First outing: The V.I.O. POV 1 & Renault Megane R26

With the VIO POV 1, We’ll now be able to bring you more purposeful, close to the action footages of the things we do. So, what’s a VIO POV 1? Firstly, the POV is a Point Of View video recording device. It is a hands-free. wearable, mountable, shock, water proof and everything else the pros use for a wide range of applications.(e.g.: remember Top Gear’s in-car footage? or even the Fear Factor helmet cams?)

Here’s a real short video of what we did just a couple of hours before this post. (please ignore Youtube compression and the basic video editor)

• Subject: Renault Megane R26
• Location: Karak Highway + Bukit Tinggi
• Chase Car: FD2 Civic Type R
• Time: 630pm
• Weather: Cloudy
• Edited with Windows Live Movie Maker beta

Thanks to Shaun of Ascendant Motorsports Singapore for equipping us with the unit.

The POV 1 has 110 degrees of wide angle view. So it can practically capture almost everything within a few inches. No more hard-to-film obstacles for us. The recording device is wired to the camera head. With just a few simple buttons, it is a great for single handed operations. The LCD display allows playback of clips instantly. The remote is also real handy when you need it.

In-Car or Out-Car, the VIO POV 1 is highly robust, it goes everywhere. Being shockproof, waterproof and all, there’s no problem for us mounting the camera head where harsh conditions created from shock, wind, debris and rain do no harm. Yup, it is perfect for track days and other track oriented activities. In fact, it’s made for it.

Edit: Here’s how we mounted the camera head. A suction mount from Manfrotto would do. But after using Wood’s Powr-Grip Cleat as provided by Shaun, there’s no turning back. It is smaller, lighter and much more versatile. Plus it takes about 5 pumps to get the suction cup working plus its bite doesn’t wear off like the Manfrottto does.

The basic kit with the regular length video cable will suffice, but we used the 5metre cable which is an available option for say, rigging the camera head where the bootlid is from the comfort of your front seats.

Also, In the future, there’ll be uninterrupted power source right from the cigarette lighter socket. So you can keep going on and on and on. The shorten the story, VIO offers and will be offering tons of other upgrades and options for the discerning actionvideographer. Even little things like Camerahead lense protector and so on.

Talk about video quality, It may not stand a chance against your HD Handycam but being a single purpose no nonsense, hardycam, the POV 1 wearable camera records at an industry leading 720p at 30fps, 5 frames per second more than your typical movie and enough frames per second to capture high speed action and movements. All to an 8gb SD Card for a continuous 6hrs. No specific chargers to replenish the unit either. Just 4 AA batteries should keep you going for hours. Compact video devices and phone cameras need not apply.

Check out video above by Ascendant Motorsports recorded from all over Singapore, Malaysia and Sepang.

A typical scenario for an average guy who needs want to capture some of his moments. He goes to location, mounts camera head on helmet/dashboard/windows/monkey bar/bumper/bonnet/roof and goes trashing. He monitors through the LCD screen, then maybe he goes showing off his video through the same screen, he then goes to a cafe, plugs SD Card into card reader and he puts video on youtube. Nice.

Anyway, we’ll go more into details with the VIO POV1 real soon. Also, since the VIO POV1 is here to stay with us at Zerotohundred.com, do stay tuned for more videos. Do contact us if you wish to purchase the VIO POV1.

As for the Renault Megane R26, expect a full feature soon. Please read our first impressions here:

Lastly, here are some V.I.O. POV 1 fast facts.

Features:

• High-quality wearable video camera records with 720 x 480 resolution at 30fps
• Ergonomic user interface design enables single-handed operation and hands-free video capture
• Modular mounting system provides camera stability while attached to helmets or other high impact gear
• Components are shock-resistant, water-resistant and dustproof for use in the most hazardous environments

The POV.1 records in 2 modes, LOOP or CLIP. In LOOP mode, the user TAGs and saves key video segments. In CLIP mode, video is continuously recorded as in traditional video recording. Recording, playback and set-up are controlled by buttons on the POV.1 Recorder.

CPU / RECORDER	CAMERA HEAD
REMOTE	POV.1 IN CASE
C-CLAMP	CAMERA HEAD IN C-CLAMP
TUBE RAIL MOUNT	C-CLAMP ON TUBE RAIL MOUNT
WIDE FLANGE BASE MOUNT	C-CLAMP ON WIDE FLANGE MOUNT

Tom Goh

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