So I've got this issue surfacing with the GoPro and wonder if I'm alone in this. When shooting video it cuts each 30 minutes or so and starts a new file. No biggie really, I can put them together. The trouble is that at NABX and again today during the "freakish spring snowkite" the battery died during recording and, although I can see the file and it carries weight (it's not an empty file) I can't open it. It's as if the file didn't complete a "stopping now" process or something so the file is incomplete.

So, that's the biggest issue ('cuz the last 20 minutes are usually always the best). Second to this, ti seems the battery life has gone from 2-3 hours down to about an hour.

Anyone having any issues?

Hummm.. my battery ran out twice but I've always been able to open the file. I'm on windows, I can try on my wife's mac...

I ran into the battery issue the last time I was at Sunset. Died after about 20 min.

just curious but do you guys keep your battery charged?

I tend to top mine up after each use (happens by default 'cuz I have it plugged in tot DL the vids).

As a tech-nut, I'll attempt to offer some assistance with ya..

Rechargable batteries have to be conditioned so they don't lose their capacity over time... All you gotta do is fully charge it, and completely discharge it. Do this three or four times and it should be conditioned. By completely discharged, I mean completely dead, not even able to power a small light.

Also, try playing the video file with a different program. media player classic - home cinema supports a lot of things, i'm more than sure it wouldn't have a problem playing standard encoding from camera.

Hope this helps

Bassboi - I thought that was only NiMH batteries ... Li-Ion batteries solved that problem, no?

Draining Li-Ion batteries all the way dead is really bad for them.

They all benefit from it -- Li-Ion batteries benefit from it when you first start using the battery..

That's not what any product sheets I've seen have claimed.

Yes I get the segmented recordings as well and then one file I couldn't open. I thought I had turned the camera off while it was still recording and somehow corrupted a file - so in the end same thing you experienced a file that couldn't be opened.
I thought the first couple of times I used the camera it had a long charge and recording time (in the winter) but lately I've charged it and didn't use it one day and pulled it out the next to find it turned off after a couple of minutes - sounds like it could be the battery conditioning thing?

Well, rechargable battery life will indeed suffer as you use the battery in it's normal charge/discharge lifetime... AFAIK, Li-Ion has a short life as it is due to the chemistry inside of the battery changing with every cycle...

Mark - that's the thing that got me so curious....it seemed the first couple times the thing would last easily two hours and that was in the winter cold so to have it cut out at NABX and then again the other day makes me think something's really up here. I guess I'll try ordering a new one and see if I can take better care of it.

Funny, I'm usually pretty anal about my batteries. The RC batteries get preferential treatment for sure! Then again, I used to baby my laptop batteries - I know my first couple Mac laptops had ridiculously terrible battery performance issues after about 8 months no matter what I did but the latest one (circa 2006/2007) has been fine and is still good for about 3 hours unplugged.

[EDIT - $20 for the battery......$15 for shipping. D'oh! Anyone wanna place a group order? I'm in no hurry so we'll let this thread grow. Maybe I can find a local supply.]

Temperature also has something to do with the life of the battery... it probably lasted longer in winter time because it was colder. But still, I don't know how much you use the camera, but it seems like you don't use it much, and it shouldn't be dying so quickly like you say. It could be the circuitry in the camera itself. I don't have one, so I'm not sure

best of luck to ya!

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

Here you go guys... hoe this helps understanding the battery