GOPRO HIGH DEF HERO!

I picked up the new GoPro High Definition Hero helmet cam. This thing is amazing. The cam itself is waterproof (in its case) to 100 feet, and shock resistant like the other Go Pros. The best thing about this puppy is it shoots in WVGA, 720P (30 and 60 FPS), 960P (30FPS), and 1080P (30 FPS). For such a small piece of hardware, that is amazing in my opinion.
The HD Hero now has a rechargable battery, which is good when it comes to longevity, but questionable when it comes to ease of use in the field. Where I was once able to carry a couple extra AAA's in my pack or in my truck, I now have to carry a laptop or buy a DC car charger for it. The rechargeables are supposed to last 2.5 hours, so we shall see.
I have had a real hard time finding a lot of decent info on editing the HD GoPro format for some of us Windows users, it seems most of it is geared towards Mac.
Additionally, I am on a budget, and I can't afford $500 for video editing software, but I still want my video to look good and flashy like the big dollar programs.
For $100 (or less), you can have everything you need to edit HD video at least at 720p at 60 FPS on your Wal-Mart bought E-Machines running Vista like me! LOL I haven't yet tried this with 1080p, but I am sure the results would be similar.
It should be noted I am running an EMachines $340 system, which is running a 1.6G Celeron, 1 gig of RAM, Vista SP2. Not a cutting edge combo, but about average for a 2 year old system.
The raw GPHD files play pretty choppy on my system, but not so bad I can't watch them. My main goal is sharing, so I don't care if I can watch them on the PC all that well.

I started off upgrading Quick Time7 to PRO for $30. I use this editor because it is the simplest way to trim and clip the files and save them without any loss to original image quality. I'll go through all the footage I have taken for the day, then trim out the unnecessary parts and save them in a folder in chronological order. No need to use the lousy trimming tool QT7 Pro uses. I think you can even get this for free off some sites on the web. Or even on Limewire.
As soon as all the videos are saved, I use PROSHOW GOLD. http://www.photodex.com/store/products/proshow/gold. I selected this program because it isn't just good for video, but it also works best for slideshows and has a verrry cool Facebook and Youtube uploader that allows you to easily export to these and more with one click. Talk about EASY! You just log in to your account via Proshow, and select the output format and quality and it renders and uploads it for you.
The only downfall, is the video trimmer on ProShow is poor and not user-friendly (actually, I think it's non-existent), hence that is why I have QT7 Pro and also use an ancient Roxio program for AVI and MPEG files if I want to use those from my standard def GoPro.
ProShow has excellent transitions, music and audio editing, and great slide and video effects you can work in to the show. Sure, it isn't like a $500 program, but what do you want for $70?
Here are the end results on Youtube:

This is a quick sample video, but at least it gives you an idea of what this combo can do. And it doesn't take a lot of time to edit this stuff either. I cranked out the sample video in about 3 minutes, not counting upload times.
Like I said, this is mainly intended for those of you who have recently bought a GoPro HD and have been having a bear of a time finding good editing programs to use. Also for you guys with weak computers like mine and can't afford to shell out a load of cash for software that works. I have seen some people recommend free programs online like AnyVideo Converter, which is an outstanding piece of freeware, but these programs destroy the quality of the final product! Especially because you're working with HD.
I am looking forward to seeing all this cam can do. It has an awesome "time lapse" feature, which will allow me to make some really cool videos in time-lapse style.
Next purchase is going to be a car charger so I can have this thing hooked up when I drive across country later this year.

Did some riding out in Santos today, and took some pictures as well. It's been a while since I had any action shots! These pics were taken on a somewhat-skinny bridge entering the VORTEX ride area. Just having a little fun.
It was pretty chilly for Florida today, I think the temp barely pushed 60, so I wore my cold-weather arm and leg warmers. They did the trick, and I felt pretty comfortable riding today despite a chilly wind.

SANTOS-TWISTER...new video!

KNEE ISSUES...

Years back, I tore my ACL and partially tore my MCL and had a meniscus tear after playing hockey. I had surgery on it, where they stitched down my meniscus and replaced my ACL with a portion of my hamstring tendon. Every once in a while, my right knee gets aggravated- either due to it being in cold water, or when I really beat on it.
As part of my job, I am required to pass a physical agility test every year. This test consists of as many pushups as you can do in a minute, as many situps in a minute, a vertical leap, a 300m sprint, and a mile and a half run. I don't run on a regular basis, primarily due to my knee. When I do run, I usually do it on a treadmill and keep it to right around a mile and a half.
So I went out and busted my ass on this test the other week. I pulled off a 49 second sprint, a 24" vertical leap, 60 situps and 30 pushups (I could have done more pushups, but I only needed to get 28, so I conserved my energy), and a 12:50 in the mile and a half.
The next day, my right calf and hamstring were killing me. Over the past week, my right knee has been popping and feeling as if it is swollen...kind of like there's fluid on it. There's no pain, mind you, just discomfort. I am hoping I didn't damage anything in there, but nonetheless I am staying off it for a while- that means no running anymore for a while. Although I think biking may aggravate it, I feel that is much less traumatic than slamming into a paved road repeatedly. Getting old sucks.

ALAFIA 11.5 miler!

Went out with a friend from work, and we hit a good amount of the trails at Alafia. We managed to do North Creek twice, Rollercoaster, Bridges, and River Loop. The KHS performed flawlessly. I ran out of gas while doing Bridges, and due to the recent rains, the trails were pretty muddy. There were a couple of hills I couldn't make up all the way and could barely walk my bike up 'em due to the slick mud. A good time was had by all!

Cold weather riding gear

I picked up some cold weather biking gear today off EBay. Florida weather has been real shitty the past week- it's been rainy, freezing, and windy. The past week it hasn't made it past the 50's, and I HAVE HAD IT.
I picked up some leg and arm warmers, which will not only help keep the wind out, but they have a fleece lining that will keep me warm. These items, along with a knit cap under my helmet, will keep me nice and toasty during some upcoming rides.

Happy New Year everyone!
I can only hope that 2010 is better than 2009...

2009 Recap:
January-divorce still dragging on...constant fighting with my ex wore me out over the holidays.
February- credit union started garnishing my wages- to the tune of $800 a month- for a boat payment I defaulted on thanks to my pending divorce and current separation. Fought this whole month to get it removed; to no avail..for a whole month they took this money out of my check.
March- filed for bankruptcy protection...this stopped the wage garnishment, and was the only way I could start over fresh.
April- more fighting, more arguing, more stress. Trying to convince my ex to sign the papers- she continued to threaten to take my pension, take EVERYTHING and leave me in the poorhouse.
May- busy month. Divorce was finalized, ex apologized and admitted it was all her fault, and I took the best trip of my life- mountain biking out west. I needed that trip.
June-October- pretty uneventful. Took a trip with my new found girlfriend to do more mountain biking, enjoyed my kids, the ex STILL couldn't let it go and fought with me over nonsense crap, and I finalized my bankruptcy. The chapters of my old life were coming to a close.
November- Getting a LOT better. This holiday season was not filled with a hospital visit from anxiety like last year's, and things went very smoothly.
December- got even closer to my kids-my oldest is an awesome one for sure. Spent the holidays with them both-I couldn't ask for any more. I finally see things getting better....

THIS YEAR.....

I am planning another trip, this time with my gal, and we are going out west to do some mountain biking together. June 2010 is the date!
I want to stay active, healthy, and enjoy myself this year. I won't let anything get in my way or ruin my party. I have everything I need right now, a job, someone I care for, two beautiful kids, a roof over my head, some cash in the bank, my bike, my jetski, my health, my future.
I plan on traveling as much as possible, and hopefully everyone stays tuned to my blog for a lot more biking and skiing pics! HAPPY 2010 ALL!!