Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

amateurphotographer.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 586 posts

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

#201

Post by dingaling »

CWuestefeld wrote: post #118
microtonal wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. Sounds very similar to another US company - Garmin. They are still popular, but have been raising prices a lot every generation, because for a long time there was no real competition [1]. At this point, Garmin watches that have mapping support have an introduction price of >600…

> Garmin watches that have mapping support have an introduction price of >600 Euro. Even at that price point, zooming or panning maps is excruciatingly slow I just got a Garmin Instinct 3 Solar. It does mapping, and cost me about $300 US. You're right that it's slow due to a wimpy processor. But the processor isn't because they're too lazy to innovate, but because they have something sipping tiny amounts of power so…

Sounds like the perfect use-case for big-small processors. A power-sipper for routine 99.99% of operations and a more powerful beast for the CPU intensive ops.

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

#202

Post by deepsun »

abalashov wrote: post #142

As a cyclist (and former racer), I still want to know how to capture videos with telemetry overlays (speed, power, HR, etc) from my head unit in a straightforward way. NorCal Cycling's videos - https://www.youtube.com/@NorCalCycling - are an excellent demonstration of this at work. Yes, I've done the Garmin VIRB Edit thing, which is the very approach recommended by Jeff (NorCalCycling) in his tutorial videos on the s…

Dunno if useful, but in RC hobby area we have had OSD (on-screen displays) for decades. Both in analog and digital video, with recording (analog OSD there's just a small chip). Although analog is probably not relevant for you -- quality is crap and you don't care about milliseconds latency as we do, so go with digital (and not HDZero, they are technically digital, but heavily invested in low-latency, for pro racers).

Just don't buy DJI -- they absolutely want lock you in to their tools, parts are often not compatible even within DJI, require to create an online account, require an app (from a custom .apk on android) and in general have questionable privacy.

Of the open-source systems there's a new OpenIPC system with a most popular implementation of RunCam WifiLink 2 that supports onboard SD card recording [1] [2].

More proprietary (but still cross-compatible with others) is Walksnail Avatar V2 [3] with 32GB of internal storage.

For your case, you don't need a VRX (receiver), although you can totally give it your your buddies to see your race (with OSD) in real time. VRX can be built-in to goggles (if the same company), or as a separate module that connects to your preferred goggles over mini-HDMI, also with recording. [4] [5]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP7Ns7H9wvI&t=49s

[2] https://shop.runcam.com/action-camera-categorie/

[3] https://www.caddxfpv.com/products/walksnail-avatar-hd-kit-v2

[4] https://shop.runcam.com/runcam-wifilink-rx/

[5] https://www.caddxfpv.com/products/walksnail-avatar-fpv-vrx-o...

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

#203

Post by Grombobulous »

SoftTalker wrote: post #190
Grombobulous wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A whole bunch of American and Western multinational companies design hardware in Western countries and manufacture them in China. The manufacturing isn’t usually the most valuable part of the value chain. E.g., Apple makes the most money when you sell you an iPhone, not their Chinese and Indian factory suppliers and assemblers. GoPro isn’t failing because they’re an American brand. They’re failing because they’re mis…

Most of those appliance brands have become expensive enshittified garbage, or are legendary brands that have been bought up (e.g. KitchenAid used to be a Hobart brand, it's now owned by Whirlpool. Their stand mixers used to last generations; the new ones have a lot of plastic parts inside them). I have one of the original Cuisinart food processors that my mom bought in the 1970s. The base/motor unit is heavy and it s…

A lot of what you’re saying is essentially not relevant, because even the enshittified brands are still designing and manufacturing/performing final assembly in Western countries.

Not their entire product lineups, but still a good chunk of them, especially for heavier and physically larger appliances. Your future speed queen might be just as American as if you had bought a cheap GE.

I don’t know where it’s made (probably not the US) but Cuisinart still makes the classic heavy AF food processor, if you’re interested in that.

As a side note, I don’t find that heavy weight or an older design/more metal parts has that much to do with quality or longevity. A lot of old stuff was heavy because material science had fewer options to work with. A motor assembly being made of cast iron doesn’t make it magically last longer. For example, my KitchenAid stand mixer is definitely the newer kind that has plastic parts inside, but it has never needed service and has been getting regular use for a decade with no degradation. Believe it or not I even have a notoriously unreliable Samsung washer and dryer from 2012 that are still going with zero maintenance. It even has a stupid touch screen and, yep, that works flawlessly.

Maybe the bar is low to consider that impressive but I think the point is that a lot of things getting cost cut has been somewhat logical. I see new buy it for life toasters on the market like the Lotus brand selling for $350. I just replaced a $40 Cuisinart garbage toaster that lasted 3 years and died. Chinese off brands built to similar quality by the same factories without the western brand name cost about $20.

So, do the math on that. The Lotus toaster has to last somewhere between 25 and 50 years to reach cost break-even compared to a cheap toaster.

The same math maths for speed queen washers and dryers. They are a great kit but they cost 4x more than a normal washer and dryer. If you conservatively estimate that a cheap washer/dryer lasts 6 years, you’re at 24 years before that speed queen breaks even.

If we are going to combat the economic reality of numbers like these then we need to start taxing disposal.

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

#204

Post by sarchertech »

greyb wrote: post #192
gruez wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which industries are the US leading in because of subsidies?

If a country hands out enormous subsidies but yet isn't leading in anything, then maybe it's time to consider what structural reasons are causing these subsidies to be squandered and whose bottom lines are being padded.

What US industries get anywhere near Chinese level subsidies.

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

#205

Post by randoments »

kawsper wrote: post #178
SignalM wrote: post #75

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

All GoPros since HERO 8 (released 2019) works as a webcam without any hacks, just plug it in.

not on the macos. Hero9 (or 10 i dont remember) owner here.

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

#206

Post by lokar »

mlsu wrote: post #174
adrianN wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your country’s industrial and defense policy relies on individual consumers making choices that are worse for them on almost all metrics, it’s time to think about on worse payroll your politicians are.

Absolutely true. But China’s industrial dominance is also the government immiserating its people, just in a different way. Domestic consumption in China is famously low, work culture is famously bad (996,etc). And this is because of what their government, not the people of China, have chosen to do.

Consumption is not just low, it’s intentionally suppressed.

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

#207

Post by baby »

I've owned a bunch of gopros and I feel like they've always had the same kind of bugs. Random crashes, things not working anymore. It's really bad, so bad that I had plenty of videos that were missing sound, or just corruption in general.

Then they started this subscription thing and I was like, finally, they're going the SaaS way, they will make so much money, and they will be able to improve that camera that basically never seems to improve much version after version. I bought a bunch of put options, and I lost all my money, every time I put back some in the put options.

Now I have the insta360 go ultra and... I think go pro is going to die. It's just so good.

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

#208

Post by lokar »

hdgvhicv wrote: post #195
hdjdjdjdjdjdjd wrote: post #179

[flagged]

He’s good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory Rather than actually getting real on China and their abuse of the postal system, it’s all about tarrifs on penguins. Biden did far more with the chips act, but rather than building on that trunk failed to enact any meaningful change. And of course make billions in the side from bribery.

Imagine if he had effectively coordinated with Mexico, Canada and the EU to curb Chinese trade practices.

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

#209

Post by windowshopping »

baby wrote: post #207

I've owned a bunch of gopros and I feel like they've always had the same kind of bugs. Random crashes, things not working anymore. It's really bad, so bad that I had plenty of videos that were missing sound, or just corruption in general. Then they started this subscription thing and I was like, finally, they're going the SaaS way, they will make so much money, and they will be able to improve that camera that basica…

If you thought they were going to finally improve with SaaS why did you buy put options?

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

#210

Post by magicalhippo »

yathern wrote: post #53
brk wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you looking for Good or Great? If you just need Good, there are dozens of no-brand options on Amazon and Ali that do 4K60fps with output that is more than sufficient for any non-professional use. I don't have a brand recommendation off hand, because the ones I've bought have been random names, but they've all been more than enough. As a reference, I've used them for capturing footage for training machine vision s…

> there are dozens of no-brand options on Amazon and Ali that do 4K60fps I have to very strongly disagree with this sentiment. I have personally tested quite a few no-name "4K 60fps" cameras from Amazon and AliExpress. Many of them upscale from 1080 - which is fine I guess - but then in 60fps will use a crop sensor and upscale from like ~640. Even with the more recognizable SJCam and Akaso brands, unless you're payin…

I saw a review on YouTube of a lot of these alternatives, along with the established brands, and in bright sunlight and little movement some were ok but quality was all over.

However once it got a bit darker, or heavy movement, the big brands left the rest in the dust pretty much.

So yeah, do a bit of research and figure out your use-case.

Post reply on HN