, the gadget will “freeze” and “glitch”. Most modern DVRs record in HD/FullHD/QHD resolution, and the number of pixels is increasing every year. You also need to take into account the bitrate, that is, the speed of the recorded stream. But one of the main criteria is the number of rewrite cycles, which directly affects the service life of the card. If the device is not designed for repeated erasing and re-recording of information, it will not be suitable for a DVR.

The exact requirements for the characteristics of a memory card are usually indicated in the gadget’s instructions, but in addition to the basic parameters, the reliability of the manufacturer must also be taken into account. To save you from having to study all the complexities of choosing, we have compiled a rating of the best memory cards. When selecting them, user reviews and expert opinions were taken into account.

The best memory cards for a smartphone

1. Samsung microSDXC EVO Plus 100MB/s + SD adapter

A fast memory card from a top manufacturer. Volume - 512 GB, not a record, but more than enough for any purpose, including storing an entire video library. A speed of 100 MB/s is enough for a smartphone, a camera, and for recording video in high definition. Included is an adapter to the SD standard. The price, despite all the advantages, is quite reasonable - about 11,000 rubles.

Price: ₽ 10,905

Kingston Canvas Select microSDXC Class 10 UHS-I U1 64GB + SD adapter (SDCS/64GB)

This microSD card is 8 times smaller than the previous one - its capacity is only 64 GB. However, this is quite enough for use in a smartphone: applications, photos, and music will fit. The speed is also lower than that of the Samsung analogue: up to 80 MB/s for reading and up to 10 MB/s for writing, but the parameters still fit into speed class 10. SD adapter included. The asking price is about 800 rubles.

Price: ₽ 780

What to look for when choosing a memory card

Manufacturer

If you buy a memory card from an unknown Chinese manufacturer, you will most likely be throwing money away. Guaranteed speed, quality and reliability are names such as SanDisk, Transcend, Kingston, Samsung, Sony. Good inexpensive models are available from second-tier manufacturers: Quomo, Mirex, Carcam and others.

Format

There are dozens of memory card formats. The most common today are SD and microSD. The first ones are larger, they are used mainly in cameras and video cameras, where size is not so critical, but the convenience of “hot” replacement is more important. microSD cards are compatible with regular SD via an adapter (usually included with the microSD card); they are usually used in smartphones and tablets.

Some devices, such as the PSP and PS Vita, use non-standard, proprietary card formats.

When purchasing a memory card, first make sure it is compatible with the device you will be using it with.

Volume

The most important characteristic if you plan to keep, say, a collection of films on the card. SD memory cards are divided into three types depending on their capacity:

• regular SD with a capacity of 128 MB to 2 GB - has long been outdated due to too small capacity;
• SDHC - high-capacity cards, from 4 to 32 GB, the most common today;
• SDXC are the most capacious, but also the most expensive cards up to 2 TB.

Devices that support the newer memory card standard are backwards compatible with the older standard.

Data writing and reading speed

A characteristic no less important than volume. It is of decisive importance for cameras and video cameras, but it also plays an important role for other devices. The write speed shows how quickly, for example, a movie will be written to the memory card, and the read speed shows how quickly this movie will be copied or opened from the card.

Depending on the speed of writing and reading, memory cards are divided into several classes. The class number corresponds to the minimum speed of the card. For example, a class 2 SD card will write data at a speed of at least 2 MB/s. It is best to take memory cards of speed class 10.

Modern SDHC and SDXC memory cards additionally use an updated speed standard: they are divided into UHS classes. UHS Class 1 corresponds to a minimum write speed of 10 MB/s, and UHS Class 3 corresponds to 30 MB/s.

Memory cards with a UHS bus are backwards compatible with older devices with an outdated SD bus, so such cards have two speed classes.

About memory cards

To facilitate proceedings with the traffic police and find the culprit in an accident, motorists install devices in the car that record the events taking place. Special flash drives are used to store information.

The latest generation DVRs are designed for HD/FullHD/QHD recording resolution. With the same parameter value, a strong change in the bitrate is possible, i.e. speed of recorded information.

This information is not included in the manufacturer's instructions. Data can be obtained from the technical characteristics of the recorded material. An alternative way is to look at reviews about the device on specialized forums.

The driver decides which memory card to choose for the DVR. But when purchasing, the number of rewrite cycles is taken into account. Efficient operation is ensured by the ability to repeatedly erase and re-record video materials.

Types and classes of drives

Most memory cards are available in MicroSD format. Standard storage capacity is up to 2 GB. Besides this, there are 2 more types:

• HC with free space for recording information up to 32 GB;
• XC with recorded video storage capacity from 64 to 512 GB.

Production features allow for an increase in the volume of memory chips. Manufacturers plan to increase it to 2 TB. The technology is under development.

The division of drives into classes is based on the quality of the DVR recording. A high category indicates no stuttering or dropped frames. The number in the marking indicates the number of MB/s processed. For the latest generations of car recording devices, electronics experts recommend buying memory cards of at least class 10.

Memory card capacity

One of the important selection criteria is the capacity of the electronic storage of recorded information. At a recording rate of 30 frames per second, a three-minute video takes up an average of 350 MB of free space. Memory fills up at an accelerated pace. Therefore, for the DVR to work effectively, you need a storage capacity of at least 32 GB.

Information recording speed

Bitrate also affects the quality of the recorded video. The parameter is not indicated in the labeling.

Ultra High Speed ​​is an innovative development of manufacturers. On the memory chip, the high-speed interface is designated by the letter U. The first generation records video at speeds of up to 104 MB/s. Drives with UHS-II are designed for throughput up to 312 MB/s. The indicated values ​​are of a theoretical nature, because speed indicators depend on many factors.

Since the bitrate is not indicated on the packaging, special programs are used to clarify it. The computer is not allowed to perform other tasks; testing is carried out offline. An alternative option for determining the recording speed of a drive selected for a car DVR is to find test results on specialized forums.

The best inexpensive microSD memory cards

Mirex microSD Class 4 2GB

The price of this card is its main and, perhaps, only real advantage. It costs less than 200 rubles. For a low price, you will have to pay for a small volume - only 2 gigabytes - and low speed - 12 MB/s for reading and 5 MB/s for writing. It is better not to use this card in SLR cameras, but it is compatible even with the oldest phones and players. So if you decide to expand the available memory of some rare gadget, this card is for you.

Price: ₽ 149

Qumo MicroSD 2Gb + SD adapter

This microSD card is the price record holder in our selection: it costs only 200 rubles. For this money you will get 2 gigabytes of built-in memory and an adapter for full-format SD. The manufacturer decided not to disclose the technical parameters of speed and data reading, and the speed class is also not indicated anywhere, so you shouldn’t expect any achievements from this device. Similar to the previous card - a good budget solution for obsolete, but still beloved electronics.

Price: ₽ 165

Why do you need a memory card?

Before answering the question about what kind of memory card you should buy for the DVR, it’s worth talking about the need to purchase such a drive.

Many motorists believe that there is nothing other than the device itself to record what is happening on the road. The device has internal memory, or the manufacturer has provided it with its own card.

In most cases, DVRs do not come with memory cards, and the internal storage capacity is very limited.

As a result, without a separately purchased flash drive, recording video will be problematic. The internal memory, if available, will quickly fill up.

There are several reasons to buy a drive:

• the capabilities of the DVR are expanded;
• a large amount of video is saved;
• data from a flash drive can be transferred to a computer, phone or tablet;
• such drives are universal and can be moved to other gadgets if necessary;
• The card allows you to automatically turn on recording in the event of an accident and other situations.

As you can see, there is a need for a storage device.

But this is not the most important thing here. A huge role is played by how correctly a motorist can choose a flash drive. Many people simply focus on a large amount of memory, forgetting about equally important characteristics.

The best SD memory cards for your camera

Sony SF-UX

Full SD format card. Supports data reading speeds up to 94 MB/s. The minimum recording speed is around 70 MB/s: not so much, but for photos in RAW format and high-resolution video it is sufficient with a huge margin. Volume - 128 GB. However, it costs a lot for such a capacity - about 5,000 rubles.

Price: ₽ 4,990

4. SanDisk Ultra SDXC Class 10 UHS-I 80MB/s 64GB

SDXC card with a capacity of 64 gigabytes. Speed ​​class 10: reads data at a speed of 80 MB/s. The manufacturer does not talk about the recording speed, but judging by the fact that the card belongs to the UHS-1 class, recording is carried out at a speed of between 10 and 30 MB/s. An excellent and very reliable model, but not very roomy and quite expensive - almost 1,300 rubles.

Price: ₽ 1,250

The best memory cards for a tablet

Samsung MB-MC128GA

Another microSDXC card from Samsung from the Evo line, this time with 128 GB. Read and write speeds, in contrast to the volume, evoke involuntary respect: 100 MB/s and 90 MB/s, respectively. The kit includes an adapter for SD format, so the card will fit almost any tablet. The price, however, is very serious - the card costs around 1,700 rubles.

Price: RUB 1,764

Kingston SDCG2/128GB

MicroSDXC card with a capacity of 128 gigabytes. An adapter for turning it into a full-fledged SD card is included in the kit. Compared to the previous model, read and write speeds are not very impressive: the card writes at 45 MB/s and reads at 90 MB/s. But the main disadvantage of this card is its high price, more than 2,500 rubles. Although this, of course, does not prevent it from being a good and very reliable model from a worthy brand.

Price: ₽ 2,890

Card volume

It would seem that everything is simple here and there are no mysteries, we have a large amount of memory, which means we will write a lot of information onto it, but this pleasure will be expensive. But not everything is so simple. Technologies in the field of information storage are moving faster than car DVRs are developing. And if there are already cards with a capacity of 256GB, then the latest models of DVRs support only up to 128GB, and a year ago this figure was even lower - 32GB. Be sure to check the device specifications for maximum support volume information.

Types of cards

Many people are sure that finding a suitable memory card is as easy as shelling pears. It is enough to go to the nearest photo store and take the first card that catches your eye that suits you in terms of volume. In fact, it may happen that it will not fit your DVR or it will start to malfunction. To prevent this from happening, before going to the store, you need to understand the technical terms, classes and other markings on the card body and benefit from this educational program for yourself. It is necessary to present yourself to the seller as an erudite and technically savvy buyer. Talk less, listen more and analyze which store provides more reliable information. Let's try to increase the technical potential of an individual in terms of information media. Before you confidently open the store door with your foot and tell the seller that you want to buy a memory card, you need to have a good idea of ​​what model of DVR it will work in.

What standards exist?

Open the technical data sheet of the device and make sure that the parameters are exactly the card you need. Is this media type compatible with the device in which it will work? In most cases, the car DVR uses an SD card. But it may be that the DVR requires a card of a different standard, for example, CF, MMC or others.

What is the difference between SD and SDHC memory cards and SDXC

Well, that's not all. SD cards (Secure Memory Card) are also divided into types: SD, SDHC (SD High Capacity) and SDXC (SD eXtended Capacity). For a convenient comparison of card types, we present all the main characteristics in the table:

Difference between Mini and Micro

Now let’s see how MicroSD differs from MiniSD. As you can guess from the name, the difference is in geometric dimensions. SD media are larger in size, measuring 32x24 mm. miniSD cards appeared later and are smaller in size than SD cards; their size is 21.5x20 mm. Today, the smallest cards in size - MicroSD - have become widespread. Their dimensions are 11x15 mm. They are not inferior to large cards either in speed or in volume.

Card slot in the DVR

One more nuance needs to be remembered. This is what kind of socket is in your DVR. It can be small, medium or large for the corresponding memory cards. I would like to add that there are also adapters that allow you to insert microSD into slots for miniSD and SD, and miniSD into SD. There is no backward compatibility.

The best memory card for PSP

9. SanDisk Memory Stick PRO Duo

Memory card in Memory Stick Pro Duo format, compatible with many Sony devices in general and the PlayStation Portable portable game console in particular. Volume - 32 gigabytes, price - almost 300 rubles, which is not so expensive for a proprietary model. Adapter for Memory Stick included. This card is not compatible with most third-party devices, so do not try to install it in a camera or smartphone.

Price: ₽ 300