TeslaCam Videos - Merging video segments

[SquirtCow]

Hi guys!

I'm planning on recording my entire 4800km planned trip this summer, and was wondering what program would be most suitable for merging the individual segments of dashcam footage. I tried using Camtasia 9, but Camtasia isn't even able to read the .mp4 files.

Did some test-takes on my YT channel Omgits Tord. Quality is so-so..

Cheers!

 

[Nikki's Dad]

I've played around with Final Cut Pro. I set up smart filters to separate the three camera file types. Then dragged all the files of the same type into the timeline and they automatically arranged themselves in chronological order.

 

[Dre78]

I'd try wrestling with VLC. Minimalist interface but powerful, free application.

 

[sduck]

Are you planning on hitting the save button every ten minutes or so? Otherwise it's not going to save everything, it'll just loop record and save the last hour.

And the quality of the dashcam video is extremely sub-par - I've tried doing color correction in FCPX and couldn't get it looking much better. I'd consider getting a dedicated dashcam, or better yet hang a gopro and use that instead.

 

[SquirtCow]

Otherwise it's not going to save everything, it'll just loop record and save the last hour.

Hm, that's odd. Last time I used it, it saved each segment into 1 minute files for the duration of my trip. I thought it would just continue to do so as long as there was storage for it.

 

[SquirtCow]

I'd try wrestling with VLC. Minimalist interface but powerful, free application.

VLC has, to the best of my knowledge, no video editing features - does it?

 

[animorph]

Sounds more like a job for a Brinno time lapse camera. Even then, that much footage would be very unwieldy.

 

[sduck]

Hm, that's odd. Last time I used it, it saved each segment into 1 minute files for the duration of my trip. I thought it would just continue to do so as long as there was storage for it.

Maybe the euro version of the dashcam software works differently? I haven't heard about this being the case, but maybe so.

If it IS the case, then you could use one of the various merge app solutions that already exist - there are scripts for mac and windows, and standalone apps that can do this. A little searching will turn them up. But they'll still look mediocre, hence my suggestion to find a better camera for this.

A while back, i did something similar, but just hung my phone from a suction cup mount, and used the Hyperlapse app to get a smooth timelapse video of a long drive.

 

[SMAlset]

Love to see some roadtrip footage of your country but I’ll agree Tesla’s dashcam is really not meant for that purpose. As mentioned the RecentClips are your 1-hr buffer and they will be written over. Plus you’ll be recording Front camera and both side repeaters which you probably don’t want but no way to not have record. Sentry mode which you can turn off and on only works in Park so of no help.

If this is something you really want to do and have of your trip might best look into some of the 1-channel dashcams that you can run to a battery pack and look into how the files are stored.

 

[Dre78]

VLC has, to the best of my knowledge, no video editing features - does it?

ain't pretty, but hopefully works because TeslaCam is only video: https://wiki.videolan.org/VLC_HowTo/Merge_videos_together/

 

[tinkererguy]

It's years later I realize, but a different approach to merging the videos is to use TeslaCam in Firefox for playback directly from the Dashcam/Sentry Mode flash drive, using Camtasia for Windows Recorder to record that playback in 60 fps, then edit that footage as needed.