Capture Device Compendium (Tell me about your capture device!)

2013-06-10 02:52:12 pm

Quote from Prismatic Black:

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?

From Hauppauge's website: "S-Video and composite video in, with stereo audio (optional cable not supplied)" So you will have to buy an additional cable from them.

Also note: in 240p compatible it says 480i minimum. So if you want to capture snes/nes/n64/ps1/genesis you are out of luck. If you want to capture PS2/Gamecube/anything newer you will be fine.

If you only want to record newer-ish consoles, then this device is fine, but for anything retro, you will need another device.

[quote="Prismatic Black"][quote="MrLonghair"][u]Device make and model[/u]: Hauppauge HDPVR 2
[u]Inputs[/u]:  HDMI, component (to 1080p30), composite, s-video
[u]Type[/u]: USB device

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

[u]Comments that may not really fit in[/u]: 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)[/quote]

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?[/quote]

From Hauppauge's website: "S-Video and composite video in, with stereo audio (optional cable not supplied)" So you will have to buy an additional cable from them.

Also note: in 240p compatible it says 480i minimum. So if you want to capture snes/nes/n64/ps1/genesis you are out of luck. If you want to capture PS2/Gamecube/anything newer you will be fine.

If you only want to record newer-ish consoles, then this device is fine, but for anything retro, you will need another device.

Dessyreqt

2013-07-10 07:34:49 pm

Device make and model: Diamond VC-500 One Touch Video Capture Device
Inputs: S-Video, Composite
Type: USB device

Optional:
Price: $30-$40 (usually $31 at http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-VC500-Touch-Capture-Device/dp/B000VM60I8/)
Compatibility: I don't know if it's PAL friendly.
240p-capable: Works fine for me
Availibility: USA. May be available elsewhere.
Issues: Using the on-board sound inputs may not be optimal, I haven't really tested. I simply route my sound to line-in.
Recommend: Yes.
Comments: Works great with AmarecTV. S-Video almost looks like an emulator with this device.

Brettatron

2013-07-10 07:42:07 pm

Device make and model: Avermedia Live Gamer HD
Inputs: HDMI
Type: PCIe Card

Optional:
Price: $180 CAD
240p-capable: Gonna go with no since HDMI only...
Availibility: North Ameria... probably rest of the world too.
Issues: Using the on-board sound inputs may not be optimal, I haven't really tested. I simply route my sound to line-in.
Recommend: Yes.
Comments: For newer consoles that use HDMI outputs it works fantastically. Works as a source in XSplit or OBS. No problems as of yet. Video passthrough is great.

Kaynin

Edit history:

Kaynin: 2013-07-10 08:18:55 pm

2013-07-10 08:16:57 pm

Device make and model: Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro.
Inputs: Composite, S-Video, Component, HDMI,
Type: PCI Express X1 (Works in X4,8,16 also)

Price: $190 from amazon

Compatibility: HDMI Xbox 360 or PS3 will not work directly to the capture card due to HDCP & haven't found a splitter to cut it out in the middle. Card to TV works fine.
J/NTSC works don't know about PAL

Availibility: USA from amazon.

Issues: HDCP blocks everything. I cant get Xbox 360 to work in 720 i/p and have to go to 480 i
Recommend: It works decently, many general problems not recommended for price.
Comments: If anyone has found a way to get PS3/360 to work with HDMI and to get S-video to work please PM me as id like help with that.

comes with breakout cable so all you need is component or composite to go into the capcard, get AmaRecTV for streaming. Xbox 360 has an annoying inch of white line at the top of the video.

http://www.twitch.tv/Kaynin_Shadowwalker if you'd like to see it in action.

presjpolk

2013-07-10 08:56:04 pm

HELLO!

Kaynin: What kind of software compatibility are you seeing?

LxStudio

2013-07-11 12:32:16 am

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. 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.

Including the HD version for reference:

Device make and model: Elgato Game Capture HD
Inputs: HDMI, Component
Type: USB 2.0

Price: $180 US (Official Site)
Compatibility: NTSC/PAL friendly
240p-capable: Not supported directly
Availibility: Worldwide
Comments: This thing is pretty much designed for the PS3 (dedicated AV cables included). Works decently for local recording and streaming from native software/OBS, but hardware is considerably expensive.

Quote from Kaynin:

...get PS3/360 to work with HDMI

Yea HDCP, it may not be possible, sadly. Would love someone to prove otherwise.

"PS3 users must use Component Out - since there is HDCP Protection on the PS3, which causes all HDMI capture devices to fail"
http://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/articles/1008718-elgato-game-capture-hd

[quote="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.  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.[/quote]
Including the HD version for reference:

[u]Device make and model[/u]: Elgato Game Capture HD
[u]Inputs[/u]:  HDMI, Component
[u]Type[/u]: USB 2.0

[u]Price[/u]: $180 US (Official Site)
[u]Compatibility[/u]: NTSC/PAL friendly
[u]240p-capable[/u]: Not supported directly
[u]Availibility[/u]: Worldwide
[u]Comments[/u]: This thing is pretty much designed for the PS3 (dedicated AV cables included). Works decently for local recording and streaming from native software/OBS, but hardware is considerably expensive.

[quote="Kaynin"]...get PS3/360 to work with HDMI[/quote]
Yea HDCP, it may not be possible, sadly. Would love someone to prove otherwise.

"PS3 users must use Component Out - since there is HDCP Protection on the PS3, which causes all HDMI capture devices to fail"
http://help.twitch.tv/customer/portal/articles/1008718-elgato-game-capture-hd

MrLonghair

Edit history:

MrLonghair: 2013-07-16 03:29:09 am

2013-07-11 03:03:29 am

Audio-guy. twitchtv:ohgoddamnit

We have an entire thread about killing HDCP signals for $20-$40 and up.

edit: Also yeah, Elgato seems to have a different "image" (in a bad way) compared to Hauppauge's more accurate beautiful "image" when it comes to captures. The Haupps suffer a little from topping out at 14mbps, I think these maximum datarates should be covered as a statistic when it comes to HDMI capable capture devices. 14mbps for HDPVR2, 30mbps for ElGatoHD, etc

blizzz

2013-07-11 04:59:28 am

Quote from LxStudio:

Device make and model: Elgato Game Capture HD
Inputs: HDMI, Component
Type: USB 2.0

Price: $180 US (Official Site)
Compatibility: NTSC/PAL friendly
240p-capable: Not supported directly

It does support composite and S-Video too, but last time I checked it had chroma issues. I haven't heard anything new, so I think it's still not usable for 240p/480i.

Andrew_Mills

2013-07-15 01:43:28 pm

AlphaStrategyGui des.com

Quote from Kaynin:

I cant get Xbox 360 to work in 720 i/p and have to go to 480 i

Are you using the brand new super slim model of 360? As every other version of 360 model (that I've heard of) doesn't have HDCP enabled for anything (my old HDMI Pro console works with the BMIP over HDMI no problems).

Omnigamer

Edit history:

Omnigamer: 2013-07-16 01:35:44 pm

2013-07-16 01:31:12 pm

All the things

Just a heads-up that I've compiled all of the information from this thread into a table on the KB. The page itself still has a ways to go; I want to also work my way through the old list of devices and try to match up information for some of the more common HDD recorders. The preface etc need to get fleshed out as well.

Just an update to say that this hasn't been forgotten Wink

Keep device recommendations or anti-recommendations coming. If you have a device already listed here and have nothing to add as far as comments or issues, a simple +1 or -1 to say if you would recommend it is useful.

TheThrillness

2013-07-18 07:41:41 am

thethrillness.blogspot.com

Device make and model: Avermedia Live Gamer Portable C875
Inputs: Component and HDMI
Type: USB with hardware encoding

Price: £160
Compatibility: 480p, 720p, 1080p
240p-capable: No
Availibility: Worldwide
Issues: Read comments
Recommend: No
Comments:

I have to say even at max bit rate the quality of the captures is pretty bad.

This card also seems to flag the BT.709 colorspace regardless of resolution. This leads to really weird colors on playback.

If you supply 480i, it will "deinterlace" the video to 29.97 and I can't find anyway to change this. No F1 games with this device. I have no idea why the software allows you to choose your frame rate. The software will pick what it WANTS to record at regardless of user choice and even then, why would a user want to have the option to record 720p at 50 fps with a 59.94 source? Are these guys idiots?

The pass through is shakey. I was doing my second recording test and then my TV just went black for like a second and came back on after detecting the signal. My PC was fine and so was the recording so I can only blame the device having issues.

Device make and model: Avermedia Live Gamer Portable C875
Inputs: Component and HDMI
Type: USB with hardware encoding

Price: £160
Compatibility: 480p, 720p, 1080p
240p-capable: No
Availibility: Worldwide
Issues: Read comments
Recommend: No
Comments:

I have to say even at max bit rate the quality of the captures is pretty bad.

This card also seems to flag the BT.709 colorspace regardless of resolution. This leads to really weird colors on playback.

If you supply 480i, it will "deinterlace" the video to 29.97 and I can't find anyway to change this. No F1 games with this device. I have no idea why the software allows you to choose your frame rate. The software will pick what it WANTS to record at regardless of user choice and even then, why would a user want to have the option to record 720p at 50 fps with a 59.94 source? Are these guys idiots?

The pass through is shakey. I was doing my second recording test and then my TV just went black for like a second and came back on after detecting the signal. My PC was fine and so was the recording so I can only blame the device having issues.

Omnigamer

2013-07-18 11:53:49 am

All the things

Just as a heads-up, I decided to remove the "Availability" field. In most cases it should be global, or at the very least you can find some way to get it. It helped to remove the clutter in the final table.

Kiyura

2013-07-20 04:02:47 pm

Wiiaboo

I see that some people have already posted about the Blackmagic Intensity Pro, but not the USB 3.0 version. I'd just like to pitch in and say that, unless you know someone with a SPECIFIC, EXACT motherboard + USB 3.0 card combination who has successfully used it, go for a different capture device. The Intensity Pro obviously has a fairly reasonable price for the numerous high-quality inputs + cloned output, and it does work as advertised, but only if you can somehow match up hardware that gives its bandwidth-starved USB connection full compatibility and room to breathe. Not a simple task. Blackmagic only officially supports a handful of outdated boards and USB cards, and anything else is a toss-up. Also, depending on what hardware you get, expect to spend a few hours wrestling with drivers and the capture software. I've had the most success with AmarecTV.

TL;DR: Do not get a Blackmagic USB unless you know what you are doing. It will more than likely not work with any random computer.

I see that some people have already posted about the Blackmagic Intensity Pro, but not the USB 3.0 version. I'd just like to pitch in and say that, unless you know someone with a SPECIFIC, EXACT motherboard + USB 3.0 card combination who has successfully used it, go for a different capture device. The Intensity Pro obviously has a fairly reasonable price for the numerous high-quality inputs + cloned output, and it does work as advertised, but only if you can somehow match up hardware that gives its bandwidth-starved USB connection full compatibility and room to breathe. Not a simple task. Blackmagic only officially supports a handful of outdated boards and USB cards, and anything else is a toss-up. Also, depending on what hardware you get, expect to spend a few hours wrestling with drivers and the capture software. I've had the most success with AmarecTV.

[b]TL;DR: Do not get a Blackmagic USB unless you know what you are doing. It will more than likely not work with any random computer.[/b]

TheThrillness

2013-07-20 05:56:03 pm

thethrillness.blogspot.com

I think that is abit of a myth now. As long as you have a Renesas USB 3 card and a mobo with PCI 2.0 spec you will be fine (anything after Sandybridge to be safe).

I'm still not sold on the passthrough output latency of the Blackmagic series since the output IS processed. I think it is nice to have a component to HDMI option for output. Nobody seems to be doing tests on this but I can't blame them. The setup would be pretty complex. You'd need a component amplifier to feed the Shuttle and a CRT with component input. You would then output HDMI from the Shuttle to a sub 1 frame LCD and lag test it with a camera side by side.

If the LCD had more than a frame of difference then the passthrough has lag. I think HDMI to HDMI would be much faster and probably sub 1 frame without needing to test.

Kiyura

Edit history:

Kiyura: 2013-07-20 06:26:03 pm

2013-07-20 06:24:43 pm

Wiiaboo

Call it a "myth" if you want, I'm one of many people who thought that having a very recent motherboard with wide PCI lines and a USB 3.0 card or onboard would be enough. Nope, you need pretty damn specific Nec/Renesas cards and definitely a wide-ish, preferrably primary PCI slot, and almost no onboard USB 3.0s will work. I'm not saying it won't work for anybody, I'm just saying that it can happen and to be careful.

And yes I only ever passthrough the same input. Sorry but I have no specs or tests for processed passthrough.

TheThrillness

Edit history:

TheThrillness: 2013-07-20 07:45:01 pm

2013-07-20 07:44:12 pm

thethrillness.blogspot.com

I'll probably get the Shuttle and test that out.

Yeah I think input and outputting the same standard will decrease passthrough latency. However, I do wonder if component to HDMI with an Asus VH236H which is sub 1 frame input lag could outperform a LCD TV with component input set to game mode. Since the Shuttle supports output over all interfaces I can try this.

Kaynin

2013-07-20 08:53:40 pm

My 360 is an Elite and software compatibility im running windows 7 but keep hearing XP is best for the card driver version 9.6.5

presjpolk

Edit history:

presjpolk: 2013-07-20 10:51:44 pm

2013-07-20 10:48:52 pm

HELLO!

Blackmagic pass through is not meant for video games as far asI can tell. The thing does add lag.

You could use it to stream, but not to play.

Kiyura

Edit history:

Kiyura: 2013-07-21 08:10:20 am

2013-07-21 08:09:58 am

Wiiaboo

Well, I've never tested it, but if there is lag, it's no more than a frame or two. I've used it to play and run several different games for quite a while (Mostly with component to a CRT).

honorableJay

2013-07-23 06:12:34 pm

The Dork Knight himself.

Omni: got a quick note to add to the Dazzle DVC100

Trying to capture D1 sources over composite produces a lot of dot crawl, which can only be solved by switching to s-video. D4 sources may have some dot crawl, but I've never seen it on any of my own recordings (or for that matter on my TV which does show D1 dot crawl). This doesn't change my recommendation, just something extra to note for the device.

Naegleria

(user is banned)

2013-07-23 07:23:12 pm

Hauppage Collosus - footage looks nice, but takes a while to encode. I've had lag as little as 2/3 of a second and as much as 2 minutes. Usually 4 secondsish

presjpolk

Edit history:

presjpolk: 2013-07-25 09:26:24 am

2013-07-25 09:25:37 am

HELLO!

AverMedia C281 Game Capture HD
Component input only, with (apparently, haven't measured precisely) lagless passthrough option
Records to SATA HDD which is not included, transfers off with NTFS-formatted USB
$110
I haven't tried it with less than 480p HD input. Records 60fps up to 1080i, does 30fps for 1080p.
Issues: It will let you try to record on USB. Don't be fooled. It won't work reliably. Occasionaly it seems to forget its firmware and need reflashed.
Definitely recommended.

veiloftheabyss

2013-08-07 12:55:41 pm

Quote from Dessyreqt:

Device make and model: Diamond VC-500 One Touch Video Capture Device
Inputs: S-Video, Composite
Type: USB device

Optional:
Price: $30-$40 (usually $31 at http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-VC500-Touch-Capture-Device/dp/B000VM60I8/)
Compatibility: I don't know if it's PAL friendly.
240p-capable: Works fine for me
Availibility: USA. May be available elsewhere.
Issues: Using the on-board sound inputs may not be optimal, I haven't really tested. I simply route my sound to line-in.
Recommend: Yes.
Comments: Works great with AmarecTV. S-Video almost looks like an emulator with this device.

Just purchased this based on your review/specs of it, and some of the positive reviews on amazon. As it were, most USB-based RCA/Composite capture devices don't get higher than 3 stars average from reviews, so 3 1/2 is about as good as one will get it seems.

JonIIDX

2013-09-08 08:00:10 pm

Device make and model: Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition JP (SL-1466-V13.1-JPN)
Inputs: HDMI, Component (No D-terminal), Composite (through the blue cable on the Component adapter), S-video (from a separately sold adapter that can be hard to get if you are not in America)
Type: USB Device

Price: 16,480 yen (the US version appears to be about 150 dollars on Amazon.com)
Compatibility: Handles NTSC without problems up to 480i, I have never had success with anything from the Component or HDMI inputs (the resulting stream is absolutely abhorrent - jerky, out of sync, etc)
240p-capable: Super Famicom - Yes, Famicom - Yes, Mega Drive/Mega Drive 2 - No (though this may be dependent on the video encoder inside your actual system, as the models dramatically vary), I have not been able to test anything else.
Availibility: amazon.co.jp, local computer shops in Japan
Issues: HDMI stutters when played back with the software from Hauppauge. PS3 recording through Component cables as an HDCP workaround randomly drops consecutive frames every couple of seconds. Not supported with OBS and syncing issues via HDMI with Xsplit, and stuttered, confused playback from the official software for the device as of the date and time of this post. Also HDMI does not work without massive desyncing and delays from Capture4Me, the recommended 3rd party software from Hauppauge's website.
Recommend: No

Comments: Even though I bought this in Japan, it seems to be identical in every way to the US counterpart from my research and performance. Everything was going fine for my needs with the HDPVR2 Gaming Edition until I tried to capture from the PS3. Even at 720p, the quality was horrible and dropped massive amounts of frames when fed to Xsplit through Component cables. I originally used Composite video for my Famicom 2 (top loading NES model), and S-video for my Super Famicom (SNES). Both of those were supported with the HD PVR 2 and looked great through Xsplit with a mere 2000ms of lag (which is not really that bad considering the unit only works with H264 and processes/encodes it all itself). Then I bought a Mega Drive 2, it has a Sony CXA1145 video encoder that does 240i that is not recognized by the unit via Composite cables. So, as a workaround, I bought a 720p/1080p upscaler with HDMI output in hopes that the signal would be accepted by the HD PVR 2. Sure enough, it was now viewable, but unfortunately the audio did not sync anymore with Xsplit (the audio of the actual game was now 2 seconds delayed from the video picture). From researching on Google/Yahoo, it appears that many other people have experienced the same thing and there is currently no workaround. There is no feature in xsplit to delay the game video, even though there is a feature to delay the webcam video, so I tried with OBS through Capture4Me, since the official software drops about 2 seconds every time the video gets complicated. It looked to be perfect, so I tried game capturing it to no avail, so resorted to window capture. Everything finally seemed to work, then when I was streaming I noticed that the sound coming from my TV in the other room was about 15 seconds delayed from what I was actually playing. Sure enough, Capture4Me was slowing down the game feed exponentially, so by the time I had been playing for 30 minutes, it was around one minute delayed. I have had nothing but trouble dealing with both the customer service at Hauppauge and workarounds to get this to work for half of my consoles. My last hope is to try a SCART -> S-video pass through in hopes it will recognize the S-video signal from the Mega Drive 2, but for PS3/Xbox360/Wii, it would better serve as a paperweight. I still find it hard to wrap my head around how they market this as an HD game capture device when both HDMI and Component have such severe problems with lagging and dropped frames even in the official software.

However, when it actually does work the way it's supposed to, the picture and audio quality is quite nice, and the 14Mbps bitrate is plenty for H264 video even at full 1080p/30fps, in my opinion. That's nearly twice the bitrate that MPEG-2 gets on TV at 1080i, so if you can actually get the device to work with your consoles you should be able to get some great quality as a result. Through a USB device at USB 2.0, it's pretty incredible. Just... Hauppauge doesn't want to give any developers help, so programs like OBS and Xsplit have numerous issues. I hope this information helps some people who were thinking of getting an HD PVR 2 for streaming purposes. It seems that if you only want to record retro games, there are better external capture devices available for your needs. Just, steer clear of any Hauppauge products if you want to stream, for the time being.

Device make and model: Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition JP (SL-1466-V13.1-JPN)
Inputs: HDMI, Component (No D-terminal), Composite (through the blue cable on the Component adapter), S-video (from a separately sold adapter that can be hard to get if you are not in America)
Type: USB Device

Price: 16,480 yen (the US version appears to be about 150 dollars on Amazon.com)
Compatibility: Handles NTSC without problems up to 480i, I have never had success with anything from the Component or HDMI inputs (the resulting stream is absolutely abhorrent - jerky, out of sync, etc)
240p-capable: Super Famicom - Yes, Famicom - Yes, Mega Drive/Mega Drive 2 - No (though this may be dependent on the video encoder inside your actual system, as the models dramatically vary), I have not been able to test anything else.
Availibility: amazon.co.jp, local computer shops in Japan
Issues: HDMI stutters when played back with the software from Hauppauge.  PS3 recording through Component cables as an HDCP workaround randomly drops consecutive frames every couple of seconds.  Not supported with OBS and syncing issues via HDMI with Xsplit, and stuttered, confused playback from the official software for the device as of the date and time of this post.  Also HDMI does not work without massive desyncing and delays from Capture4Me, the recommended 3rd party software from Hauppauge's website.
Recommend: No

Comments: Even though I bought this in Japan, it seems to be identical in every way to the US counterpart from my research and performance.  Everything was going fine for my needs with the HDPVR2 Gaming Edition until I tried to capture from the PS3.  Even at 720p, the quality was horrible and dropped massive amounts of frames when fed to Xsplit through Component cables.  I originally used Composite video for my Famicom 2 (top loading NES model), and S-video for my Super Famicom (SNES).  Both of those were supported with the HD PVR 2 and looked great through Xsplit with a mere 2000ms of lag (which is not really that bad considering the unit only works with H264 and processes/encodes it all itself).  Then I bought a Mega Drive 2, it has a Sony CXA1145 video encoder that does 240i that is not recognized by the unit via Composite cables.  So, as a workaround, I bought a 720p/1080p upscaler with HDMI output in hopes that the signal would be accepted by the HD PVR 2.  Sure enough, it was now viewable, but unfortunately the audio did not sync anymore with Xsplit (the audio of the actual game was now 2 seconds delayed from the video picture).  From researching on Google/Yahoo, it appears that many other people have experienced the same thing and there is currently no workaround.  There is no feature in xsplit to delay the game video, even though there is a feature to delay the webcam video, so I tried with OBS through Capture4Me, since the official software drops about 2 seconds every time the video gets complicated.  It looked to be perfect, so I tried game capturing it to no avail, so resorted to window capture.  Everything finally seemed to work, then when I was streaming I noticed that the sound coming from my TV in the other room was about 15 seconds delayed from what I was actually playing.  Sure enough, Capture4Me was slowing down the game feed exponentially, so by the time I had been playing for 30 minutes, it was around one minute delayed.  I have had nothing but trouble dealing with both the customer service at Hauppauge and workarounds to get this to work for half of my consoles.  My last hope is to try a SCART -> S-video pass through in hopes it will recognize the S-video signal from the Mega Drive 2, but for PS3/Xbox360/Wii, it would better serve as a paperweight.  I still find it hard to wrap my head around how they market this as an HD game capture device when both HDMI and Component have such severe problems with lagging and dropped frames even in the official software.

However, when it actually does work the way it's supposed to, the picture and audio quality is quite nice, and the 14Mbps bitrate is plenty for H264 video even at full 1080p/30fps, in my opinion.  That's nearly twice the bitrate that MPEG-2 gets on TV at 1080i, so if you can actually get the device to work with your consoles you should be able to get some great quality as a result.  Through a USB device at USB 2.0, it's pretty incredible.  Just... Hauppauge doesn't want to give any developers help, so programs like OBS and Xsplit have numerous issues.  I hope this information helps some people who were thinking of getting an HD PVR 2 for streaming purposes.  It seems that if you only want to record retro games, there are better external capture devices available for your needs.  Just, steer clear of any Hauppauge products if you want to stream, for the time being.

SpiderMode

Edit history:

SpiderMode: 2014-01-27 06:03:17 am

2014-01-27 06:02:51 am

no one left behind....

Specifications
Êasy-Cap 2.0
Let’s see the main specifications:

complies with Universal Serial Bus Specification Rev. 2.0
video input:
- one RCA composite
- one S-Video

audio input: stereo audio (RCA)mm
USB bus power Supports NTSC, PAL
video format supports high quality video resolution
dimension 88mm x 28mm x 18mm

ok is not the best but
"is a hard times the economy XD"

for now is a capture device very satisfatory for me very pratice and small good for beginners like me ^^