If James Bond were saving the world in this digital age, he would be the first in his line of work to embrace the newest technology by a company called Pivothead. Plus the fact that he would look very cool, indeed, and no one would guess that he was surreptitiously video recording the scene right in front of him.
The device is video recordable sunglasses. That’s right. A pair of nice ordinary-looking sunglasses that contain a camera and a microphone that are capable of producing point-of-view HD videos and still images.
Brian Falatovich’s Midwest Digital, is the first – and so far the only – Chicago area dealer to carry them. “I was very impressed when I saw them demonstrated at NAB last April and felt these are for the production company that needs on-the-go shooting, like GoPro,” says Falatovich, who runs a video/audio equipment sales outfit in Chicago Ridge.
Even at $349, Falatovich says he finds it difficult to keep the glasses in stock and customers who snap them up say they want them for many different uses, such as capturing sports movements, for coaches training athletes, police work, surgery, motorcycles, construction, medical uses or military training – all from a unique first-person perspective.
This week Falatovich is manning a booth at the big Oshkosh air show, through Sunday, demonstrating the POV glasses’ miniaturized features to the curious. Response to the glasses “has been overwhelming,” he says. “The applications are endless. They are designed to point and shoot. The operation is a very easy one and that is appealing.”
At a distance the glasses look like ordinary sunglasses and, when not recording, can be used as such. The four models, which come in 16 different styles, are sturdy but ultra lightweight and impact resistant. The polarized lenses are protected by an anti-scratch surface and are available in three colors plus a clear model.
The point of view, or 8 MP image sensor, is located dead center in the middle of the glasses, above the bridge, so the user gets what he sees. A small video switch is on the left earpiece, or arm, and video or stills can be captured when the LED goes on. The glasses offer four video focus setting options.
The glasses continuously record HD video and audio at 1080P HD at 30 fps to 720p at 30 or 60 fps., for one hour, to an 8 gigabyte onboard memory.
On the right earpiece, are the 44.4 hKz microphone, 60 and 30 fps and three resolution options, still photo options and time lapse settings.
On the bottom of the left earpiece is a micro-USB port to connect the glasses to a computer. Falatovich says a HotSpot and an app for the iPad, iPhone and Android will be available very soon.
Falatovich can be reached at 708/790-4040; Email midwestdig@gmail.com.
