Hi Ian

Thanks for that!! I'm wondering if there is also a direct link to the new firmware. On the last one Cineform just didn't work at all and kept giving errors and I think you were the one that provided a simple link to GoPro's server which worked perfectly and we all were updated in minutes.

Anyone tried it vis Cineform yet???

Chris

Hi Ian

Thanks for that!! I'm wondering if there is also a direct link to the new firmware. On the last one Cineform just didn't work at all and kept giving errors and I think you were the one that provided a simple link to GoPro's server which worked perfectly and we all were updated in minutes.

Anyone tried it vis Cineform yet???

Chris

The direct FW download off GoPros server ( not thru Cineform Studio) is untested yet, it might involve the Bacpac so I would hold off on the direct DL for now. The updates work thru Cineform Studio, preview App works, so does Protune. Needs more detailed testing, time will tell.

Over all the app is OK but not perfect they need to make a big improvement in the latency issue there's about a 5 second delay. I haven't fully tested pro tune but it seems nice

Over all the app is OK but not perfect they need to make a big improvement in the latency issue there's about a 5 second delay. I haven't fully tested pro tune but it seems nice

Latency isn't all that important in a preview device for framing etc which is really what this feature was intended for, not likely this will improve in a device at this price point. There are reports of between 2 and 5 seconds, average seems to be around 2-3.

I think it will be improved it time.. the one thing I really like is the set up menu its super easy to change settings no more clicking through menus on the go pro

Awesome! My software updated on Saturday I believe, but it didn’t show a firmware update. I had just been telling the Bestbuy guy about the big delay on it Saturday. Amazing coincidence!

Can’t wait to get out and get some video and see what it looks like. My 32 meg card still shows nearly 3 hours of time – down from just over 4. I was wondering what it would do to capacity.

I turned on Protune – is that all that is needed for the higher bitrate? 35 mbs?

O yeh now blue skys are much better :-)
I wonder why you have to download and install Cineform Studio to install the update.
Cheers....

Hi Guys

Mine seems to work OK too...when you update DON'T update your frame rate etc etc cos Protune is off by default!! Run thru the menu and ignore all settings until you get to ProTune and turn it on, then go back to the start and set frame rates, angles etc etc.

Thanks to my mate Philip for pointing this out!!! My Hero with a 32GB card gives me 1hr14mins of record time but Philip says he only gets 41 mins??? I'm set at 1080 25P and medium FOV.

Gotta give the cam a try now!!!

Chris

Chris, the direct server update worked fine.. For Manual firmware updating WITHOUT Cineform Studio of the HD2 camera with SD card use this download link.

http://software.gopro.com/Firmware/HD2/HD2-firmware.bin

Thanks Ian

Actually it worked fine on Cineform too!! The image is rather good too..I just ran around the house and then annoyed the wife and the cat to test it out and I'm happy.

I have a wedding shoot this Friday and Saturday so I see how it behaves at an outdoor and a Church wedding all in one weekend.

I think the direct link always seems to work better ... looks like a worthwhile firmware update

Chris

I just did the update but the sun's gone here so it's too late to test it out. I'm heading down the coast on a surf trip this weekend so I'll be sure to bring the GoPro along and give the ProTune firmware a through workout.

I have the GoPro Hero2. Could some kind soul take me through the Protune software upgrade, please? There don't appear to be any instructions for computer illiterates to follow.

I think you need the new Ciniform (sp?) software first. That will give you a prompt to manage your device/update, etc. It tells you if you have the latest version or not and does the update from there. Then it tells you to shut it off and reconnect and it verifies your update was successful.

I just took a run with mine on the Harley this morning, but I may not have the full bitrate. I’m still getting nearly 3 hours on my card.

1) Make sure your HD HERO2 camera is:
a. Turned OFF
b. Unplugged from computer
c. Loaded with an SD card
d. Battery is well charged
2) Install CineForm Studio on your computer.
3) Once successfully installed, close the CineForm Studio program.
4) Insert SD card into your HD HERO2 camera.
5) Turn ON your HD HERO2 camera.
6) If your camera or SD card has not been used before, take a test photo or short video clip.
7) Connect your HD HERO2 camera to your computer with USB cable.
8) Open CineForm Studio software application.
9) If an update is available, a dialog box will appear — click “Update”.
10) CineForm Studio will automatically download and install the new firmware onto your HD HERO2 camera.

Hi Guys

Thanks to my mate Philip for pointing this out!!! My Hero with a 32GB card gives me 1hr14mins of record time but Philip says he only gets 41 mins??? I'm set at 1080 25P and medium FOV.

Gotta give the cam a try now!!!

Chris

Hi Chris,
I too have updated my firmware, cam set to 1080 30p but my cam is showing 2h55m on a 32gb card. I have checked the footage & it is indeed recorded at 35mb/s so not sure what is going on with all these different numbers!! Do you have any footage on the card you have?

Bryce

Would anyone be surprised if I didn’t think I did it right? LOL I swear I had it set correct when I left out, but I’m not sure it was in ‘Protune’ mode and I’ve seen it reset a few times since I got to work after fiddling with it. It all goes back to default settings. Including date/time, etc.

Mine does show the same time capacity as the poster above me though when I have it set.

when you update DON'T update your frame rate etc etc cos Protune is off by default!! Run thru the menu and ignore all settings until you get to ProTune and turn it on, then go back to the start and set frame rates, angles etc etc.

I couldn't get Protune to be sticky and I assumed it was because I had adjusted the frame rates etc first. Very frustrating! However rebooting the camera the backback and the Ipad did the trick and I now have ProTune :- )

I had first updated the cam the backpack and existing wifi remote using Cineform and it all went fine.

Using a Sandisk 32gb card with any existing files deleted I am showing 1 hour 23 minutes capacity. I wonder if Philip has some other files on his card that don't show in GoPro but none the less are taking up some capacity.

Pete

Hi Bryce

You have ProTune turned on in the menu? The first time I did everything I got around 2hrs record time but ProTune I found was off..when I put it on I then found the time dropped down to 74 minutes. I used to get around 2hrs and a bit on a 16GB card with the old firmware but that was I think only at 13 mbps ..at the new bitrate of 35 mbps (almost 3 times higher) I figured that it should be 1/3 of the orginal which would be around 40 mins for a 16GB and 80mins for a 32GB card.

On my Hero with ProTune turned on and in 1080 25P mode (we are PAL) and the card contents deleted it tells me 1 hr 23mins However my display DOES say the mode is 1080 25T not 25P ...what is "T" mode

Chris

Thanks very much Ron - that's what I like and need one small step at a time.

T means proTune, or not?

Does this help?


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/8070805265_740469bf94_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34465297@N00/8070805265/)
GoPro Protune (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34465297@N00/8070805265/) by Fastfwd01 (http://www.flickr.com/people/34465297@N00/), on Flickr

Hi Bryce

You have ProTune turned on in the menu? The first time I did everything I got around 2hrs record time but ProTune I found was off..when I put it on I then found the time dropped down to 74 minutes. I used to get around 2hrs and a bit on a 16GB card with the old firmware but that was I think only at 13 mbps ..at the new bitrate of 35 mbps (almost 3 times higher) I figured that it should be 1/3 of the orginal which would be around 40 mins for a 16GB and 80mins for a 32GB card.

On my Hero with ProTune turned on and in 1080 25P mode (we are PAL) and the card contents deleted it tells me 1 hr 23mins However my display DOES say the mode is 1080 25T not 25P ...what is "T" mode

Chris

Hi Chris,
Yes, Protune is on. I have fiddled around a bit, & everything looks right. Still shows 2hr54mins though. Looking at the clip that i have recorded in Gspot, it is showing that it is recorded at 35mbps so maybe there is a bit of a bug & the time remaining is not displayed correctly?? Have to go to work now, but i will have a bit more of a fiddle with it tonight & see if i can make sense of it.
Bryce

P.S. Yes mine also says T not P

Thanks

Mine is the same except the mode is 25T not 30T ..I have a Transcend 32GB card which my computer shows as 30.2GB when it's empty and that gives me 1hr 23mins record time. That's weird cos even if the card showed up as 32GB it still wouldn't push the record time right up to your 2hrs 58mins!!! You are somehow getting twice the record time ..I assume that's a 32GB card???

Just put in a 16GB card and I get a mere 41minutes with the card empty...I wonder how you guys are getting double the record time???

Chris

Yes, mine is a 32 gig Patriot Class 10 (super cheap on Newegg btw – like $20). I erased it just now and it’s back up to nearly 3 hours with the 1080p 30T – which I presume is the Protune mode indicator.

deleted post of protune clips

What exactly is this much healded update supposed to give, which wasn't available before...and why?

I shot a clip before I did the protune update and then after I went back and shot the same thing. There was a big difference in the two clips. The first clip has a lot of noise in the image and the second one does not. The protune image is flat so you have to drop a color correction on it to really see its potential.

Yeah, my apologies, I’m just not taken back or anything from the clips that I got at lunch. I’m sure somebody here will come up with a comparison that will show it off. These monitors at my job aren’t the best either. I never so much as do any tweaking of levels in post – so, I’m far from the best judge of the value of the higher bitrate most likely.

I am very pleased to have the upgraded firmware as long as it works and doesn’t keep locking up my camera.

ProTune will not be for everyone, it's time consuming to process and export out of Cineform Studio, takes up more hard drive space and you get 2.5 less footage on an SD card.

There is no 50p only 60p ( not a deal breaker).

What you can expect is better motion from the flatter unsharpened image as there is less hard contrast edges to judder across the frame and more bitrate handle fast motion.

The Protune image will blend much better with camcorder or DSLR footage in a project than before after grading.

Now we have a very cheap high quality ultra wide image in a tiny form factor.

What he said! Here’s some more of my ‘average user’ video – just straight from the Gopro up to Vimeo:

GoPro Hero 2 Protune on Vimeo

Hey Jason, I got a Suzuki Vstrom 1000 cc twin and no matter where I put the GoPro the dreaded CMOS jello is there from vibration just like on your Harley there.

I have mounted the camera on the car too many times but the quality out was horrible, sky was blocky and compression artifacts all over the place. should be much better now. I'll do a car test today with the new Protune installed.

Yeah, I get the jello and the whole thing – when I can keep the rpm’s in the higher range it seems to smooth out the vibrations. It’s the nature of the Dyna rubber mount engine with no counter balancers.

My Colorado videos came out pretty decent actually. I can’t do the helmet mount thing and I don’t know how those guys know when it is recording or not anyway without the remote.

GoPro HD Hero 2 Protune Test - YouTube

Everyone: I really appreciate the videos with the new Protune settings, but what I have seen so far is horrifying: jello and incredible noise (relative to non-Protune in the latter case). I do see the muted color scheme, which I suppose is desirable for those who love to post-process.

Is the Go Pro HD2, with fix or not, just hopeless in terms of video quality compared to even an average camcorder? Does the high bitrate really at least reduce blotchiness and improve resolution compared to the Sony Action Cam, which before Protune seemed to have better quality?

Still from video without and with ProTune. Click to see full size.

How's the saying go...
Good light into cheap electronics...light coming out looks, well, cheap.

Put another way, perhaps what we have here is Protune trying to put lipstick on a pig?

Mark, put the Sony down for a while and go watch some of the hundreds of thousands of quality GoPro videos on YouTube. You will be amazed. Yes there is jello in poorly handled GoPro videos, especially the ones mounted on motorbikes with no thought gone into eliminating camera vibration.

Hey Ian

Nice comparison.

Since you are also in PAL what record time do you get at 1080 25T ?? I get 1hr 23mins on a 32 GB card but all the USA guys get double that time using 1080 30T??

A 16GB card gives me only 41 minutes?

Chris

I’m sorry I posted them – I should have known it wouldn’t be appreciated here to just try to share the first videos taken with the new Protune for what they were. Just what might be an ‘average user’s’ experience I suppose. If somebody might get an idea of the color etc. then great.

FYI, the GoPro’s are used by a lot of Harley riders – some with better results than others, but generally you will find from that community that there is a real disgust with there not really being any remedy for the vibrations and jello. I may have even asked here and been rebuffed for any remedy. Then you’ve got us out there just doing the best that we can do – in my case with a RAM Mount system mounting it rigidly. I have, in fact, attempted using materials to dampen the vibration, but to no avail. This is the best setup that I have come up with so far and it serves my purpose for my use of it.

I know you guys are mostly pro’s and I appreciate picking up your tips and info, but this is an open forum for the most part from what I gather. You don’t necessarily have to be a professional to participate and you might expect that we’re not all out here spending hundreds, thousands of dollars on the most sophisticated mounting systems money can buy, etc.

If somebody wants to develop a reasonably priced mounting system and point me in that direction I would be interested and I think I may have made these very comments previously.

"Mark, put the Sony down for a while and go watch some of the hundreds of thousands of quality GoPro videos on YouTube. You will be amazed. Yes there is jello in poorly handled GoPro videos, especially the ones mounted on motorbikes with no thought gone into eliminating camera vibration."

Ian: I am not so happy with the Sony Action Cam either - no need to get defensive (look at my posts in that thread and you will see me even more critical of some of the awful videos peope have posted there). Point me to a good HD Pro 2 video on Vimeo I can download. Even better, point to me a *good* Protune HD Pro video I can download.

I have plenty of experience with cameras and camcorders; I know what good videos look like but there is really no workable search algorithm for "good quality", so help me, and everyone else out. Where are these great HD Pro Protune videos? Just one or two will do.

There are now *pocketable*, waterproof camcorders that give very good HD performance; they can be mounted on cars and motorcycles with suction cups too. I am trying to figure out just what quality you get from a newly-improved or even non-improved HD Pro without having to actually buy the thing if that is possible. The videos from this thread are not helping if the claim is they are operator-flawed. That excuse can only go so far.

Jason: I learned from your video - ignoring the jello, it was a good demonstration of the muted colors (ok) and smooth video when you were moving.

What if you don't like the upgrade once upgrading? Can the new stuff ( the upgrade) be turned on and off?

What if you don't like the upgrade once upgrading? Can the new stuff ( the upgrade) be turned on and off?

Yes of course, Settings/More/Protune/On/OFF.

Hi Renton

Yep! Just set ProTune on the Menu to "Off" and you are back to normal!! Have you upgraded yet???

When you do tell me what capacity your SDHC cards have on them please ???

Chris

Jason i wasn't referring to your videos, (actually i haven;t watched them yet but i will) we get thousands posted on the GoproUser forum which feature motorcycles and they generally are the ones with the most jello issues. BTW we have tons of motor cycle users posing their mounts, mods and experiences so there is a wealth of info there to help you with that. GoProUser.freeforums.org • Index page (http://goprouser.freeforums.org)

Mark, ProTune was only released officially less than 12 hrs ago, not a lot of time for people to do testing and post results. I posted the indoor comparison video above (GoPro Hero2 Protune Test) because it shows what happens with ProTune in poor light because ProTune actual is ALL camera processing turned OFF, including noise reduction, contrast, sharpening etc. It's quite a different result outdoors though.

There are a lot of reasons why people don't use pocket-able HD cameras as Wearable/Mountable Outdoor POV cameras, too many to list here, try some and you will find out the limitations.

On the Sony, I'm disappointed because it has the ideal form factor i've always wanted Gopro to have, but they don't yet understand the POV consumer market so they have some improvements to make, good first try though and i'm sure they will listen to feedback.

BTW, i''m ADMIN and founder of the above mentioned User Forum. We have 50k+ members and i've see every post that has come thru there since 2008, so i've seen lot's of POV footage. Even though it is a GOPro User forum we have a whole section devoted to OTHER POV cams including he Sony.

Amateur ProTune video shot by the guys wife. Straight out of the camera no CC. Watch in 720p or 1080 at youtube. Would colour correct really well. Link to you tube is below.

Vito cayo gopro hero2 protune test - YouTube

Vito cayo gopro hero2 protune test - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lJvopE5msRI)

Am I missing something regarding the purported 35Mbps data rate? Can't see anything in the menu regarding that, unless it's supposedly 35Mbps when using ProTune? My first test with ProTune on in a moderately lit room had more noise then video from my cell phone, was hoping for more, kinda hoping I'm just missing something here.

- Ray

The "vito cayo" video looks much better, and not too bad. And I like the Protune color, even straight out of the camera, compared with the non Protune alternative. But the quality is still far below cheap regular camcorders, or even waterproof pocketable types.

For just mounting with suction cups on vehicles, I see no advantage whatsoever of a Go Pro or Sony Action Cam over say the Samsung WX300 - which is almost as small as either camera in their "shells" and is shockproof and waterproof (not same depth) without any extra case. And its video is substantially better (color, sharpness, motion artifacts), and it costs less.

For mounting on heads, helmets or surfboards or diving down to 150 ft, maybe you need a GoPro outfit. But the above vehicle or boat videos, all of them, could have been taken with better quality by, for example, that Samsung model. So if typical use is mounting on vehicles, I see a lot of hype and poor perfromance here.

Slow motion and time-lapse tricks are nice features of the GoPro and Action Cam that regular cameras do not have, of course.

Ray, Protune is a user selectable mode in settings/more/ Protune/on/off.

When selected your LCD will show the letter T after the mode selection and recording 35mbps.

Thanks Ian, that was one of my guesses. I guess I was just hoping that the difference would be a bit more substantial than what I'm currently seeing and hoping that there was a setting I might have missed that would get it there.

- Ray

The "vito cayo" video looks much better, and not too bad. And I like the Protune color, even straight out of the camera, compared with the non Protune alternative. But the quality is still far below cheap regular camcorders, or even waterproof pocketable types.

For just mounting with suction cups on vehicles, I see no advantage whatsoever of a Go Pro or Sony Action Cam over say the Samsung WX300 - which is almost as small as either camera in their "shells" and is shockproof and waterproof (not same depth) without any extra case. And its video is substantially better (color, sharpness, motion artifacts), and it costs less.

For mounting on heads, helmets or surfboards or diving down to 150 ft, maybe you need a GoPro outfit. But the above vehicle or boat videos, all of them, could have been taken with better quality by, for example, that Samsung model. So if typical use is mounting on vehicles, I see a lot of hype and poor perfromance here.

Slow motion and time-lapse tricks are nice features of the GoPro and Action Cam that regular cameras do not have, of course.

Samsung WX300, gee that must a popular camera google knows nothing about it.

You forgot wide angle, nearly every POV camera has at least 110 - 170 diagonal FOV and is most of the reason why POV footage is watchable, without it it wouldn't be a shaky mess. As you have seen with the Sony image, in-camera stabilization is as good as useless in a PoV cams in most cases, it may improve over time when better technology is available at the price point. Not denying some of the pocket able cameras have better image Q, but they are not suitable for POV cameras for 95% of users.