Helmet cams (First impression)
One of many tools that help a referee learn how to implement the rules is video footage. More often than not, that footage was filmed with the fans in mind. This makes for exciting video, but isn’t always the best way for a ref to learn from it. Because of this, I have wanted a helmet camera for some time now. The idea is that the helmet cam will capture as close to what I am seeing as possible. This will keep the focus on only what I need to focus on in whatever reffing position I am working.
This should be an especially good tool for jam refs in training. The camera will remain on the jammer I am watching at all times, making it easier to judge how many points the jammer should have gotten.
Because of this desire, I have done much research on helmet cams. There are several different types, ranging from $80 to $1000+. The two most common types of helmet cameras are all-in-one (the piece that is attached to your helmet does everything) and a bullet camera + DVR. The latter uses a camera (basically just the lens and processor) which is attached to a Digital Video Recorder by a wire, which records the video to a hard drive or other media.
There are pros and cons for each.
The bullet cam +DVR combo can provide much higher quality video and puts the weight in your pocket. Though it also requires a wire to be routed from the camera to the DVR, which can be damaged somewhat easily and can get in the way.
The all-in-one cameras eliminate the wires and tend to be less expensive. However, they produce a lower quality video and put all the bulk and weight (mostly batteries) on your helmet.
For me, the decision between the two types was an easy one. I didn’t want to deal with wires. So then the field was narrowed to basically 3 different cameras. The GoPro HERO (which looks like a mini digital camera), the Oregon Scientific ATC-3000 (I believe the link leads to an ATC-2000, but they are very similar cameras) and the Tachyon XC.
The GoPro camera wasn’t even worth my time since the maximum it can record is 56 minutes. Not even enough to record a single bout.
The ATC-3000 shows a lot of wavy distortion during high motion activities. The sound quality is bad enough that you might as well not even waster the storage space recording it.
The Tachyon XC was the clear winner here. It has a similar form factor to the ATC-3000 but without its video problems. The sound is not a whole lot better than the ATC-3000, but it is better. At $230 including a class 6 16Gb SD card, it’s a steal.
Upon receiving the Tachyon XC, I was very impressed with the variety of mounts included. There are included velcro sheets, perforated in different shapes to accommodate many different types of mounting methods. The door on the back that covers the battery compartment, memory card slot, video and usb connection is difficult to close. That difficulty is part of what impressed me; the latch very securely closes the compartment and completely seals it off, preventing water or dust from getting in. The whole thing seems extremely solid and well-made.
I’ve yet to figure out where it needs to go on my helmet, so I haven’t gotten a real-world test yet. When I do, I will post a full review.