
GoPro Labs has been home to some of the most exciting GoPro innovations-turned-camera features since the program launched in 2020. And it's recently been enjoying its well-deserved place in the GoPro spotlight with new collaborations (one of which we'll discuss below), as well as playing an integral role in helping control GoPro's first-ever FPV camera, HERO10 Black Bones.
A mere two-plus years ago, GoPro Labs was internal-only and a way for employees to test out beta camera features born from GoPro Hackathon ideas. Today, it's a public program where external GoPro owners can offer requests for features, like the option to record video for longer periods of time or motion detection enhancements. It's GoPro Labs' task to find ways to turn these requests into reality and get them in the hands of the Labs community via opt-in firmware that adds the experimental features to the user's GoPro.
There are now more than 100 improvements ready for Labs users. And in recent months, as the pace of innovation at Labs has accelerated, it's clear the program will continue to play a vital role in the broader experience of owning and using a GoPro camera.
Labs is home to the bleeding edge user who wants really cool stuff you can't find in the mainline version of GoPro firmware, GoPro Technical Fellow and GoPro Labs chief David Newman says. And it's growing-really fast.
The GoPro Labs community is global, its forums are alive with users requesting new features each week and David, who scours the forums to find cool features he can bake into the GoPro Labs software, is there to answer their calls.
We get two or three new feature requests per month from users, David says. Whenever we can add the feature, we do it. Sometimes that takes as little as a few hours and sometimes a few weeks. And as these are often corner case features, there's a really good chance the feature will only live on Labs and never go to the mainline firmware available to the general public.
But that's the beauty of Labs-it's as an insider look at innovative features our top engineers are playing with.
Labs Goes Mainstream
GoPro's first FPV drone camera, HERO10 Black Bones, launched in April and, in addition to being the lightest GoPro ever, it is the first camera to launch with GoPro Labs firmware already baked into the camera. This is because Labs firmware allows FPV users to control that parsed down camera-better known as a naked GoPro - via a QR code, which they can access and create online here.
It's a huge moment for Labs, David explains. Bones launching with Labs sends a message that we as a company are recognizing the bleeding edge GoPro user and want them to have a great product out of the box.
You Want It? Labs Will Create It
While most of the innovations added through GoPro Labs come from GoPro engineers, not long ago, David was contacted by someone who had a request only GoPro Labs could fulfill.
That someone was JD Vandenberg, Director, Post Production with Walt Disney Animation Studios. David was immediately intrigued by the puzzling request-how is an animation studio using GoPro camera, and where is the Labs connection? He immediately followed up.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Walt Disney Animation Studios (@disneyanimation)
--
JD shared the following:
At Walt Disney Animation Studios, we use cameras primarily to record animation reference video-this could include voice recording sessions, dance and choreography, or specific actions such as playing a musical instrument-and it is not uncommon to use three or four cameras per shoot. For maximum benefit to our animators and artists, it is absolutely imperative for the camera to run at exactly 24 frames per second in order to properly sync with audio.
While all HERO cameras offer 24 frames per second (fps) modes, they comply with the more common broadcast standard of exactly 23.976 fps, not the higher-end film standard of 24.0 fps.
This turned out to be a perfect fit for Labs, and a few small camera performance tweaks easily solved the new customer need. About three weeks later JD and crew were testing Labs enabled 24.0 fps support on their HERO10 Black cameras. And, we couldnt be more excited that GoPro now offers true 24fps support.
It's that ability to quickly take advantage of features the community asks for that makes GoPro Labs such a compelling program for so many. Options like additional time lapse features or the simple ability to add name and phone number data to video captures may be all people use GoPro Labs for. But sometimes, they may find a more tech-heavy favorite feature, like the ability to start recording when a GoPro strapped to a drone hears a threshold for sound (rotor start) or record on based movement detection. And Labs can easily churn these out because it's that's what it's designed to do-test innovations.
Most recently GoPro Labs, in partnership with Tentacle Sync, allows users to timecode sync cameras via QR Code.
We're beta by nature, David says. Think of GoPro Labs as a way for you to get an insider look at innovative features our top engineers are playing with.
Visit GoPro.com/Labs to access Labs firmware, create QR codes and join the discussion forum.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
18/08/2026
Riedel Communications has announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, ...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support their Scar...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Lightware announces an integration with SpectralBot that helps system integrators and AV operators troubleshoot faster using augmented reality (AR), AI-assisted...
18/08/2026
Command Frame for After Effects
Scott Black August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Free download, demonstrations, hands-on tests, and creator resources
Want to t...
18/08/2026
At Stand 14.A57, the data company will demonstrate GreenDot and IBM Aspera together, giving media and entertainment businesses real-time visibility of what thei...
18/08/2026
New tool provides a robust audit of operational workflows, calculating the tangible value each delivers today, and informing business decisions for tomorrow.
W...
18/08/2026
Media Utilities is integrating its activities into DigiNet and will maintain a recognisable presence in the market under the name: Media Utilities, a DigiNet br...
18/08/2026
Proof of Concept validates reliable multi-camera live production from remote racecourses without fixed network infrastructure
Appear ASA (Appear, OSE:APR), a g...
18/08/2026
Stingr, a new venture from the founders of Hornets Tech, is bringing its second-screen interaction platform to IBC2026.
The second screen has never really wor...
18/08/2026
Long-established satellite equipment manufacturer and systems integrator Hiltron Communications will promote its new HACUX-IDU2 antenna control unit touchscreen...
18/08/2026
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS Launch Combined Nuvex System
Brie Clayton August 17, 2026
0 Comments
Integrated platform melds media asset management, pla...
18/08/2026
The United Stand Scales Live Fan Show with Blackmagic Design Workflow
Brie Clayton August 17, 2026
0 Comments
ATEM Constellation 8K and HyperDeck Stud...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/08/2026
Triveni Digital Now Offers a Joint Solution With MediaKind and a Lab System Bundle Supporting ISDB-Tb and TV 3.0 Broadcast Services
Triveni Digital, a trusted ...
18/08/2026
At IBC2026, BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast industry, will introduce BeckFlow to the European market. BeckFlow is the first web-based sch...
18/08/2026
New flagship PTZ camera combines cinematic 4K imaging, professional broadcast connectivity and the complete Horizon intelligent video experience for productions...
18/08/2026
At IBC2026, VisualOn will demonstrate how video service providers can slash bandwidth costs, maximize ad revenue, and deploy premium interactive features withou...
18/08/2026
The relationships built during graduate school often continue to shape careers long after a degree is earned, creating a community of scientists who learn from ...
18/08/2026
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...
18/08/2026
Wuppertal August 18, 2026
Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...
18/08/2026
In my previous article, The AI Shift Feels Familiar. Our Response Should Be Different., I argued that the greatest challenge organizations face is no longer the...
18/08/2026
Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...
18/08/2026
THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...