Tag Archives: Ambarella

Ambarella H3 Paves Way for Portable 8k Video!

Ambarella H3

Ambarella has introduced two new SoC chipsets for portable electronics that shoot video.  The H3 capable of up to 8k video or dual 4k 60fps streams for 360º VR video and also the H22 which is a souped up version of the H2 found on cameras like the Yi 4k+ that will be shooting 4k 60p and up to 120fps 1080p video.

No real leads were given into what specific cameras will be incorporating the new chipset but from indications of past releases it is safe to say that the best action cameras, some high end phones and drone centric cameras will be sporting this new SoC in their specs by the end of this year.  If we had to bet we will probably see a Hero 5+ using the H22 before the H3 as 8k video seems a huge jump for a refresh model. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

DJI Mavic Pro vs GoPro Karma Slowmo!

DJI Mavic Pro vs GoPro Karma

There has been extreme excitement over the last month for both the GoPro Karma Drone and the DJI Mavic Pro being the first truly portable and collapsible drones that offer professional features and a quality camera. However when we focus on the video quality it is clear that by several measures the Mavic Pro seems to be a step down compared to the DJI Phantom 4 and here lies the main issue between these two competing platforms.

GoPro has not been a quality champ ever since the DJI Phantom 3 came out. The Hero Camera with much more wide angle distortion and less sharpness was a letdown by being pretty much the same since the last refresh of the GoPro Hero 3+ several years ago. The GoPro way has been footprint reduction and feature addition instead of image quality hikes. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Hero 5 Black and Karma Drone Lift Off!

karmagopro1

There was probably no other camera out there with more expectations to raise the high frame rates threshold than the GoPro Hero 5 Black.  Disappointingly they stayed the same as what we had in the Hero 4 Black of last year.  However there is a lot to like in the new update and the Karma Drone might be the real upgrade for the camera line by using a handheld stabilizer that works in your hand and in the air within the same bundle.

The Hero 4 Black and Silver are still relevant and usable in the new Karma drone with no adjustments. It is good of GoPro to still support their camera line but it is hard to fathom why the GoPro 3 Black and 3+ are not supported since they basically are very close in shape and design to the Hero 4. It may be time for some creative people to come with a way to use these cameras in the drone. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Olympus TG-Tracker Has 240fps HD Video!

OlyTGTracker

The Just announced Olympus TG-Tracker Action Camera is something of a cross between an ultra-portable camcorder and a Sony Action Cam. It has a flip LCD screen, 4k 30p video, built in LED light at 30 Lumens Continuous, GoPro Mount compatibility, No need for a housing, Sensors that record vector data much like the Garmin VIRB of last year and pretty good ruggedness.

The action camera space is getting more crowded and the Olympus TG-Tracker must work overtime to get attention away from Sony and GoPro Hero as the established leaders.  As to the ruggedness of the camera Olympus claims 100ft water tightness which may seem optimistic but doable. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Ambarella H2 Promises 4k at 120fps!

Ambarella-H2

Regardless of what the GoPro and Ambarella marriage can provide in tandem hardware it is clear the company wants to branch out of the fledgling sales of GoPro which have tanked in recent quarters and the stock price from a high near a $100 USD is now trading at a mere $12 which is half the IPO price.   By branching out it seems they want their chips in many more imaging devices and be less affected by the GoPro product cycle.

The announced H2 and H12 chips are able to provide beefy 4k specs at high frame rates for mobile devices at a mere 2 Watts of power. As to 1080p frame rates it will remain to be seen how this powerful new chip can handle that in a camera design and how it is implemented to squeeze that performance.  120fps at 4k from the H2 in theory should be able to yield 480fps at 1080p just counting the Pixel processing.  This however can be limited by the rest of the components like imaging sensor. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Hero 5 Rumored Specs!

Hero5Negative

The GoPro Hero 4 series has been quite successful for the company and many are thinking what can they offer next when it comes to camera specs.  The Hero 4 Session showed that miniaturization and form factor change is possible at GoPro and we will not be surprised to see a change in shape and size on the Hero 5 to reduce it’s footprint.   The GoPro mount has also been holding back the platform miniaturization as to remain compatible with accessories and grips of all kinds.  What could happen is to remain compatible but introduce a stronger and smaller mount with some sort of adapter for backward compatibility. This transition will open the way for more portable and stealthy cameras.

Our biggest hint of where the platform is going is what the new Ambarella H1 chip provides.  It is an evolutionary chip-set with a few features geared to UHD recording which suggest that 4k will be the focus going forward. → Continue Reading Full Post ←