What can I use to record Xbox footage with this setup

[giggsidan]

I currently play my Xbox 360 using an Acer computer monitor connected through an HD lead. I watch TV on this laptop so I figured I didn't need a TV for my Xbox too.

I want to record Xbox 360 gameplay footage for uploading onto youtube etc. I've searched through numerous sites and looked to see what other people are using, as well as looking on eBay or wherever for things to use but there's so many it's confusing. Like I said, my Xbox is connected to my monitor using an HD lead. I can't use a composite cable or whatever those cables are with the red, white and yellow endings, because my monitor doesn't have space for them. Looking at the back of my monitor it has 3 connections. VGA, DVI-D and HDMI. And remember I'm using a laptop.

So what are my options? Anything from the low-end to the high-end. Thanks and apologies for being a novice on this matter and asking probably stupid questions!

[usually_quiet]

The most suitable external capture options that I am aware of would require you to use a powered HDMI splitter, and possibly a powered HDMI to component converter with optical S/PDIF or stereo audio output.

A Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle is the only external consumer capture device I know for PCs of that can capture video using HDMI (assuming no HDCP protection is applied). ...but it has a USB 3.0 interface and supplies uncompressed video as its output, which makes it a bad choice for most laptops. The Xbox 360 would be connected to the HDMI splitter, which would would supply audio and video to your monitor and the HDMI input on the Intensity Shuttle.

The other alternatives are analog component capture devices with a USB 2.0 interface and analog component capture devices that do not connect to a computer. These devices capture either analog stereo audio or 5.1 audio using optical S/PDIF. They supply audio and video in an H.264 transport stream, which is then recorded by the PC or by the device's own hard drive. The Xbox 360 would be connected to the HDMI splitter, which would would supply audio and video to your monitor and the HDMI to component converter. The HDMI to component converter would feed video and audio to the capture device. Two choices for a USB 2.0 capture device are the Hauppauge HD-PVR, or the AverMedia Dark Crystal Capture Station. The AVerMedia Game Capture HD is another possibility. It is self-contained and does not connect to a copmputer.

However, it is always possible that since you live in a different part of the world, there may be other external capture devices available to you which I do not know about. For the same reason it is difficult to recommend specific HDMI splitters and HDMI to component converters because it is likely that a different selection of products is available to you.

[giggsidan]

Thanks for the reply!

Looking at those things you listed, everything seems really expensive. I probably COULD manage to fork out the money if I knew everything was going to work, but it seems like a lot of fiddling around and to tell you the truth I wouldn't know what I was doing exactly. I have a feeling this would be much easier if I had a normal TV?

I've seen much cheaper alternatives that record in 480p that use the red, white and yellow cables but this won't work with my monitor, am I right? Unless I can get some sort of converter...

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for the reply!

Looking at those things you listed, everything seems really expensive. I probably COULD manage to fork out the money if I knew everything was going to work, but it seems like a lot of fiddling around and to tell you the truth I wouldn't know what I was doing exactly. I have a feeling this would be much easier if I had a normal TV?

I've seen much cheaper alternatives that record in 480p that use the red, white and yellow cables but this won't work with my monitor, am I right? Unless I can get some sort of converter...

The monitor does pose a problem. You are right that it would be much easier if you had a TV instead of a monitor, but using a laptop as the capture computer poses a set of problems by itself. A lightly compressed lossless video capture format is a better choice for capture. It can be re-encoded later for better quality in the final product. ...but the fact that there is usually no option to install a second internal hard drive or eSATA external hard drive imposes lossy formats with higher compression, which laptop CPUs may struggle with. Encoding on the fly to one of these lossy formats also produces a lower quality result.

Unpowered splitters produce a weaker, noisier analog composite video signal. A powered composite video splitter (or composite video distribution amplifier) may be helpful for standard definition captures.

[Edit]I can't promise that the analog composite HD capture set up I described will work. Capturing video successfully often requires trail and error, plus a bit of luck. Sometimes components that seem like they should work well on paper turn out not to work well together in real life.

[giggsidan]

I'm not really too bothered if it's HD or not. I mean I'd rather be able to record footage in standard than not record footage at all! So if I could get it all setup and recording in 480p or whatever it'd be fine. Any suggestions for something suitable that would work given all my complicated setup?

[usually_quiet]

I'm not really too bothered if it's HD or not. I mean I'd rather be able to record footage in standard than not record footage at all! So if I could get it all setup and recording in 480p or whatever it'd be fine. Any suggestions for something suitable that would work given all my complicated setup?

Sorry, but no. The fact that you must use a monitor instead of a TV, plus a laptop, and need to do this on a smallish budget, eliminates anything that I can think of that would allow SD capture plus an acceptable picture on the monitor without introducing so much lag that playing the game becomes impossible.

[giggsidan]

Alright fair enough! I could realistically afford to spend upwards of £100 but anything above that may be pushing it. What's the issue with it being a laptop by the way? Because the specs may be low? Or because I need access to something inside like a PC?

[Bjs]

Avermedia also have devices capable of capturing from hdmi from xbox360.

An alternative which while it dose not use hdmi can record 1080i from the xbox360 over component (pass through) is the AVerMedia game capture HD ... which requires NO pc.

Xbox360 over hdmi dose not suffer the issues of encryption over hdmi (except for movies only) as plagued by the sony ps3.

[giggsidan]

So how would that Avermedia game capture HD work, Bjs? Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions, but there are so many different outputs, inputs, cables, connections, etc. that I get quite confused!

Are you saying that my computer monitor and Xbox will be enough for that? Remember I don't have a TV, so I can only connect to my display using a HDMI cable, VGA cable or DVI-D (whatever that is..)

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

[usually_quiet]

Alright fair enough! I could realistically afford to spend upwards of £100 but anything above that may be pushing it. What's the issue with it being a laptop by the way? Because the specs may be low? Or because I need access to something inside like a PC?

There are problems with using a laptop for this beyond a low-powered CPU. One problem with using a laptop is that you cannot use an internal capture device. There are two internal capture device with HDMI input, and both are less expensive than the external options in my first post. Another problem is that using the boot drive for capture can cause dropped frames. (An SSD boot drive might be an exception.) Unfortunately, most laptops don't have a way to add a second hard drive except via USB 2.0. An external USB 2.0 drive won't be fast enough to use for capture.

So how would that Avermedia game capture HD work, Bjs? Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions, but there are so many different outputs, inputs, cables, connections, etc. that I get quite confused!

Are you saying that my computer monitor and Xbox will be enough for that? Remember I don't have a TV, so I can only connect to my display using a HDMI cable, VGA cable or DVI-D (whatever that is..)

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

The Game Capture HD, which I mentioned earlier, doesn't have an HDMI input. Look for yourself here. http://www.avermedia.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=556 The current AVerMedia capture devices that do have an HDMI input are internal devices that you can't use. The AVerMedia Dark Crystal Capture Station has an HDMI output, but it is only useful for playing back recorded files using your computer. According to the user manual, which I have seen, it can't be used to view the video being recorded during the capture process.

If you did have either an external or internal capture device with an HDMI input, you would still need a powered HDMI splitter to supply a good signal for both your monitor and the capture device. An unpowered splitter cuts the signal strength in half, which may be enough to cause problems with the picture.

[giggsidan]

So how would that Avermedia game capture HD work, Bjs? Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions, but there are so many different outputs, inputs, cables, connections, etc. that I get quite confused!

Are you saying that my computer monitor and Xbox will be enough for that? Remember I don't have a TV, so I can only connect to my display using a HDMI cable, VGA cable or DVI-D (whatever that is..)

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

The Game Capture HD, which I mentioned earlier, doesn't have an HDMI input. Look for yourself here. http://www.avermedia.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=556 The current AVerMedia capture devices that do have an HDMI input are internal devices that you can't use. The AVerMedia Dark Crystal Capture Station has an HDMI output, but it is only useful for playing back recorded files using your computer. According to the user manual, which I have seen, it can't be used to view the video being recorded during the capture process.

If you did have either an external or internal capture device with an HDMI input, you would still need a powered HDMI splitter to supply a good signal for both your monitor and the capture device. An unpowered splitter cuts the signal strength in half, which may be enough to cause problems with the picture.

So if I don't use HD, then I could use the Game Capture? Is there any way of connecting to the Game Capture HD with another cable, possibly a composite, and then having that split to either a VGA or HDMI lead which goes into my monitor?

[usually_quiet]

So if I don't use HD, then I could use the Game Capture? Is there any way of connecting to the Game Capture HD with another cable, possibly a composite, and then having that split to either a VGA or HDMI lead which goes into my monitor?

You could capture from composite or S-Video with the other HD capture devices mentioned, but not using the Game Capture HD. The Game Capture HD only allows component video input. However, supplying video to a monitor would require buying a powered converter. The XBox 360 can output a full-strength signal from its S-Video and composite connections at the same time, but cannot output analog video and HDMI at the same time.

You would need a Microsoft Xbox 360 S-video cable (in place of a splitter) plus either powered S-Video to VGA converter or a powered composite to VGA converter to supply video to the monitor. The inexpensive passive S-Video/composite to VGA cables or dongles you may see sold online do not convert. They are made to be used with specific devices that are designed receive an S-Video or composite video signal using a D-sub port (certain projectors, for example), or some older video cards that could output an S-Video or composite video from a D-sub port.

Some of the powered converters are relatively cheap, about $50 or a bit less here, but they do not provide a great picture.

Another thing to remember about the Game Capture HD... You need to provide it with its own hard drive.

[giggsidan]

So let's see... I can't use a composite cable from my Xbox to a splitter to a HD cable into my monitor. But I can use a composite cable from my Xbox to a converter which uses VGA in my monitor?

When you say powered, what do you mean? As in it's plugged into it's own power supply, like USB? So something like this -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-Laptop-VGA-Audio-Composite-AV-CVBS-L-R-RCA-S-video-Conver...ht_4234wt_1397

And then I'd plug the red, white and yellow composite cable from my Xbox into that converter, and then the VGA lead from the converter into my monitor?

Where would that audio lead I see on that converter go? And I suppose I would have to power it using my laptop, or maybe the USB slot of my Xbox.

But wait, I just typed this out and then something struck me! I can't connect from the Xbox to the converter using the composite cable, because the composite cable from the AverMedia Game Capture would be going there, right? Or have I missed something?

Since I'm now accepting the fact I won't be recording in HD, it's making me think whether I'll be wasting my money here. I mean if I get everything working somehow with the setup I have in my head at the moment (AverMedia Game Capture and that converter I linked) then it'll cost me around £150 if I'm lucky, and even then it won't be in HD!

EDIT - Would something like this -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roxio-Game-Capture-Xbox-360/dp/B004SB1RVI/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

not be suitable if I can get a converter? So I can plug the cables from the box thing into a converter which goes into my monitor via VGA or whatever?

[usually_quiet]

OK, let's forget about other SD capture options, but just so you know, the VGA to composite converter you asked about is the wrong item. The description says that device converts from VGA to composite. Powered converters are one-way, so it does not convert from composite to VGA too. It won't work to connect a composite output from the XBox 360 to your monitor.

Roxio Game Capture is relatively inexpensive, but like the BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle, your computer has to encode the video. You need a powered component video to VGA converter or a powered component video to HDMI converter to supply video to your monitor. Since powered converters are one-way, you need to be sure to find one that converts in the right direction. You will of course need an XBox 360 component cable. The Roxio Game Capture apparently provides a component video cable to connect the Roxio Game Capture's component video out to a converter. If you get a component video to VGA converter, you will need a cable like this to connect the stereo audio out to the either the laptop microphone jack or the monitor audio input jack http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5M-3-5mm-Male-to-2RCA-Gold-Audio-Stereo-Speaker-Laptop-PC-...item415e7b8ad5

Do not expect a nice picture on your monitor, and the converter may introduce lag. I have already explained why your setup is not ideal for video capture. If you succeed great. If you don't succeed, don't say nobody warned you that you might have problems.

[giggsidan]

I see. So the Roxio is probably a no then. So back to the Avermedia Game Capture, possibly.

Composite to VGA, something like this, then?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TV-AV-CCTV-DVD-DVR-Composite-RCA-S-Video-VGA-Monitor-PC-Adap...ht_3492wt_1397

It has a 3-pin plug, which is a UK power source which is handy, and it says I can go from composite to VGA.

So I can possibly do something like...

XBOX - composite cable to Avermedia Game Capture - composite cable to splitter - VGA cable to monitor?

What would I be missing there? And are you saying the picture won't be good enough even for decent uploading?

Also just want to say again I appreciate all replies and am aware you're probably getting annoyed now, but it really is so damn complicated for someone who doesn't know much about the different types of connections, inputs, outputs etc.

[Brad]

As mentioned, this stuff can be complex to begin with and you're not doing yourself any favours by using a laptop. I'm not sure there is a good solution at all, let alone one that is within your budget.

Apart from quality concerns, composite to VGA converters are likely to add significant lag to your gameplay experience since they'll be doing an analog-to-digital-to-analog conversion.

[usually_quiet]

I see. So the Roxio is probably a no then. So back to the Avermedia Game Capture, possibly.

There isn't much difference between the two in one respect. You would also need a component video to VGA converter, or component video to HDMI converter to connect the AverMedia Game Capture's component output to your monitor. The converter may or may not cause lag. Reading reviews for converters, some people say that when they use a powered converter, it introduced enough lag to notice while playing the game. Others say they don't notice any lag. I cannot predict what will happen in your case.

I have not personally needed to use a video converter. I use my PC to capture TV from my set-top box's analog output. The technical problems are the same for capturing from a game console or from a set-top box, except for two things. Lag doesn't matter. I do not need to split the video and audio or do anything else to avoid it. The other thing I never have to worry about is capturing PAL-60 video (from an NTSC game played on a PAL console).

Composite to VGA, something like this, then?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TV-AV-CCTV-DVD-DVR-Composite-RCA-S-Video-VGA-Monitor-PC-Adap...ht_3492wt_1397

It has a 3-pin plug, which is a UK power source which is handy, and it says I can go from composite to VGA.

The composite to VGA converter you linked to will work for connecting a monitor to a composite video source.It will give you a picture on your monitor, but it won't look great. The converted picture won't be crisp to begin with and the monitor won't do it any favors. LCD monitors do not upscale video as intelligently as an LCD TV does. Monitors stretch everything to fit. There is also the possibility of lag, just as with a component video to VGA converter, or component video to HDMI converter.

So I can possibly do something like...

XBOX - composite cable to Avermedia Game Capture - composite cable to splitter - VGA cable to monitor?

That won't work. The AverMedia Game Capture only has the ability to use component video input.

What would I be missing there? And are you saying the picture won't be good enough even for decent uploading?

That is a possibility. Using a laptop for capture increases the likelyhood of dropped frames in the captured video when the laptop must encode the video. Dropped frames cause the video to stutter and a loss of A/V synchronization.

[Edit]The beauty of the AVerMedia Game Capture is you do not need to connect it to a PC. The AVerMedia Dark Crystal Capture Station and the Hauppauge HD-PVR are also good choices for laptops because they encode the video and audio rather than depending on the laptop to do it. The laptop just writes a pre-encoded stream to its hard drive, which is much less demanding.

[giggsidan]

I was going to write another reply about what you posted, but before that... I'm just wondering, would this work?

http://xbox.about.com/od/xboxaccessories/fr/gamebridgerev.htm

It seems pretty straightforward. Goes from my Xbox via composite cables straight into my laptop via USB. And then I presume you play the games on the laptop?

Anyone have any experience with this? Would it lag do you think?

[usually_quiet]

I was going to write another reply about what you posted, but before that... I'm just wondering, would this work?

http://xbox.about.com/od/xboxaccessories/fr/gamebridgerev.htm

It seems pretty straightforward. Goes from my Xbox via composite cables straight into my laptop via USB. And then I presume you play the games on the laptop?

Anyone have any experience with this? Would it lag do you think?

Yes, you would use the laptop's screen to view the game while playing.

You should re-read that review before deciding on it. It isn't a capture device. The software provided with it records an SD picture from the screen, so quality is probably not as good as some digital capture devices would provide. I think it is discontinued now, but I have seen it offered for sale used, if you don't mind buying used

[giggsidan]

Yes I searched around for it and literally cannot find it anywhere. Plus apparently it doesn't work with 60hZ which is most Xbox games...

I'm close to giving up honestly. My budget could go higher, £150 or there abouts if I have to. And I don't mind if the picture isn't fantastic. 480p would do. And I don't mind if there's slight lag. I guess it depends how much. Less than a second would be manageable.

But still, while your advice has been excellent, I'm still utterly confused with what I may need. xD It's hard to find exactly what you're mentioning because there's just so much crap on eBay or wherever that sounds very similar that may or may not work for me.

[usually_quiet]

Yes I searched around for it and literally cannot find it anywhere. Plus apparently it doesn't work with 60hZ which is most Xbox games...

I'm close to giving up honestly. My budget could go higher, £150 or there abouts if I have to. And I don't mind if the picture isn't fantastic. 480p would do. And I don't mind if there's slight lag. I guess it depends how much. Less than a second would be manageable.

But still, while your advice has been excellent, I'm still utterly confused with what I may need. xD It's hard to find exactly what you're mentioning because there's just so much crap on eBay or wherever that sounds very similar that may or may not work for me.

The biggest hurdle to using a USB SD capture device is really your choice to use a monitor instead of a TV. If you had a TV, then you could use passive splitters and/or distribution amplifiers for your capture set-up like other gamers, which avoids the possibility of lag. If you decide you want a TV some day, the Hauppauge USB Live 2 and EzCAP 116 http://ezcap.tv/ are relatively inexpensive SD capture devices that can capture PAL 60 video. Avoid the cheap Easy Caps.

I understand that some people want to use a monitor because monitors cost less, or they do not have room for both a TV and a monitor, but it limits what they can do.

[giggsidan]

Yes I've had the monitor for a couple of years now. I'm at university see, hence the need for a laptop also. When I originally got the monitor, it was because I wanted to take my Xbox with me and be able to play it in HD without having to fork out for an expensive HD TV when I would only be using it for gaming. I watch very little TV and when I do it's on my laptop since I have a decent internet connection here.

In hindsight, I could have gotten a cheap TV which wasn't HD since I would be recording in SD anyway unless I get one of the expensive capture cards.

I suppose when I go back home for a few months in the Summer then I can use the TV there to record with no problems using one of the methods you described. Which would be a good capture device for me then do you think? I've looked at so many over the past few days my mind is very hazy.

EDIT - I know we've come full circle again and I keep changing my mind, but I've found a Hauppauge HD PVR on eBay for quite a bit cheaper than usual. If I got one of those, would it work simply with my monitor since it's HD? Or would I still need to buy extra stuff?

[Brad]

The HD PVR is for composite and component only, so you can't hook up the passthrough to your monitor.

[giggsidan]

I could then set it up like the guy in this video, could I not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QkSZl8P-gE

I'd just need one of these too...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=PC+VGA+To+Component...ideo+Converter

And I wouldn't need anything else, right?

[usually_quiet]

I could then set it up like the guy in this video, could I not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QkSZl8P-gE

I'd just need one of these too...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=PC+VGA+To+Component...ideo+Converter

And I wouldn't need anything else, right?

I'm going to suggest something different, as an alternative.

The HD-PVR has a component video pass-through (an internal splitter) meant to supply video to a TV with no lag and no signal degradation, but that only works when it receives component video as input, and can't be connected directly to your monitor.

To use with your monitor as the display for the component output from your HD-PVR you should probably get a component to HDMI converter. That way you can use the HDMI cable that you already have. Below are two examples of the type of converter you need. One of these boxes has stereo audio input, and the other has 5.1 optical S/PDIF input. You would need an appropriate audio cable to connect the converter with the matching HD-PVR audio pass through, plus a regular RCA component video cable. I do not know if either converter is a good product. Check Amazon UK for product reviews if possible.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Component-YPbPr-HDMI-Converter-F-PS2-Wii-Xbox-1080P-/2808506...ht_4558wt_1007
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOOPS-YPbPr-COMPONENT-HDMI-CABLE-ADAPTER-CONVERTER-/37020097...#ht_2865wt_778


You will of course need an XBox 360 component cable. Examples of other cables you may need are below. You do not have to use these exact products from ebay. You could easily find similar ones elsewhere that would work equally well.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2m-PURE-OFC-Component-Video-RGB-YUV-Cable-Lead-GOLD-6ft-/120...blesConnectors
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2m-6-5ft-TOSLink-SPDIF-Cable-Lead-Optical-S-PDIF-/2005594076...#ht_1184wt_989
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2m-2-RCA-Phono-Plugs-Plugs-Stereo-Audio-Cable-GOLD-/38035728...item588f0f860f

If you currently have audio from HDMI and your monitor speakers, you are set. If audio is being handled differently, let me know.

You should probably set up your XBox 360 to use component video and 720p. The HD-PVR can record 720p60 NTSC video and 720p50 PAL video. It looks like it can't record an SD PAL60 signal.

[Edit]I forgot to say if you want to record 5.1 channel audio from the XBox 360, you need 2 optical S/PDIF cables, plus the converter box with optical S/PDIF. (One optical S/PDIF connects the pass-through to the converter, and connects the XBox 360 to the HD-PVR.) If 5.1 audio does not interest you, the XBox 360 component cable and the RCA stereo cable, plus the converter box with stereo audio input should be enough.

[giggsidan]

Do you think your suggestion would give a better picture than the VGA method or is it something else?

Also, I'm currently using one of these in the back of my Xbox...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HD-AV-HDMI-Adapter-Xbox-360-Headsets-/220926042967?pt=UK_Vid...ht_1939wt_1164

So if you picture an Xbox 360, I have the HDMI cable and then this lead in the AV slot next to it. This is because I use a Turtlebeach X11 headset. So I have a cable with a red and white attachment which goes into the box of the thing I linked, and then that has a green attachment on the other end which I plug my headset into.

Would that come in handy at all here? The red and white attachments actually seem to be able to take other connections going into them sort of on top of each other if you know what I mean. Sorry for the basic language!

Edit - I'm thinking this thing I already have may come in handy so I don't have to buy seperate audio leads or something.

[usually_quiet]

Do you think your suggestion would give a better picture than the VGA method or is it something else?

Also, I'm currently using one of these in the back of my Xbox...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HD-AV-HDMI-Adapter-Xbox-360-Headsets-/220926042967?pt=UK_Vid...ht_1939wt_1164

So if you picture an Xbox 360, I have the HDMI cable and then this lead in the AV slot next to it. This is because I use a Turtlebeach X11 headset. So I have a cable with a red and white attachment which goes into the box of the thing I linked, and then that has a green attachment on the other end which I plug my headset into.

Would that come in handy at all here? The red and white attachments actually seem to be able to take other connections going into them sort of on top of each other if you know what I mean. Sorry for the basic language!

Edit - I'm thinking this thing I already have may come in handy so I don't have to buy seperate audio leads or something.

I need time to think about this.

[Cauptain]

Avermedia also have devices capable of capturing from hdmi from xbox360.

An alternative which while it dose not use hdmi can record 1080i from the xbox360 over component (pass through) is the AVerMedia game capture HD ... which requires NO pc.

Xbox360 over hdmi dose not suffer the issues of encryption over hdmi (except for movies only) as plagued by the sony ps3.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. The AVER GAME CAPTURE HD quality is ridiculous in "speed games" like SONIC, ...Horrendous, very pixelated. Never buy it. Same to ROXIO GAME CAPTURE.

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For record console gameplays (720p/1080i) try AVER HD DVR (PCI-e), BLACKMAGIC or HAUPPAGE PVR.


Claudio

[usually_quiet]

Do you think your suggestion would give a better picture than the VGA method or is it something else?

Also, I'm currently using one of these in the back of my Xbox...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HD-AV-HDMI-Adapter-Xbox-360-Headsets-/220926042967?pt=UK_Vid...ht_1939wt_1164

So if you picture an Xbox 360, I have the HDMI cable and then this lead in the AV slot next to it. This is because I use a Turtlebeach X11 headset. So I have a cable with a red and white attachment which goes into the box of the thing I linked, and then that has a green attachment on the other end which I plug my headset into.

Would that come in handy at all here? The red and white attachments actually seem to be able to take other connections going into them sort of on top of each other if you know what I mean. Sorry for the basic language!

Edit - I'm thinking this thing I already have may come in handy so I don't have to buy seperate audio leads or something.

I need time to think about this.

I changed my mind. Go with a VGA to component converter. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-Laptop-VGA-TV-RGB-Component-YPbPr-Video-Converter-Apapter...ht_6075wt_1007

It will give you a better picture on the monitor and acceptable component input for the HD-PVR.

You don't need to buy from that seller, but be sure it converts in the right direction (VGA to component) and has VGA in, plus VGA out, as well component video out.

[giggsidan]

What made you change your mind? I was all ready to go for what you wrote before you edited it! :P