GoPro Hero4 has less recording time than Hero3? at DVinfo.net

David Cleverly · December 1st, 2015, 07:49 PM

Hi everyone,

I have searched high and low but can't find an answer to this one:

For ages I have been wondering why my Hero4 Silver allows less recording time on any sd card than my Hero3 Blacks.

For example, last weekend on a shoot, my two Hero3 Blacks showed 6 hours (plus a bit more) available on a 64gb card whereas the Hero4 Silver allows only 4 hours (plus a bit more) of shooting, also on a 64gb Card.

Same settings for all.

Anyone know the answer?

Thank you.

DC

John Wiley · December 2nd, 2015, 05:38 AM

The Hero3 had a lot of compatibility issues and was very picky with microSD cards.

To counteract this GoPro released a firmware update which automatically detected if the SD card used was compatible, and if not it would lower the bitrate to prevent recording errors. It could be that this is happening, so the camera is estimating longer record times accordingly.

David Cleverly · December 2nd, 2015, 05:51 AM

Thanks John, could very well be what it is although this happens on any cards I use in the Hero3's.

You would think the SanDisk Extreme Pro's would be compatible?

John Wiley · December 3rd, 2015, 01:53 AM

I don't remember exactly what cards did and didn't work, though if I recall correctly it was not necessarily speed/quality issues with the cards - rather it was just that some combinations seemed to not play nicely together.

Rather than fix the cameras to work properly with the cards, they crippled the camera to reduce the amount of throughput to the cards. Many people purposely tried to avoid this firmware update as it wasn't a selectable option; it was something that the camera automatically.

Of course this is not a definitive answer, I'm just throwing out one possibility!

December 1st, 2015, 07:49 PM	#1
David Cleverly Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sydney NSW Posts: 220	GoPro Hero4 has less recording time than Hero3? Hi everyone, I have searched high and low but can't find an answer to this one: For ages I have been wondering why my Hero4 Silver allows less recording time on any sd card than my Hero3 Blacks. For example, last weekend on a shoot, my two Hero3 Blacks showed 6 hours (plus a bit more) available on a 64gb card whereas the Hero4 Silver allows only 4 hours (plus a bit more) of shooting, also on a 64gb Card. Same settings for all. Anyone know the answer? Thank you. DC

December 2nd, 2015, 05:38 AM	#2
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: GoPro Hero4 has less recording time than Hero3? The Hero3 had a lot of compatibility issues and was very picky with microSD cards. To counteract this GoPro released a firmware update which automatically detected if the SD card used was compatible, and if not it would lower the bitrate to prevent recording errors. It could be that this is happening, so the camera is estimating longer record times accordingly.

December 2nd, 2015, 05:51 AM	#3
David Cleverly Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sydney NSW Posts: 220	Re: GoPro Hero4 has less recording time than Hero3? Thanks John, could very well be what it is although this happens on any cards I use in the Hero3's. You would think the SanDisk Extreme Pro's would be compatible?

December 3rd, 2015, 01:53 AM	#4
John Wiley Trustee Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Byron Bay, Australia Posts: 1,155	Re: GoPro Hero4 has less recording time than Hero3? I don't remember exactly what cards did and didn't work, though if I recall correctly it was not necessarily speed/quality issues with the cards - rather it was just that some combinations seemed to not play nicely together. Rather than fix the cameras to work properly with the cards, they crippled the camera to reduce the amount of throughput to the cards. Many people purposely tried to avoid this firmware update as it wasn't a selectable option; it was something that the camera automatically. Of course this is not a definitive answer, I'm just throwing out one possibility!