Helmet Cam Central

Well, here it is, the holy grail of the helmet cam world -The POV.1 from V.I.O. We have been waiting for the POV.1 since the inception of wearable video. Based on the press release and some discussions with V.I.O., they have met and/or exceeded the specifications for our dream helmet cam system. We are currently on the list to receive a POV.1 for review, and my hope is that this unit lives up to the specifications. Keep in mind that V.I.O. is a rebranding effort from Viosport and brother company Viotac. Viosport is a top notch helmet camera manufacturer with great products and excellent customer service. Viotac is targeted to Military/Police/Fire and in fact, many of the POV.1’s specifications and design features were requirements derived from Viotac customers. If anyone can deliver on the dream system, it’s V.I.O. - aka Viosport, aka Viotac.


Some highlights of the POV.1, all to be confirmed hands-on in the near future:

• The whole system is waterproof to 1m and the camera separately to 10m
• Built in LCD screen on recording unit to view live video and review video
• DivX MPEG4 AVI Compression, 1GB at 720×480@30fps = 40 Minutes
• 24P and 30P Progressive video ready, up to 720×480
• SD card storage (up to 2GB), USB 2.0 connectivity, and Analog video/audio output
• No digital to analog conversion - digital from camera to compression
• Wireless remote - start/stop record and nice TAG feature
• One battery powers everything
• Very lightweight (362 grams with batteries and camera) and power efficient
• Includes POV Manager software to quickly edit and post to web

What follows is the press release, verbatim, from V.I.O. - plus some more pictures…

Click here to read more… »

For now, I’d say the fight is over - Xtreme Recall has emerged as the victor. As of the end of July in the year 2007, Helmet Camera Central officially declares that Xtreme Recall Helmet Camera Systems are simply the best on the market.

When I review helmet cam systems I generally look at the big picture - which boils down to usability, reliability, and performance. Xtreme Recall excels in all of these areas. Some highlights: One battery to power camcorder and helmet camera, Right-Angle Sony 10-Pin AV Connectors, Durable & Waterproof cable connects, Fog Proof Cameras, great microphones, and a killer waterpoof LANC remote. If you are considering purchasing a helmet cam setup, please read on….

Click here to read more… »

In stores this fall.

Seattle, WA - Twenty20, the aggressive Seattle-based company known for its innovative POV (point of view) Helmet Cameras, is breaking the mold yet again with its next-generation wearable camcorder called, VholdR^TM.

Earlier generation lipstick cameras require cables, which connect them to a separate recording device hidden in a backpack. VholdR^TM leaves that setup in the dust with its self-contained, zero-wire, “Shoot and Store” design.

In fact, VholdR^TM doesn’t even involve videotape. Its internal components change the rules. Twenty20 opted to run VholdR^TM with sophisticated hardware-based video compression, and record to an SD card, delivering instantly playable and sharable MPEG-4 files. Recording time is expected to be around an hour per gigabyte, with cards ranging between 1 and 4 gigs.

Additionally, digitizing content from tape to computers is no longer an issue. Out of the box, VholdR^TM is ready to capture and deliver high quality video files with ease to the average computer.

On the outside, VholdR^TM is a hair smaller and similar in shape to James Bond’s Walter PPK. VholdR’sTM lens and image sensor are hermetically sealed. And with a protective aluminum and ABS exoskeleton, all components are splash proof, shock resistant, and can withstand wide temperature and humidity ranges, making it the perfect video weapon for sweaty rainy jungles, kiln-hot deserts, snow-covered peaks, and peeling surf spots.

Twenty20’s experience in the field uncovered - if not invented - problems that required focused solutions. From environmental conditions and size constraints, to ease of use and video quality, VholdR^TM addresses them all.

Throughout VholdR’s design and development, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) was a running mantra for Jason Green, one of Twenty20’s two founders. “Our plan is to make action video as easy to record and share as a picture on your digital camera.”

VholdR^TM is expected to release this fall in limited numbers, so if you haven’t pre-ordered yours by now, you may be pressed to find one before Christmas. You won’t however, have to call every store in town because Twenty20, in acknowledgement of their own limited supply, will be posting daily stock updates for buyers on www.vholdr.com through the Holiday season.

Customer Contact: support@vholdr.com or 866.397.6920

Website: www.vholdr.com

Expected Retail Price: $349.99 (USD)

Note to all: This is a general request for a product that would meet the needs of many videographers using wearable video systems.

To whom it may conern-

I am a Field Tester for Helmet Camera manufacturer and have also written an article for VideoMaker Magazine (July Issue, 2007) on this subject. I currently use a Sony DCR-HC32 combined with a waterproof helmet camera system that includes an external wearable camera, microphone, and LANC based remote control to record extreme outdoor events. I am interested in the evolution of recording technology such as DVR’s (Digital Video Recorder) that use a solid-state flash memory based technology for recording. For a helmet camera application, some key features for a “good” DVR solution would be:

1. True 30 fps NTSC (D1) video that is editable by standard desktop editing suites such as Adobe Premiere. Ideal would be 720 x 480 @ 30 fps, next best 640 x 480 30 fps. MPEG2 or MPEG4 format is acceptable.
2. Flash Memory based storage medium with support for the largest storage formats. (i.e. Sandisk 8gb SD Card, Ultra II). They key requirement here is NO MOVING PARTS that can fail from excessive shock.
3. Right-Angle A/V input connector using Sony’s new 1/8″ A/V 10-Pin connector format and a input jack.
4. LANC based remote control with Right-Angle connector for Power On/Off, Start/Stop Record, and visual signals showing power status, recording status, and recording media status. (i.e. Skytools Product - http://www.skytools.m.se/)
5. Lithium Ion Battery, with at least a 2-3 hours of total recording time as it pertains to battery life and actual recording (the longer the recording time, the better).
6. An Auxillary Power Port to provide power to a Helmet Camera - aka One Battery for recording device and helmet camera. Also, a battery level indicator with Low Battery Alert.
7. A simple, 2 1/2″ LCD screen & speaker or head phone jack (mostly to verify you are recording what the external camera is viewing.).
8. On-Board Buttons for Play, Stop, RWD, FWD.
9. USB 2.0 Port for PC download.
10. LED Indicator Lights for: Charging, Charge Complete, Power On, Recording.
11. Selector switch for On/Record/VCR Mode.
12. Usability is also a critical issue. Easy to use and efficient. Easily accessible buttons, but the buttons must be able to be protected from accidentally being pushed! These recording devices are usually stored in backpacks and are accessed wearing gloves, etc.

As of now, I have not found a product that meets these requirements. If your company is working on a product that could provide this functionality, or you could direct me to a manufacturer you may know of - plese let me know.

Kind Regards,
Mike Stoll
mike@helmetcameracentral.com

Another whitewater rafting helmet cam video from Mikie. This time a great class V rapids on the Lower New River in West Virginia. Some good action in this one as rafters consistently fly out of the boat and swim! At one point it looks as if the entire boat is empty! Quite enjoyable. Thanks Mike! Filmed using the highly recommended helmet camera systems from Xtreme Recall.

Click To Play

Many folks, who like shooting videos, also enjoy sharing them with others. The easiest way to do this, is to upload your movie to a video sharing website like YouTube. Most of these sites limit you to a 10-minute flick, and/or a 100 MB file. Also, these sites will re-compress the video you upload, so in most cases, you are not going to see the same quality on these websites as you would on your computer. So, you may ask, how do I go about uploading the best quality file to a “YouTube”, while remaining within their file size guidelines? I spent a week reading articles about this vary issue.

What I typically do nowadays is to:

1. Download the original video footage into my computer from my mini DV camcorder.
2. Create a movie for viewing using video editing software (i.e. Adobe Premiere, Apple FinalCut, Microsoft MovieMaker, etc).
3. Export the movie as an un-compressed AVI file (DEINTERLACED!)
4. Use Quicktime Pro ($30) to encode the AVI file into an H.264 (Mpeg-4) movie file.
5. Upload the movie to a video sharing website.
6. Done.

You may watch some of my videos on YouTube.com and Blip.tv by searching on the following “helmet camera mikie”. I typically use QuickTime Pro for encoding the final edited AVI file to H264. One tip to help your videos look good on the Internet is to make sure you de-interlace the video when you encode it! Click here for a great article that is very useful in helping you learn how to use various encoding programs like QuickTime, and others. Below is a list of some video sharing websites for your reference.

Some Video Sharing Sites:

• www.blip.tv
• www.youtube.com
• www.dailymotion.com
• www.googlevideo.com
• www.videoegg.com
• www.broadbandsports.com

Video Sharing Website Rankings & Reviews:

• <http://video-share-review.toptenreviews.com/>
• <http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=100934>
• <http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=112147>
• <http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-Video-Sharing-Services&id=536110>

Chao,
Mike Stoll

A great video from guest editor, Mike Stoll. Mike does a great job mixing camera angles and capturing the excitement of river rafting! My favorite is the helmet camera mounted to the front of the raft point backwards at the rafters! Filmed using the highly recommended helmet camera systems from Xtreme Recall.

Click To Play

Greets-

Mike Stoll has very graciously offered to write content for HCC.com. Mike is an avid helmet cam’er and we look forward to a variety of new content in the coming months.

A brief introduction from Mike follows, enjoy.

Thanks / Chad Lancour

The following is a brief introduction from Mike Stoll:
Hello-

I have been using a helmet camera system for a little over two years, and really love the perspective. My primary extreme sports are cave exploration and rafting. I’ve written an article for VideoMaker (July, 2007 Issue), and am currently writing one for Magxzine. This past week, I visited at least 10 different helmet camera websites (U.S.A. & UK) to see what’s currently being offered. It seems the camera units themselves are very similar in performance, but the thing that really sets a supplier apart from the others, is what equipment they offer from the camera back to the recording unit. Cabling and the illusive right-angle 10-Pin Sony connector has been a big headache for helmet camera users. Thankfully, there is at least one supplier that I know of who currently offers a right-angle 10-Pin solution (Xtreme Recall), making the use of the smaller Sony DCR-HC line possible. I’d like to see the industry develop better cabling solutions (video, audio, lanc) for the users to reduce bulk, and the number of cables hanging off a person. Lastly, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sold-state DVRs that can record at an actual 30 fps (with good video quality), and offer the user the same level on control as a lanc controlled camcorder. Whenever this technology becomes available, it will certainly help reduce the bulk of a helmet camera system, while also making it easier and faster for the user to download the video to their computer.

Click here to read more… »

We’ve finally up and launched a general discussion forum for all things wearable video and helmet cameras. We took a stab at setting up a variety of forums - and as of right now we have ZERO content out there.

Go here to visit the forums, or use the Forums link in the upper navigation bar.

Interested in providing content for the forums? Want to be a forum moderator? Do you have experience with helmet cameras and the like? Are you a specialist in a particular field such as racing cars, or mountain biking? Do you enjoy writing and have an analytical mind? If you are interested, we are interested. Moderators will be responsible for posting content and keeping things rolling, in return we will pay ego points into your ego general fund. If you’re good enough at moderating and generating content, there may be some free helmet cam gear in it for you! Use the Contact Us link on the top navigation to get in touch with us.

We really appreciate your comments, support, and time.

Thanks
Chad & Ryan Lancour @ Helmet Cam Central.

Ok, these checklists have saved my arse many times. If you cover everything on these lists before filming, you should not miss a minute of action on video - unless of course your helmet camera fogs up!

Read on for the checklists!

Click here to read more… »