Point of View Cameras (POV)
Overview
This 3 hr workshop provides attendees with an over view of a range of Pont of View Cameras (PoV) and how they can be used to support teaching and learning in the VET environment.
Topics include
- What is a Point of View Camera
- Types of cameras
- Video formats
- How they can be used in VET
- POV Camera in Sydney Institute
- Capturing Video
- Editing Video
- Rendering Video
- Uploading & Sharing your video
This session addresses some elements from the following Training Package units:
Session resources
Resources
Brian Mobbs, Refrigeration Teacher TAFE NSW - Sydney Institute POV Videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/10649337
Launch Helmet Cams supplier of helmet cameras and onboard video solutions.
http://www.launchhelmetcams.com/
EDUPOV - Suppliers of POV equipment to the educational sector within Australia
http://www.edupov.com/
Podcast of the aupov09 Conference, Wollongong, NSW Australia 18 June 2009
http://talkingvte.blogspot.com/search/label/aupov09
Other resources
TAFENSW libraries subscribe to a number of periodical databases which provide you with full text articles available to you online. One example is the suite of EBSCOhost databases. Click here to link to articles from EBSCOhost databases on wikis. If you wish to find out more about how to set up a RSS feed for a topic of your choice from one of the available databases please contact library staff at your college library.
What is a Point of View Camera
image by mobology
There are many types of point of view cameras on the market today, and the field is constantly evolving as technology improves. Basically POV involves any video camera which captures live footage of an individual performing an activity in such a fashion as viewer gets to see and or hear the activity being performed from the perspective of the filmer.
Typically POV involves wearable cameras however they may also involve video cameras which are mounted on stands, in microscopes, medical equipment eg. Laparoscopes, plumbing drain inspection cameras or vehicles etc.
POV cameras are typically small form factor, light weight and record to internal flash memory and or external SD or micro SD cards. Video/Audio is recorded in compressed format to the flash memory and can be easily accessed via a USB port for transfer, editing and publishing.
Video Formats
Video/Audio is recorded in a wide range if formats depending on the manufactures specifications, some of the common types are as follows :-
3GP - Originally developed for use on 3g mobile phones, the format is a variant of MPEG-4. It it is supported by a wide range of players in the MS, MAC and Linux environments. In the DET NSW MS context it typically opens and plays in Quicktime and RealPlayer. For more information on the format see the wikipedia entry
AVI - has it's roots in the MS environment and strictly speaking is a container or wrapper for video files and as such may utilise a wide array of video/audio formats. Microsoft created the AVI format for packaging A/V data, but it's just a specification for sticking A/V data in a file, along with some control information about what's inside.
MOV - This is the QuickTime container which has it's roots in the multimedia framework developed by Apple. Like AVI is can support a wide variety of video/Audio formats. Typically a MOV file will open with Quicktime if it is installed however a range of players will handle the file type so long as they have the appropriate codec installed. For more information see the wikipedia entry
MOD, TOD - recording formats developed for use in flash memory based camcorders. They tend to be manufacturer dependant with JVC using MOD & TOD and Canon using MOD for standard definition SD cameras. For more information see the wikipedia entry
MTS & AVCHD, - MTS was developed by Sony for Flash based High Definition HD camcorders and has been adopted by some other manufacturers such as Canon & Panasonic. Camcorders make use of MTS in the form of AVCHD, a recording format made specifically for camcorders. Some camcorder models from Canon such as the Canon LEGRIA HFS10 use MTS files. These files are also present on Blu-ray disc compilations, therefore they are capable of storing quite a large amount of information and data tracks. Generally speaking most media players will not play these type of HD formats and you need to install a player. Adobe Premiere Elements supports HD and will handle both formats. There are lots of converters available to which will convert it to more playable formats. HD is and new emerging landscape and support will grow with time, Windows 7 apparently natively supports AVCHD/MTS/M2TS for example. For more information see the wikipedia entry
POV Cameras @ Sydney Institute
TAFE NSW - Sydney Institute has a range of POV cameras which have been purchased for teachers to explore POV as a tool to enhance their teaching and learning programs. We are constantly purchasing new equipment for teachers to explore. If you are interested in exploring POV contact the Workforce Development Unit for more information.
EDUPOV 2
Some times refereed to as a spy classes, this type of wearable camera is integrated into a pair if fashionable sun glasses.
It records to the internal 2 Gb of internal memory or an optional micro SD card. Lens can be removed or clear lens inserted.
For information on the operation see the instruction page
V.I.O POV 1.5
The POV.1.5 is a fully integrated point-of-view (POV) video system that's waterproof, dustproof, and shock-resistant. The system includes a mountable camera head, flash built-in video recorder, wireless remote and a wide array of mounting accessories. The camera runs on 4 AA batteries for upto 4 hrs and records onto 4-8 4GB SDHC Card.
For information on the operation see the instruction page
ContourHD / ContourHD 1080P
The ContourHD is lightweight, water resistant high definition HD camera Videos are recorded onto Micro SD cards (2GB card included) with the maximum size 16GB card holding up to hours of HD video (or 16 hours of standard definition). The rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery will run for approximately 90 minutes in HD mode (2 hours in standard definition mode).
For information on the operation see the instruction page
EDUPOV - 1B
image by mobology
The EDUPOV - 1B camera, distributed by EduPOV Pty Ltd Australia is a light weight 1.3 mega pixel video camera mounted to a set of UVEX medium duty safety glasses. The kit also includes an external lapel microphone and a Falsh based DRV unit for recording the video/audio. The entire kit comes in a high impact, heavy duty, waterproof nylon case.
For information see the instruction page
Canon Legria FS200
Although not strictly a POV camera in that it's not worn by the user, inexpensive, light weight flash based camcorders such as the Canon Legria FS200 can be used to record video of a work based activity for evidence or instruction.
For more information see the instruction page
Canon Legria FS37
For more information see the instruction page
