Username:
B
I
U
S
"
url
img
#
code
sup
sub
font
size
color
smiley
embarassed
thumbsup
happy
Huh?
Angry
Roll Eyes
Undecided
Lips Sealed
Kiss
Cry
Grin
Wink
Tongue
Shocked
Cheesy
Smiley
Sad
123456 ->
--
--
List results:
Search options:
Use \ before commas in usernames
Edit history:
Omnigamer: 2013-07-18 11:54:17 am
Omnigamer: 2013-05-02 02:15:05 pm
Omnigamer: 2013-05-02 02:09:27 pm
Omnigamer: 2013-05-02 02:08:23 pm
All the things
For a lot of up-and-coming streamers/runners, picking the right capture device can be confusing and a bit daunting. Some devices don't handle older signal formats well, have funky drivers, or are just finicky. So I figured it's about time we pooled our knowledge and come up with a list of currently available devices that work well for capturing video. There's a page on the KB for it, but it's getting to be pretty dated, so hopefully the information here can revamp it a bit.

That said, the list is only as good as the input that creates it. So I'm asking for any and all information you can give about your capture device(s). To make it simpler to sort through, please stick to the following format:

Required:
Device make and model: the manufacturer and model name/number.
Inputs: what inputs can the device handle? Composite, HDMI, SVideo, etc
Type: Internal capture card, DVD recorder, USB device, etc

Optional:
Price: A general idea of the street price. Does not have to be the amount you paid for it.
Compatibility: Any special resolution restrictions. Does it only work with NTSC/PAL signals?
240p-capable: If applicable, does the device capture feeds from low-resolution consoles correctly? Includes NES, SNES, Genesis and some others.
Availibility: as simple as stating what region you got the device in. Did you get it in the US, EU, Australia, etc.
Issues: Any known technical troubles with the device? Any difficulties with desyncing, crappy quality, or drivers?
Recommend: simple yes or no as to whether you'd recommend the device based on your experience with it.
Comments: Anything else you'd like to say about it that doesn't fit in the other categories.

Here's an example that you can use as a template.

Device make and model: Encore ENMVG2 A/V Grabber
Inputs: Composite, SVideo
Type: USB Device
Price: $20-$30
Compatibility: NTSC & PAL
240p-capable: Yes.
Availibility: USA
Issues: Colors are a bit dull and washed-out on both inputs. Can be fixed by increasing the contrast and saturation of the video during postprocessing.
Recommend: Yes.

Again, you don't have to fill in every field, but the more information we get the better the guide will become. I'm sure there will be duplicates, but don't be afraid to re-post a device if you have some additional information or insight to provide about it.

I won't be compiling everything into this post, but rather putting it into a table for the KB. If you feel there are additional fields that would help future runners, also let me know.
Thread title:  
Edit history:
MrLonghair: 2013-06-28 02:58:31 pm
MrLonghair: 2013-05-02 05:41:03 pm
Audio-guy. twitchtv:ohgoddamnit
Device make and model: Hauppauge HDPVR 2
Inputs:  HDMI, component (to 1080p30), composite, s-video
Type: USB device

Price: $150 US (Amazon)
Compatibility: NTSC and PAL friendly
240p-capable: No, 480i minimum
Availibility: Worldwide, also comes in a special model with digital audio input
Issues: Early units may experience blackouts when analogue Component input is used, known defect
Recommend: Yes

Comments that may not really fit in: HDCP must be circumvented to capture PS3, PS4 and possibly the next Xbox over HDMI. (tech forum thread covers this, good idea to link or rewrite its important finds on the revamped page)
RGB signals can be converted via an external device. (important for us euros)
Hauppauge streaming software put an end to audio+mic desync issues. (more of a tiny useful piece of knowledge than something important for speedruns)


Field I would like to add for HD capable devices:
Largest data rates: (could be reworded)
In the case of the HDPVR2 it's 14mbps. BlackMagic stuff goes up to 30-60mbps?
Edit history:
presjpolk: 2013-05-03 08:34:10 am
presjpolk: 2013-05-02 06:18:25 pm
presjpolk: 2013-05-02 06:16:42 pm
presjpolk: 2013-05-02 06:15:30 pm
HELLO!
Black Magic Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt
HDMI, Component, Composite, S-Video
Thunderbolt
$239
NTSC, PAL, Progressive, HD options...
Does not handle 240 directly.
Distributors worldwide
Included software Blackmagic Media Express (not required for use though, can run directly through CamTwist, and other software) works best out of the box with uncompressed video, needs add on codecs for high quality compressed output (ProRes). So you get either option, though HD uncompressed video requires serious disk throughput and capacity.
Recommend.
Edit history:
presjpolk: 2013-06-05 06:50:23 am
HELLO!
Elgato Video Capture
Composite, S-Video
USB 2
$99
"World-ready; handles NTSC, SECAM, PAL and PAL/60 video"
Does not handle 240 directly.
Distributors  worldwide
Included software is fairly limited, and seems to be the only option to get video out.  Does field blending of interlaced video with no other recording option, because it's so limited in recording options.  Could be used to screen-capture stream, though.
Not recommended.
Edit history:
honorableJay: 2013-05-02 08:17:29 pm
The Dork Knight himself.
Device make and model: Pinnacle Dazzle DVC100
Inputs: Composite, S-Video, RCA Stereo
Type: USB 2.0

Price: Around $50 for the basic version, up to $100 for the Premium (only difference I know of is bundled software).
Compatibility: NTSC / PAL / Secam
240p-capable: Yes, but captures as 480i (doesn't capture native 240p)
Availibility: US/Canada, possibly EU (need confirmation)
Issues: Due to the way the device handles audio, a lot of programs can't access the audio directly from the device. Standard workaround is to get a stereo RCA-to-headphone adapter and send the audio from your console to the line-in on your computer's soundcard.

Recommend: Yes.
Comments: Once I got around the audio capture issue (luckily AmarecTv can capture the sound with no issues for me), I found the Dazzle to be a good capture card for recording SD interlaced footage. One bonus is the USB cable (which is built into the body of the device itself) is almost 5ft long, which gives the user a little bit of flexibility with getting a good streaming setup hooked together. It's also recently been confirmed that if all other programs fail, the included Pinnacle DVD Recorder software can record footage exactly like a regular DVD recorder and still have acceptable quality.
Edit history:
Tranquilite: 2013-05-02 07:02:10 pm
Device make and model: StarTech.com PCI Express HD Video Capture (PEXHDCAP)
Inputs: Component, VGA, DVI, HDMI
Type: PCIE 1x card
Price: $120
Compatibility: NTSC & PAL
240p-capable: Yes (if you can get the RGBs output of your console into the VGA input)
Availibility: USA
Issues: No composite or Svideo inputs. 1080p60 not supported.
Recommend: Yes.

also just to note I'm pretty sure the dazzle is 240p capable or else it wouldn't be able to capture NES, SNES, N64, PS1, etc. Just because it treats 240p stuff as 480i, that doesn't mean it isn't 240p capable Cheesy
The Dork Knight himself.
Fixed Smiley
Edit history:
mike89: 2013-05-03 05:15:14 pm
SEGA Junkie
Device make and model: EZcap 116
Inputs: Composite, S-Video
Type: USB 2.0
Price: $30
Compatibility: NTSC, PAL, PAL-60
240p-capable: Yes
Availability: Here (based in UK and USA)
Issues: Haven't noticed any (yet)
Recommend: Yes, for SD recording.
torch slug since 2006
Device make and model: Dazzle DVC101 (says 101 on package, driver says 100)
Inputs: Composite, S-Video
Type: USB 2.0
Price: about $60
Compatibility: NTSC, PAL, PAL-60
240p-capable: Yes
Availability: ive found mine in a big swedish computer shop, but this capture card should be pretty common
Issues: Audio desync when recording with anything but Pinnacle Instant DVD Recorder. My computer drops frames with it, while it doesnt on my Mac (using bootcamp).
Recommend: No, not at all. i might have gotten unlucky but i would rather get a easycap.


Device make and model: Easycap STK1160
Inputs: Composite, S-Video
Type: USB 2.0
Price: about $10
Compatibility: NTSC, PAL, PAL-60 (if using norichan)
240p-capable: Yes
Availability: nate got me mine
Issues: s-video is broken
Recommend: Yes. this card works fine and the quality is sufficient. It can also use norichan.
All the things
To clarify on 240p-capable: I'll probably re-word this, but the intention is just to say whether it works fine for older systems. Many devices that state they only go down to 480i etc will work with these signals fine. I've seen several devices that are not able to correctly capture these older signals though, and will either be completely messed up or have drastically reduced quality. Tuner cards seem to have this be the case more often than other devices. So if you've played SNES games and below on your device and it worked fine, then just put yes for this field. If you tried it and you get a distorted picture or wavy lives on the top/bottom, say no.
Fucking Weeaboo
Device make and model: AVerTV HD DVR C027 (aka Avermedia C027)
Inputs: HDMI, Component, S-Video, and Composite (The last three via a converter cable into an alternate HDMI plugin)
Type: PCI-e Internal Capture Card

Price: About $100.
Compatibility: Company states works with - 480i / 480p / 576i / 576p / 720p / 1080i (50/60 Hz)
240p-capable: Does not work with 240p. (Tested on a PS1 game played on a PS2 using component cables.) Older systems via composite/S-Video cables work fine.
Availibility: USA (I got mine from Amazon), but should be available worldwide.
Issues: Component input picks up audio from both Component and Composite audio connections simultaneously. HDMI audio isn't the best (but this could be my system)
Recommend: Yes
Comments: Manufacturer states it does not work with Windows Media Center. Device works fine with XSplit and VirtualDub.



Device make and model: Avermedia Game Capture HD C281
Inputs: Component ONLY
Type: External Capture Box

Price: About $115 + cost of 2.5" Internal SATA Hard Drive and/or USB external hard drive (Hard drive is NOT included with the device)
Compatibility: Company states works with - 480i / 480p / 576i / 576p / 720p / 1080i / 1080p (50/60 Hz). 1080p only records at 30FPS and is only on newer firmwares.
240p-capable: Does not work with 240p. (Tested on a PS1 game played on a PS2 using component cables.)
Availibility: USA (I got mine from Amazon), but should be available worldwide.
Issues: Some reports of 480i causing audio desync, but I haven't run into this personally. Firmwares above 1.7.6 record using H.264 MP4 format. Firmwares 1.76 or older record to H.264 AVI, but do not support 1080p.
Recommend: Yes (HIGHLY)
Comments: The device has a pass-through for component and has a "game mode" option, which means you do not need a splitter for this device. In game mode, lag is non-existant. Note that you need a hard drive. USB 3.0 drives are stated to be supported. Do not use a drive greater than 2TB (internal or external). Also know that if you use the main menu F2 eject function, it ejects both internal and external drives at the same time.
Quote from presjpolk:
Elgato Video Capture
Composite, S-Video
USB 2
$99
"World-ready; handles NTSC, SECAM, PAL and PAL/60 video"
Does not handle 240 directly.
Distributors  worldwide
Included software is fairly limited, and seems to be the only option to get video out.  Very limited in recording options.  Could be used to screen-capture stream, though.
Not recommended.


I just ordered this. I hope it is not going to be a mistake. Do you think it could get the job done recording from my GameCube without much of an issue? Or do you think I should consider another option? I'm anxious to record my first run, but definitely not if it may be rejected for some lame issue.
HELLO!
Just recording?  From composite?  It'll *probably* be fine.  But if the built-in software doesn't work well enough you may be stuck, depending.
Hmmm. What seem to be the major issues with the device? I plan on just recording for a multi-segment run of MMBN1 for now. I want to ideally be able to submit it, since there is no run of it up yet.
HELLO!
It's the software. It's very limited.  Also it can't handle the 240 res of old consoles directly.
I should be getting it in the mail tomorrow. I'll let everyone know how it works for me. I'm not really savvy with video software and such, so I'll probably not know much about what to do either way.
Device make and model: Roxio Game Capture HD Pro
Inputs: Composite and HDMI
Type: USB
Price: $80
Compatibility: NTSC and PAL
240p-capable: No idea
Availibility: USA
Issues: Godawful software and driver. Only can record movies with the terrible software that it came with. Absolutely no other programs are capable of receiving signal with the driver.
Recommend: No
Comments: Don't get this capture card lol.
Got the Elgato Video Capture today. It seems like it'll record just fine. No chance of streaming, it seems. Kinda lame. I'm so confused about how to go about submitting a quality test for my run though. I don't know if this device meets requirements because you really can't change anything. I assume it should be fine, but I want to play it safe. I'll try to get a sample loaded up to see if I can get someone to give it the okay.
Quote from Prismatic Black:
I'm so confused about how to go about submitting a quality test for my run though. I don't know if this device meets requirements because you really can't change anything. I assume it should be fine, but I want to play it safe. I'll try to get a sample loaded up to see if I can get someone to give it the okay.

Record a short sample of a game, then upload it to a file host, then post a thread in the tech section. That's essentially how you begin. From there, a path may begin that takes you down the road of quality by tweaking stuff to make things look better.
But again, first, just record a clip with default settings, upload it and post a thread.
Quote from Mystery:
Quote from Prismatic Black:
I'm so confused about how to go about submitting a quality test for my run though. I don't know if this device meets requirements because you really can't change anything. I assume it should be fine, but I want to play it safe. I'll try to get a sample loaded up to see if I can get someone to give it the okay.

Record a short sample of a game, then upload it to a file host, then post a thread in the tech section. That's essentially how you begin. From there, a path may begin that takes you down the road of quality by tweaking stuff to make things look better.
But again, first, just record a clip with default settings, upload it and post a thread.


*Edit* - This device sucks. Getting a DVD recorder. Haha.
HELLO!
Edited my Elgato writeup with the new detail Prismatic Black found, that made it even worse than we thought.
Device make and model: Pinnacle Dazzle DVC100
Inputs: Composite, S-Video, RCA Stereo
Type: USB

Price: Got mine for 25 dollars off amazon
Compatibility: NTSC / PAL / Secam
240p-capable: Yes, but captures as 480i (doesn't capture native 240p)
Availibility: US/Canada, possibly EU (need confirmation)
Issues: Short ass coord (at least for how far away my computer is from my TV), drivers for window 7 are broken for audio, but not (you can fix it with virtual cables). The 2 fixes I am aware of for it are for using virtual audio cable or a 3.5mm audio converter

Recommend: Yes
Comments: For some reason I had to turn up the brightness on my tv cause it got really dark once. Not a big deal though.
The Dork Knight himself.
Champ: I posted about the same device, and from what I've seen the cable length is way more than adequate. Most capture devices have a cable length less than 1ft, yet the Dazzle is almost 5ft long. As for getting the audio, a hacked version of Vdub or AmarecTv work fine for me (Win 7 Premium x64). Are there any other issues you're run into with the device? (not being a jerk, just want to hash out issues others have with the device since I haven't had any major problems since I picked it up)
Edit history:
Prismatic Black: 2013-06-09 10:32:12 am
Prismatic Black: 2013-06-09 10:31:55 am
Prismatic Black: 2013-06-09 12:52:47 am
Quote from MrLonghair:
Device make and model: Hauppauge HDPVR 2
Inputs:  HDMI, component (to 1080p30), composite, s-video
Type: USB device

Price: $150 US (Amazon)
Compatibility: NTSC and PAL friendly
240p-capable: 480i minimum
Availibility: Worldwide, also comes in a special model with digital audio input
Issues: Early units may experience blackouts when analogue Component input is used, known defect
Recommend: Yes

Comments that may not really fit in: HDCP must be circumvented to capture PS3, PS4 and possibly the next Xbox over HDMI. (tech forum thread covers this, good idea to link or rewrite its important finds on the revamped page)
RGB signals can be converted via an external device. (important for us euros)
Hauppauge streaming software put an end to audio+mic desync issues. (more of a tiny useful piece of knowledge than something important for speedruns)


I think I'm getting the Hauppauge HD PVR 2 with my trade-in money. You said there is a component and S-video in this model? I saw pictures but couldn't see those ports. are they under a panel?
Jay: I haven't had any other issues with the device, I just have a large distance between my TV and computer. Glad to know that other cards have really short coords, was not aware of that.

It doesn't have any other problems, but if you try to stream (and maybe record too) with a resolution larger than like 640x480 or something you will get duplicate displays (as in the bottom 90 pixels of the capture is looping the video from the top 90 pixels). Probably not a problem, but I did have to change my settings for the capture resolution when I streamed with it.