GoPro, makers of the infamous Hero Wide line of cameras announced some astonishing news at the recent Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Show in the States.

This November, they will be releasing the GoPro HD Wide, the world’s first full high definition 1080p helmet camera!

Yes, that’s right, 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution) on a helmet cam, how awesome is that? What’s even better is that the camera will retail for £269, quite possibly placing it among the world’s most affordable 1080P high definition camcorder of any sort.

The overall visual appearance of the high definition GoPro HD Wide is pretty much the same, slightly thicker – but the insides of the GoPro HD are very different and the specs tell the full story! The GoPro HD still has the killer 170 degree wide angle lens and will have three recording resolutions: 1080p (1980 x 1080), 960p (1280×960, so it’s similar to 720p but at 4:3 ratio), and 720p (1280 x 720). What’s even better is the camera can record 720p at double speed 60 FPS for buttery smooth high-def slow motion deliciousness. Here are the full video specs with bitrates, please note bitrates may change in final production version:
1080P 1980×1080 30 fps @12 Mbps
960P 1280×960, 30 fps @ 10 Mbps
720P 1280×720, 30 fps @ 7.5 Mbps
720P 1280×720, 60 fps @ 15 Mbps

Click here to open a page with more preview footage...

Click here for a pdf of the GoPro range...

Models available in November:
- GoPro HD Hero Wide : Camera only in waterproof/shockproof housing with one mount and cables; ideal if you already have somemounts and want to upgrade or add a second camera for alternative angles.
- GoPro HD Helmet Hero Wide : Complete with head strap and mounts for helmets, plus 2 flat and 2 curved mount and more; ideal for most uses, our most popular model by far in the standard version.
- GoPro HD Motorsports Hero Wide :similar to the Helmet version except swaps the helmet mount for a suction mount for sticking to flat surfaces (windscreens bodywork, etc.. Very strong hold)
- GoPro HD Surf Hero Wide : Comes with a special surfboard mount, the FCS fin system can be built into new boards as well.

The GoPro HD has a completely redesigned power system. The new power design includes a 1100 maH Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery pack. This provides greatly improved battery life over the original GoPro Wide series, especially in cold weather and cold water environments. This new battery pack should provide 2-3 hours of record time, and you can always pack extra batteries as well. The battery has increased the depth of the GoPro High Def housing a bit, making the overall package a bit thicker – but the GoProHD is still very small and compact!

The awesome 5 megapixel photo mode has returned as well. You can snap 5MP photos on the fly, or configure the camera to automatically snap photos every 2, 5, or 10 seconds, which can apparently be done while the camera is recording video. In addition, the 1080p video mode is equivalent to 2 megapixels, so you could get a high quality frame grab from the video footage as well! The camera will accept up to a 32gb SDHC card, which is good knowing the massive file sizes that 1080p video will produce. The video compression format is H.264, a great universal format for HD video. That’s a lot of camera for a little price!

In addition, coming in the New Year, some very cool accessories; including wireless stereo microphones and a wireless remote. There will also be an LCD “backpack” that you can clip on to the back of the camera and a battery attachment for increased recording time. There’s a lot of excitement about this little camera, understandably. Check back here on the 1st of October for more details and pre-order information (and hopefully pictures) about the new Hero camera.