62 MAY2020|COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE387
VIDEO
AMAZONFireTVStick4K
★★★★★
£50•www.amzn.to/2Y6q8wh
DJIOsmoAction
★★★★★
£329•www.argos.co.uk
GOPRO Hero8Black
★★★★★
£323•www.amzn.to/2NHTE8c
APPLETV4K
★★★★★
£179•www.apple.com/uk
GOPRO Max
★★★★★
£447•www.currys.co.uk
From set-topbox todangling dongle
and now an ultra-compact stick,
Amazon’s 4K media streamer gets
sleeker with every generation. It’s also been updated with anew
remote, whichincludes amicrophone forAlexa voicecommands.
If you want most of the features of aGoPro action
camera at alower price,consider the Osmo Action.
It’s waterproofwithout acase,can shoot at 4K and
60fps with stablisation, and reaches the same high standard of video
quality as the Osmo Pocket,astheyhavethe same sensor.
Instead of completelyrewriting
the Hero 7Black’s formula, the
Hero 8Black focusesmoreonsmaller improvements,
such as to its stabilisation and timelapse features. To GoPro’s credit,
this approach works: this is atruly brilliant action camera.
This big updateadds 4K content (including, forthe
first time,AmazonVideo support).The best part is
that if there’s a4Kversion of contentyou’ve
previously purchased in HD,Apple will upgrade it free of charge.
At last, a360° camera that is all
things to all users. The GoPro Max
manages to be both usable forbeginners and
sufficiently advanced formoreexperienced videographers, shooting
super-smooth footagewith plenty of extra features to try.
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI 2.0•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi•DIMENSIONS108x30x14mm•
STREAMINGFORMATSUPnP,AirPlay, DLNA,Plex•INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESAmazon
Video,Netflix, BBCiPlayer,ITV Hub, All4,My5•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILS
http://www.amazon.co.uk•PARTCODEFire TV Stick4K•FULLREVIEWMay2019
SENSOR^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS12 megapixels•MAXRECORDINGRESOLUTION4K
(60fps)•AV CONNECTIONSNone•DIMENSIONS42x66x35mm•WEIGHT134g•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.dji.com/uk•PARTCODECP.OS.00000020.01•
FULLREVIEWDec2019
SENSOR^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS12 megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDINGRESOLUTION
4K (60fps)•AV CONNECTIONSNone•DIMENSIONS49x66x28mm•WEIGHT126g•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.gopro.com•PARTCODECHDHX-801-RW•
FULLREVIEWMar 2020
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI 2.0a•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi, 10/100/1,000 Ethernet•
DIMENSIONS35x98x98mm•STREAMINGFORMATSAirPlay, others viaapps•
INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESiTunes,Apple Music, Netflix, AmazonInstant Video,
NowTV, BBCiPlayer,ITV Hub, All4•WARRANTYOneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.apple.com/uk•
PARTCODEAppleTV4K•FULLREVIEWJan2018
SENSOR2x^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS2x 16 megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDING
RESOLUTION5.6K (30fps)•AV CONNECTIONSNone•DIMENSIONS64x69x40mm•
WEIGHT163g•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.gopro.com•PARTCODE
CHDHZ-201-RW•FULLREVIEWFeb2020
Kcontent(includingforthe
01
Actioncamerasaretypicallymuch
smallerthanaregularcamcorder,as
theyaredesignedtobemountedtoabike,
board or car,orworn on your person. As the
name suggests, theyare designed primarily
forshooting actionfootage,but because of
their small size theyare ideal forstrapping
on to your pet’s collar or your children’s toys
foradifferent perspective.
02
Even basic action cameras will shoot
Full HD video,and many will even
shoot 4K, but frame rateisarguably more
important than resolution when it comes to
action video.Higher frame rates will mean
smoother clips, and super-high frame rate
videos can be played in slow motion to
emphasise exciting shots.
Choosingan... Actioncamera
Keep an eyeout for4K/30, 4K/60,
1080p/60 and 720p/120 models forthe
widest possible choice of resolutions
and frame rates.
03
Most action cameras rely on flash
memory forstoring your video,
letting you swap out memory cards on the
fly when you fill one up with clips. More
expensive devices can have integrated
flash memory as well as acardslot,but
it’s typically cheaper to buy the basic
version of acamera and pick up memory
cards separately.
04
Not all action cameras have LCD
displays; in fact,many don’t include a
sceen in order to extend battery life.
If you want to be able to see exactly
what you’re pointing the lens at, keep an
eyeout forcameras with companion
smartphone apps, or wrist-mounted
viewfinders that also let you start and
stop shooting remotely.
05
Action cameras typically have ahuge
rangeofaccessories, with specific
mounts and harnesses fordifferent activities
and sports. If the camera itself isn’t water
resistant, aweatherproofcase will protect it
from the elements, while atripod mount will
let you lock it firmly in place.
Spare batteries are essential forlonger
shoots, and some decent video-editing
software will help you to produce amore
polished result.
DJIOsmoPocket
★★★★★
£274•www.amzn.to/3bOy3We
Acleverly made alternative to action
cameras, the DJI Osmo Pocket isn’t
intended forextreme sports, but its
mechancial stabilisation ensures smooth, great-looking
footage forlife-loggingvideos.
SENSOR^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS12 megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDINGRESOLUTION
4K (60fps)•AV CONNECTIONSUSB Type-C•DIMENSIONS122x37x38mm•WEIGHT116g•
WARRANTYOneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.dji.com•PARTCODECP.ZM.00000097.01•
FULLREVIEWApr2019
