Note the lag between the video and the stats from the GPS – the video was recorded using a GoPro Hero 12 in Linear mode with HyperSmooth stabilization in AutoBoost mode, but the Hero 12 doesn’t come with built-in GPS, so the stats were recorded using the Ghostracer app on a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The gpx2video program I use to add the stats doesn’t correctly detect the video start time for Hero 12 HEVC videos without GPS, according to the output at least, and hasn’t implemented (or has removed in this pre-release version) its manual start time offset option. Had a couple of goes at manually editing the GPX file to line things up, but given that the GoPro clock probably isn’t perfectly synchronised anyway (as I remember manually setting the time, rather than the phone app setting it for me), and given the low sampling rate of one point for every four seconds that Ghostracer acquired at on this occasion (possibly a reflection of the signal accuracy), I eventually went with the original files as being “good enough”. You’ll see it more in the places where I stop, like traffic lights or in an encounter with a couple of loose, (probably) friendly dogs; I didn’t want to risk keeping jogging past the dogs only to hear “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, they’ve never done this before!” though, so discretion was the greater part of valour in this instance.
I say “original file”, but I’ll own up to manually editing the GPX file where I pass under the Nene Parkway, next to the new housing development around the 1hr 10min mark. The GPS had a rare wobble, putting me on the Parkway and recording me jogging at 41km/hr (25mph) for a few seconds – faster than Usain Bolt’s average 100m time, but just a fraction slower than his top speed. Having taken another look at the video, I’m now fairly sure that that was a glitch, and that I instead took the underpass at a more reasonable speed.
I had meant to swing by Alwalton (and the Cuckoo) rather than Lynch Wood, to show some recent guests where the alternative path to or from Alwalton was, but I fell into autopilot when coming into the estate, and went left rather than around the roundabout.
I considered looping the rowing lake, but instead encountered the Mixology “Under” event at the far end (which will be why the video goes silent near the end, if that lands me with a copyright strike for the music!) and decided to turn back when I realised the GoPro probably didn’t have a lot of juice left.
With stabilisation on about as hard as it goes (excepting Horizon Lock, which although a great feature, doesn’t produce a pleasant effect when battling against the movements as I swing my head to look at things or do u-turns), at 25fps, the battery held out for 2 hours 22 minutes, so I didn’t quite get to close the overall loop for this run, but for anyone using it as a reference, turning left at the next opportunity along the road is the fastest way to Sunningdale, but crossing the railway line, continuing onwards, and taking Ham Lane to the left once you’ve passed the Nene Valley Rail station also works and keeps you on paths and pavements instead.
I have to admit to preferring the GoPro’s on-board stabilization to most of my post-production efforts, although some of those were hampered by also trying to correct lens distortion. Expert opinion seems to be that post-production stabilization using the GoPro’s gyroscope data is the gold standard, but I’ve yet to explore that properly, as the real-time onboard stabilization works well enough for me! Added to which, I usually use Linux, so I prefer to stick to native tools rather than e.g. trying to run apps through Wine. The trade off is the loss of GPS, but I hold out hope that a future GoPro will have great stabilization, GPS, and enough battery life to see us slower joggers past the three hour mark! Maybe the future holds two out of three, but as I don’t do my processing in the GoPro phone/tablet app, I don’t appear in their usage metrics, and they believe their users mainly want multiple short clips rather than extended videos… Not their fault, but there are other ways to find out about your user base!
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