Summary: When you have recorded videos using your GoPro Hero camera and found the videos can’t be played properly on your Mac, for example video is slow, most likely your computer is not able to process the data of the large HD video files fast enough. Check out these workarounds and troubleshooting tips below.
Hot search: GoPro Hero 4K video to DropBox | GoPro Hero 4K video to Sony Movie Studio | GoPro Hero 4K video to Vimeo
We know that GoPro Hero cameras can capture professional-quality videos, for example Hero3 White can capture 1080p 30fps video, Hero3+ Silver can capture gorgeous 1080p 60fps video, Hero4 can take time lapse videos with high data rates, Hero4 Black can shoot incredible high-resolution 4K 30fps and 2.7K 60fps video and the high frame rate 1080p 120fps video.
“I got a question about the videos of my GoPro Hero 4 Black. When I try to play the 4K videos on my Macbook Pro they are slow and ‘break’, they don't play smooth like an 1080p video would play. I don't have a 4K display, is that the reason? I have a Macbook Pro 15", 2 Ghz Intel Core i7, 16 GB Ram, 250GB SSD, OSX Mavericks, Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB + AMD Radeon HD 6490M 256MB.”
As we know, the majority of playback, editing work is still being finished in 1080p. In most cases, we still need to downscale most of the 4K video files to 1080p. In fact, you may not see any real differences if you're not doing much to the footage. One of the huge benefits to 4K, that you can do a lot to the image and retain detail for a beautiful 1080p finish. For those who wanna play and edit 4K GoPro Hero4 videos on old computer (playing a 4K video requires more computing power and it could be more time consuming), we suggest you to convert all GoPro Hero 4K videos to 1080p then play in 1080p and smart-render.
Although there are numbered tools and utilities can convert and compress the ultra HD videos, few of them can process at a fast speed. Well, Pavtube Video Converter for Mac is considered to be the best 4K to 1080p converter. It is surely in the support of compressing GoPro Hero4 4K videos to 1080p faultlessly. For Windows users, Pavtube Video Converter is the alternative choice.
Other Download:
- Pavtube old official address: http://www.pavtube.com/video-converter-mac/
- Amazon Store Download: http://www.amazon.com/Pavtube-Video-Converter-Mac-Download/dp/B00QIBK0TQ
- Cnet Download: http://download.cnet.com/Pavtube-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-76179460.html
How to play GoPro Hero 4K videos smoothly on Mac?
Step 1: Download and have a quick installation. The trial version will have a watermark on your converted files. Except for that, there are no time limitation, no virus, and no unnecessary bundle apps while downloading. After that, click “Add Video” button to load your GoPro Hero 4K videos. You can load several files at once thanks to “Add from folder” button.
Step 2: Click the “Format” drop down list to select output format. If you want to play GoPro Hero 4K videos on decent media player, you’d better set a preset profile that best meets your needs. For instance, if you want to play GoPro Hero 4K videos on VLC smoothly, “HD Video>>H.264 HD Video (*.mp4)” would be the best choice.
Step 3: Click “Settings” button; you can adjust video and audio settings, including codec, aspect ratio, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate, and audio channel. To down-convert ultra HD 4K to 1080p, do remember adjusting video size to 1920*1080. That is the exact 1080p.
Step 4: After all the settings, you can preview the final result of movie. If you are happy with the effect, you can then press the big “Convert” button on the lower right to launch the conversion.
Conclusion: Wait a moment, and then the conversion will be done flawlessly. After conversion, click “Open Folder” button to locate the converted video files. It would be easier for you to playback GoPro Hero 4K videos smoothly on Mac.
Further Reading:
- Convert and Burn iMovie Projects on Mac
- XAVC to FCP 7: Sony FS7 XAVC File Structure and FCP 7 Workflow on Yosemite/Mavericks
- Sony Movie Studio 11 won’t Open Bandicam AVI Files?
- Enjoy 3D Movie on Oculus Rift DK2
- H.265 Converter- Encode/Decode H.265 to MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV on Mac Yosemite
- Downsize Sony 4k XAVC to 1080p for Playing Smoothly
- Playing Captured AVI Files from Bushnell Trail Camera on QuickTime Player
- Transfer GoPro Hero 5 4K to iPhone 6S(Plus)
