GoProHD: Rotation & Flip 720p30 test

Short post but this took 3 hours of labour by the time this little video made it to YouTube. It will be of interest to other GoPro users, especially Gary France (<-- link) and perhaps Chris Luhman (<-- link).

I was trying to find a place to mount my GoProHD without putting it behind the windscreen and decided to try the Givi crash bars but with such a wide angle (170 degree) lens you could still see the plastic fairing. Then I got the bright idea to mount it in the car upside down using the suction mount on the top of the windshield to get some traffic video. Having a high mounting position is less intrusive and doesn't obstruct your view as much as having it mounted on the dash. The main problem is that GoPro has not yet released their upgraded software to reverse the upside down image, so I have been scratching my head for a solution.

and here it is . . .

the first portion is Upside down, and then horizontally flipped to appear you are riding on the wrong side of the street, like Gary does in the UK.

Packing: Suzuki DL650abs V-Strom

Lately there has been discussion on what to pack whilst on a riding tour. Here is what GAW/Gordon of Scoot'n Art (<--- link) carries with him. It appears to be a long list of must have items. I'm still trying to figure out how to pack all that stuff. I just have to leave room for the "kitchen" sink on top and fasten with bungie cords .

I have Kappa side cases secured by Givi racks. Sides cases are 40 Litres x 2, and the topcase is 44 Litres. There is also some storage under the seat. I also made a Tool Tube to carry my tripod

Dear Gary France, Mr H-D from the UK

Open letter to Gary France, USA Tour on a Harley Davidson (<-- click link) Gary has become another Videographer so now there are a few of us who have purchased Hero GoProHD motorsports videocams. We have been experimenting with various bike mounts and I ordered a few more bits



I have had good luck dealing with GPScity.ca in Calgary, AB and placed my order at noon Monday. They upgraded the shipping, at no additional charge to me, and sent it FEDEX 2nd day express, so I got it NEXT Day.


(RAM-B-121BU)

The main item that I wanted was this C-type clamp which I intend to mount on my GIVI crash bars. But then I needed another RAM mount base for my GoPro to replace the OEM one


(RAM-HOL-GOPR)

The RAM mount is actually comprised of two parts. A Tripod mount and a RAM ball. From the pictures on the web it looked like one piece which I did not realize, and I also ordered a Tripod mount (PN: GTRA30), so now I have a Spare. I also ordered a spare battery (PN: AHDBT-001) .

GoPro have also announced a couple of new products, so I have them on backorder


(Battery Backpac)

I noticed from the instruction manual that if you removed the battery, then you lose your date and time and perhaps some other settings. The Backpac attaches to the rear of the GoPro and doubles the recording time. I also ordered the new LCD screen


(LCD Backpac)

I would imagine that you detach the battery Backpac and snap the LCD screen onto the rear of the camera. Presently with the GoPro you cannot see what you have recorded until you download to your computer. With the LCD Backpac you can view while recording and also playback what you have recorded. The LCD screen turns it into a full camcorder which is so small you could carry it everywhere



Last year when I was mounting my other CamCorder I purchased extra RAM extensions which are now coming in handy for my GoProHD . I intend to try mounting the GoProHD on my Crash bars, but on the left side.



but as it was getting dark I decided it was too much trouble to turn the bike around so I was just testing some mounting options to get some ideas



I put the long extension on to try to clear the front bodywork. It's too bad there isn't a way to turn the recording on with a wired remote. Also I want to be able to turn it on or off while riding, so I tried it on the U-mount I already had installed on the right mirror stem. With the long extension it clears the windshield, which is what I wanted.



I may have to move the mount to the left mirror stem so I can manipulate it with my left hand, but then I will have to move my GPS mount.

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REVIEW: LENMAR OMNISOURCE UNI universal charger/moveable pin system:


Gary, you were also interested in some charger options. Using USB chargers can only charge Li-Ions batteries up to 3.7 V as USB output is 5V @500 ma . Li-Ion cells are in multiples of 3.7V. Your Nikon is a 2 cell Li-ion battery so requires 7.4 V which cannot be obtained using USB chargers. Last year I purchased a couple of Lenmar unisource UNI universal battery chargers



Input power can come from DC, 12V auto accessory plug, or AC auto sensing 120-240V



I have a 12 auto power outlet installed under the front cowling of my Suzuki V-Strom, and also a pigtail 2-conductor SAE quick disconnect plug which I also use for my battery floatlevel maintainer, or electric Vest. Both are capable of accepting my patch cords for charging on the go while on the bike. I also use this to power my automotive Garmin GPS



this charger is smaller than a package of cigarettes



and can also charge either AA or AAA in pairs



it has a moveable pin system to match up with most batteries with flat contacts. This unit can auto sense correct voltage and detect correct battery polarity. It is microcomputer controlled and will let you know when the battery is fully charged. This ONE charger is capable of charging every camera I carry, and also my Camcorder. It will also charge my phone battery. I have two of these and carry one for backup since if the one you have gets lost or broken then everything you have won't work when the batteries run out.



It's a good charger and I recommend it. (Rating: --> 4.9 ******** stars)

SonjaM meets Vancouver, BC

Last Friday I had the pleasure to finally meet SonjaM (Two-Wheelers Revisited) (<-- link)



It was the end of her first week of work and we decided to turn our coffee get together into an AYCE (All You Can Eat) dinner instead. We had some time to get acquainted before Mrs Scoot would be home so I decided to make a quick stop at one of the local BMW dealers to sit on some bikes


(Should I sit on this one?)

I think I will



Or, should I sit on this one ?



Or should I sit on this one which already has all the Aluminum Hard cases and windscreen installed ?



So many bikes and so little time. Most dealerships close early so we dashed over to the Ducati dealer to find them already closed. We were getting hungry so we made our way downtown to Denman Street in the West End of Vancouver for a meal of cooked and un-cooked sushi dishes



We took our glasses of Japanese hot green tea and toasted her arrival to Vancouver. She is making a permanent move to the Key West of Canada and away from the deep freezer of Alberta. A new city, a new job, a new place to call home and soon, a new to her 2 wheeled vehicle which can be ridden nearly all year. She is now a Vancouverite.

We ate and ate, and soon we were full



Sonja, welcome to Vancouver and I hope you will enjoy living here

Old Coast Guard Road, North Kohala Coast, Hawai'i

It was a warm mid 80's kind of day when we headed north from Kailau-Kona on our way to Hawi on Hwy 270 past the junction from Waimea. As is my standard practice to scan all sideroads for something interesting. While on our scouting expeditions I have been known to take all sideroads to see where they lead and today was no exception. I noticed the sign for Coast Guard Road and had to make a U-turn and travel back


(Old Coast Guard Road)

I'm thinking that this road must lead somewhere or else why would it be named ? Perhaps it leads to an Old Coast Guard station.



For a short distance the road was quite smooth but soon we found that it was in bad shape and not maintained. There were pot holes everywhere and we travelled very slowly through this slalom course. Soon we sped up a bit and it seemed better to travel over the potholes and felt less bumpy.



with no landmarks to get your bearings we finally made it over the last hill and saw the water ahead. There was less broken asphalt and more like hard packed dirt and sand



There is a small cliff and rough wave action. There was a beach trail but it was closed due to erosion


(warning signs and trail closed)

We heeded the warnings and stayed well back of the danger



The last ramp was more suited for a 4x4 vehicle rather than our mere Toyota Matrix so we parked on the road above and left the vacant parking lot, Vacant. If we got stuck we would have a difficult time getting help to tow us out



It would appear that this was a former resort but now it belongs to the Parker Ranch and we saw some work trucks parked by the bunkhouses



I could imaging living here in solitude with no one else around. Nice weather, sunny most of the time and no neighbours to intrude upon your private space. Lovely view of the ocean and a mere 1-1/2 north of Kailua-Kona, or less than an hour to Waimea for supplies

We headed back out to the main highway 270 and north again until I saw a sign for an airfield, so naturally I turned the car around again for more exploration. Along the way it looked like there were plans for a new subdivision where construction had stopped. Perhaps due to the economy, who knows, and we passed another wind farm



It's hard to judge distance but I would say a couple of miles and we saw two rows of generators but most of the props were not moving.



It's hard to imagine the size of these towers. We stopped and you can just make out the small door at the bottom which is human height, and our rental car just for scale



Finally we get to the end of the road and come to the airstrip. We pondered for a few moments wondering whether we should rent a plane for a quick view of the volcano from the air. We didn't today but we have rented sightseeing planes before. I have some videos on my youtube channel from a Cessna we rented in Northern British Columbia. (See sidebar for Youtube link for videos of Chilcotin Adventure in 4 parts)



It's a lucky thing we didn't waste our hard earned money with the plane as we found out later there was too much sulphur fumes spewing from the Kilauea Crater and aircraft were advised to stay away. Actually even the road up to the top was closed to all tourist traffic.

I really got into the Hawai'ian way of driving and only stored my Pink Crocs on the floor for emergencies, leaving them inside the car when I exited the car to take photos


(Real original brand named Pink Crocs, not the NothingZ copycat brand)

I am a great fan of Mexican food while travelling and we found an authentic Mexican restaurant in Hawi, of which I will have more to say to finalize our Hawai'ian adventure


(in the meantime, happy eating)

Maintenance: Chain Lube for Suzuki V-Strom

This is my first attempt at doing a Video Blog, Vlog for short. Dave, my Correspondent in Turkey (<-- link) has been pestering me to consider doing one ever since he posted his first Vlog. It's one thing to be shielded behind a camera rather than being in front of it. Then there's the problem of having enough content to keep interest.

I am glad I had an OEM Suzuki centre stand installed when I purchased the Wee as it makes this operation much easier. The only problem is with the weight of the bike, which is top heavy. I normally clean and lube my chain around every 1,000. kms when I get home after a ride and let the lube soak into the chain overnight. This quick procedure was done only as a subject for my Vlog video to let me get comfortable with talking into the Videocam.

Winter Olympics 2010: Canada wins over USA

We interupt this program to announce that the winner of the Winter 2010 Olympics Hockey match between Canada & the USA, is . . . Canada

Naturally, the best team WON

We were downtown and happened to be in the Athletes' Lounge on the 6th floor of the Hudson's Bay Company when the winning puck was scored. There was celebration in the streets of Vancouver. Canadians who are docile by nature, were NOT today where there was a lot of patriotism and Red & White flags waving about

Video Editing: Picture in Picture

Last year while on a ride to Kelowna, BC on my Suzuki SV650K4 I did take a bit of video using my Panasonic SDR-SW20 Flash Camcorder. It was perfect for bike use. I had it mounted on my right handlebar mirror stem using Ram-Mounts. The SW20 is in a waterproof case, shockproof and best of all used electronic media rather than Hard Drives or tape mechanisms which can fail due to vibration. The SW20 is only a DVD quality, recording in standard definition which is perfect if you are going to use the clips in a picture in picture application, or podcasts where you would like to have smaller files.

I am not going to make this too technical but the SW20 produces .MOD files which cannot be imported into WMM (Windows Movie Maker). The reason that WMM or WMP (Windows Media Player) can't recognize these files which are produced by flash camcorders is because the Header Information is missing from the main file and is included in a secondary file as matched pairs. The header file includes information such as bitrate, aspect ratio (16:9 or 4:3 etc) in order for the codec to DECODE the info in the file. CODEC stands for COmpression and DECompression, after all Mpeg4 is a compressed format. I discovered a Utility that can give you the specifications of the file so you know what codecs you are missing. The original File produced by the SW20 is xxxxxx.MOD


(original specs of the .MOD file Panasonic SDR-SW20)

here is what it looks like after conversion to .AVI


(.MOD file converted to .AVI)

It has been converted to a DivX 5 but at a lower bitrate. I've been doing video editing for a couple of years now using the proven, Try and Fail Method, sort of like WWID as practiced by Charlie6. Eventually everything fell into place

This video was produced using 3 video clips from the SW20 and a couple of static photos which were downsized to 1100 x 800. The clips started out from the camera at 9510 Kbps and finalized at 2.5 Kbps for upload to YouTube 480p resolution HQ.

Here is a slice from the screen of PREL7 with a portion of the timeline



The video is compiled using 3 clips.

1) Westside Road just south of the Junction from Westbank BC with Okanagan Lake on the right

2) Hwy 8 From Merritt to Spences Bridge which is one of the better motorcycle roads which is just over 3 hours from the heart of Downtown Vancouver, BC

3) Heading south in the Fraser Canyon south of Boston Bar where there is a series of seven tunnels ( <-- link )

I placed two static photos overlayed with rolling video, then changed the background. Later I replaced the static photo with another video, overlayed with a video in a picture in picture. With PREL7 you can resize the thumbnail video to any size and place it anywhere on the screen. The I annotated the video with some titles. It was raing part of the way back from Kelowna (approx 400 kms East of Vancouver) and miles later when the sun came out I didn't think to check the protective lens cover to clear the mud from the glass so of course that blob is in the video.

I hope you like my little experiment with PIP

Sunny Sunday in February

With my new Hero GoProHD mounted behind the factory windshield of my Suzuki V-Strom DL650A I decided to try it out in the sunshine. It picked up a lot of glare from the windshield as I rode south over the Oak Street Bridge then along Hwy99 and Hwy 91A. My ride ended at Steveston harbour to the Government pier where there was a good view of Mt Baker in the background

This is my 2nd test video. The GoProHD footage is sandwiched between video taken with my Lumix ZS3 (720p30) . For those who require additional information here is what I noticed.

The video taken with the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 was 1280x720p 30 fps (actually 29.97) at a capture rate of 12 Mbps. The video produced by the GoProHD set at 1280x720p30 was around 8 Mbps. With a bitrate of 50% less you would expect the GoProHD to be of lesser quality. I am using PREL7 (Premiere Elements 7) as my video editor. The ZS3 compiles video in the AVCHD codec which requires conversion from Mts (Sony calls it M2ts) to mpg. My converter can be set to any bitrate so upon conversion the MPG was downsized from 12 Mbps to 9 Mbps.

Using PREL7 I am able to import the MPG files from the ZS3, and it will import the GoProHD mp4 files without conversion. After I bring these clips to the timeline, import the transitions and put in some titles, I render the final version to Mpeg2 at 6 Mbps. I noticed from the video forums that most videographers render anywhere from 4 to 5 Mbps to keep the files sizes reasonable for upload to YouTube. This short 4 minute video ended up at 297 MB and took 50 minutes to upload after the 1st one failed. There is a bug with Windows 7 and most everyone is having troubles uploading when using windows7. Since I purchased my new laptop rendering is much faster. It is rendering around 20% more than real time. This 4 minute video took around 6 minutes to render. Using my old Acer it used to take 2 to 3x real time.

The only reason I mention all of this is because we have some new Videographers in the sidelines waiting for their own GoProHD to arrive in the mail. I am a helpful person by nature and I expect to field some answers when or if, they are having problems with their own projects.

When I get a chance I will try to mount the GoProHD without anything in front of the lens. I don't believe there will be any flare from the sealed waterproof case. It is just being cast by the factory windscreen

My Hero: Video Replacement

During the past couple of years I have been using a Panasonic SDR-SW20 for my rolling bike video. I have RAM-Mounts on each bike. I originally selected the SW20 because it used flash memory, was waterproof and shock resistant which was perfect for Bike use. But with the addition of my Lumix ZS3 I have been spoiled with the higher resolution of HD video, so last Thursday I came home with this


(Hero: GoPro HD1080p30)

It comes with all the cables necessary, a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery and a waterproof case, a few extra mounting plates and a suction mount



This is the Motorsports model. I decided that I would purchase a model dedicated for bike use rather than a handheld consumer model as they are not waterproof and too bulky.



With so many curves on the V-Strom it was hard to determine the perfect spot to mount the camera and I was anxious to give it a try, so I mounted it over the instrument cluster, above the Speedometer and Tachometer right behind the plexiglass windshield. While it is not the perfect spot it is easy to keep an eye on it and operate the buttons. As I found out later, there is too much glare on the windscreen in the sunshine which causes stray light to hit the lens



I know, I have a GPS mounted on the left handlebar. I really don't get lost but I use it mainly as a speedometer as all motorcycle speedos are generous. I have heard that GPS units are redundant in Key West as they only have one road and it is impossible for anyone to get lost down there, but I suppose it would come in handy for those without Tachometers.


(GoPro is mounted just left of the factory supplied Tachometer, standard Equipment on a Suzuki V-strom)


(Front View looking through the factory windscreen)

The instructions with the GoPro say that they use the finest 3M adhesives available. The mounts can be used on helmets when skydiving, surfboards or mounted inide race cars but I thought it more prudent to attach a tether, just in case



The plastic, waterproof case is designed to be completely sealed against the elements. It comes with two rear doors; a sealed one and one with large openings for the microphone to pick up more sound. Of course only the solid door is completely waterproof.



Mr Conchscooter (<-- link) made a comment recently about the centre stand on his Bonnie . In times past all bikes came with centre stands, now for some reason they are an option. I had a centre stand installed when I bought the V-Strom, makes it easier to lube the chain or adjust the rear wheel tension



Several times today I had to adjust my left mirror. I first thought that someone had bumped into it at the BestBuy parking lot where I went to purchase another external hard drive. Later on while riding I noticed more of my arm in the rear view and had to move the mirror are again. Perhaps I was travelling too fast and the wind was moving the mirror. I came home and tightened the nut(s).



It was very large nut and luckily I had a couple of 22mm open end wrenches available, which I must have needed before, just like my 19mm and 17mm wrenches. I find that often you require two. One to loosen and the other to hold the lock bolt



I am not a mechanic but I don't mind buying good tools. You just never know when you will need it



Because we are the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics I have included a few Canadian flags



The following is my first test video using the GoPro 1080HD but set at 720p30. I tried out a few test clips at home first and I could not see much difference between 720p and 1080p so in an effort to go green and save more gigabites I only used the 720p30 mode. Even so this video was around 600 megs and took over 1-1/2 hours to upload to YouTube. There is a bug with Windows 7 and they haven't solved the problem yet. Often it takes a couple of tries to get it posted. This video has been downsized to 6 Mbps but still 16:9 format. The light was getting quite dark near the end but still came out acceptable (to me anyway)


(GoPro HD recorded at 720p30 , 16:9 , 6 Mbps)