Capturing from xbox 360

[VirTu3]

sounds as if it wont be good at all....need to find out whether anyone has this item or anything similar to ask whether it is viewable and recordable.

[VirTu3]

Well, you can read as well as I can. It says it works up to 1920x1200. I wouldn't count on it having great picture quality on the s-video output. It has a passthrough for the VGA so you only need a second VGA cable to run from the box to the monitor.

But xbox 360 vga output resolutions may be limited:
http://hardware.teamxbox.com/reviews/xbox-360/40/Xbox-360-VGA-HD-AV-Cable/p1/
Maybe things have changed since then. Other reviews indicate 1080p output is available over VGA.

do you think the VGA passthrough will produce screen lag/delay etc?

[jagabo]

Analog passthrough should have no perceptible lag.

[tronche]

Hello,

I am having the same "problem" as Virtu3. I want to capture Xbox360 clan matchs with a capture card, while playing on my LCD ( HDMI ). My LCD monitor have an HDMI input ( ==> xbox360 ) and a DVI input ( ==> graphic card of my PC ) , so i don't have any other choice.

SD capture will suffice but i don't want to loose quality when playing . I came to the same conclusion than Virtu3 :

Xbox360
V
Splitter HDMI --> LCD
|
|--> DVI converter --> Vga --> Capture Card ( PAL 60Hz compliant ( Hauppage ?? ))

I just want to quote this :

HDCP will not allow the HDMI signal to be split

I've seen on french forums that splitting HDMI works on xbox360 , even with low cost splitters. I just hope i wont have loss of signal or any latency issues with the "splitter". I'll try this solution and post in some days to tell you if it works

[tronche]

Hello,

I am having the same "problem" as Virtu3. I want to capture Xbox360 clan matchs with a capture card, while playing on my LCD ( HDMI ). My LCD monitor have an HDMI input ( ==> xbox360 ) and a DVI input ( ==> graphic card of my PC ) , so i don't have any other choice.

SD capture will suffice but i don't want to loose quality when playing . I came to the same conclusion than Virtu3 :

Xbox360
V
Splitter HDMI --> LCD
|
|--> DVI converter --> Vga --> Capture Card ( PAL 60Hz compliant ( Hauppage ?? ))

I just want to quote this :

HDCP will not allow the HDMI signal to be split

I've seen on french forums that splitting HDMI works on xbox360 , even with low cost splitters ( I think they just have to implement HDCP ) . I just hope i wont have loss of signal or any latency issues with the "splitter". I'll try this solution and post in some days to tell you if it works

[jagabo]

HDCP != HDMI

[tronche]

HDCP != HDMI

... thank you

I meant thant it's possible to split HDMI ( even if it's encrypted with HDCP ) , many HDMI splitters are HDCP licenced an are "legal" . DCP is the society who delivers HDCP licences , we can see there some products who have passed the compliance test :

http://www.digital-cp.com/hdcp_products/HDMI_Repeaters

[jagabo]

OK, HDCP protected HDMI signals can be split with an HDCP compliant splitter (what I meant was you couldn't use a simple Y adapter cable). But both outputs will continue to be HDCP protected. You still can't record them without an HDCP stripper.

[tronche]

OK, HDCP protected HDMI signals can be split with an HDCP compliant splitter (what I meant was you couldn't use a simple Y adapter cable). But both outputs will continue to be HDCP protected. You still can't record them without an HDCP stripper.

Exactly !

I don't want to record HDMI signal , i don't need this quality and i'm not sure i have enough space / Cpu to handle it :P . Ill convert the hdmi signal to DVI then VGA ( or component ) and capture it

Xbox360
V
Splitter HDMI --> LCD
|
|--> [ HDMI to DVI converter ] --> [ DVI to Vga Dongle ] --> Capture Card ( PAL 60Hz compliant ( Hauppage ?? ))

[edDV]

OK, HDCP protected HDMI signals can be split with an HDCP compliant splitter (what I meant was you couldn't use a simple Y adapter cable). But both outputs will continue to be HDCP protected. You still can't record them without an HDCP stripper.

Exactly !

I don't want to record HDMI signal , i don't need this quality and i'm not sure i have enough space / Cpu to handle it :P . Ill convert the hdmi signal to DVI then VGA ( or component ) and capture it

Xbox360
V
Splitter HDMI --> LCD
|
|--> [ HDMI to DVI converter ] --> [ DVI to Vga Dongle ] --> Capture Card ( PAL 60Hz compliant ( Hauppage ?? ))

What is this HDMI to DVI converter? HDMI is DVI-D for video. Audio pins don't make it to DVI-D.
How does DVI-D get converted to VGA?
How are you going to capture VGA?

[jagabo]

How does DVI-D get converted to VGA?

HDFury. But no Hauppage card records VGA as far as I know. HDFury2 can convert HDMI/DVI to component that can be captured by the Hauppauge HD PVR. Audio can be capture with the HD PVR via optical spdif.

[Butler]

Forgive the long post I thought I'd add my 2 cents experience in the matter and ask my own question.

VirTu3,
I could be wrong but there are HDMI capture cards. They are very expensive and if the signal is protected it wont record it anyway. Not to mention all the Gigs of data raw HD will eat up. I have not researched the HDMI matter, I think edDV stated this in a thread here years ago.

If I read your post correctly your main problem is the same as mine, you are playing on a monitor so you can only use VGA or HDMI. So even if you down grade your 360's video output to SD options i.e. S Video or RCA/composite you still would have to have a converter between the capture device and your monitor to convert the video signal back to VGA or HDMI. There are a couple of options to record video and play in HD but you would probably need to be on a HD TV with Component inputs and purchase one of the options offered by HAVA or Blitzbox. Unless you are a pro (game reviewer or the like) getting paid for your efforts. I just don't feel the price point to record from HDMI is worth it right now. I used HAVA till I had to change my "video game play" area to the Office where my only option is VGA on an old Viewsonic VA1912wb 19inch 16:10 I think?? it runs at 1440x900.

Now for my question, which may also help with VirTu3's dilemma. And just to get a pro opinion from the experts here before I drop 70 bucks....
I am not an avid recorder like I was back in the day, not to mention how it has become way more complicated to record and play in HD. But I do get the urge to do it as a hobby sometimes for how to vids or to show off. I too am on a monitor right now and my record device is an old HAVA HD with component in and out. So I would need a converter to go from component to VGA. I found one and it is at least under $100. HDTV Component to VGA Converter http://www.datapro.net/products/hdtv-component-to-vga-converter.html Now before I buy I was wondering how bad my 1440x900 monitor would use the available resolutions from this product.

From site:

The CSV-955A supports these popular high-definition resolutions: 

480p: 640x480 (works on any VGA monitor) 
720p: 1280x720 widescreen 
1080i: 1920x1080 widescreen interlaced (limited monitor support) 
1080p: 1920x1080 widescreen

Now I am thinking about purchasing a TV for the office but I have no Idea when. $70 for this converter is a lot cheaper than $300+ for TV. But if you guys think this will work with out causing lag or video suckage problems I maybe can hold off on the TV a while longer.

[jagabo]

You'll have to check your monitor's abilities. It probably won't accept 1920x1080 i or p (unlike HDTVs, monitors usually don't support input of resolutions higher than their LCD panel). It might accept 1280x720p (this is not a normal computer resolution) and, if it does, should show better resolution than SD TV (but not as good as a native 1280x720 VGA signal would look because component video carries the chroma (color) channels at about half the horizontal resolution of the luma channel). It should accept 640x480 and will look about the same as a good SD TV.

[edDV]

I am not an avid recorder like I was back in the day, not to mention how it has become way more complicated to record and play in HD. But I do get the urge to do it as a hobby sometimes for how to vids or to show off. I too am on a monitor right now and my record device is an old HAVA HD with component in and out. So I would need a converter to go from component to VGA. I found one and it is at least under $100. HDTV Component to VGA Converter http://www.datapro.net/products/hdtv-component-to-vga-converter.html Now before I buy I was wondering how bad my 1440x900 monitor would use the available resolutions from this product.

From site:

The CSV-955A supports these popular high-definition resolutions: 

480p: 640x480 (works on any VGA monitor) 
720p: 1280x720 widescreen 
1080i: 1920x1080 widescreen interlaced (limited monitor support) 
1080p: 1920x1080 widescreen

Now I am thinking about purchasing a TV for the office but I have no Idea when. $70 for this converter is a lot cheaper than $300+ for TV. But if you guys think this will work with out causing lag or video suckage problems I maybe can hold off on the TV a while longer.

It is worth a try if you can return it. Their description hit the problem of gamma conversion. Without this you would need sepatate VGA monitor calibrations for this device and the computer display card. Maybe they have fixed that problem.

Here are some others. I've never used any of them.
http://www.svideo.com/component2vga.html