On-bike Cameras

Camcorders

MiniDV

Standard MiniDV Camcorders record to MiniDV tape using DCT intraframe compression format, i.e. not MPEG-2 nor MPEG-4. This results in approximately one gigabyte per four minutes of video. A MiniDV tape holds 60 minutes of video.

The biggest problem in selecting a camcorder is finding one that supports AV-in (i.e. composite video and sound). It appears that virtually none of the current crop of DV camcorders support AV in. Sony has traditionally been one of the best at offering AV-in, and it appears that any model ending in 'i' will provide it.

Since these read from tape, transferring video to a computer will happen in real-time. So, a 30 minute video will take 30 minutes to transfer to a computer.

AV in

• Sony DCR-HC96 - AV in/out, S-Video in/out (adapter), DV in/out ($509.95)

Hard Disk

Hard disk camcorders behave much like the DVRs listed below. They use MPEG-4 compression, which allows them to store more data, but yields lower overall quality. Being hard disk based, it's much faster to transfer video to a computer for editing.

Digital Video Recorders

Most DVRs record using MPEG4 or DivX compression, which yields much smaller files, but detail will be poor, particularly when there is a lot of motion. Some DVRs record in MPEG-2 format, like a DV camcorder.

Solid State

MPEG 4

• Sting by Sonic. Custom DVRs made by Sonic were used in Long Way Round.
• Cylon Systems provides complete, Archos-based kits to UK police.

MPEG 2

• ChaseCam PDR100

Hard Drive-based

• Archos

Bullet Cameras

HelmetCamera.com

• HelmetCamera.com offers several types of waterproof camera. All use Sony CCDs.
  • 380 - $169
  • 480 - $259
  • 560 - $299

StuntCams.com

StuntCams sells many camera models and accessories, though their website layout makes it hard to really compare products. Their higher-quality 'Tornado' camera is obviously made by a Korean company called KT&C, and the rest of their lineup seems to directly correlate with KT&C's products (for example, compare the remote supplied by StuntCam versus that of KT&C, and compare the KT&C KPA-1 microphone to StuntCam's microphone).

Their FAQ is, in some ways, more informative than their actual product pages!

• Tornado 520 Res EX-View Cam $279
  • "This camera is a bit larger and wider than our other bullet cameras, but is the best camera for DVD quality footage."
  • 520 lines 'TRUE' resolution
  • 12V, < 100ma current
  • S/N > 68dB
  • 2.1, 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 25mm lenses standard
  • optional variofocal lenses 3.5-8mm ($49), 2.8-12mm ($69), 6-60mm ($89), 5-100mm ($119)
    • Note: this could be the KT&C KPC-650CH (standard 1/3" ExView CCD, 480 lines, most likely), KPC600BH (optional 1/3" ExView CCD, 600 lines), or the KPC-DN301CZH (1/4" CCD, 480 lines, remote control).

• 550-line Sony CCD bullet camera with variofocal 4-9mm lens.
  • Image sensor Interline 1/3 inch SONY SUPER HAD CCD w/ HQ1 Chipset
  • Effective pixels 768(H) 494(V)
  • S/N ratio More than 45 dB ( AGC OFF )
  • 12V, 130mA max
  • 100% waterproof up to 6ft

• 520-line Sony CCD bullet camera with pre-wired composite, mini-mic, and battery pack for $185.
  • 520 lines
  • 1/3" Sony CCD
  • 3.6mm lens standard
  • Waterproof if mounting hole sealed with silicon or similar, not recommended for submersion.
  • Note: this appears to be similar to the KT&C KPC-HD230CWX, which is available here for $109. Of course, this version wouldn't include the wiring, battery pack, and mic.
    

KT&C

KT&C appears to be the source for StuntBike's cameras. The full KT&C catalog appears on their American site.

• KPC-HD353CW

  

  • 1/3" Sony CCD / 520 TV Lines (2:1 interlace)
  • 0.1 Lux / F2.0
  • Digital 3X zoom, A/D Key Controller Featured
  • Digital Day & Night
  • Built in Varifocal Lens (f4.0~8.0mm or f2.6~5.6mm manual Varifocal Lens)
  • Option : Remote Controller, RS-485 Interface
  • NTSC effective pixels - 510(H) x 492(V)
  • S/N Ratio - > 50dB (AGC Off)
  • A/D key Features Digital TELE & WIDE, PAN & TILT, Contrast, Negative & Positive
  • 12V (±10%)
    

• KPC-HD230CWX

  

  • 1/3" Sony CCD / 520 TV Lines
  • 0.1 Lux / F2.0
  • Digital 3X, A/D Key Controller Featured
  • Digital Day & Night
  • Fixed Board Lens
  • Option : Remote Controller, RS-485 Interface
  • NTSC effective pixels - 510(H) x 492(V)
  • S/N Ratio > 50dB (AGC Off)
  • A/D key Features Digital TELE & WIDE, PAN & TILT, Contrast, Negative & Positive
  • 12V (±10%)
    

Connectors

• This page refers to a four-conductor phono plug in the Mouser catalog.
• This catalog page shows a four-conductor miniplug to RCA cable, which looks a lot like the one that ships with the Archos 5th Gen travel dock.
• VioTac sells cables with standard connectors (e.g. Sony HandyCam) on one end, and a mini-DIN on the other.
• [ Hirose] makes some very nice multi-pole, circular connectors, particularly the HR30.

Manipulating Videos

Downloading Videos

Depending on the camera and computer, downloading videos may be very simple or extremely complex.

Windows

Windows XP and Vista include MovieMakerPro, which can be used to capture from a USB-connected camera.

Downloading from a Sony MiniDV HandyCam over USB will result in an MPEG-4 compressed video. In this case, much of the quality of the MiniDV stream will be lost.

Macintosh

If you download video from a MiniDV source using iLife/iMovie, it will convert the video to MPEG-2. This is undesirable if you're seeking the best quality.

Downloading raw MiniDV video is particularly challenging on the Mac.

1. Find a 4-pin to 6-pin Firewire/i.Link/IEEE1394 cable to connect the HandyCam to the Mac.
2. Download and install the Apple Firewire Developer's Kit.
3. Run AVCVideoCap (located at /Developer/FireWireSDK25/Applications/AVCVideoCapp.app)
4. Select the "DV-VCR"
5. Choose "Control"
6. The video should now automatically begin playing and streaming to the computer.

Resources

• This thread discusses AVCVideoCap.

Editing Software

This is a quick list of software which may be of use when processing video.

• The Deemon SuperResolution very cleverly yields high-resolution images from lower-resolution input video by combining frames. It may not work well with the high degree of motion inherent to sports video.
• VirtualDub is a simple, but very powerful (and free) video-processing application for Windows.

Resources

• This thread (pashnit) mentions LANC which allows external control of video cameras.
• This page mentions that nearly all Sony camcorders support video-in.
• Hooli-Cam, a page on setting up an on-bike camera.
• DogCamSport, in the UK, has a list of cameras with AV inputs. Note that the information may not be accurate for the US market.
• http://www.ovrlnd.com/DoItYourself/ProjectHooli-cam.html a page on setting up an on-bike camera.
• This post (advrider) contains some excellent information including mention of MPEG-2 versus MPEG-4 compression.
• This post (advrider) links to video files demonstrating a 520 line camera connected to a PDR100 (MPEG-2) and a DV camcorder.
• This page (pashnit) has a rundown of camera mounting options.