Tried everything but it won't turn on or wake up when plugged into the computer. Had it for over a year so I'm outside the warranty. Can anyone recommend a replacement at a decent price? Not sure I'm up for another $300 buy again. Thanks.

 

Have you tried swapping in a known-good, charged battery? If not, try charging the battery outside of the gopro... You can buy a wall charger on amazon or cut up a cheap cell phone usb charger and just clip the wires to the battery.

 

I'll give that a shot. Hate to chalk this up as a complete loss. Searched around on the net and it seems like a common issue with these. Sucks. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

Common problem. I recommend the Sony Action Cam AS-10 as a replacement. You can spend more money on the AS-15 which has wifi, but in my opinion it's easier to just plug in the camera... The video quality is as good as any of the other pinhole "go" cams and the software anti-shake works very well but reduces resolution.

If you want much better quality video with the same "action" perspective, but with 10 - 100 times more setup required, look into a DSLR with a wide-angle lens.

 

If the charger tip doesn't work out, Contour HD cameras are also a good option to look into. I have used them during driving and snowboarding and they gave good results. The only caveat is the wind-noise (which I think is an issue with all such action cameras.. right?) but has some workarounds with an external mic. Used ones are much cheaper ~150 or even lesser for a full HD camera, and there are multiple models to choose from.

 

If it is really bricked, you might contact gopro... I think they know they had some issues with some early Hero3's and might do a good-will warranty repair/replacement for you... Certainly worth a phone call or email to find out!

I recently picked up a Hero3 Black, and have had a Contour for years. There are things I like and hate about both of them...

 

Ok....ordered a charger and new battery. Should be here next week. If that doesn't work I'm going to try calling GoPro directly. Thanks for the responses guys! I'll let you know what happens.

 

Also, you probably know how to do a hard reset on the Hero3, but just in case, try this procedure with a good battery and fresh memory card.

1. Remove memory card
2. Remove battery
3. Wait 30 seconds
4. Hold shutter button
5. insert externally charged battery
6. Keep holding shutter button
7. Press power button
8. Release shutter button.
9. Hopefully it just woke up!

 

Just an update. Tried everything and no dice. All the tricks and purchased new batteries, new charger, USB chord etc. Contacted GoPro so now I'm waiting for a response. Hopefully, they'll offer a solution to this. Sucks that I can't use the camera now.

 

I got a response... They suggested all the things that I already tried, asked for my receipt and serial number, told me to try one more thing...then said sorry...you're past the warranty period but we can offer you 20% off of a Hero 3. Wow....

 

So what did you end up doing? A Hero 3 white edition for $160 seems like a nice deal (so long as you have the mounts, cases etc)

 

Nothing so far. I have a bunch of mounting hardware, cases, batteries, chargers etc. But they are for the original Hero HD. Looking for a replacement now.

 

well, either ways you're looking at $150 upwards, even for used camcorders. If you're insistent on getting a GoPro, $160 for a Hero 3 isn't a bad deal at all. Used ones will also run to around the same amount.

The Contour HD and the Sony cameras both are close to $200 + accessories. I'd suggest a GoPro, given that you already have accessories for it (assuming they fit)

 

The contour may get cheaper as they just closed their doors and laid everyone off.

 

ahaa.. so if they shut the doors, then who's going to take care of warranty stuff and replacements? I've had my Contour HD for about a year, and I've taken videos while driving, home-videos, snowboarding.. and it has had no issues so far. Big plus is the form-factor. But the wind-noise (30+ mph) is irritating. I'm going to modify mine to use an external mic.

Does the GoPro have issues with wind-noise as well?