gopro hero+ lcd touch screen action camera manufacturer

GoPro announced a quadcopter droneand two separate virtual reality camera rigs in the span of less than 24 hours last week. This week? It’s back to action cameras. Today GoPro has announced the Hero+ LCD, a new low-end option in the Hero line of action cameras. The camera goes on sale this Sunday, June 7th, and retails for $299.

The Hero+ LCD isn’t going to wow users with the ability to shoot extreme slow motion or 4K footage, but the specs are slightly better than what’s found on the relative bargain bin $129 Hero. The new camera shoots video up to a resolution of 1080p at 60 frames per second and photos at 8MP, and has an LCD touchscreen on the back — all improvements on the entry-level version. The rest is basically the same: it’s waterproof up to 40m (131’), has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and supports microSD cards up to 64GB.

While the price isn’t necessarily cheap, it fills the one obvious hole in GoPro’s line of products. With the Hero+ LCD, GoPro now sells its Hero4 line of cameras at prices of $129, $299, $399, and $499. Companies like Sony have tried competing with GoPro at the high end to mild success, but the best weapon for the likes of Garmin, Xiaomi, and even HTC, has been price — until now.

Meet the GoPro Hero+LCD. The new camera is part of the company’s growing entry-level Hero line that sports capabilities perfect for YouTube. As the product’s name suggests, it features a LCD touchscreen, which is a handy feature for GoPro cameras.

The Hero+LCD will cost $299 when it’s released on June 7th. Don’t expect breakthrough technological features, though. This isn’t the next generation of GoPro cameras.

Instead, the Hero+LCD features video recording capability that tops off at 1080p60 instead of the 4k recording found on the top-of-line GoPro cameras. And that’s perfectly fine for most users. Video that’s recorded at 1080p60 is broadcast quality and perfectly suited for YouTube and Facebook.

The camera also includes WiFi and Bluetooth allowing it to connect to the GoPro remote and smartphone app. GoPros says the battery lasts two hours on a charge.

This latest camera should be a good seller for GoPro. It sports capabilities that’s perfect for most users and is available for at least $100 less than the higher-end models. Yet, since it’s a GoPro, it will still work with the firm’s massive line of accessories and mounts, which is one of the best reasons to opt for a GoPro camera instead of one from a different company.

The $199 GoPro Hero comes from a strong lineage, bringing good audio and video performance, an easy-to-use touch-screen interface, remote control via a mobile app, and image stabilization to an affordably priced action camera. For those not interested in 4K resolution or super-high frame rates, the GoPro Hero may be the go-to action camera in this price range, but it faces steep competition from the Yi Lite, which costs $100 less. Still, there"s enough to recommend this camera that it made it to our list of best action cameras.

Just by looking at the Hero versus any of these other higher-end models, one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between them. The Hero maintains the same physical design: a matte gray exterior, a power/mode button on the right side, and a button on the top to take pictures and start recording.

A small, square display on the front highlights the mode, recording time, how much recording time is left on the card and the battery charge, while a small, almost imperceptible LED in the top-left corner turns red to indicate the camera is either recording or charging.

On the rear is a two-inch touch screen with menu items and information that run along the top and bottom edges. A wheel-like interface allows users to easily change these settings.

Compared with the carbon-fiber front of the Yi 4K+ action camera, the design of the GoPro Hero looks a little "blah." However, its native waterproof capability certainly makes up for that.

Compared with the carbon-fiber front of the Yi 4K+, the design of the GoPro Hero looks a little "blah," but its native waterproof capability (up to 33 feet) certainly makes up for that.

The GoPro Hero comes with a few accessories, including the most important one: a frame-like housing that allows the camera to be mounted to any number of GoPro and third-party accessories. Unlike the Yi 4K+ and the Yi Lite, however, the GoPro does not have a built-in tripod mount — a slight disappointment.

Like its big brothers, the Hero 5 and the Hero 6, I was able to turn on Wi-Fi in the camera and connect to it using the Google Pixel 2 and the iPhone 6s Plus without any issues. Through the app, I could change settings, view previously recorded clips and start recording while watching the output of the camera on my phone"s screen. When I turned the phone on its side, the video changed to landscape, which was nice.

Unfortunately, 1440p and 1080p at either 30 or 60 fps are the only two resolution/frame-rate combinations available. Surprisingly, 720p is not offered, and there’s no slow-motion option, unlike more expensive models in GoPro’s lineup.

Video shot during a road trip through Vermont was impressive. Trees were lush and a deep shade of green, while the sky appeared a saturated blue with white, wispy clouds. The lines and the signs on the road were the appropriate colors of white and yellow. Additionally, the GoPro Hero did an adequate job of recording details in the shadows of the trees.

The GoPro does not need a plastic housing to be waterproof. Instead, it relies on a frame that allows it to mount to accessories. The benefit of this design is that the audio quality will be much better than that of a camera that does need a waterproof housing.

In the footage while driving, you can certainly hear the wind noise, but the camera"s internal software seems to lower it to an audible level so as not to drown out everything else. In the video taken while I was on my bike, you can easily hear the cars passing on my left.

In the footage while driving, you can certainly hear the wind noise, but the camera"s internal software seems to lower it to an audible level so as not to drown out everything else.

Compared with the sound in video taken with the Yi Lite, the GoPro Hero"s audio quality was slightly better at foreground voices and noises. However, the wind-noise reduction in the GoPro Hero video was far superior, outputting a usable clip.

The $199 GoPro Hero is a solid performer, offering quality video up to 1440p, adequate image stabilization, a waterproof housing, an intuitive interface and a great app.

If you"re looking for a budget action cam, check out the Yi Lite ($99), which also has image stabilization and shoots video comparable to that of the GoPro. There are a few trade-offs, however: Iit needs a housing ($40, sold separately) to make it waterproof, its Android app is a bit wonky and it lacks a touch screen.

If recording 4K or slow-motion video is important to you, move up to the Yi 4K+ or last year"s GoPro Hero5 Black, both available for $299. But if you want a great midrange action cam, the GoPro Hero is a great bet.

Today GoPro announced its latest action camera, the GoPro HERO+ LCD.  This marks the first time GoPro has done an ‘off-cycle’ release of a new camera product, as the company has historically released new action cams in the September/October timeframe.  It also bookends a rather busy week of announcements for the company.  Last week they announced both their intentions of launching a drone early next year, as well as their crazy 6-camera spherical mount system.  And that’s all before we talk about an apparent upcoming software update to start cloud sync of GoPro files to some sort of still unannounced internet service.  And don’t forget that even more crazy 16-camera virtual reality mount they built for Google.

While I normally don’t post about products unless I’ve had hands-on time, I’m also keenly aware of how many e-mails/tweets/etc I’d get if I didn’t post about this one.  The new cameras are apparently already on the way to me, so I’ll likely have a better hands-on first-impression of them soon (and then likely an in-depth review some period later).  In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown.

The new GoPro HERO+ LCD is sorta exactly as the name implies: It’s the 2014 GoPro HERO…plus…an LCD screen.  Well, and connectivity over WiFi and Bluetooth Smart.

You’ll likely remember that the entry level GoPro HERO was $129US, and had a non-removable external case.  That meant that you couldn’t take it out of the case, which in turn meant you couldn’t add in any additional rear-attaching accessories such as the extra battery packs or LCD screen.

They also added in the WiFi and Bluetooth Smart compatibility.  Not for sensors, but rather for connecting to your mobile phone. This connectivity allows you to transfer photos and videos over to your phone, and then up to the interwebs.  Further, the HERO+ LCD includes the remote highlight tagging, which wasn’t available on the lower end model.  This means you can use the remote control to tag highlights so you can find them quicker later on during editing.

Finally, the camera has an internal editing capability, allowing you to slice the clips a bit better before transferring them.  This helps reduce the time to transfer video clips to your phone, making the process a little bit quicker.  This is planned to come to the HERO4 Silver later this summer, and the HERO4 Black as well (if you have bought the additional LCD back touchscreen).

Now the downside is that you can’t swap out batteries like the more expensive HERO4 Silver & HERO4 Black.  Nor can you remove it from the case like those other units (at +$100 and +$200 respectively).  You’ll also lack the 2.7K and 4K video, as well as some of the higher speed options found like the 120/240FPS speeds.  Same goes for lack of HDMI connectivity.

But the reality is that for the vast majority of folks wanting an affordable camera, the specs hit the core of the market.  The noted 2.5 hour battery life is in the ballpark of most other units these days (though, without a way to swap batteries, that can be a problem for certain activities).  Here’s a comparison between the four GoPro HERO units:

The Hero+ LCD unit includes a few different back doors, so you can use it in wet environments and still touch the screen, as well as using an open door too.

This is a brilliant move by GoPro.  Since last October’s announcements came out, it left a bit of a hole in the price range.  They had the GoPro HERO Basic (2014 Edition) at $129, but then the next camera up was at $399US (HERO4 Silver), and then the HERO4 Black at $499 at the top.  For many (including myself), the brilliant touch screen on the back of the HERO4 Silver was loved – but for most consumers that was a bit pricey when existing action cameras were mostly in the $200-$300 range.  But with GoPro’s cheaper HERO base not having mobile phone connectivity and a bunch of other limitations, it wasn’t as ideal in the share-it-instantly world that is today.

By removing the 2.7K/4K support in the HERO4 Silver and focusing on 1080p (w/60FPS) support with good phone connectivity – they hit the majority of the audience (Oh, for those curious why I’ve said that Garmin needed to be at 2.7K support on their new XE product, it’s because they priced themselves that high).

In some ways, it’s almost like GoPro did a bit of a fake-you-out move price-wise.  See, both TomTom and Garmin recently announced new cameras – and matched GoPro’s $399 prices for certain models (for reasons that even then seemed hard to justify).  With those cameras being less well known, and specs to the average consumer in the same range – it was a hard sell. With the GoPro brand so strong, you have to compete and beat on multiple levels: Specifications and Prices.

In the case of Garmin, this move is even more so ironic – given Garmin recently cut the display when they updated Garmin VIRB lineup with the X/XE and decided to go without the preview screen that was present on the first generation units. A move that many of you thought was short-sighted (no PUN intended).

Looking forward, the real question is will GoPro again release this fall as they have done annually for years?  With neither the recently announced Garmin or TomTom units actually shipping yet – it might be challenging for both if GoPro doubles down as usual in the fall with new models.  In Garmin’s case, they are better positioned with a more unique offering around widely extended sensor offerings in the X/XE range, including new automotive and boating support – but that continues to be more of a niche offering at the $299 price point when trying to compete with GoPro branding/marketing.  While TomTom will need to iterate quickly with their automated movie maker software to truly become a competitive offering.

Definitely an interesting market for sure.  For those curious about my recommendations – for 95% of folks it’ll likely shift from the Hero4 Silver to the HERO+ LCD, assuming there are no issues with it.  The reason being that if you’re using it for cycling and such, you can actually use your Garmin Edge device with the GoPro, inside of Garmin’s free VIRB Edit software suite – thus getting all the benefits of data overlays there (I suppose Garmin is probably happy you’re buying their device).  It’s really only if you’re doing direct to camera sensors and don’t already have a GPS device for speed/distance/pace/altitude that I’d recommend looking at the Garmin X/XE lineup.

Note: You can now order the Hero+ LCD via both Amazon and Clever Training.  While both sites help support the site here and all the work I do, by using Clever Training you’re also going to save 10% on your order with DCR Reader Coupon Code DCR10BTF – further, you’ll get free shipping within the US!

Make sure the GoPro is charged. Charge the GoPro by using provided USB connector and plugging it into a computer. You can also use the GoPro wall or automobile charger.

If the GoPro still does not charge, please use the microSD/Micro USB Port Assembly Replacement guide to replace your assembly. A poor connection inside the Micro USB port may prevent your GoPro from charging.

Older computers do not have the hardware to support HD playback. Ensure your computer can play the video by checking if it meets the GoPro Studio Software minimum requirements here.

You can have choppy video playback if you play the video streamed from the camera over USB. What this means is if you have the camera connected to a computer by the USB cable and you play the video from the files on the camera, without transferring the file to your computer, it can come out choppy. This is due to the USB connection not being fast enough to play the HD video back in real time. Before playing back a HD video, copy or transfer the file from your GoPro to your computer, then playback the video.

Any type of electrical interference can cause issues in recording. For example, being around a car that is on can cause the static sound. Try to isolate the camera from other electronics as much as possible to reduce the static sound.

The blue light indicates that wireless is on. To turn off the wireless function, press and hold the Settings/Tag button (on side of camera) until the wireless status light blinks rapidly and then turn off the wireless.

situations. The camera comes with an integrated clear waterproof housing, and a variety of clip-on surface mounts. A full line of GoPro accessories allow you to

Replacement USB Data & Charging Cable Cord for GoPro Hero+ (CHDHC-101), GoPro Hero+ LCD (CHDHB-101), GoPro Hero4 Session (CHDHB-100) Digital CamerasColor: Black

Compatible: •This USB cable is compatible with the following GoPro Digital Camera Models: GoPro Hero+ (CHDHC-101), GoPro Hero+ LCD (CHDHB-101), GoPro Hero4 Session (CHDHB-100). Please Note: This USB cable IS NOT compatible with the GoPro Hero4 Black or GoPro Hero4 Silver.