The BEST Way To Play & Record Xbox 360 Through Your PC?

[njosnavelin78]

I would really like to know whether i should get a capture card or an external device such as a Gamebridge AVC 1410, i would just like the best advice on what gives the very best quality picture of the 360 through the PC? Remember people i don't know the greatest deal about PC's so please keep it as simple as possible. All help appreciated. Thank you.

[bobkart]

You won't be able to capture anything more than 480i.

Someone recently posted that the Xbox 360 can output both Component Video and Composite Video at the same time. So you could capture the 480i on the Composite Video output (Yellow RCA) while playing and watching the Component Video output.

As far as what capture device to use for capturing the 480i, I use an ADS Pyro API-555 to convert the 480i to DV on FireWire and capture the DV on PC. I get excellent results.

[edDV]

Or just record the composite (yellow) to a DVD recorder or VCR.

It is not a good idea to run XBox through your PC to the computer monitor for play. You will see long delays from pushing a game button to something happening on the screen. Not playable.

There are computer monitors that also accept composite or S-video directly. Those would work ok. Otherwise play the game on a TV.

[njosnavelin78]

I've been told you cannot capture Xbox 360 using Firewire, is this true?

[awhite2600]

I picked up a Gamebridge 1410 last week and I am a bit disappointed.

I purchased the unit mainly as a way of playing some of my old consoles (Atari, Intellivision, etc) on my PC monitor. Space is very limited in my computer area and I wanted to eliminate the need for a TV with RF and composite inputs. The video quality of the GameBridge is quite poor and the unit has trouble synching to some of the older systems - especially the Atari 2600.

Look into some other product if you decide to go with a capture unit.

[edDV]

I've been told you cannot capture Xbox 360 using Firewire, is this true?

XBox360 doesn't have a Firewire output so far as I know. HD out is YPbPr or VGA.

[Butler]

You won't be able to capture anything more than 480i.

Someone recently posted that the Xbox 360 can output both Component Video and Composite Video at the same time. So you could capture the 480i on the Composite Video output (Yellow RCA) while playing and watching the Component Video output.

As far as what capture device to use for capturing the 480i, I use an ADS Pyro API-555 to convert the 480i to DV on FireWire and capture the DV on PC. I get excellent results.

bobkart, or anyone how would I go about this? I would love to record again (on Xbox 360) but since moving to High Definition I can't. My TV Toshiba 34HFX84 has a composite (yellow) Video out and an Ant 75Ω out. My capture card is a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR PCI II (Encoder-16). Back in the Old Xbox days I had no problems. I am wondering how I can get this working again with out having to play games in standard definition on my TV.

[bobkart]

Unless your Xbox 360 can output both SD and HD at the same time, you'll need to either:

- play/record in SD
- downconvert the HD to SD or
- record it as HD

Since there are very few alternatives for recording it as HD, downconversion would seem to be called for if you want to avoid playing in SD. I've not seen such a downconverter for much less than $400: http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?baseItem=TV1%2DAVT3190&cat=VIDEOEQUIP&subcat=VIDP...&search=0&off=

Ideally the Xbox can be made to output both HD and SD at the same time, but not having one I can't say if or how that would be accomplished.

[Butler]

WOW, was not expecting a response so quickly But thanks. I am still experimenting to see if it actually will output both signals. As I will not be buying a down converter anytime soon...lol. For what I am doing I don't think it is worth that much of an investment.

Right now I am a no go but I am still trying to split with my TV's composite out, not direct from 360 to capture card. I'll need a female composite adapter for the later. Can't get that till tomorrow.

If I were to come across $500 and get one I would assume I would still need to split the hd signal to the down converter and the tv and then from the down converter to the pc. Right?

Ahh recording games was so much easier with rf adapters and cable splitters....lol.

[bobkart]

That particular downconverter has a pass-through with which you could send the incoming HD signal out to the display. But yes, without such a feature, splitting the HD signal would be called for, to feed both the downconverter and the display. Those are in the $100-$200 range.

[Butler]

Well bobcart, down converter may be the only option right now. I have still had no luck with using both connections.

[Butler]

Just found this http://www.snappymultimedia.com/products_specification_hd_gold.htm in another thread. And for a little background information this is the original thread it was in. http://www.ncaastrategies.com/utopia/showthread.php?t=47021

What do you think of this?

[bobkart]

Its pass-through capability would seem to provide a downconverting function. But that would have to be checked for sure, or a return policy that would take it back, before I would purchase it.

I didn't look into the thread you linked to as I am trying to get some work done before tomorrow.

[igor_video]

The thread (if I read correctly) said he was using standard definition from his ps3. The product has a pass-through, but I don't think it does any downconverting. I think it's like DVD players where DVD recorders cannot recieve HD or Progressive signals so even though it has a component input, the picture -has- to be sent via 480i and you cannot record from a 480p, 720p or 1080i/p even though the pass through will pass through such a signal.

[Butler]

Ah! I hope not I will try to get this cleared up. In the product Specifications it has built in MPEG encoder. So I was thinking HD signal is encoded to MPEG-2/MPEF-4 and sent to PC via Ethernet. But I know nothing about that area. So I could be WAY off track here.

[Butler]

This is the latest answer I got from the other thread:

QUOTE=gschwendt; yes... I'm playing the HD signal on my TV while the PC is recording the signal. The reason for the camcorder A/V cable is that it requires 2 of those to use audio & video input; 1 is the component video (any rca cable can carry an rca signal) and the second is for the audio (red & white, yellow not used on the audio).

There's no loss of bandwidth at all... since an internet connection can typically only send/receive 5MBps and even a simple network at home can send 100MBps, there's plenty of bandwidth to share. However, what I've actually done since it won't be used on other PCs in the house is simply connect it directly to my PC using a Cat5 crossover cable. My PC connects to my network wirelessly but my PC connects to the HAVA using the crossover cable.

I also have the question on the product's support forums.

[igor_video]

In regard to the reply to your post on the products support forums - some people still use standard definition tv's. You never know, he might not be using a high def tv. Reply on the forum and double check that he's running a high definition signal from the xbox (i.e. 720p, not 480p) and that it passes through the device to the tv as 720p whilst also recording the hd signal downscaled to standard definition (mpeg2).

If that's the case then that's almost $300 saved on a standalaone downconverter. Also ask him if it outputs the downscaled signal to the s-video out on the back of the device (which is what I want).

[Butler]

In regard to the reply to your post on the products support forums - some people still use standard definition TVs. You never know, he might not be using a high def TV. Reply on the forum and double check that he's running a high definition signal from the xbox (i.e. 720p, not 480p) and that it passes through the device to the TV as 720p whilst also recording the hd signal downscaled to standard definition (mpeg2).

If that's the case then that's almost $300 saved on a standalone down converter. Also ask him if it outputs the downscaled signal to the s-video out on the back of the device (which is what I want).

igor_video, Check PMs. I also tried to clarify in that forum. As for your desire I am not sure I understand what you mean. From what I read it sends the "down converted" MPEG to your PC via Ethernet. This Model: HAVA HD Pro #5 may be what your wondering? http://www.snappymultimedia.com/products_specification_hd_pro.htm Has:
Product Specification

Device Features
1. A/V capture from built-in TV Tuner or A/V base-band inputs (Composite, S-Video, Component)
2. Built-in hardware MPEG encoder

a. MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 advanced simple profile
b. Dynamic bitrate and frame rate adjustment
3. TV Tuner
a. Supports worldwide (PAL and NTSC) TV standards.
b. Built-in splitter allows for HAVA to be tuned to a channel independently from the TV set. E.g. one channel can be watched on the TV while another channel is being streamed by HAVA.
4. Base-Band Audio/Video Inputs
a. RCA Composite Video
b. RCA Left and Right Audio
c. S-Video
d. Component Y-Pb-Pr
5. Pass-through Outputs for every Audio/Video input for connection to TV set or other A/V equipment6. Macrovision detection
7. Networking
a. Wired Ethernet (802.3) 10/100 Interface
9. Front panel LEDs
10. IR Emitter for set-top box control

[gschwendt]

In regard to the reply to your post on the products support forums - some people still use standard definition tv's. You never know, he might not be using a high def tv. Reply on the forum and double check that he's running a high definition signal from the xbox (i.e. 720p, not 480p) and that it passes through the device to the tv as 720p whilst also recording the hd signal downscaled to standard definition (mpeg2).

If that's the case then that's almost $300 saved on a standalaone downconverter. Also ask him if it outputs the downscaled signal to the s-video out on the back of the device (which is what I want).

I'm the guy on the other board that has the HAVA Gold device. Yes, I do play the game on my TV in full HD, in whatever resolution the game outputs (720p, 1080i). However, the question regarding the SVideo signal, I'm not sure what that would do.

The device is designed to take a signal in from either A/V, SVideo, or RGB Component, it then outputs it back out in the same format that it came in to be sent back to the TV. To go to the PC, it's sent over Cat5 cable either connected to your network or in my case, connected to directly your PC using a cross-over cable.

By all means, if you have any more questions for me, fire away. As I recommended to Butler, I'd probably suggest getting the HAVA Pro simply because its only $20 more (after $50 rebate) but uses standard component connections where-as the Gold requires some finagling using RCA couplers and camcorder A/V cables.

And if you want to see anything specific in terms of video or even some photos of my setup, just let me know that as well.

Also, one option for those that have a PS3 or are getting a 360 elite, there's an HDMI capture card out there from Blackmagic for $249. It captures in full HD rather than downconverting it to D1.

[edDV]

Also, one option for those that have a PS3 or are getting a 360 elite, there's an HDMI capture card out there from Blackmagic for $249. It captures in full HD rather than downconverting it to D1.

I'm still not sure if the Blackmagic HDMI card is limited to YCbCr or if it also will capture RGB but be carefull what you ask for. Uncompressed SMPTE-292 HD is a data firehose 1.485 Gbit/s or ~700GB per hour . You will need a 3-4+ disk RAID zero to capture at that rate.

[igor_video]

However, the question regarding the SVideo signal, I'm not sure what that would do.

The device is designed to take a signal in from either A/V, SVideo, or RGB Component, it then outputs it back out in the same format that it came in to be sent back to the TV. To go to the PC, it's sent over Cat5 cable either connected to your network or in my case, connected to directly your PC using a cross-over cable.

Thank you very much for your reply. Firstly the device is great, it passes through a HD signal whilst converting it to a standard definition mpeg2 stream over a cat 5 cable. For the price I don't think anything beats it. I understand now about the a/v input-output passthrough, I was wanting an s-video/dv output downconverted from the component input for a technical reason to do with deinterlacing, but other than that it does the job. Thanks.

[gschwendt]

It really is a very good device. And add to the fact that if you use it what its truly intended for (ie like a slingbox) then it could be even more beneficial. I haven't tried to set it up to be a slingbox but I'm sure someone would use it for that in addition to capturing console footage.

[Butler]

OK I purchased the HAVA Pro HD. I will give a full report when I get to try it out. Now that I am sure I will be able to record games While I play in HD. My main concern will be if I get any lag during online games.

[Equalizer]

OK I purchased the HAVA Pro HD. I will give a full report when I get to try it out. Now that I am sure I will be able to record games While I play in HD. My main concern will be if I get any lag during online games.

I am looking to do the same thing and was wondering how this went for you.

Just to clarify - the HAVA Pro HD will take a high def signal and pass it through and it will also out put to a standard or S video at the same time, correct?

I am looking forward to hearing how this went for you.

EQ

[007craft]

This is the method I use to record. It allows me to record in SD while remain playing in HD. The total cost for this set-up is around $150+ (The cheapest I can think of). First thing your gonna need is an xbox 360 VGA cable. You can obtain the madcatz cable for alot cheaper then the official cable ($20) (and its much longer too). Now you have your 360 outputting your video signal via VGA at 720P or 1080p or whatever. Now you need to split that signal in 2. To do this, I use a VGA splitter/amplifier. These cost around $50. You can also use a $5 VGA splitter cable, but if you do this, your video will be dark, and/or have lines going through it. This is a result of using a cable to split the signal without boosting it. The one I use is THIS one. HERE is another you can try.

Now you have an xbox 360 outputting in HD (via vga), and the output signal being split into 2 vga outputs (via the splitter/booster). Now, connect one output to your HD display with a vga cable, your good to go in terms of playing in HD. Now for recording, you need 2 more things (well and a computer). The first is a capture card and the second is PC-TV converter or downconverter or whatever you want to call it.

The particular card I own is the WinTV-PVR-150 MCE. I bought this card for $70 2 years ago. You can find it alot cheaper if your resourceful.

Now for the converter. To change the signal, I use THIS one. It seems to be ok, and does the job, but I feel the quality is not as good as it can be (still good tho) You can buy a more expensive one if you want but I feel this is good enough.

If your running a reciever with a 5.1 optical input (like me), then simply plug an optical cable from the back of the 360 vga output cable to your reciever. Then route the left and right (white + red) composite audio cables from the vga cable to the red and white input on your capture card (You will most likely need to buy extension cables because the cables are too short on the vga cable). You can get these cheap at your local radio shack/the source.

If you do not have 5.1 surround with optical, buy a cheap cable that slipts it in 2 and route 1 end to your capture card and the other end to your tv.

Now your total setup should look something like this PICTURE. (click the picture to see the lines and text properly)



The only thing you may need during this is a VGA gender changer. I think the official xbox VGA cables comes with a gender changer while the madcatz does not. Also, it depends if the inputs of your vga splitter you buy are male or female. It does not matter much tho as a gender changer is only a couple bucks. I bought THIS one from monoprice.com (They also sell male to male).

So there, cheapest play in hd while record in SD method I know of. You can see some videos I made with this set-up here. Remeber that I have lowered the quality of those videos to fit in youtubes 100mb limit, + youtube butchered them further with a re-encode yet they are still watchable. The full sized versions I have are alot better, easy to see every bit of detail and text and brighter too.

[igor_video]

Tried that method before and I find the PC-to-TV converter is the weak point in the capture process, the quality of the conversion is simply unnacceptable for my needs, but it does the job if the quality is not important. Thankfully I didn't spend $140+ to find out this out. Many hdtv's are replacing vga with hdmi as inputs too so make sure your tv is compatible before trying it.

[007craft]

Buy a more expensive TV-PC converter and the quality wont suffer. Still cheaper then buying anything like an hd spitter and the like. BTW, Tvs are not replacing VGA with HDMI, were did you hear that? They co-exsist together.

Ultimately, in around 5 more years, the cheapest solution will be to simply purchase an HDMI splitter/amp and a HDMI capture card. Both of which will be affordably then. Because as of now, these things cost way to much, especially the capture card with HDMI.

[thebriman]

ok.... i have a question. Please try to use simple wording, but all i want to do is play halo 2 live on my xbox 360 and be able to record that through the pc. and make a montage of different clips and post it on youtube. I do not have a HD TV. Please tell me the easiest way to do this and what i need to do it. please let me know quickly.

[edDV]

ok.... i have a question. Please try to use simple wording, but all i want to do is play halo 2 live on my xbox 360 and be able to record that through the pc. and make a montage of different clips and post it on youtube. I do not have a HD TV. Please tell me the easiest way to do this and what i need to do it. please let me know quickly.

A simple S-Video capture to your tuner card and simple capture software.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122221

[thebriman]

how would i connect that. and will i be able to save game play from my xbox 360 on my computer?