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agree with that. this just seems more user friendly to get started with. much more of a fun impulse buy than a GoPro IMO. I thought the video quality was extre

agree with that. this just seems more user friendly to get started with. much more of a fun impulse buy than a GoPro IMO. I thought the video quality was extremely high, compared with a lot of the other stuff I see on YouTube. also worth noting that there are a ton of retail outlets in the USA which is an added benefit to their distribution strategy.

georgemcbay 12y ago
"I thought the video quality was extremely high" Actually the video quality looks terrible. Compare the bits actually shot with the Cube (most of the promo video isn't... you can clearly see when they switch to the shots the Cube itself took at ~0:22-0:26 and ~0:42-0:44, notice how they switch away from the Cube video pretty damn quickly, probably because it is so terrible... doesn't even look actually 1080p as a source, looks like they are interpolating it up from something lower, frame rate looks bad, massive chromatic aberration). Compare Cube (switch YouTube player to 1080p if it doesn't auto select that, note that most of the promo video is not Cube footage, pay specific attention to ~0:22-0:26 and ~0:42-0:44): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePO6OKYyOec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePO6OKYyOec To, say, the Mobius (switch YouTube player to 1080p if it doesn't auto select that): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlSvoKlIaPk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlSvoKlIaPk Mobius costs less than the Cube ($80 vs $99), video quality is miles better even when capturing a much faster-moving scene. I can see reasons why people might buy the Cube... it is cute, the monkey stand is pretty cool; but in terms of price vs image quality it is a clear loser, IMO.
- soup10 12y ago
  This is identical to the sentiment against iPod when it first came out. If the design is good, user friendly, and people still like the product, it won't matter if it's got worse specs since they can always improve them in later releases.
  - georgemcbay 12y ago
    The UX for these cameras is basically "hit record button, see red light go on"; I don't think there is room for any player to win on iPod-style usability. They either need to sell on lifestyle branding (where GoPro is already owning the market) or quality, IMO.
    - adav 12y ago
      What about the complicated menu structure of a GoPro Hero3+? Surely there's massive scope for improvement there? Would a non-technical person understand pro's and con's of the trade-off between 1080p24 and 720p120? I doubt it.
  - simias 12y ago
    If I remember correctly the iPod lacked some features that could have been expected from the product when the first version came out (the famous "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame." quoted else where in this thread. Also, firewire). But the features that were in the iPod worked fine. In this case however I agree with the parent who says the video, the only thing this cube is supposed to do well, is pretty terrible looking by 2014 standards. Here's a still of the video for reference: https://i.imgur.com/wIF1SFt.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wIF1SFt.jpg There's so much wrong in this picture I'm not sure where to start. And that's a promotional video!
    - danudey 12y ago
      And yet, this is more than enough quality for most people.
- cc439 12y ago
  Agreed, sub-$40 Chinese Go-Pro knock-offs offer superior performance on top of their silly cheap price tags.
  - nodata 12y ago
    Can you recommend one?
  - batmansbelt 12y ago
    Where would one find one of these knock offs? Ali express maybe?
- araes 12y ago
  A lot of opinion, but as a normal consumer, I think this looks fine, or at least "good enough". I agree, the Mobius video does look better. But, I think that most of the decision doesn't come down to video quality for a normal person. Its like graphics on video games. There's a very vocal crowd that espouses 1080p / 60 Hz refresh rates, but most normal people are as likely to play Candy Crush as a cinematic Final Fantasy or God of War. Its just not that much of a discriminator for the non-hardcore. Anecdotally, I bought a Go Pro a while back. What really mattered was: "Can I easily use this for the activity I'm planning (I wanted to be able to set a camera on my shoulder)?", "Can I easily work with / upload the video after I'm done?", and "Is this a product that people online say works?"
- robodale 12y ago
  It might be sub-par to some people right now, but they are establishing a beachhead in the market. They can certainly improve feature/performance/product line and expand out from there.
- richardneville 12y ago
  Hey - you're absolutely right about the video quality. Thanks for pointing it out. The cube looks like a great product, but I was wondering if it will be pro quality. Your post helps. GoPro actually does produce usable pro-quality HD video. Amazing for such a compact and simple device. Great colour balance, great lens, very little CA, etc., etc. Cube is clearly not competing with that. It looks like a great fun product, and I reckon I'll buy one... but I won't be able to justify that purchase professionally!

georgemcbay 12y ago

"I thought the video quality was extremely high" Actually the video quality looks terrible. Compare the bits actually shot with the Cube (most of the promo video isn't... you can clearly see when they switch to the shots the Cube itself took at ~0:22-0:26 and ~0:42-0:44, notice how they switch away from the Cube video pretty damn quickly, probably because it is so terrible... doesn't even look actually 1080p as a source, looks like they are interpolating it up from something lower, frame rate looks bad, massive chromatic aberration). Compare Cube (switch YouTube player to 1080p if it doesn't auto select that, note that most of the promo video is not Cube footage, pay specific attention to ~0:22-0:26 and ~0:42-0:44): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePO6OKYyOec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePO6OKYyOec To, say, the Mobius (switch YouTube player to 1080p if it doesn't auto select that): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlSvoKlIaPk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlSvoKlIaPk Mobius costs less than the Cube ($80 vs $99), video quality is miles better even when capturing a much faster-moving scene. I can see reasons why people might buy the Cube... it is cute, the monkey stand is pretty cool; but in terms of price vs image quality it is a clear loser, IMO.

soup10 12y ago
This is identical to the sentiment against iPod when it first came out. If the design is good, user friendly, and people still like the product, it won't matter if it's got worse specs since they can always improve them in later releases.
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  The UX for these cameras is basically "hit record button, see red light go on"; I don't think there is room for any player to win on iPod-style usability. They either need to sell on lifestyle branding (where GoPro is already owning the market) or quality, IMO.
  - adav 12y ago
    What about the complicated menu structure of a GoPro Hero3+? Surely there's massive scope for improvement there? Would a non-technical person understand pro's and con's of the trade-off between 1080p24 and 720p120? I doubt it.
- simias 12y ago
  If I remember correctly the iPod lacked some features that could have been expected from the product when the first version came out (the famous "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame." quoted else where in this thread. Also, firewire). But the features that were in the iPod worked fine. In this case however I agree with the parent who says the video, the only thing this cube is supposed to do well, is pretty terrible looking by 2014 standards. Here's a still of the video for reference: https://i.imgur.com/wIF1SFt.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wIF1SFt.jpg There's so much wrong in this picture I'm not sure where to start. And that's a promotional video!
  - danudey 12y ago
    And yet, this is more than enough quality for most people.
cc439 12y ago
Agreed, sub-$40 Chinese Go-Pro knock-offs offer superior performance on top of their silly cheap price tags.
- nodata 12y ago
  Can you recommend one?
- batmansbelt 12y ago
  Where would one find one of these knock offs? Ali express maybe?
araes 12y ago
A lot of opinion, but as a normal consumer, I think this looks fine, or at least "good enough". I agree, the Mobius video does look better. But, I think that most of the decision doesn't come down to video quality for a normal person. Its like graphics on video games. There's a very vocal crowd that espouses 1080p / 60 Hz refresh rates, but most normal people are as likely to play Candy Crush as a cinematic Final Fantasy or God of War. Its just not that much of a discriminator for the non-hardcore. Anecdotally, I bought a Go Pro a while back. What really mattered was: "Can I easily use this for the activity I'm planning (I wanted to be able to set a camera on my shoulder)?", "Can I easily work with / upload the video after I'm done?", and "Is this a product that people online say works?"
robodale 12y ago
It might be sub-par to some people right now, but they are establishing a beachhead in the market. They can certainly improve feature/performance/product line and expand out from there.
richardneville 12y ago
Hey - you're absolutely right about the video quality. Thanks for pointing it out. The cube looks like a great product, but I was wondering if it will be pro quality. Your post helps. GoPro actually does produce usable pro-quality HD video. Amazing for such a compact and simple device. Great colour balance, great lens, very little CA, etc., etc. Cube is clearly not competing with that. It looks like a great fun product, and I reckon I'll buy one... but I won't be able to justify that purchase professionally!