“The POV.HD video camera from V.I.O. is touted as the “most flexible, rugged and easy-to-use” HD video system on the market. At $599.95, it’s also among the most pricey. But the camera package — which includes a small camera head on a cable (mountable on helmets, ski goggles, etc.); a remote control; and a recording unit with a two-inch LCD screen for playback — can record 1080p H.264 video and can store five hours of footage. It is a rugged unit touted as dust-, water- and shock-proof.” – Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com
The VIO POV.HD is available for pre-order over at the shop. Get yours before they sell out!
Introducing the POV.HD Video System by V.I.O.
Advanced Point-of-View 1080p Video
Marquette, MI (November 2010)—Caveat Emptor: not all HD is created equal. V.I.O., the decade-long leader in point-of-view video technology, is proud to announce the all-new POV.HD video camera: the most flexible, rugged and easy to use point-of-view HD video system available. The POV.HD is V.I.O.’s response to video professionals and athletes who demand advanced high-definition video with vibrant color and superior camera control that excels in extreme environments.
The new POV.HD follows the award-winning form-factor of its predecessor, but with all-new internal components and functionality. The POV.HD features new in-field flexibility capabilities and records up to 5 hours of crisp HD video. Thanks to the exceptionally small and robust nature of the POV.HD camera head, options for capturing creative and beautiful video angles are limitless. Clint Slack, Marketing Director at V.I.O., says: “The POV.HD not only delivers advanced HD video, but also provides a host of unique recording and exposure options designed for the discriminating video enthusiast.”
The POV.HD comes with a laundry list of proprietary functionality driven by user feedback. The recording unit features a 2-inch LCD screen to view footage in the field, edit video and make exposure control adjustments. A simple set of controls allows the user to easily “tag” the best footage in the field, so final editing is finished quickly back in the studio. The recorder, run by Texas Instruments’ new Da Vinci DM368 Video Processor, supports a real-time video pipeline that enhances image quality and produces crystal clear 1080p H.264 video. The 2-oz wearable camera head captures 142 degree FOV, at 1080p 30fps—the widest point-of-view camera angle available on the market. The camera head also features video capture at 720p 60fps, a high-quality 6-element glass lens and a native 1080p CMOS sensor designed specifically to produce optimal-quality, Full HD video.
In addition to utilizing the best video components available on the market, the POV.HD excels in the single most important test for point-of-view cameras: durability and ruggedness. The POV.HD is IP67 certified and is commonly used in a wide variety of extreme environments due to the unit’s dust, water and shockproof ratings and ability to handle extreme temperatures. Todd Jones, Founder and Producer for the action-sports film company Teton Gravity Research, said: “Thanks to the exceptionally small size, bombproof nature and production-grade video quality of V.I.O.’s cameras, we’ve been able to capture unique and beautiful shots of our athletes in extreme situations that otherwise would have been unattainable.”
The POV.HD Camera will be available Nov. 15, 2010 at HelmetCameraCentral.com, B&H Photo and in other fine camera/video establishments across the country. View video, photos and learn more at: vio-pov.com
Since its inception in 2000, V.I.O. has been the leading innovator in point-of-view video technology. The V.I.O. pointof-view system is unique in that it?s designed specifically to capture adventure and tactical video. V.I.O.'s customers include professional and amateur athletes in a wide variety of sports such as mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, skydiving, motocross, snowmobiling and auto racing. Other industries relying on V.I.O. video systems include the military, law enforcement, aviation and movie and television production. For more information, visit vio-pov.com or call 1-888-579-2267.
The VIO POV.HD is available for pre-order over at the shop. Get yours before they sell out!
The GoPro HD HERO 960 is available for purchase now over at The Shop.
GoPro is well known in the industry for making an excellent point-of-view (POV) camera, and they offer the best warranty. With the introduction of their 960 model, GoPro has targeted those camera enthusiasts who want HD quality but don’t have 300 clams. GoPro has trimmed down some of the features from their high-end 1080 model, and is selling this camera at a price well below the competition. At $179, you get beautiful HD video, an excellent assortment of mounts, GoPro quality, and the ability to shoot in extreme conditions including underwater. The main competitors of the GoPro 960 are the Contour HD, Oregon Scientific ACT9K, Drift HD170, and the Epic HD.
To offer an HD camera at a very competitive price, GoPro decided to tone down some of the features that certain enthusiasts may not require. First, they reduced the highest resolution setting to 1280 x 960. Unless you have a large HDTV that is over 50”, the normal viewer cannot easily tell the difference between 720, 960, or 1080. Second, they removed the BUS expansion port, which would allow you to connect a GoPro LCD monitor or alternate power source to the camera. I would mention all POV cameras started off without an LCD monitor, and though they are nice to have for playback purposes, users have gotten by without them for years. Lastly, the 960 will only shoot HD at 30 frames per second (FPS). Unless you do a lot of slow motion effects in your final movie production, video shot at 30 fps should be fine for most folks.
Introduction:
Oregon Scientific has upped their game with the introduction of the ACT9K. It incorporates a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor for high definition shooting, includes a nice quality LCD for video playback, and offers the ability to customize a variety of shooting parameters through its onboard menu. The camera is waterproof to 20 meters, allowing you to shoot in extreme conditions and underwater. It records video onto a MicroSD Card (not included), and stores video files in an H264 format. Its feature set is comparable to the GoProHD and the ContourHD, and is priced at $299.00 USD retail.
The Drift HD170 is the latest and greatest camera from Drift Innovation, the company who previously brought us the X170. This time around Drift Innovation's camera is packing full HD 1080p video! Other upgrades include a lithium ion battery pack as opposed to AA batteries and support for up to 32GB SDHC Cards.Read Below for a full review of this awesome new camera from Drift Innovation.
Highlights of the Drift HD170
The HD170 delivers full 1080p HD quality video and 5MP photographs
Functions can be controlled by a wireless RF remote control
A 1.5" screen helps you to line up the perfect shot and to show off your video right away
Memory expansion up to 32Gb on an SDHC card
Wide angle lens of 127° in 1080p and170° in 720p & WVGA
All the mounts that you need are provided, plus it has a metal 8mm mount
Breaking news! Drift Innovation just announced their new full HD helmet camera, the HD170! You can read the press release after the break, and we have the camera up for pre-order, you can check it out here.
Filmed on a GoPro HD HERO, more product information is available here.
Watch as Helmet Cam Central rider Chad Thorpe (the rider being followed) rides his Star Wars speeder bike... I mean downhill mountain bike through the woods in Southern Oregon at breakneck speeds. The GoPro HD HERO sure handles fast motion nicely! Enjoy!
Used the GoPro motorsport suction cup mount to attach the new HD GoPro to the hood of my car as I pulled in to work. This was relatively low-light, and we all know the GoPros (and any other little video camera) work best when it's really bright out...
Nevertheless, it's a good test of video quality. Video was shot in 1080P :-)
Video is just over 3 minutes long, and the orignal file was 283 MB, giving a data rate (at 1080P) of roughly 1.57 mb/s...
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series team PR1 Motorsports and drivers Jeff Westphal (yellow helmet) and Max Hyatt (green/blue helmet) compete in the second to last round in the championship series at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt LAke City, UT. This video was shot entirely with the new GoPro HD cameras with the only modifications being a slight color correction, audio leveling and transition edits.
Visit GoPro.com to find out more about the GoPro HD cameras. On sale for $299.99!
I want to thank everyone from PR1 Motorsports, whom I've raced with for the past two years, for allowing me to put the cameras everywhere and even on the crew for during pit stops.
Cinematography and Editing by Patrick Barrett
Produced by GoPro Cameras
