The GoPro Hero3 Black Edition can capture 4K Video

SAN FRANCISCO–GoPro pulled the wraps off of a new generation of its line of Hero sports camera packages built around the smallest, most powerful camera that it has ever offered: the GoPro Hero3.

The GoPro Hero3 Black Edition is the flagship model that will retail for $399.99. This new model features a chassis that is 30 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the outgoing Hero2 model and is only 20mm thick when removed from its plastic shell. The plastic shell itself is also smaller (obviously) and features a new flat lens. The case also features a double lock that ensures that the rear plastic door isn’t going anywhere once it’s sealed, unless you want it to — even then, it’s sort of tricky to deal with.

The Hero3 is able to capture up to 4K video at up to 15 frames per second, a new 2.7K video resolution at up to 30fps, and an oddball 4:3 aspect ratio 1440p video at up to 48fps. Of course the standard HD resolutions also make return appearances. The Hero3 Black Edition fleshes out its list of formats with 1080p full HD at 60fps, 960p tall HD at 100fps, 720p HD at up to 120fps, and WVGA 480p at up to 240fps. You may think that 4K video is overkill, particularly at the low 15fps frame rate, but being able to capture more-conventional HD video resolutions at ridiculously high frame rates can make for some sweet slow-motion video.

Can’t Find it on Netflix On-Line? Here’s Why

Reed Hastings has a message for anyone looking for a comprehensive catalog of streaming movies and TV shows: Don’t go to Netflix.

Speaking at the All Things D conference in California, the Netflix founder and CEO celebrated his company’s success and outlined its ambitions, but he also stressed its limitations. In May, Netflix found its share of U.S. broadband traffic was larger than that of the file-sharing service BitTorrent for the first time. And Hastings has plans to launch his streaming service around the world, country by country, starting with Canada.

“We have an opportunity to build a very large global company,” he said. “All of those 5 billion people [with mobile devices] like video.”

But Hastings does not think Netflix can ever afford to make that streaming video selection — Netflix Instant — comprehensive. Despite the growing amount of content that is available for streaming, the company does not expect to have a complete “watch now” library. The licensing fees are simply too pricey for its business model.

“At $7.99 a month, we can’t provide unlimited content,” Hastings said. “We compete for a very specific and small part of the pie. We don’t have everything, but we have a great bargain. That’s what we want the brand proposition to be … Apple and Amazon are very good at being comprehensive.”

Indeed, when an audience member asked Hastings about a specific movie he couldn’t find on Netflix, Hastings testily directed him to pay for it on iTunes or Amazon.

Netflix is facing increasing financial pressure from its providers, who are noting how much profit the service is making from their content. For example, Netflix’s 2008 deal with the Starz network cost $30 million; analysts claim its renewal will cost $200 million, or 6% of Netflix’s revenue. Hastings did not dispute this cost estimate.

The online movie giant may have seemed like it was moving into the content-making business itself after a well-publicized deal in March to make House of Cards with Kevin Spacey and director David Fincher. But Hastings stressed that Netflix was just the distribution arm of that deal. “We’re just a channel,” he said. “The only difference with this content is it’s exclusive.”

URWERKS – Video

URWERKS offers up this new demo reel that shows what they can do.  Pretty cool stuff.

URWERK – UR110 movie from I-réel on Vimeo.