For a couple of years I've been making on-board videos from racing cars
using a Canon 600i MiniDV.

I record about 30 mins of racing at a time and I store the final videos
(edited to about 15 min) on a MiniDV tape as 4GB avi files.
The picture source is a remote (bullet) camera connected to the AVin on the
Canon.

As the Canon is showing its age a bit, I have thought about replacing it
with a mpeg4 recorder (Archos?) but keeping the same bullet camera.
Does anyone have experience of the reliability of the hard disk drive in
these recorders when there is a lot of vibration like here (eg engine bolted
solidly to chassis)?
I wrap the Canon in 1/2 inch of foam and it seems OK functionally, but
screws loosen etc.

How does mpeg4 picture quality compare with avi?

Is any firm yet selling a recorder with solid-state memory ? No moving parts
= reliable? Google doesn't seem to find any.
8GB flash cards have been around for a year or so now and would be big
enough even at avi quality.

Thanks in anticipation for any expertise anyone can offer.

PP

On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 23:54:12 +0100, "Paul Parr"
wrote:

For a couple of years I've been making on-board videos from racing cars
using a Canon 600i MiniDV.

I record about 30 mins of racing at a time and I store the final videos
(edited to about 15 min) on a MiniDV tape as 4GB avi files.
The picture source is a remote (bullet) camera connected to the AVin on the
Canon.

As the Canon is showing its age a bit, I have thought about replacing it
with a mpeg4 recorder (Archos?) but keeping the same bullet camera.
Does anyone have experience of the reliability of the hard disk drive in
these recorders when there is a lot of vibration like here (eg engine bolted
solidly to chassis)?
I wrap the Canon in 1/2 inch of foam and it seems OK functionally, but
screws loosen etc.

How does mpeg4 picture quality compare with avi?

MPEG4 is more compressed than DV-AVI, but it copes quite well - much
better than MPEG2 as you get on DVDs for example.

Is any firm yet selling a recorder with solid-state memory ? No moving parts
= reliable? Google doesn't seem to find any.
8GB flash cards have been around for a year or so now and would be big
enough even at avi quality.

Well, just my 2c but 1GB SD cards are getting pretty inexpensive per
MB, they're about £50 GBP in the UK now (down from £150 last year).

And you can fit an awful lot more MPEG4 than MPEG2 (or DV-AVI) on the
same SD card - probably an hour or more depending on quality, frame
rate and image size (you didn't say what they were)

Since you'd get a $15 card reader to move them to your laptop or PC,
and you're unlikely to run more than an hour or 2, I'd say if you can
find a recorder that takes it, solid state for that particular
application - seeing as how you'd have a lot of vibration.

HTH
Cheers - Neil

Paul Parr wrote:

For a couple of years I've been making on-board videos from racing cars
using a Canon 600i MiniDV.

I record about 30 mins of racing at a time and I store the final videos
(edited to about 15 min) on a MiniDV tape as 4GB avi files.
The picture source is a remote (bullet) camera connected to the AVin on the
Canon.

Not answering your question I'm afraid, but what camera are you using,
and how do you connect it to the the Canon? I tried one (bullet camera)
but just couldn't get it to work as needed.

--
Antony
Pull the plug to reply.

For a couple of years I've been making on-board videos from racing cars
using a Canon 600i MiniDV.

I record about 30 mins of racing at a time and I store the final videos
(edited to about 15 min) on a MiniDV tape as 4GB avi files.
The picture source is a remote (bullet) camera connected to the AVin on
the
Canon.

Not answering your question I'm afraid, but what camera are you using,
and how do you connect it to the the Canon? I tried one (bullet camera)
but just couldn't get it to work as needed.

--
Antony
Pull the plug to reply.


It's one I got from

http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk

21CWSHR PAL (says Pack 3 on the case)
As mentioned above, it plugs into the AV jack (a yellow socket on the
Canon). Suitable lead comes standard with the Canon.
Worked perfectly from day one. You have to operate the Canon via the
wireless remote when used with a separate camera, which is a bit of a pain.

PP

"Paul Parr" wrote in message
...
For a couple of years I've been making on-board videos from racing cars
using a Canon 600i MiniDV.

I record about 30 mins of racing at a time and I store the final videos
(edited to about 15 min) on a MiniDV tape as 4GB avi files.
The picture source is a remote (bullet) camera connected to the AVin on
the
Canon.

As the Canon is showing its age a bit, I have thought about replacing it
with a mpeg4 recorder (Archos?) but keeping the same bullet camera.
Does anyone have experience of the reliability of the hard disk drive in
these recorders when there is a lot of vibration like here (eg engine
bolted
solidly to chassis)?
I wrap the Canon in 1/2 inch of foam and it seems OK functionally, but
screws loosen etc.

How does mpeg4 picture quality compare with avi?

avi is just a microsoft standard for containing video files. As long as you
the corresponsing codec you can have avi's which contain DV (which is itself
an MPEG2 standard), MPEG2/4, divx etc. So video on a DV tape is DV-MPEG2. It
dosn't become an avi until it is transferred to a microsoft OS on a PC

Paul Parr wrote:

Not answering your question I'm afraid, but what camera are you using,
and how do you connect it to the the Canon? I tried one (bullet camera)
but just couldn't get it to work as needed.

It's one I got from

http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk

21CWSHR PAL (says Pack 3 on the case)

Thanks, that look ideal!

You have to operate the Canon via the
wireless remote when used with a separate camera, which is a bit of a pain.

Why? I can't see why it would be awkward to use that?

--
Antony
Pull the plug to reply.

You have to operate the Canon via the
wireless remote when used with a separate camera, which is a bit of a
pain.

Why? I can't see why it would be awkward to use that?

Space is at a premium in the (open single seater) racing car and the camera
is tucked away in a fibreglass/light alloy housing I made, well away from
potential impact damage and weather and has to be securely fixed to satisfy
the mandatory safety inspection.

The wireless remote needs to 'see' the front of the camera to transmit to it
(via a reflector in this case), and the operator needs to see into the
viewfinder to verify that it is running and recording.

Combining all these has turned out to be quite a challenge and it still
involves some contortions (and ribald comments from friends) to start the
camera before the race starts. It would be yet another complication in the
design if the driver had to start the camera single-handedly.

It would be a lot easier to press a single 'record' button as you do when
using the normal lens but, alas, not possible with the Canon. I didn't
realise this when I bought it, but it's been OK in most other respects.

HTH
PP

PS If you're thinking of using one on a race car you also need to check the
formalities re copyright etc, tightly controlled by the circuit owners, and
get the driver to sign up to the rather daunting declarations they require.

Paul Parr wrote:

Why? I can't see why it would be awkward to use that?

Space is at a premium in the (open single seater) racing car and the camera
is tucked away in a fibreglass/light alloy housing I made, well away from
potential impact damage and weather and has to be securely fixed to satisfy
the mandatory safety inspection.

I was thinking of it being more conventionally fitted - now I can see
why it's akward!

PS If you're thinking of using one on a race car you also need to check the
formalities re copyright etc, tightly controlled by the circuit owners, and
get the driver to sign up to the rather daunting declarations they require.

This is just in a normal car and for instructor training - no such
issues for me. I have a mount for one camera already, I want a second to
film to the rear at the same time so I can expand what I do a little.
This will do nicely, and be discreet at the same time.

--
Antony
Pull the plug to reply.