Support Searching for a good quality Capture Card

Discussion in 'Technology' started by Krowley, Dec 7, 2013.

  1. Krowley Moderator

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    Hey, I'm looking for a decent capture card that ranges from $50-150. Just anything with good reviews and HDMI/component cables. I've been meaning to get one for a while now, so I thought I should ask here first since many people on KHV do livestreams and have youtube channels and whatnot.
     
  2. Amaury Legendary Hero

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    You could try what I have, which is Roxio Easy VHS to DVD. It also works as a capture card, and it looks like it comes with an S cable for better quality.

    I use the composite plugins since that's what my PS2 has, but the quality's still decent:

     
  3. Misty gimme kiss

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    He wants component & HDMI support, Amaury.

    LUCKY FOR YOU KROWLEY I AM A WALKING CAPTURE CARD EXPERT
    ( not really but I own one and researched heavily before purchasing so I can rattle off pros/cons of the major models with ease )

    I'm going to firstly assume that you're looking for an external capture card (rather than one that uses a PCI slot on your mobo), they're a lot more convenient to move around & I'm pretty sure you use a laptop anyway.

    I'd say the biggest players in your price range (or slightly outside) are the Intensity Shuttle, Roxio Game Capture HD PRO, AverMedia HD Game Capture, Hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition, and Elgato Game Capture HD. Pretty much any of them will suit your needs, and the quality differences between them are fairly negligible. If you're really curious to see example footage, go to youtube and just search 'quality test'. Still, I'll run through each.


    Intensity Shuttle
    Base Price: $200
    Supports: Component, Composite, S-Video, HDMI (1080p)
    Built-in livestream support? No (Must use other software to livestream, like XSplit. Check compatibility of software with product.)
    Power Source: USB

    BlackMagic products are considered high-end options (with the Intensity PRO pretty much being the standard in internal capture cards). The Shuttle is their entrance into the external market. Worth noting that this option requires USB3.0 (and doesn't seem to be backwards compatible with USB2.0, like most USB3.0 products). It's also the most expensive option. Personally, I don't see much of a benefit to the Intensity Shuttle--any difference in quality, like I've said, between the products is negligible, and the built-in software for the other products is more targeted towards gamers.

    Roxio
    Base Price: $135
    Supports: Component, HDMI (1080p)
    Built-in livestream support? Yes (Twitch only)
    Power Source: USB

    Roxio is, in my opinion, the #3 choice here. It's on the cheaper end of the listed options, making it an appealing choice. A major downside of it, I would say, is that it does not support composite or s-video inputs--I know you said that you are only looking for component & hdmi, but it's nice to have the option of hooking up a retro console. The bundled software seems to be adequate, though I've heard disfavorable things about it--further, it will only support Twitch streaming. Twitch is pretty much the standard in game streams, of course, but again, it's nice to have options. You'd probably have luck using another piece of capture software (in fact, I'm pretty sure Mixt has this capture card & uses something else to capture). That may not sound like a big deal, but it can sometimes be a pain finding a capture software that supports your card. Still, it's a good product and would be adequate for your usage.

    AverMedia
    Base Price: $165
    Supports: HDMI (1080p), it seems PS3 capture is done through an adapter
    Built-in livestream support? Not sure
    Power Source: USB

    I would not recommend the AverMedia card, because I've heard very mixed things about its usage. The only reason I mention it is that it has something the others don't: PC free recording. If you put an SD card into it, you can record to that SD card, making it a truly portable option. If that is important to you, then the AverMedia is the only one that will fit the bill. However, that portable recording seems to only support up to 720p. If you don't care about portable recording, though (or at least, more portable than bringing your laptop with you, if you have a laptop), pass this one up.

    Hauppauge HD PVR 2 (Gaming Edition)
    Base Price: $130
    Supports: HDMI (1080p), Component
    Built-in livestream support? Yes, Twitch or UStream
    Power Source: 6V DC IN

    Hauppauge was the standard in capture cards for a while, until livestreaming & let's plays really took off. It's still a very solid option, and the cheapest one at that. In my opinion, it's the second best choice. The Hauppauge is unique in that it requires an external power source, which can be either a pro or a con. Let me explain.

    When you hook up the capture cards that are available today, they're meant to stay hooked up, for convenience (that way you're not fiddling around with cables constantly). For the sake of example, we'll say your console uses an HDMI output (which the PS3 won't, but more on that later).

    You connect your console's HDMI cable to the capture card. The capture card also has an HDMI output, which you connect to your TV. Your computer, connected via USB, records off the HDMI input. The recording software will have a little preview screen, but that preview will be very laggy, making it impossible to play off of (though the end recording won't have that lag). This is why the capture card has the HDMI output--the signal from the HDMI input passes through (called passthrough) the capture card, and goes to your TV, so you can play lag-free while recording.

    In order to perform that passthrough, the capture card needs power. Most capture cards provide that power through USB. So let's say you're not recording and your capture card is not hooked up to your PC--you won't have any image on your TV, because the capture card is not drawing USB power. You could just swap cables so that your console goes straight to your TV, but that's a pain. The Hauppauge has an external power source, so you don't need to worry about that. It is, however, another cable, and depending on your set up, can be a benefit or it could not really matter.

    My capture card draws USB power but I have a very simple solution: paying a couple of bucks for a USB power adapter (you might already have one). I plug my capture card into that when I'm not recording, then just plug the USB cable into my computer when I do record. Easy & I don't have to fiddle around with cables to/from my console and TV (unless I switch to recording off my PS4 rather than my PS3). For this reason I really don't care about having an external power source, but it's up to you.

    The Hauppauge is a great option, but my heart lies with...

    Elgato Game Capture HD
    Base Price: $160
    Supports: HDMI (1080p), special PS3 adapter, Component, S-Video & Composite through adapter (not included, iirc it's $10)
    Built-in livestream support? Yes, Twitch, YouTube, UStream, or custom RTMP server
    Power Source: USB

    This is the capture card I own and I absolutely love it.

    The bundled software, first of all, is extremely flexible while still being user friendly. You get a number of options as to the quality of your recording. It supports the most livestreaming options in the provided software, and is as simple as push to start livestreaming. It also has a built-in commentary feature that works great, with the option to automatically minimize the game audio when you're speaking, and turn it up when you're not (though some people prefer not to use it).

    It also has a neat feature called Flashback Recording--let's say your capture card is plugged into your computer but you're not recording, just playing some video games. Suddenly something SUPER AWESOME happens that you want to share with the planet, but oh no! You weren't recording! Well, the Elgato passively records the last 15 minutes of gameplay even when you're not recording, so you can grab that awesome unexpected moment. You can also turn this feature off if you don't like it.

    When you've finished your recording, the Elgato has built-in editing options (though they're rather basic). When exporting the video, you can set it up to automatically upload to sites like YouTube, post an update to Twitter, or just export it as an MP4. The software receives frequent updates & improvements.

    As I said, it'll support pretty much any console you throw at it (and retro consoles with the separate adapter you can purchase). The support for the Elgato is also fantastic, and they do a neat thing where they sponsor YouTubers to create tutorials on the Elgato--meaning that if you ever need help, chances are, there's a tutorial out there to guide you.

    Elgato might not be the household name of Hauppauge, but it's become the #1 best selling capture card on Amazon and for good reason. This thing is awesome. It might not be the cheapest option but imo, it's the best.


    A note on base prices: These are the current list prices I saw on Amazon.com. You may be able to find deals on each of the products in stores or online. Shop around!

    One thing I do want to talk about, since I know you own a PS3, is HDCP.

    HDCP stands for high-bandwidth digital copy protection. Basically, it's there to prevent you from using your capture card to record some movie off of Netflix. With the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One, HDCP is only present on apps like Netflix--it's not there on games, so you can safely record your games from the HDMI cable. The PS3, however, has HDCP on everything, so you cannot record PS3 gameplay off of an HDMI cable. You'll be limited to component, which is a minor but noticeable quality difference from HDMI. Some capture cards (the Elgato definitely does) provide special adapter cables to mitigate this issue, but it's still not as good as HDMI capture.

    The PS4 is the same way, though Sony says they will release an update next year that will allow direct HDMI capture. The PS4, of course, does not have a component output, so you won't be able to record off of it until that update comes out.

    This screenshot comparison shows the difference between HDMI and Component: http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/28969
    As I said, it's minor, but it's noticeable. Things are a lot more crisp. 99% of people just capture off of component because it's so minor.

    What nutso people (read: me) do is find HDMI splitters that just so happen to strip out HDCP. The legality of such devices is questionable, but because that's not their main purpose, you can get the products with relative ease. Some of the products are also hit and miss--one popular model, the View2HD, has two different models, one that strips HDCP and one that doesn't. Which one you get is merely luck of the draw. Others are more definite but more expensive. There's a $15 one available on eBay, but it ships from China so you're going to have to wait to receive it. I also haven't used it personally so I can't speak for it. I snagged one off of Amazon for $38 that will definitely do the trick. This allows true HDMI capture from PS3 and PS4. I've yet to do a capture test with mine but if you're interested I can tell you more about this.

    Hope this helps~
     
  4. Amaury Legendary Hero

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    Thanks for the correction. I thought the S cable is what provided HD quality.
     
  5. Misty gimme kiss

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    No. S-Video is an analog source, which is inherently lossy. It also outputs to a maximum resolution of 480p; 720p is considered the minimum in HD. S-Video is better than composite, but not by much.