Which digital video recorder for a helmetcam?

June 5, 2007 7:49 PM

I am putting together a helmetcam system for mountain biking. Which digital (flash or HD based) video recorder should I use?

OK, I'm going to use a camera simlar to this one with 520 line resolution.

I need something which will record the video.

I don't want a DV camera because of the pain of having to digitize everything in real time, and the likelihood of severe shocks when I fall off the bike.

So that leaves either a flash-based or HD based recorder. I think flash would be a better choice for me. The cheapest option appears to be the Aiptek MPVR which I like because it will record third-person video as well and is cheap enough not to worry about.

What other options are there for better quality in a similar form factor with or without lens? Do any other of the new HD/Flash-based camcorders offer video-in (which is the sine qua non here)? Bonus points for (a) a lens (b) toughness (c) quality (d) toughness (e) mac-friendly output format (eg .mov) (f) remote.

Obviously it must fit in a camelback and have a battery life of >1hr while recording.

posted by unSane to technology (6 comments total)

If you're going to be mountain biking, you'll want flash-based for sure. All that jostling is not good at all for a Hard Drive that is trying to record video in real-time. Falls are even worse.
(I'm of no help when it comes to brand or product recs, though. sorry)
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 10:46 PM on June 5, 2007

You could also try the Aiptek GO-HD.

It uses 720p, and the quality is pretty damned good. As a bonus - you can use 8GB SD cards.

Here's a thread on AVS with a whole bunch of info, along with sample videos and photos : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=844531
posted by revmitcz at 3:45 AM on June 6, 2007

digave.com has some good advice on making a helmet cam in its "About" section. (It also has some awesome videos.)
posted by dseaton at 7:56 AM on June 6, 2007

On rereading, I realize this doesn't really answer your questions. But it's still a good site for inspiration and information.
posted by dseaton at 7:57 AM on June 6, 2007

here's a howto from petefagerlin.com. he's apparently using a dv camera, though, but he might have some other valuable insights for you.
posted by the painkiller at 8:10 AM on June 6, 2007

flash... there is no way hd can survive on trails like mountain biking.

Its the same if you are using a music player, for running, exercise purposes... flash is best
posted by radsqd at 12:15 PM on June 6, 2007