Timecode Systems Ships SyncBac PRO For GoPro HERO6


Timecode Systems has announced that its SyncBac PRO for GoPro HERO6 is now shipping. 


GoPros allow professional, multicamera film crews to capture authentic point-of-view shots and additional angles that couldn't be achieved using more traditional broadcast cameras. However, this style of shooting creates large amounts of footage, and the challenge is then searching, logging, and editing all that content into a story the show's producers think will deliver the best entertainment value for viewers.

Timecode is widely used in television production to streamline the edit process by making it easier to line up footage from multiple video and sound sources. However, GoPro cameras are built for the consumer first, so the HERO line of cameras doesn't support timecode out of the box. If footage is not timecoded, edit teams can spend days manually searching and lining up shots to sync with each other and with any separately recorded audio.

By enabling the HERO6 to generate its own frame-accurate timecode, the SyncBac PRO creates the ability to timecode-sync multiple GoPro cameras wirelessly over long-range RF. If GoPro cameras are being used as part of a wider professional multicamera shoot, SyncBac PRO also allows them to timecode-sync with professional cameras and professional audio devices using Timecode Systems products for timecode. At the end of a shoot, the edit team receives SD cards with frame-accurate timecode embedded into the MP4 file. Eliminating the need to align content manually, SyncBac PRO makes it easier to transfer footage directly into the edit timeline for a more efficient postproduction process.

Paul Scurrell, CEO of Timecode Systems, said: "We've worked closely with a number of professional production teams that have adopted the SyncBac PRO for GoPro shoots, and what we're consistently hearing is complete amazement at just how much time it is saving them when the footage gets to the edit suite.

"It's not a few hours saved; it's often days, even weeks of edit time. The feedback we're getting from users suggests around 85 percent of postproduction time can be cut by using our GoPro sync solution rather than manually syncing non-timecoded GoPro media. The new SyncBac PRO now brings the same time- and cost-savings to productions as users update their kits to add GoPro HERO6 cameras.

"The new SyncBac PRO for GoPro HERO6 allows production companies to take full advantage of new features of the camera, such as advanced image stabilisation and new resolutions like 4K60, without adding days of additional edit time to a show's budget," he added.

"Coming from a television production background, I'm always so excited to see any technical solution being used that allows genuine cost and time savings – putting 'more money on the screen,' as we used to say, rather than wasting resources on pointless manual edit tasks."

Image: The SyncBac PRO for GoPro HERO6 Black cameras.

timecodesystems.com