If you have a GoPro Hero 9 Black or one of the models compatible with the firmware updates offered by GoPro Labs , it is already taking time to remove it from the drawer in case you do not use it much. Because they add new options that could still interest you for your day to day.
GoPro Lab turns GoPro into more than just action cameras
GoPro Lab is a platform or rather a department within the company whose objective is none other than to experiment with new functions for which the GoPro were not created a priori. For this, what they do is offer a new firmware where these new options are added within the original firmware, which anyone can access when they purchase one of these cameras.
Well, if in June 2020 they already launched some other interesting functionality, now this same department comes with extra tricks that will allow you to use the GoPro Hero 9 Black and other compatible models in different ways and that go far beyond the classic use as a camera. of action. Although it must also be said that some are only experimental improvements for existing functions, such as motion detection.
Among the new features there are two very striking that allow you to use the GoPro as a Dashcam . That is, a camera that is normally attached to the interior windshield of the vehicle and serves to record everything that may happen while driving. In some countries they are very popular cameras and that is why GoPro may have thought that opening the range of uses allows them to find new markets with which to increase sales.
To achieve this use, this firmware developed by GoPro Lab allows the camera to be activated or not when it detects that current is coming through the USB cable that we would have connected to one of the connectors available in the car. And then, to start and stop the recording, it would rely on that motion detection through the gyroscope and accelerometer sensors.
With regard to streaming functions, it is now also easier to start a live broadcast thanks to the use of QR codes that you can create for the WiFi network in question that you want to use. Something that could be interesting for users who make content of this type on a regular basis on platforms such as Switch or YouTube.
Then, for specific models like the latest GoPro Hero 9, there is the one-button mode that once active prevents the pressing of other camera controls from changing parameters and settings. So the only thing you can do while it’s active is start or stop recording.
These are all the news summarized:
- Motion sensor triggers , use the accelerometer and gyroscope to start or stop image capture
- Triggers by USB connection , allow to start or stop the capture of images when detecting power supply through the USB connection
- Improved motion detection sensitivity on all models, including Hero Max for 360º video recording
- Using QR codes to start live streaming
- Single button configuration mode , overrides the rest of the buttons and only allows you to use one to start and stop image capture
- New exposure modes let you lock the exposure when using the timer and the lowest shutter speed
- QR codes to control capture at 5K resolution and HindSight on the Hero 9 Black
How to update to the latest GoPro Labs firmware
If you own a GoPro Hero 9 Black, Hero 8 Black, Hero 7 Black or Hero Max all you have to do is go to the GoPro Labs website and download the latest version of the GoPro experimental firmware.
Once you have it, you only have to copy it to the SD card that you normally use with the camera and follow the usual update process. In a matter of minutes, you will be ready to start experimenting with these new options and see how you could get a lot more out of your GoPro.
So if you like to try new features and feel like your GoPro could be put to more uses than usual, this is what you need to know.
