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Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

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Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#71

Post by falsemyrmidon »

opan wrote: post #61
sph wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I keep forgetting that there is a requirement to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in US schools [1], which is just mind-boggling to me, and it's never something they proudly advertise through their propaganda arm of Hollywood. In hundreds of US-produced shows set in US schools, that detail is always conveniently omitted. Here's how it works for the non-Americans of us: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United St…

I had to do the pledge in early elementary school. It didn't continue forever. Not sure if people still do it. I do agree it's disturbing. Interestingly we once read a book in school that featured a character who refused to say the pledge and got in trouble for it. IIRC it was a case of "you aren't technically required to do this but they'll give you a hard time if you're the only one not doing it".

I stopped doing it when I was in high school (I just stood there) and no one cared. This would have been about 22 years ago

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#72

Post by bartread »

QuantumNomad_ wrote: post #59
sen wrote: post #13

I’ve owned a lot of Gopro cameras, having done video capture for a variety of motorsports, and they just got too expensive for what you get. You can be more expensive if you’re better, or you can be worse if you’re cheaper, but they’re both the downsides while living purely off brand recognition. They also blew up in a time where there wasn’t any real competition. Sony had action cameras but they were bulkier and exp…

> These days other brands give better quality video in better quality hardware and more functionality, for cheaper. I had a GoPro many years ago. Eventually sold it because I needed the money for other things. Been thinking about buying a new action camera eventually. Got any recommendations? The one that interests me the most of the ones I’ve seen is the Insta360 X4 Air plus an underwater case for it. I want to be a…

As someone who watches a reasonable amount of PoV outdoor activity footage shot on helmet cams and the like (base jumping, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, etc)… I don’t love watching 360 videos uploaded in the raw because of the perspective distortion.

I’m assuming it must be possible, if the resolution is good enough, to post process a portion of each overall frame into an undistorted 1080p (or better) view of the key view of the action, but a lot of people don’t do this (perhaps it’s much more difficult or time-consuming that I’m imagining, or perhaps many viewers enjoy the distorted 360 view more than I do).

Just my two cents, YMMV, etc.

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#73

Post by gib444 »

sen wrote: post #13

I’ve owned a lot of Gopro cameras, having done video capture for a variety of motorsports, and they just got too expensive for what you get. You can be more expensive if you’re better, or you can be worse if you’re cheaper, but they’re both the downsides while living purely off brand recognition. They also blew up in a time where there wasn’t any real competition. Sony had action cameras but they were bulkier and exp…

> These days other brands give better quality video in better quality hardware and more functionality, for cheaper.

Such as?

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#74

Post by i_am_jl »

wolrah wrote: post #19
i_am_jl wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their hardware is unimpressive and expensive, and their software is horrible.

> and their software is horrible As a long-time GoPro owner who recently added an Insta360 X5 to his collection, I can't really see any meaningful difference in software horribleness. They are both really really bad, with ads everywhere constantly pushing subscriptions to their cloud services. At least with the normal cameras the software can be entirely ignored, I can take video from my Hero5 straight in to any ordi…

>The worst part IMO for both is that they prioritize mobile apps over their PC software so if you want to edit on a computer like a normal reasonable person you lose features compared to idiotically doing things on a phone.

This was my main gripe, but also:

* Image stabilization (Hypersmooth Pro/ReelSteady) as a subscription feature.

* Auto-rotate and orientation lock don't work in streaming mode. (I reported this as a bug on the Hero7, was told it was being looked at, still a problem on the Hero10 when I stopped paying attention)

For what it's worth, DJI does offer desktop software for their Osmo action cams. They also have a direct NAS/cloud storage upload option from the camera, as well as allowing normal transfer over USB or by pulling the SD card.

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#75

Post by SignalM »

They missed the chance to make PC camera just before Covid or during it or now as another revenue stream. They have a hacky way to get it to work but they should have made one specifically for the PC and meeting settings.. Cisco and others make a killing in that space

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#76

Post by intellix »

we barely ever use our GoPro 8 BLACK. I decided to take it with me skiing and turned it on for a crazy ride down. When I got back I wanted to show my GF the footage and it just had frozen video, only playing sound.

I thought they were meant to be really robust and hardy but it decided not to work when I needed it and now I don't really trust them tbh. It's sort of opposite of what the brand was leading me to believe.

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#77

Post by ryandrake »

Hizonner wrote: post #60
TheCleric wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I keep forgetting that there is a requirement to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in US schools There most certainly is not. The pledge is common in schools but the Supreme Court has ruled no one is required to participate and cannot be punished for non-participation. Is it still weird? Sure. But it’s not required.

Somehow nobody ever bothers to mention to the kids that it's not required. How many schools still do it, though? Honestly you could tell me it was almost universal or very rare, and I'd have to believe you either way. Of course, Canada was doing the freaking Lord's Prayer in schools until freaking 1988. I don't know about other countries, but wouldn't be surprised.

In the US schools I'm familiar with, it's "not required" kind of like how it's not required to attend meetings at work. Nobody's forcing you, but it will be noticed and there will be consequences.

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#79

Post by kylecazar »

antisthenes wrote: post #55
Forgeties79 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also doesn’t help that you could probably get by with a hero 4 black even today lol Man I still can’t believe how bad the rollout of the karma was. I remember at the time everyone in my professional circles was buzzing about it. Then they started literally falling out of the sky . Feel like they never recovered

Apparently (checked with AI), Hero 4 Black was the first camera with 30 fps 4k video and was released 12 years ago already (how time flies) Frankly, after 4k/30 and 1080p/60, there are strong diminishing returns, because most people these days watch videos on their phones in suboptimal conditions (or older desktops that may still be on 1080p), so what are they going to do with your 5k/6k video? Sure, you can keep doi…

Transparency on AI use is a sin now, I guess.

Re: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

#80

Post by Saris »

LeifCarrotson wrote: post #69
QuantumNomad_ wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These days other brands give better quality video in better quality hardware and more functionality, for cheaper. I had a GoPro many years ago. Eventually sold it because I needed the money for other things. Been thinking about buying a new action camera eventually. Got any recommendations? The one that interests me the most of the ones I’ve seen is the Insta360 X4 Air plus an underwater case for it. I want to be a…

If you're willing to put a little time into video editing, a 360 cam is great. The insta360 tools can make that a little easier if you want something simple. If you just want to store a snapshot of the moment as it was captured, a regular camera that you pointed in the right direction is better.

The downside is the 360 editing tools are kind of sluggish and not great to work with, and even at 8k res in-camera, the export for a 'normal' looking FoV is pretty low quality compared to a normal action cam recording in 4k.

I have an insta360 X5, it's neat and there's a lot of flexibility, but it does have downsides.

The app is also a pile of crap, it's crammed full of ads, social media junk I don't want, it's slow as molasses, and the size of the app is massive.

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