Why Your Action Cameras Need Certification Testing!

The Global Action Camera Market

With the flourishing development of the new media industry, there has been an increase in the number of audiovisual creators using handheld devices, such as smartphones and digital cameras, to record various Vlogs and themes. When capturing dynamic videos in the first or third-person while engaging in sports, adventures, travel, and driving, action cameras are an indispensable choice. Market research indicates the global action camera market is worth 23.7 billion, expected to exceed 51.5 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.1% from 2022 to 2030.

Common Complaints with Action Cameras

The quality of products available today varies greatly despite the continuous growth of the action camera market. Manufacturers highlight certain features for consumers, yet users encounter serious issues during usage that results in a negative user experience. Allion’s Sports Industry Consulting Team has compiled the most common complaints from users on the market, classifying them into the following categories:

Compatibility issues with memory cards, operating systems, etc.

Action cameras often encounter compatibility issues with various memory cards; despite purchasing memory cards recommended by the official manufacturer, errors in reading or failure to properly save recorded files may occur.
Compatibility issues commonly arise with specific brands or operating systems of smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Poor tolerance to low-temperature environments; abnormal functionality; power consumption

The product fails to satisfy the advertised tolerance level for low-temperature environments. For example: the product is advertised to operate normally in temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius, but when taken to a skiing resort where the temperature is only -11 degrees Celsius, it either crashes frequently or randomly stops recording.
It is advertised to record for 90 minutes in low temperatures but, in reality, it can only last for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Unexplained overheating and frequent crashes

Various users report instances of overheating and burning during what they consider normal usage. Some have experienced their memory cards being damaged due to overheating.
The device has the tendency to overheat and crash while using the official software/apps of certain brands for file transfer.

Problems with remote operation or file transmission via Wi-Fi

Users often encouter frequent pairing failures when trying to connect their phone to their action cameras via Wi-Fi. They also experience a poor wireless control experience when attempting to control their action cameras remotely through the app.
File transmission via Wi-Fi often experiences abnormalities with either (1) long transfer times or (2) the display of completion messages whilst the transfer has not yet occurred.

Waterproof function failure leads to device damage

A variety of action cameras are advertised as suitable for underwater photography, but users often find them malfunctioning shortly after submerging. Especially during family vacation to islands that include snorkeling or surfing.
Moments such as swimming with turtles and capturing beautiful memories with family are lost.

Issues with video or audio quality

There are action cameras that produce poor-quality audio recordings, especially in outdoor or public settings that contain high quantities of background noise, particularly human voices.
In specific scenarios, such as underwater filming, the colors in videos and photos are noticeably distorted.
There are issues when shooting panoramic views; issues with misalignment or fragmentation, especially around human subjects.

From the aforementioned categories, it may be inferred that action cameras are typically purchased by consumers specifically for use in important occasions or special environments. Once problems arise, they are likely to cause considerable inconvenience to consumers. For example, a YouTuber invests in a professional action camera prior to travelling abroad to record videos of themselves Snowboarding. Upon returning home, they discover, when editing their footage, that their recorded audio quality is poor. Unable to immediately return abroad to reshoot the footage, they are left with an unpleasant user experience that reflects poorly on their chosen brand.

Faced with fierce market competition and brand management pressure, manufacturers are constantly pondering how their products are capable of providing the best quality whilst reducing customer complaints. Regarding the sixth issue mentioned above, the key reason provided for this occurrence is “background noise”. For manufacturers to achieve optimal noise reduction and quality verification, simulating acoustic scenarios in actual environments is an indispensable opportunity. However, field testing incurs high costs in addition to numerous risks and limitations. When issues arise, it’s difficult to reproduce the environmental parameters necessary for repeated verification, analysis, and improvement, making it one of the most vexing problems for manufacturers.

Allion’s Customized One-Stop Consulting Service

Environmental Noise Sound Field Reconstruction Technology to Create Your Exclusive Product Verification Environment

Having established the “Environmental Noise Sound Field Restoration Testing Laboratory,” Allion understands the aspirations and needs of various manufacturers. It records the real conditions of various environments on-site then uses sound field reconstruction technology to restore the actual noise environment. By recording the ambient sounds at a coffee shop, Allion established an audio database (as shown in Figure 1). Upon returning to the laboratory, they utilized sound field restoration technology (Figure 2) to simulate and replicate the coffee shop’s environment. Next, they used the action camera to conduct video and audio recordings in the simulated sound field environment while comparing and analyzing it with another audio recording system. Allion utilized the action camera to conduct video and audio recordings in a simulated sound field environment while simultaneously comparing and analyzing the results with another standard audio recording system. This approach offers the following advantages for verification testing:

1. Consistency: It is capable of reproducing the user environment of various venues, ensuring that each test, verification, and sampling conducted has fixed environmental parameters.

2. Precise problem analysis: With consistent measurement results, precise verification and analysis is capable of being carried out to determine the various noise frequencies and volumes in the environment; how they affect the audio quality and noise reduction capabilities of the action camera.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Allion solves your compatibility and wireless performance problems during development. Allion addresses issues with audio recording quality in addition to other types of problems that are capable of being resolved through their comprehensive consulting services.

Allion’s Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) laboratory assesses the adaptability of your product at high and low temperatures, verifying its functionality and performance under working temperatures.
We utilize specialized radio frequency isolation chambers that provide wireless transmission, control, and interference resistance to validate the wireless performance of your product.
In terms of compatibility, Allion has thousands of commercially available peripheral products in various ecosystems, which include: wireless routers, Bluetooth headphones, smartphones, tablets, computers, etc., that are available for manufacturers to conduct verification.

Allion aims to provide you with customized solutions to enhance your product quality. With their state-of-the-art consulting services, they aim to increase positive consumer reviews and purchase rates.

Allion Action Camera Consulting Services

Faster

Allion has professional experience in wireless, acoustic, compatibility, and environmental testing, in addition to other fields that are at your disposal. Regardless of your product’s stage, various customized tests are capable of being conducted simultaneously through the usage of product certification, compatibility, reliability, etc., assisting you in accelerating the product development and debugging cycle. With Allion, you will be capable of quickly:

Establishing the ecosystem of action cameras
Obtaining development verification strategies
Obtaining verification plans

Easier

Allion ensures that each test conducted is “qualitative, quantitative, and reproducible” by introducing AI and automation solutions, assisting customers in improving product performance in a convenient way. Allion provides:

Less labor-intensive testing methods
Testing solutions that save time and money
Accurate test results

Better

Allion ensures that each test is “qualitative, quantitative, and reproducible” by introducing AI and automation solutions, assisting customers in improving product performance in a convenient way. Allion provides: