POV Cameras, Camcorders and Web Broadcasting - The Tech You Need To Know About From CES 2016
Over the last few years, the Consumer Electronics Show - CES - has been attracting an ever broadening audience, and is now seen as the world's largest consumer electronics trade show, hosting over 3,600 exhibitors and 200,000 attendees across 2.4 million square feet of floorspace in Las Vegas, USA.
Since its first show in 1967, CES has been the launchpad for numerous consumer devices, from CD and VCR equipment in the 1970s and 80s to wearable tech and the burgeoning industry of the 'Internet of Things' in recent years. Practically every electronics brand you can think of is in attendance, as well as many you've never heard of, but soon will.
Each year, the show is marketed as the 'biggest and best-ever', and with the 2016 show now over, Faraday Future's smart sports cars, Ehang Inc's human-carrying drone transport and LG's foldable TVs have arguably stolen the headlines this year. But we wanted to see what innovations there might be for us mountain bikers...or at least for those of us as keen on gadgets to film, photograph or use when we're out on two wheels.
In this first of three articles, we're looking at POV cameras and camcorders as well as web broadcasting technologies.
POV CAMERAS AND CAMCORDERS
With products such as drones and wearable devices having a more specialist appeal (more on those in a bit), owning a good quality point-of-view camera is one of the accessories few would argue is a fairly common must-have in addition to owning your wheels. GoPro are seen by many as leaders in this sector, with Sony Action Cams offering a viable alternative, and more niche brands such as Contour, Drift and more recently Xiaomi offering competitive alternatives.
![POV Cameras Camcorders and Web Broadcasting - The Tech You Need To Know About From CES 2016]()
From left to right: the Ricoh Theta S, Giroptic 360cam, ALLie Home and Panono 360° cameras (not to scale).
Nikon's KeyMission 360 is still in development, but this clip demonstrates the full 360° x 360° spherical image. Stitching of the two hemispheres is still a bit off, so we're expecting image quality will improve in the final product.
For a small, relatively low-cost unit, Ricoh's Theta S delivers impressive image quality, though its form-factor isn't designed for it to be mounted to a helmet (yet).
![Bell 360fly]()
![Bell 360fly]()
![POV Cameras Camcorders and Web Broadcasting - The Tech You Need To Know About From CES 2016]()
It's not a bike video, but Vuze's 3D 360° spherical virtual reality camera offers a tantalising glimpse at how we might shoot and watch video in the future.
Aside from the snazzy new 360° cameras, Sony released a new Action Cam model and Live-View Remote - the 4K-capable HDR-AS50 - as well as three new consumer-level camcorders, with models offering 4K, optical SteadyShot and up to 120-fps HD recording, all of which are technologies that were until recently the preserve of their high-end broadcast and film ranges. Not to be out-done, Panasonic also packed new features into their new and re-launched consumer models - again trickling-down features from their pro-camera divisions - with their top-end HC-WXF991 model featuring two cameras in one body, and the ability to use up to three mobile devices as additional multiple cameras, all feeding into the main palm-sized unit. Essentially, it's a low-end multi-cam TV studio in a single product.
From left to right: Sony's Live-View Remote 3, HDR-AS50 Action Cam and Panasonic's HC-WXF991 4K camcorder (not to scale)
Notably absent from any major CES announcements was GoPro, who rather than showing new tech, continued to tease us with news of their upcoming Karma drone in addition to a few words about a forthcoming 360° consumer camera, the presumed Hero 5 model, development of the Session platform and a strategic partnership with Alphabet (Google's development arm) and Facebook, although there's nothing concrete to announce just yet.
WEB BROADCASTING
With an ever-increasing number of local and global bike events getting the live coverage treatment - from XC and DH to Rampage and Crankworx - and accessibility to high-speed networks like fibre broadband or 4G cellular becoming more widely available, new markets traditionally considered as high-end outside broadcast are opening up to allow small independent production teams to webcast these events to a much wider audiences than previously available. As with a lot of the high-end technology that has filtered down from broadcast cameras to POV cameras and camcorders (covered previously), the area of web streaming appliances has seen significant change over the last few years.
![POV Cameras Camcorders and Web Broadcasting - The Tech You Need To Know About From CES 2016]()
CES 2016 saw a few new products on show, such as live streaming app MeVee, but most app-based tools are designed for short, quick clips, not watching an event. Enter Livestream's new Movi system, a camera for filming and editing live video in real-time. Equipped with a 4K sensor (what camera doesn't these days?), professional build quality and accessories, built-in microphones, electronic image stabilisation and a weather-proof design, all you need to do is pair it with an iPhone, add a web connection and you're in business. But hey, it's still just one camera...wrong!
Thanks to the 4K sensor, the single camera can recognise, isolate and motion-track subjects within the 4K image and create close-ups of multiple subjects and optionally cut between these and the original full frame, allowing you to manually or automatically produce a multi-camera-looking production from a single unit. If you subscribe to Livestream's hosting, you can send your broadcast live to your audience or if you're miles from any internet or cellular signal, you can record your production as-live onto SD cards for upload later.
At present, Movi only works with iPhones and only supports one camera - unlike Livestream's other hardware systems - but for semi-autonomous live filming and broadcasting from compact venues, Movi - currently priced at $200 for pre-order, rising to $400 once shipping - may be an ideal solution for you.
Livestream's Movi platform promises to give you multiple cameras in one tiny unit, with all the bells and whistles you might expect from a larger live production suite. An iPhone app controls the lot with almost effortless ease.
Computing big dogs Intel have partnered with ESPN to bring you revolutionary new levels of data integration for the forthcoming X Games in Aspen.
Red Bull are also working with Intel to bring data-integration to their content.
Coming up next...Part 2: Photography, Videography and Smartphone Accessories.
MENTIONS: @BellBikeHelmets / @GoPro / @officialcrankworx / @redbullbike / @geebeebee
Since its first show in 1967, CES has been the launchpad for numerous consumer devices, from CD and VCR equipment in the 1970s and 80s to wearable tech and the burgeoning industry of the 'Internet of Things' in recent years. Practically every electronics brand you can think of is in attendance, as well as many you've never heard of, but soon will.
Each year, the show is marketed as the 'biggest and best-ever', and with the 2016 show now over, Faraday Future's smart sports cars, Ehang Inc's human-carrying drone transport and LG's foldable TVs have arguably stolen the headlines this year. But we wanted to see what innovations there might be for us mountain bikers...or at least for those of us as keen on gadgets to film, photograph or use when we're out on two wheels.
In this first of three articles, we're looking at POV cameras and camcorders as well as web broadcasting technologies.
With products such as drones and wearable devices having a more specialist appeal (more on those in a bit), owning a good quality point-of-view camera is one of the accessories few would argue is a fairly common must-have in addition to owning your wheels. GoPro are seen by many as leaders in this sector, with Sony Action Cams offering a viable alternative, and more niche brands such as Contour, Drift and more recently Xiaomi offering competitive alternatives.
So aside from more pixels, faster frame rates and better quality photos and video, what more can these pocket-rockets add to persuade us to part with our hard-earned cash? A lot, it turns out.
CES 2016 saw a gaggle of 360° cameras, and while Kodak and Kickstarter-funded projects like Giroptic's 360cam have been available for some time, the show saw releases of new models such as the Kodak PixPro SP360 4K offering 4K 360° hemispherical coverage, as well as several models upping the coverage to full 360° x 360° spherical capture, such as the Nikon KeyMission 360, Ricoh Theta S, ALLie Go and Panono.
Partnering most of these new devices are clever smartphone apps that allow you to view and navigate within your footage (you can even pair some to virtual reality headsets for the ultimate experience in 'being there'), and with Facebook and YouTube's video players now offering interactive 360° and full spherical playback, there's even a relatively quick and easy way for you to publish your footage for all the world to see.
CES 2016 saw a gaggle of 360° cameras, and while Kodak and Kickstarter-funded projects like Giroptic's 360cam have been available for some time, the show saw releases of new models such as the Kodak PixPro SP360 4K offering 4K 360° hemispherical coverage, as well as several models upping the coverage to full 360° x 360° spherical capture, such as the Nikon KeyMission 360, Ricoh Theta S, ALLie Go and Panono.
Partnering most of these new devices are clever smartphone apps that allow you to view and navigate within your footage (you can even pair some to virtual reality headsets for the ultimate experience in 'being there'), and with Facebook and YouTube's video players now offering interactive 360° and full spherical playback, there's even a relatively quick and easy way for you to publish your footage for all the world to see.
• Nikon's KeyMission 360 is due Spring 2016, no pricing announced yet.
• The Kodak SP360 4K costs $499, or a two-camera set costs $899.
• Ricoh's 8GB Theta S is available now for $349.
• ALLie Home is out now for $449. The 'Go' model is due later this year.
• Giroptic's 360cam is available now for €499 ($545).
• Panono's camera is shipping soon and can be pre-ordered for $1499.
• The Kodak SP360 4K costs $499, or a two-camera set costs $899.
• Ricoh's 8GB Theta S is available now for $349.
• ALLie Home is out now for $449. The 'Go' model is due later this year.
• Giroptic's 360cam is available now for €499 ($545).
• Panono's camera is shipping soon and can be pre-ordered for $1499.
Nikon's KeyMission 360 and Kodak's PixPro SP360 4K.
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From left to right: the Ricoh Theta S, Giroptic 360cam, ALLie Home and Panono 360° cameras (not to scale). Nikon's KeyMission 360 is still in development, but this clip demonstrates the full 360° x 360° spherical image. Stitching of the two hemispheres is still a bit off, so we're expecting image quality will improve in the final product.Japanese Karate in Japan - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
For a small, relatively low-cost unit, Ricoh's Theta S delivers impressive image quality, though its form-factor isn't designed for it to be mounted to a helmet (yet).
Bell's Super 2R with 360fly is expected Fall 2016.
When GoPro's cameras first hit the market, one of the biggest criticisms was their form-factor...in other words, the shape of the box. GoPro, in their wisdom, largely ignored this whilst rolling out more innovative mounts such as the Chesty, but other companies took this more seriously, with Contour, Drift, Sony and a few others opting for thin and sleek versus boxy and square.
From even a cursory glance at the new breed of 360° cameras, it's clear to see that form-factor is less of an issue nowadays, and some svelte form-factors could even be argued as been too subtle, certainly from a brand marketeer's point of view.
With this is mind - and presumably with a bit of an eye on compliance with rules that some downhill race regulators recently implemented, banning cameras fixed to helmets - Bell and Giro's parent company, BRG Sports, have introduced the Bell Super 2R with an integrated custom-built 360fly virtually flush-mounted 30fps-capable 360° camera.
Complementing the removable 4K camera unit - which can be used independently from the helmet - the 360fly also adds a raft of sensors, such as GPS, barometer/altimeter and an accelerometer, plus built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with a quoted two hours of battery life.
As if head protection and shooting 360° video aren't enough, planned features also include automatically action tracking of the main video subjects, peripheral vision danger detection and alerts, live video streaming and an auto-edit highlight reel function based on video sections that contain the most action.
The Super 2R 'smart helmet' is planned to be part of a range of motorbike, MTB and snow helmets, with a possible release date, though no pricing yet, slated for Fall 2016.
From even a cursory glance at the new breed of 360° cameras, it's clear to see that form-factor is less of an issue nowadays, and some svelte form-factors could even be argued as been too subtle, certainly from a brand marketeer's point of view.
With this is mind - and presumably with a bit of an eye on compliance with rules that some downhill race regulators recently implemented, banning cameras fixed to helmets - Bell and Giro's parent company, BRG Sports, have introduced the Bell Super 2R with an integrated custom-built 360fly virtually flush-mounted 30fps-capable 360° camera.
Complementing the removable 4K camera unit - which can be used independently from the helmet - the 360fly also adds a raft of sensors, such as GPS, barometer/altimeter and an accelerometer, plus built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with a quoted two hours of battery life.
As if head protection and shooting 360° video aren't enough, planned features also include automatically action tracking of the main video subjects, peripheral vision danger detection and alerts, live video streaming and an auto-edit highlight reel function based on video sections that contain the most action.
The Super 2R 'smart helmet' is planned to be part of a range of motorbike, MTB and snow helmets, with a possible release date, though no pricing yet, slated for Fall 2016.
Pushing the 360° concept even further were Vuze, who were offering the world's first...wait for it...3D 360° spherical virtual reality camera.
After packing eight lenses into the camera (weighing 250g/9lbs and measuring 12x12x3cm) in order to generate a pair of synchronised spherical panoramas, you just have to feed your footage into your VR headset of choice to experience quite possibly the most realistic selfie you can imagine!
Some of Vuze's early footage suffered badly from visible seams between the cameras, but their CES video - which you can enjoy in full 360° x 360° 3D glory through the YouTube player below (be sure to select 4K 3D anaglyph mode if you can) - is much improved.
After packing eight lenses into the camera (weighing 250g/9lbs and measuring 12x12x3cm) in order to generate a pair of synchronised spherical panoramas, you just have to feed your footage into your VR headset of choice to experience quite possibly the most realistic selfie you can imagine!
Some of Vuze's early footage suffered badly from visible seams between the cameras, but their CES video - which you can enjoy in full 360° x 360° 3D glory through the YouTube player below (be sure to select 4K 3D anaglyph mode if you can) - is much improved.
• Vuze is still in development but the company estimate a cost of under $1,000, including the Vuze Studio software suite and optional VR headset. The complete Vuze ecosystem should be available from Q3 2016.
It might not be for everyone, but 3D 360 spherical VR is coming.
It's not a bike video, but Vuze's 3D 360° spherical virtual reality camera offers a tantalising glimpse at how we might shoot and watch video in the future.Aside from the snazzy new 360° cameras, Sony released a new Action Cam model and Live-View Remote - the 4K-capable HDR-AS50 - as well as three new consumer-level camcorders, with models offering 4K, optical SteadyShot and up to 120-fps HD recording, all of which are technologies that were until recently the preserve of their high-end broadcast and film ranges. Not to be out-done, Panasonic also packed new features into their new and re-launched consumer models - again trickling-down features from their pro-camera divisions - with their top-end HC-WXF991 model featuring two cameras in one body, and the ability to use up to three mobile devices as additional multiple cameras, all feeding into the main palm-sized unit. Essentially, it's a low-end multi-cam TV studio in a single product.
• The Sony HDR-AS50 Action Cam will retail for around $200, and will optionally be bundled with the Live-View Remote 3 for around $350.
• The Sony FDR-AX53 4K camcorder will be available from March for around $1,000.
• With an estimated shipping date of mid-March, the Panasonic HC-WXF991 4K camcorder will retail for around $1,000.
• The Sony FDR-AX53 4K camcorder will be available from March for around $1,000.
• With an estimated shipping date of mid-March, the Panasonic HC-WXF991 4K camcorder will retail for around $1,000.
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From left to right: Sony's Live-View Remote 3, HDR-AS50 Action Cam and Panasonic's HC-WXF991 4K camcorder (not to scale)Notably absent from any major CES announcements was GoPro, who rather than showing new tech, continued to tease us with news of their upcoming Karma drone in addition to a few words about a forthcoming 360° consumer camera, the presumed Hero 5 model, development of the Session platform and a strategic partnership with Alphabet (Google's development arm) and Facebook, although there's nothing concrete to announce just yet.
With an ever-increasing number of local and global bike events getting the live coverage treatment - from XC and DH to Rampage and Crankworx - and accessibility to high-speed networks like fibre broadband or 4G cellular becoming more widely available, new markets traditionally considered as high-end outside broadcast are opening up to allow small independent production teams to webcast these events to a much wider audiences than previously available. As with a lot of the high-end technology that has filtered down from broadcast cameras to POV cameras and camcorders (covered previously), the area of web streaming appliances has seen significant change over the last few years.
EE's 4GEE Action Cam and JVC's very clever 4K GY-HM200SP.
From Sony's USTREAM-equipped Action Cams to the UK's EE mobile network's 4GEE Action Cam or JVC's GY-HM200SP Sports Production Streaming Camera, there are already many devices that allow you to film and live stream your footage directly to your audience.
Like Sony's Action Cams, EE's Action Cam is a camera plus smart remote setup, but as well as recording video to internal storage, the system also allows you to stream your video directly via EE's 4G network to a website. JVC's GY-HM200SP packs a 4K camera, live streaming and a live graphics overlay system into a single camera body. Initially, the camera will come with templates for soccer, football, volleyball and hockey, but updates will allow custom templates to be loaded and conceivably live timing data - via a feed from a smart device - could be integrated.
Even pairing your smartphone, tablet or webcam with a suitable app or desktop application can turn your device into a live streaming tool, and with service providers like YouTube, Facebook, Meerkat and Twitter - via Periscope - pushing the market towards more personal live broadcasting, the field is already filling up.
Like Sony's Action Cams, EE's Action Cam is a camera plus smart remote setup, but as well as recording video to internal storage, the system also allows you to stream your video directly via EE's 4G network to a website. JVC's GY-HM200SP packs a 4K camera, live streaming and a live graphics overlay system into a single camera body. Initially, the camera will come with templates for soccer, football, volleyball and hockey, but updates will allow custom templates to be loaded and conceivably live timing data - via a feed from a smart device - could be integrated.
Even pairing your smartphone, tablet or webcam with a suitable app or desktop application can turn your device into a live streaming tool, and with service providers like YouTube, Facebook, Meerkat and Twitter - via Periscope - pushing the market towards more personal live broadcasting, the field is already filling up.
• EE's 4GEE Action Cam is tied to a 4G cellular plan and is either free or costs £10 plus a monthly data subscription.
• JVC's GY-HM200SP is shipping in late January 2016, costing $2,595.
• JVC's GY-HM200SP is shipping in late January 2016, costing $2,595.
CES 2016 saw a few new products on show, such as live streaming app MeVee, but most app-based tools are designed for short, quick clips, not watching an event. Enter Livestream's new Movi system, a camera for filming and editing live video in real-time. Equipped with a 4K sensor (what camera doesn't these days?), professional build quality and accessories, built-in microphones, electronic image stabilisation and a weather-proof design, all you need to do is pair it with an iPhone, add a web connection and you're in business. But hey, it's still just one camera...wrong!
Thanks to the 4K sensor, the single camera can recognise, isolate and motion-track subjects within the 4K image and create close-ups of multiple subjects and optionally cut between these and the original full frame, allowing you to manually or automatically produce a multi-camera-looking production from a single unit. If you subscribe to Livestream's hosting, you can send your broadcast live to your audience or if you're miles from any internet or cellular signal, you can record your production as-live onto SD cards for upload later.
At present, Movi only works with iPhones and only supports one camera - unlike Livestream's other hardware systems - but for semi-autonomous live filming and broadcasting from compact venues, Movi - currently priced at $200 for pre-order, rising to $400 once shipping - may be an ideal solution for you.
Livestream's Movi platform promises to give you multiple cameras in one tiny unit, with all the bells and whistles you might expect from a larger live production suite. An iPhone app controls the lot with almost effortless ease.So you're all geared up now to launch your own version of RedBull TV, right? Well maybe...but here's a sneak peek into what they and other sports broadcasters such as ESPN are working on, streaming to a hyper-connected device near you soon.
Not content with getting into autonomous flight control software for drones, smart glasses and other wearables (more on that later), computing giants Intel have developed a fingernail-sized wireless, wearable sensor called Curie, which can be fixed to anything and anyone, allowing the chip to deliver valuable statistics and data back to base, to be integrated into the live feed you watch.
The soon to be publicly available chip (yes, really), will cost a rumoured $10 and each one will pack in a CPU, flash memory, a 6-axis combo accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor as well as a low energy Bluetooth module for real-time communications, requiring only a coin battery for power.
Currently, everyone from adventure sports athletes to Lady Gaga are testing them out, and whilst Lady G's on-stage repertoire doesn't yet include oppo cork 720s, if fixed to a rider's bike for example, in theory the chip could accurately measure and account for the forces and correctly identify tricks - as each trick will have a unique sensor profile - giving accurate feedback, whether riders are in active competition or during training.
With data flooding in from the chip relating to rotation, height, distance, speed and force on landing, Curie's potential applications are enormous, especially when paired with Intel's IQ software development kits.
The first high-profile use of Curie is expected to be seen at the Winter X Games in Aspen 2016, where ESPN will be trialling it during the Snowboard Slopestyle and Snowboard Big Air competitions, but Red Bull Media House are not far behind, hoping to integrate it into the content creation process, releasing a short video to demonstrate the chip's integration at the CES show.
Not content with getting into autonomous flight control software for drones, smart glasses and other wearables (more on that later), computing giants Intel have developed a fingernail-sized wireless, wearable sensor called Curie, which can be fixed to anything and anyone, allowing the chip to deliver valuable statistics and data back to base, to be integrated into the live feed you watch.
The soon to be publicly available chip (yes, really), will cost a rumoured $10 and each one will pack in a CPU, flash memory, a 6-axis combo accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor as well as a low energy Bluetooth module for real-time communications, requiring only a coin battery for power.
Currently, everyone from adventure sports athletes to Lady Gaga are testing them out, and whilst Lady G's on-stage repertoire doesn't yet include oppo cork 720s, if fixed to a rider's bike for example, in theory the chip could accurately measure and account for the forces and correctly identify tricks - as each trick will have a unique sensor profile - giving accurate feedback, whether riders are in active competition or during training.
With data flooding in from the chip relating to rotation, height, distance, speed and force on landing, Curie's potential applications are enormous, especially when paired with Intel's IQ software development kits.
The first high-profile use of Curie is expected to be seen at the Winter X Games in Aspen 2016, where ESPN will be trialling it during the Snowboard Slopestyle and Snowboard Big Air competitions, but Red Bull Media House are not far behind, hoping to integrate it into the content creation process, releasing a short video to demonstrate the chip's integration at the CES show.
Computing big dogs Intel have partnered with ESPN to bring you revolutionary new levels of data integration for the forthcoming X Games in Aspen. Red Bull are also working with Intel to bring data-integration to their content.Coming up next...Part 2: Photography, Videography and Smartphone Accessories.
About the Reviewer: Oli da Costa moved into video production and post-production 16 years ago, filming, editing and creating motion graphics for film, TV and online under his company, Fraktiv. In 2011, Oli co-founded geebeebee media, producing and filming content for Pinkbike, Crankworx and leading bike brands. Oli also advises international broadcasters on production equipment, editing techniques and workflow. Industry affiliations: Adobe Community Professional, Sony Independent Certified Expert
MENTIONS: @BellBikeHelmets / @GoPro / @officialcrankworx / @redbullbike / @geebeebee
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P.S. For years tech goes to flat TV screens... Now it's turn to opposite direction
GoPro's footage stabilization?....Gopro doesn't have stabilisation!
Protune? High bitrate RAW?....Protune is nothing more than a colour profile that makes colours pop a bit....it is quite unaccurate since it gives light blue colours a torquise tint....And there is no high bit rate and it certanly isn't raw....they are using the outdated AVCHD codec with 25Mb/s!
Sony on the other hand does have stabilization, it also has a vivid colour profile which is a LOT better than Protune....It can also record in XAVC-s codec with 50 or 100Mb/s (depending on the model)....
GoPro today is nothing more than a brand and quality advertising....
Sony Action Cams use Sony Exmor R sensors and glass Zeiss optics, GoPros use Ambarella sensors and as far as I know, their own-brand glass optics. Both use f/2.8 lenses.
Sony ACs shoot in either MP4 (Sony's standard H.264) or XAVC-S (Sony's modified H.264) whilst GoPros shoot in GoPro Cineform/VC-5 (Cineform's standard H.264) or GoPro Cineform/VC-5 with a ProTune profile (again, a Cineform-modified H.264 but this is NOT a RAW capture mode). Not all their respective models do it - far too hard to explain what each one does - but generally, the newer the model, the more formats it offers. GoPro's Cineform format is recognised as an "Open Standard for Video Acquisition and Post Production" by the board that governs TV and post-production standards. XAVC is also an acknowledged standard.
Sony ACs offer electronic image stabilisation on most models, GoPro have no image stabilisation in any mode on any model. The IS offered by Sony only works in some modes - notably NOT in 4K but in most HD modes - and is reported to be improved in the new HDR-AS50 model mentioned.
The 'standard' H.264 recorded by both is largely on a par as both Sony and Ambarella are top-end producers of the innards that sit in these devices, and on each, standard highly-compressed H.264 can be recorded on to fairly low-end microSD cards. XAVC-S on Sony ACs is a proprietary format (based on H.264), but allowing for data rates to be increased to 50mbps/6.25MB/s (100mbps/12.5MB/s on some models), offering a low-compression stream to be recorded. ProTune is GoPro's way of offering manual settings - white balance, standard or log colour, ISO, image sharpness, shutter and exposure - and also allowing a higher but variable data rate (lower compression) of the image, up to 35mbps/4.38MB/s. Both XAVC-S and ProTune were designed to allow shooters to capture footage with less artifacts, and for the formats to be used in more professional production environments, where footage may need to be graded or manipulated. If you know what you're doing with them, both XAVC-S and ProTune are powerful modes.
However, as XAVC-S records at up to 100mbps (around 3 times more data than ProTune), you need to use very fast, high capacity microSDXC cards, whereas lower-end microSDHC or microSDXC can be used in GoPro in ProTune mode with little problem. Both cameras can use lower-end cards to record 'standard' H.264 footage. Always check out reviews and manufacturer recommendations before buying though! We use Kingston SDCA3/64GB in our Sony ACs (at 100mbps) and SanDisk Extreme SDSQXNE-064G in our GoPro HERO 4 Black.
I use both Sony and GoPro and both have strengths and weaknesses...it just depends on what you're shooting, where, how and how you'll use the footage.
Personally I would love to see a mixture of live on board view and the current fixed camera view on Red Bull TV for the DH coverage. The live feed can kick in in all the places the fixed camera's are missing. That would kick ass!
Most people cant mount a gopro right to get any good footage. 360 camera will make people puke...
When you watch your ride in 360 (with a VR headset) it really feels like you are living it. If you tilt your head (or device) you can see our bike or the sky, you can look around, it really makes your brain feels you are on the bike, you have a better feel of the steepness and the terrain, you can scope some lines. Take a look at these videos: vrfactory.thenewburo.com ON YOUR PHONE and you'll understand what I mean. It's not a gimmick and now the go-pros feel obsolete!!
1 sec of UHD (4K for TV) at 25fps = 207,360,000 pixels per second
1 sec of UHD (4K for TV) at 120fps = 995,328,000 pixels per second (nearly 5x as much data)
...for what most people see as a very small change to the overall image. Plus, upping frame rates would mean new cameras, new transmission standards and new generally new technology worldwide (all to handle 5x the data just for the existing image size), which is less likely to happen than the world going 4K, 8K or more. With all that said, there are less impediments to going 48/50/60fps-native for web broadcasting, as your ability to see it - if it's encoded and played back that way - are down to just your internet speed and monitor's refresh rate. YouTube already supports 60fps playback too.
tried an Epic brand model which sucked --- video quality was ok but, buttons are difficult to use and the unit made some sort of strange video noise.. a chirping like an old cassette 8track tape with a noisy wheel (dating myself big-time) ...
I also have had the WASP brand -- I had problems with the first one but WASP replaced it right away.. and tossed in a bunch of free-bee's when they gave me a replacement --- it's ok, I like certain features about it. the hardware for mounting the camera is so-so ...I bought the little red gadget they sell so you can use GoPro hardware instead. my only complaint, the protective case chatters a lot so, with rumbling noise coming from the case is pretty loud in any video you capture.
GoPro has them all licked on video quality if you ask me.. steady cam feature is far better than other brands.. and they're pretty simple to use.
I just recently bought the Polaroid Cube... for $99, it ain't bad. I like some of the little hardware options they offer and you can get all sorts of GoPro hardware for it.. poke around, you can get knock-off GoPro hardware for a fraction of what GoPro prices are. I bought the protective case and the chasty-cam harness for the Cube for a whopping $18 --- seriously can't tell the difference between that and the GoPro stuff. I think the GoPro chesty cam is something ike $59 (??).
C'mon Redbull, the technology has been ready for ages
OK, is this when I rail about those damn kids and their f-ing selfie sticks?
Ya, Im guilty of a few selfies too...