GoPro Video Camera

[Jim Almquist]

this may be a dumb question but can i charge the battery while its in use ?

Yes but it needs to be connected to a USB cable that is connected to a USB power supply. It will take 1-2 hours to reach 80% and up to 4 hours to reach 100% but it depends on the output of the power supply. Page 34 of the user manual

I didnt read all 4 pages to this post so this may have been covered but is the free editing software any good?

Windows Movie Maker is in most versions of Windows

also is it hard to use?

Not too bad if all of your drivers are correct

[LMITOUT]

The manual says a Class 4 SD card or better is recommended. Burst shooting is where the higher speed cards become critical. My next card will probably be a Class 6 since all I do is video and already have a Class 10 if I ever need to use the burst feature.

One thing I noticed is that if left to record continuously it will automatically break the files into a certain, predetermined size. Not sure why, but it seems to be rather seemless except that you'll have to load the next file when watching during playback and can't just watch four hours of uninterrupted video unless you stitch them together with video editing software. Not a big deal and actually makes file management a little better since you won't be dealing with massive files when transferring between the card and PC. Maybe they do it so that if the file becomes corrupted you only lose part of the shoot and not the entire thing?

I've been using Windows Movie Maker but haven't done anything real extravagant as you can see in the videos that I've posted thus far. It does the job for me and it's free.

[Jim Almquist]

LMTOUT Have you ever connected yours straight to your TV and watched your movie ? Just curious if it would still have the breaks. I have a HDMI cable coming one of these days. I bought it from DX so it takes about 3 weeks but it only cost $3.00.

[LMITOUT]

I have not connected to a TV yet, although I do have a HDMI cable that I got for my phone...somewhere.

[PierBridge]

No breaks on the movies Jim while watching them through the camera on the monitor/TV.

The GoPro does actually function while charging unlike a lot of devices these days....

BUT unfortunately you can not charge it while its in it's protective mounting case as the charging cable sticks out the side.

So the onlly benifit I've found is I can charge the GoPro out of it's case as I'm watching my videos on my Monitor.

You could charge it in your boat but the camera will have to be exposed to the elements out of its case which means it's pretty much unmountable.

[smalliehunter]

i just bought the battery back pack and 2 extra batteries. so i have 4 now that should be enough. I am quite amazed at how good the picture is. ive only recored about 25 min worth. if i recored 8 hours straight(except for battery changes) how many segments will it come out as? with some sort of editing softwear can i link them all together? what im trying to do is capture my entire league season and then edit it down into a show.

[MuleShack]

Some FAQ:

How much recording time do you get?

Recording time will vary according to the resolution setting used and the card capacity. Here are the average recording storage times for a 32GB SD card: 1080p (30 fps): 4h 21m 960p (30 fps): 5h 26m 720p (60 fps): 4h 21 720p (30 fps): 8h 09m WVGA (60 fps): 8h 09m

How long will the batteries last?

With a single battery, you will get approximately 2.5 hours of continuous video recording time in mild and warmer temperatures. Cold temps will reduce run times somewhat, however the HD HERO camera helps to minimize this by transferring the normal heat generated during operation towards the battery.

If you use our Battery BacPac, you can use two batteries at the same time to effectively double recording times.

Can I get a live video output from the camera?

Yes, provided that your HD HERO camera is loaded with the latest firmware update.

Can I record in the standard PAL 25/50 fps rates?

Yes, provided that your HD HERO camera is loaded with the latest firmware update. This functionality makes it easier to edit the HD HERO videos together with any other videos recorded at PAL 25/50 rates.

Can I power the HD HERO camera through an external power source?

Yes, when you have the HD HERO camera connected via the USB cable to a USB power adapter (not the computer), you will be able to simultaneously record video or pictures and charge the battery. We will also be releasing a skeleton housing for the HD HERO camera to allow access to the camera’s USB and AV ports while mounted.

I use a PC, what programs can be used to view and edit the videos?

Windows Media Player or Movie Maker (download the latest HD-capable version and also download a H.264 decoder to update media or movie maker). CoreCodec CoreAVC is one company that offers a codec pack for h.264. VLC media player. Download this free video media player that supports .mp4 h.264 files: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ For other PC based editing programs, we have had several customers give good reviews of the Pinnacle Studio HD editing software which is compatible with the MP4 files. Adobe Premier Elements PC based program that is compatible with MP4 files. If you have an existing program that does not support MP4 files, you also have the option of using a file conversion software such as Squared5 or VLC Media Player to convert your files into a format compatible with your particular editing program.

Now to answer your question, if you are using WWM, loading and rendering a 30 minute clip alone is going to take about 20 minutes before you can even work on it. With other programs like Pinnicle, you select your clip, brings it into the program and breaks it up into (user determined) segments. ( I set mine for 10 sec) then you choose which segments you want in your movie. The program doesn't spend time rendering the stuff you dont want, only what you do want in your production. If your going to record and try to edit that much video, I would have a big new computer with a nice fast video card and lots of RAM and invest in a good editing software. OR you will be sitting at your computer for a long time.

I believe that my camera cuts at around 30 minutes and seamlessly starts another segment.

[smalliehunter]

im probably going to have about 60 hours worth of footage and want to edit it down to an hour or so maybe more i guess depends on how many good fish we catch. i have WAY to much money invested in this to turn back now. but from the way it sounds im in way over my head. after i get it all edited can i put the video on a disk?

[smalliehunter]

i should word that different. on monday nights we fish for 3 hours and would like to put them into 20-30 min segments. on weekends we fish for 8 hours and would like to put them in 30-60 min segments. at the end of the season i want to make one "movie" out of everything.

[MuleShack]

Lets just say if you only "film" when a fish is being caught your life would be a lot easier. If you film for the whole 3 or 8 hours and you are using Windows Movie Maker, it is going to take 20 minutes of waiting before you can even work on editing a 30 minute clip. At least that's what my laptop was doing before i got the new software. Reason being that WMM has to render the entire clip whether it is 5 minutes or 30 minutes before you can work on editing. With Pinnacle, It brings the entire video into the selection area, but you choose which segments to put in your movie and then it only renders what you choose, so your not wasting time rendering stuff that is being cut out.

You can edit a clip down to a certain size and then insert that clip on to the back of another clip if you want. Yes you can also burn the finished movie onto a DVD from Pinnacle, but not sure about WMM.

[smalliehunter]

i do allot of flipping and pitching so filming the entire time is a must. whats really bad is i have 2 cameras one to mount on my windseild facing the front deck and one that im going to wear on my head. i suppose ill buy pinnacle. i know what ill be doing all winter.

[smalliehunter]

after looking at the pinnacle editing stuff. i was wondering which one you use? is it worth the money to get the highest dollar package or for what i am doing do i only need the entry level package

[MuleShack]

I'll try to film a quick video tomorrow with my go pro on how pinnacle works so you can see a comparison vs WMM on the same clip.

What kind of PC are you using and how old is it? What size memory and graphics card?

If its a few years old, might look at investing in upgrading the memory at least. I only had 3 Gig in my laptop and upgraded to 4 Gig (max allowed) and it did speed me up some.

[MuleShack]

after looking at the pinnacle editing stuff. i was wondering which one you use? is it worth the money to get the highest dollar package or for what i am doing do i only need the entry level package

The higher dollar one has all of the neat "features" such as the decorative lines at the beginning of this clip.

[smalliehunter]

i think its a dell. not sure on memory or graphics card? its actually my girlfriends computer she got it for school a couple years ago.. i thought this would be a fun easy thing to do. but i am a little worried i am going to have to sink a bunch of money into things i dont really need just to get footage of something i also dont need. i already have like 600.00 into cameras batteries and SD cards

[MuleShack]

I have the Studio 15 Ultimate edition

You should be fine with the regular HD version just to edit and add text headers and stuff.

Give it a try as is with the pinnacle and if it is slow, you can always add some memory to speed things up.

I'll try to post the video comparing the two tomorrow so you can see.

[MuleShack]

One thing I should mention is that Pinnacle is now Avid, and anything prior to studio 15 is outdated. You could get it cheaper, but not sure it will be supported down the road.

Google Avid studio, they have studio 15 and Avid Studio $99 and $169.

The Pinnacle HD for $49 would still be the cheapest unless you can find it on the bay?

[MuleShack]

.avid.com/US/products/Avid-Studio

There is the address to watch training videos on the avid/pinnacle site.

just add the www to the beginning.

[smalliehunter]

well i watched almost all the tutorial videos and that looks like really good editing softwear. i think i will stick with a cheaper version though

[MuleShack]

I started working on a demo clip to day but got side tracked.

What I did come up for comparison purposes is shooting a couple minute video. It ended up to be 750 MB shooting in 720P 60fps. I'm guessing it was around 8 minutes long.

It took 9 minutes and 30 seconds for Windows movie maker to render the clip before I would be able to work on it.

I then opened the same clip in Pinnacle and was able to start pulling segments into the project. I added a header and transition text and a sound effect, used about 2 minutes of the video and in 15 minutes it had it all rendered and I was done with a quick simple edit all in 5 minutes more than it took WMM to just load it. from there I could make the movie (convert to MP4) and then upload to You Tube or make DVD.

Imagine if you have a 30 minute clip at 3 Gig in WMM, you have to wait almost 35 minutes while it loads...(time wasted).

It does ultimately boil down to PC power though, so if you have an older computer that doesn't have a lot of memory, you may be in for a lot of frustration regardless of what program you have. (just my opinion)

[smalliehunter]

Thank you for all the great info. I'm going to buy an avid product and do the best I can with what I got. If I have more questions I will be sure to post them. Thanks again

[MuleShack]

[Farley]

I downloaded the latest "Real Player" and found it has options to edit the length of these videos. just bring up the video and mouse over the Real Player and it will give you the "Trim" option, where you drag a slider to where you want the video to start and stop.

[ankaka]

This camera has great features and with a little trial and error can be mastered. the only short comming is in the means to attach, since it has no ball mount, it cannot always be mounted vertically. The suction mount is unbelieveably strong, it was able to hold on the wing of an airplane at more that 175 miles per hour.

[PierBridge]

I see the new fad out-west is realtors are mounting GoPro's to Radio controlled planes and helicopters and doing video fly-overs over some of there higher end property's.

The FAA and other government agencies want to halt this practice...