What is HEVC?
High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265, is a video compression standard that allows GoPro to capture high-resolution footage such as 4K 60FPS and 1080p 240 FPS at roughly half the file size while maintaining the same image quality. Adoption of this standard is growing, and it is already supported on Android 5.0+ and iOS 11 phones and tablets with more powerful processors. HEVC is also compatible with Windows 10 and MacOS "High Sierra" and newer computers.
The HEVC modes of your Hero 6 Black are listed below. If you don't have an HEVC-compatible computer or smart device (not all resolution/frame rate combinations are listed), use the familiar H.264 encoding (H.264 is used by Hero 5 and earlier GoPro cameras).
Which video settings use HEVC?
GoPro uses HEVC with the following video settings.
| Video Res | FPS (NTSC) | FPS (PAL) |
|---|---|---|
| 4K | 60 fps | 50 fps |
| 4K (4:3) | 30, 24 fps | 25, 24 fps |
| 2.7K | 120 fps | 100 fps |
| 2.7K (4:3) | 60 fps | 50 fps |
| 1080p | 240 fps | 200 fps |
When you use HEVC video settings, a warning message appears on the screen indicating that an HEVC-compatible smart device or computer is required to play and edit the videos. The camera also shows the warning message in the GoPro App and Quik.
Is my mobile device compatible with HEVC?
Android
HEVC is supported on Android 5.0+ devices with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 series (or equivalent) processor or newer. The table below lists newer Android devices that support HEVC:
| Manufacturer | Model |
|---|---|
| Samsung | Galaxy® S7 / S7 Plus and newer |
| Galaxy Note 8 and newer | |
| Pixel / Pixel XL and newer | |
| Huawei | Huawei P9 and newer |
| Xiaomi | Xiaomi Mi 5 and newer |
| LG | LG G5 and newer |
| HTC | HTC U10 and newer |
| Sony | Sony Xperia® X and newer |
| Moto | Moto Z® and newer |
| OnePlus | OnePlus® 3 and newer |
iOS
HEVC works on all iOS 11 devices with an Apple A10 processor or newer.
| Device | Model |
|---|---|
| iPhone | iPhone® 7 and 7 Plus |
| iPhone 8 and 8 Plus | |
| iPhone X | |
| iPad | 10.5-inch iPad Pro® |
| 12.9-inch iPad Pro |
What are the mobile limitations of HEVC?
| Limitation | iOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Live preview while recording via the GoPro App. Even if your smart device supports HEVC, you cannot view live video via the GoPro App. You can view the shot before you start recording, but as soon as recording begins, the live feed stops. |
All devices | |
| Viewing recordings via the GoPro App Even if your smart device supports HEVC, you cannot view recordings directly via the GoPro App. You first need to copy the video to your phone's internal memory/SD card so the mobile device can play it. |
All devices | |
| Playing 4K (4:3) video. No version of Android or iOS can play 4K 4:3 video in real time. On Android, the GoPro App copies 4K 4:3 video to your device but cannot play it immediately. On iOS, QuickStories converts 4K 4:3 video to a lower resolution that can be played on the device right away. Otherwise, the GoPro App does not allow you to manually copy 4K 4:3 video to a mobile device. |
All devices | |
| Playing recordings on incompatible devices. If your device is not running Android 5.0/iOS 11 or newer, you cannot view HEVC footage. When transferring manually in the GoPro App or Quik Key, an error message is displayed and the file transfer is blocked. |
Devices running iOS 10.3.3 and earlier | Devices running Android 4.4 (KitKat) and earlier |
| Playing recordings on compatible operating systems but older devices. Although Android 5.0 and iOS 11 support HEVC, your smart device needs a newer processor to play the files without issues. The GoPro App will copy HEVC files to the device, but the device may not be able to play them smoothly. In general, devices made before 2016 cannot play HEVC files properly. Please see the partial list of supported devices (listed above). |
Devices made before 2016 | |
| QuickStories converts HEVC to a lower bitrate file. On iOS 11, QuickStories copies the HEVC file from your camera and converts it to a lower bitrate file before sending the footage to the Quik App. |
Only devices running iOS 11 | N/A |
Does my computer support HEVC?
Windows
HEVC works on all Windows 10 systems with an Intel Kaby Lake (or equivalent) processor or newer
MacOS
HEVC works on all computers running MacOS High Sierra with an A10 processor or newer.
MacOS High Sierra computers that support HEVC:
- Macbook® – 2016 and newer
- Macbook Pro – 2016 and newer
- iMac – 2017 and newer
- iMac Pro – 2017 and newer
- 27-inch 5K iMac (2015-2017)
What are the HEVC limitations for computers?
Playing media on unsupported operating systems
You cannot view HEVC files on your computer unless it runs Windows 10/Mac OS High Sierra or a newer operating system. Quik will copy HEVC files to your computer, but they will not appear in the Media gallery in Quik. Third-party programs also cannot play HEVC files.
Playing media on supported operating systems but older computers.
Although Windows 10/Mac OS High Sierra allow HEVC files to be played on your computer, your device needs a newer processor. Quik will copy HEVC files to your computer, but they may not play smoothly. In general, computers made before 2016 cannot play HEVC files without issues. See the partial list of compatible computers/processors above.
What if I recorded footage with HEVC settings but don't have a compatible device?
If this happens, you have a couple of options to fix the situation:
- Convert your HEVC video to H.264 (supported by all devices) using the free HandBrake app, which lets you convert your footage to H.264 with minimal quality loss.
How to Convert GoPro HEVC Videos to H.264 Using HandBrake - Upload the video/file online - Upload your video to YouTube or a similar online platform. Once uploaded, you should be able to play the file on any device compatible with that platform (thanks to the platform's own conversion).
* NB: When using an online platform to watch your videos, there may be some loss of quality caused by their conversion or a slow internet connection.
