External, portable PVR/DVR for screen capturing laptops

[kidnintendo]

Hi all,

This is my first post, and I'm hoping somebody can offer me some guidance.

I need a relatively portable PVR/DVR device that I can easily hookup to other people's laptops to screen capture lecture presentations. I've found a few options that involve hooking up a capture device and a 2nd laptop for storage, but I would really prefer either a piece of hardware that has internal/removable storage that it records to directly, or something that can record to a flash drive or external hard drive.

The best thing I've found so far is the Pinnacle Video Transfer USB 2.0 Capture Device, but it looks like it's been discontinued...

Any help would be much appreciated!

[usually_quiet]

The AVerMedia Game Capture HD C281 is the only external device I know of that captures HD resolutions directly to a 2.5" internal hard drive or USB external hard drive. It won't work for capturing from a laptop without a converter, and maybe won't work well enough with one to be of use. It only captures standard TV resolutions 480i, 576i, 480p, 576p, 720p, and 1080i in H.264 format from analog component video, plus stereo audio. It won't capture other screen sizes or 1080p. Computer screens use progressive video output at 60 Hz, so the only screen resolution for capture that will work and still look good will be 1280x720 at 60Hz from HDMI or similar from VGA (exact VGA resolution to use will be determined by the converter).

This converter converts from HDMI to component video. http://www.amazon.com/ViewHD-Component-Converter-Support-Surround/dp/B004F9XVBC/ref=wl...=2G3PIYOCSR5H6

If the laptop has a VGA out port, a VGA to component cable or unpowered VGA to component video adapter won't work. Those are for connecting DVD players to specific projectors that accept component video via a DE-15 port, or specific videos cards that output component video via a a DE-15 port to a TV.

You need a powered VGA to component converter instead. This one can convert VGA at 1280x800@60Hz to 720p http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/80-7570&scode=GS401&CAWELAID=612793726 It isn't the best available and may add a green vertical line on the left edge of your recording. A good VGA to component scaler-converter costs in the neighborhood of $200 (US).

You will need a VGA cable, and a 3.5 mm male-to-male cable http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Male-Cable-ft/dp/B0002ZPJZO to connect the laptop to the VGA to component video converter, and/or an HDMI cable to connect the laptop to the HDMI to component converter. You will need an RCA Component A/V cable to connect either converter to the Game Capture HD C281

[kidnintendo]

Wow! Thanks for all the info! I'm glad you mentioned that the AVerMedia device, because that was the one thing I was thinking about, I just wasn't sure if I would need a 2nd screen handy in order to operate it, but now it looks like it's not going to be any less expensive or less portable that just buying a epiphram VGA2USB capture device and having a 2nd laptop handy.

I can't believe that Pinnacle put out a product that does exactly what I need, just to discontinue it! Must not have been very popular...

[usually_quiet]

The Pinnacle Video Transfer USB 2.0 Capture Device would have been a poor choice for what you want to do. You should be happy that you didn't buy one.

It could only capture standard definition input to H.264 at 640x480 resolution. At that resolution, much detail would be lost and text would be harder to see clearly. The Pinnacle Video Transfer USB 2.0 Capture Device did not have a VGA in port. You would need an HDMI to composite/S-video converter, or a VGA to composite/S-video converter to use the Pinnacle Video Transfer USB 2.0 Capture Device for capturing the output from a laptop. (Some laptops have HDMI out, and some have VGA out.)

[usually_quiet]

The Epiphan VGA2USB is a good device, but better suited to making HD snapshots than capturing HD video. Framerates begin at 28 fps for 640 x 480 video input and go down from there. At higher resolutions video will look a bit jerky any time there is fast motion. It is only going to capture at 10 frames per second at 1024 x 768 and 3.1 frames per second at 1920x1200.

The Epiphan VGA2USB provides uncompressed interlaced video as its output. It looks like Epiphan's software records video as an avi, but it doesn't say what video format it uses. Virtualub is supposed to work. AmaRecTV probably will too.

I don't know if the CPU on the laptop used for capture can encode HD video on the fly to a highly compressed format, such as MPEG-2, or H.264, and do a decent job, even at only 10 frames per second. Some laptop CPUs can manage light, lossles compression, but the file sizes are huge and capturing to the laptop's system drive may result in dropped frames and stuttering video. Capturing losslessly compressed video to a USB hard drive may not work. If it doesn't, you will need a laptop with an e-SATA connection for an e-SATA external drive.