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  1. G'day,

    I'd like to record some gameplay on a Mac (Intel Core Duo) that is running Windows. The gameplay was recorded into savefiles and I'd like to capture the action. I tried copying the save files to another computer which had a much better platform but for some reason or another they don't play back right so I'll have to capture on the Mac (which isn't so good because it is forced to use a software renderer ).

    The good news is that I'll be recording at 640x480 resolution. Because Macs are typically limited in their expansion options, I'll have to go with a VGA to S-Video scan converter, then figure get a S-Video to USB capture device. After some extensive searching around the web and here, this post seems to be what I'd consider tolerable. Yes capturing at 1024x768 would be nice but then I'd have to upgrade to 1080p to get the full frame width then crop it...substandard. Besides 480p works fine for YouTube anyways.

    I see these cheap devices of which I am skeptical about. Low cost in video work typically means low quality output, if it works at all. Then I'll have to capture with a S-Video to USB device, I see a couple of inexpensive dongles on Amazon which seem okay.

    Should all this mess work? I'd love to use DVI but we all know how well DVI capture goes.
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  2. Banned
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    If you are doing ANYTHING on a Mac, your post becomes a "Mac question" and needs to go in our Mac forum. We have members who look for those posts specifically. I will ask a moderator to move this for you. I know it seems like it is a capturing question, but it is not because you need Mac specific help.

    Hauppauge makes some HD PVR devices that work via USB attachments and will work under Mac with the right 3rd party software. I have their Colossus card which is in the same device family and I'm really happy with it, but I'm using that under Windows. You cannot use that card in an iMac or Macbook, if that is what you have. However, do note that this device family doesn't let you change the resolution of video input, so whatever you send it (480i/p, 720p, 1080i/p) is what it will record.
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  3. Banned
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    I don't really recommend trying to do this under Windows on a Mac unless you are dual booting, in which case I guess you really don't need Mac specific help.
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  4. It is a triple boot but the game itself is a Windows game (Need for Speed High Stakes). I have a Intel Mac mini. The capture dongle will most likely go to another computer, probably a Windows laptop. As I said earlier, I would have captured the replays on a Windows computer because then at least I would have proper D3D hardware but ... they wouldn't play right, they were all borked.
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  5. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Thread moved to the mac forum where you can get more help.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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    Triple booting is probably not necessary, but it's not my box. Anyway, I stand by my recommendation for the Hauppauge HD PVR devices which use USB connectors. Lucky for you is that you will be running them on Windows so you need no 3rd party programs. Do understand that this device records all video in H.264 format and audio is either AAC or AC3 (only if your source is AC3 and you use an optical cable to record it). It comes with an editing program you can use.
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  7. Cool. But I have VGA out as my only option, so would a VGA to S-Video scan converter along with one of those S-Video/Composite to USB capture devices work fine?

    EDIT: and hardware AVC compression would work fine with me, I'd be editing it with FCX anyways
    EDIT2: I searched Amazon for the HD PVR and I've seen it before but it looks like it's just S-Video in and Composite in, and component jacks in the back + some USB port. Or the PCIe options but I don't have a machine with PCIe, let alone PCI. I've seen those USB dongle things, was wondering (searched on that subject here) if it would bork up the whole project or if it would work fine.
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    I'm guessing you live in Australia on account of the greeting you use. It might be useful to know for certain, because the selection of capture devices and converters available is often different depending on location.

    If you use a VGA to composite/S-Video converter, you can only capture a fuzzy standard definition interlaced picture. You can capture a somewhat better picture using component at 480p or 720p.

    VGA to component converters are available in the US. Perhaps a similar device to the one below can be purchased where you are.
    http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?seq=1&format=2&p_id=8668&CAWELAID=132945...d=CKf-l_mP-bIC

    If you can find one, it will be then be possible to use the Hauppauge HD-PVR.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 11th Oct 2012 at 11:38.
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    I second usually_quiet's recommendation to use a VGA to component converter. You do seem to care about the quality of what you record, which is good, so you'll be better off to go that route than VGA to composite or S-video.
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  10. Well, I went with S-Video. Here's the problem: Aside from specialized recording equipment (i.e. HD PVRs) that I can't afford, how else am I going to capture it? Your regular DV camera doesn't have component input...not likely, at least.

    Well this post showed what S-Video can produce...but after what I got, I thought I'd throw up a video of what it looks like, at least on my end.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3N6ZL0AlCU

    (20:29 shows my setup. The Sony device is borrowed.)

    Saturation is a bit too high but it's very hard to tell without repeated testing because the box itself has to be readjusted when the power is cut and the settings don't show up on my mini-display, at least something I can notice. tsk

    It'll work for now, but I doubt I'd use it again. Because I'm capturing some 640x480 of a computer game that (because my mini's video card isn't supported) uses a software render, the dithering may help smooth some rough edges.

    Still, as I said in the video comments, component will provide a better output. How better? Well I don't know, that's not something I can answer, I don't have the equipment. Needless to say I get a bit envious of the folk on YouTube who post higher quality captures and I am always stumped on how they do it -- probably expensive capture cards and HDMI trickery, or powerful enough computers with stuff like FRAPS. I don't know -- I'd like to test component but I don't have a single piece of hardware that can capture it and the only videophile I know of all has SD camera stuff and thus I gather he may not likely have anything that can capture component.

    Now even though this thread is in the Mac section it can apply to pretty much anything that has a sole video out method of VGA. (The mini has DVI but I don't have a DVI display so...yeah.)

    EDIT:
    Pulled the video, quality was way worse than the original version I put up. The original is here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvZ3vaDwG4s
    Last edited by 32768; 26th Dec 2012 at 00:54.
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