GoPro
Encyclopedia
GoPro is the primary brand of the privately owned Half Moon Bay, California
company Woodman Labs that features small "wearable" waterproof and shockproof camera/camcorders such as helmet camera
s that are targeted at adventure photography and currently weigh 3.3 oz (6 oz with the waterproof housing and attachments added).
According to the company, video from its camera have appeared in 60 television shows ranging from Mythbusters
to Sarah Palin's Alaska
. The cameras have been used to film inside of the mouths of alligators, sharks and polar bears.
Woodman initially raised money for his company by selling bead and shell belts out of his VW van. While making the belts he came upon the idea of providing a fashionable strap to attach a camera. At the time most straps were rubber wrist straps that awkward, painful or easily broke.
In 2004 the company sold its first camera system -- a 35 mm film
version.
The cameras evolved quickly going from 35mm to digital where it started recording 10 second clips to 3 Megapixel digital cameras to its current configuration of having fixed lens cameras with a wide 170 degree angle in high definition 1080p broadcast quality video. The cameras can also be connected to create 3D video.
The cameras have branched out from the surf crowd to be used by auto racing, skiing and bicycling as new adapters are created.
The parent company includes financing by several venture capital
companies including Steamboat Ventures (affiliated with the Walt Disney Corporation), Riverwood Capital, Sageview Capital, Walden International, and U.S. Venture Partners
.
On March 30, 2011, it acquired CineForm
. In particular the acquisition brought the CineForm 444 Codec
into its control. The codec (which was used in the film Slumdog Millionaire
) according to the press release "makes HD and 3D editing faster and more convenient without sacrificing image quality." It was used to roll out the 3D HERO® System shortly after the acquisition.
HD Housing (with glass lens) that is rated shockproof and waterproof to 180 ft/60 meters. The housing consists of a quick-release buckle on the top and threads at the bottom which can be used with a special screw to connect to all of the GoPro mounts. The housing has metal buttons which are synched to connect to the camera's controls. The housing has a "skeleton" backdoor option to access the back controls and microphone in situations where it is not necessary for the camera to be water tight or shock proof (but wishing to take advantage of the mounts)
In addition to the usual camera features, the cameras also include an upside down mode to make the photo/video appear upright when played; interval shooting of every 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds allowing the camera to continuously shoot unattended; 3 photo burst; and self-timer. The camera spec sheet notes they have a proprietary 1100 mAh lithium-ion battery, Aperture: f/2.8, and rated >1.4 V/lux-sec in video mode.
The Naked camera line form the basis for other bundles which are differentiated by the types of mounts they have (HD Helmet HERO, HD Motorsports HERO, HD Surf HERO).
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....
company Woodman Labs that features small "wearable" waterproof and shockproof camera/camcorders such as helmet camera
Helmet camera
A helmet camera, otherwise known as a micro video camera, bullet camera, or lipstick camera, is a camera attached to a helmet allowing someone to make a visual record from their point of view , while keeping their hands and vision free....
s that are targeted at adventure photography and currently weigh 3.3 oz (6 oz with the waterproof housing and attachments added).
According to the company, video from its camera have appeared in 60 television shows ranging from Mythbusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
to Sarah Palin's Alaska
Sarah Palin's Alaska
Sarah Palin's Alaska is an American television show hosted by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. According to Palin, the show's aim is to bring "the wonder and majesty of Alaska to all Americans"...
. The cameras have been used to film inside of the mouths of alligators, sharks and polar bears.
History
The company was formed by Nick Woodman. Woodman said he was inspired to start the company following a 2002 Australia surfing trip in which he was hoping to capture action photos but could not get the angles he wanted because the amateur cameras were too big and too far away. He noted that unless you were a professional surfer, the photos taken by amateurs were not as dramatic. He wanted to create a camera system that could capture the professional angles and that's how be came up with the GoPro name.Woodman initially raised money for his company by selling bead and shell belts out of his VW van. While making the belts he came upon the idea of providing a fashionable strap to attach a camera. At the time most straps were rubber wrist straps that awkward, painful or easily broke.
In 2004 the company sold its first camera system -- a 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
version.
The cameras evolved quickly going from 35mm to digital where it started recording 10 second clips to 3 Megapixel digital cameras to its current configuration of having fixed lens cameras with a wide 170 degree angle in high definition 1080p broadcast quality video. The cameras can also be connected to create 3D video.
The cameras have branched out from the surf crowd to be used by auto racing, skiing and bicycling as new adapters are created.
The parent company includes financing by several venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
companies including Steamboat Ventures (affiliated with the Walt Disney Corporation), Riverwood Capital, Sageview Capital, Walden International, and U.S. Venture Partners
U.S. Venture Partners
U.S. Venture Partners , is a venture capital investment firm headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley focusing on investments in an array of segments including semiconductors, software as a service, communications, storage, wireless, Internet 2.0, Cleantech, Medical devices and...
.
On March 30, 2011, it acquired CineForm
CineForm
-CineForm Intermediate:CineForm Intermediate is proprietary video codec developed for CineForm Inc by David Newman and Brian Schunck. On March 30, 2011, the company was acquired by GoPro which in particular wanted to use the 3D film capabilities of the CineForm 444 Codec for its new 3D HERO®...
. In particular the acquisition brought the CineForm 444 Codec
Video codec
A video codec is a device or software that enables video compression and/or decompression for digital video. The compression usually employs lossy data compression. Historically, video was stored as an analog signal on magnetic tape...
into its control. The codec (which was used in the film Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
) according to the press release "makes HD and 3D editing faster and more convenient without sacrificing image quality." It was used to roll out the 3D HERO® System shortly after the acquisition.
HD HERO2 Professional cameras
On October 24th, 2011 GoPro introduced the HD HERO2 Professional. Marketed as "Twice as powerful in every way", the Hero 2 has an improved image sensor to 11 Megapixels and able to record at 120 frames per second. The HERO2 has an MSRP of $299.99 and is available in three different versions: Outdoor Edition, Motorsports Edition, and Surf Edition. Each version includes different camera mounts and accessories.HD HERO cameras
The company currently only sells two basic cameras, neither of which in its native format has a viewfinder or zoom lens. The only menu is a three character LCD that appears on the front of the camera and is cycled through by pressing combinations of the front button and a top shutter button. The cameras have dimensions of 1.6” x 2.4” x 1.2” (42mm x 60mm x 30mm). Both cameras shoot 5 megapixels. The cameras are bundled with a clear polycarbonatePolycarbonate
PolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...
HD Housing (with glass lens) that is rated shockproof and waterproof to 180 ft/60 meters. The housing consists of a quick-release buckle on the top and threads at the bottom which can be used with a special screw to connect to all of the GoPro mounts. The housing has metal buttons which are synched to connect to the camera's controls. The housing has a "skeleton" backdoor option to access the back controls and microphone in situations where it is not necessary for the camera to be water tight or shock proof (but wishing to take advantage of the mounts)
In addition to the usual camera features, the cameras also include an upside down mode to make the photo/video appear upright when played; interval shooting of every 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds allowing the camera to continuously shoot unattended; 3 photo burst; and self-timer. The camera spec sheet notes they have a proprietary 1100 mAh lithium-ion battery, Aperture: f/2.8, and rated >1.4 V/lux-sec in video mode.
- HD HERO 960 - shoots a maximum of 960p video and is not compatible with GoPro's electronic accessories although the camera is compatible with all GoPro mounts (August 2011 suggested price of $179.99) It was first listed on Amazon on August 6, 2010
- HD HERO Naked - shoots a maximum of 1080p video that is compatible with the electronic accessories that may be bought for additional cost including the 3D HERO System (connects two separately purchased Naked cameras to create 3D video); Battery BacPac™ (can charge batteries separate from camera and can also be hooked to the camera to provide additional power); LCD BacPac™ (provides a clip on LCD screen to preview and playback videos as well as control the camera's menus) (August 2011 suggested price of $259.00) It was first listed on Amazon on January 25, 2010.
The Naked camera line form the basis for other bundles which are differentiated by the types of mounts they have (HD Helmet HERO, HD Motorsports HERO, HD Surf HERO).