How to capture/record video from HDMI (record game play from XBox 360, PS3 to PC)

I need to record videos from game consoles (PS3, XBox 360) using HDMI output.

Does NVidia, ATI or any other companies produce graphics cards or any other hardware that can do that?

Hava offers hardware that allows you to connect any HD video source as well as record, pause, fast forward, rewind live TV on your PC
HAVA Platinum HD TV Device
Will it be able to record HDMI streams, which includes the PS3, Xbox 360?

Gefen High-Definition Personal Video Recorder has HDMI input and seems and can potentially record from PS3 and Xbox 360, but it costs $999

But the device will not allow an HDCP encrypted source to be recorded. So this device will only record YPbPr and non-HDCP HDMI signals (and composite/S-video signals).
Besides Gefen anounced that future hard drives will be encrypted, to prevent users from accessing it with a PC!

Is HDMI signal from PS3 and Xbox 360 protected thus impossible to record? Am I only limited to component cables if I want to record high definition signals?

[Stream Ripper]

Hey there, sorry for the delayed response.

A friend of mine Andy showed me a link online to an hdmi recorder, it was $200 plus usd or so. Expensive, but looks like it works great with the ps3 and xbox 360.

The item can be found here: HD Fury:

Originally Posted by HD Fury

HDfury is a revolutionary product that allows you to use any HDMI/DVI device on analog displays like PC monitors, video projectors or older HDTVs in full resolutions up to 1080p! If you own a high quality monitor/projector/tv that does not have a HDMI connector you need this device, it will save you from buying an expensive new screen in order to enjoy the 720p or 1080p resolution your display already supports! HDfury module will transform any "technically able" ANALOG display into a DIGITAL display performing a perfect visual HD @ 720p/1080p from any HDMI/HDCP sources such as PS3, X360 Elite, HD-DVD&Blu-Ray player, SAT&Cable HDTV setbox, HDMI graphic card, and more. IMPORTANT NOTE: HDfury receives HDMI resolutions such as 720p (1280x720) and 1080p (1920x1080) and outputs them without changing anything in RGB format. Therefore, your displays VGA input must be able to support a 1280x720 resolution for 720p and 1920x1080 for 1080p. If it does not specifically support those resolutions, then it may not be able to render the picture. Please note, 1280x768 is NOT the same 1280x720 as commonly believed.

i've never used it myself however so i'm not sure how well it works.

hope this helps.

[Matthew Doucette]

I am looking to record 720p videos off my Xbox 360. I was recommended to check out Blackmagic Intensity Pro card (This is not spam. I need to learn how to do this properly to create high definition trailers of a video game I am making.)

I basically know nothing about HDMI and high definition.

From what I can tell, my Xbox is hooked to my 720p TV using component video (three RGB cables) and stereo audio (white and red cables; not sure what this is called). As far as I know, that is HDMI. Or rather the xbox outputs HDMI, and my cable converts it to component video and stereo audio. Am I on the right track?

I have a few questions:

1. Should I go with HDMI cables to go directly from HDMI output from my Xbox to HDMI input on my capture card?
2. Just want to verify that connection on the back of my Xbox 360 is in fact HDMI. Is it?
3. I want to record some pretty crazy gameplay, and I do not want to play it lagged on my computer screen via the capture card. I want a capture card that outputs the single in HDMI (to use my Xbox 360 HDMI cables I am already using) to sent it back to my TV, in real time to play my game without any lag. No lag during capture is super important. I cannot stress this enough.
4. Will any HDMI copy protection disable capture?

Thank you, anyone, so much for answering any of these questions!

Just 2 steps.

Step1: Download screen video capture software and install it

Step 2: Adjust the settings if needed and click the Record button. If you have finished your recording, stop it, save the file and watch the playback.

You can use an HD capture card like Blackmagic Intensity Pro or you can use a Personal Video Recorder Hauppage HD PVR to record game plays in HD quality.

Blackmagic Intensity Pro can be connected to your gaming console over HDMI. Hauppage HD PVR does't support HDMI, so you can record from component video output with it only (which is an analog connection). You may also need to use a separate audio cable. See more details in the following thread:
Blackmagic Intensity Pro vs. Hauppage HD PVR


The above mentioned HAVA Platinum HD also records in SD. It record to MPEG-2, so it is compressed by hardware for you. Your computer may not be powerful enough even to record 720x480 videos (I'm not even talking about 1920×1080 videos), so it's nice to use some hardware like HAVA Platinum HD.


Screen video capture software requires you to have a powerful computer especially for record HD videos. I suggest you to capture using Huffyuv or Motion JPEG video codec first, and then re-compress your recorded videos.

Originally Posted by Matthew Doucette

I am looking to record 720p videos off my Xbox 360. I was recommended to check out Blackmagic Intensity Pro card (This is not spam. I need to learn how to do this properly to create high definition trailers of a video game I am making.)

I basically know nothing about HDMI and high definition.

From what I can tell, my Xbox is hooked to my 720p TV using component video (three RGB cables) and stereo audio (white and red cables; not sure what this is called). As far as I know, that is HDMI. Or rather the xbox outputs HDMI, and my cable converts it to component video and stereo audio. Am I on the right track?

I have a few questions:

1. Should I go with HDMI cables to go directly from HDMI output from my Xbox to HDMI input on my capture card?
2. Just want to verify that connection on the back of my Xbox 360 is in fact HDMI. Is it?
3. I want to record some pretty crazy gameplay, and I do not want to play it lagged on my computer screen via the capture card. I want a capture card that outputs the single in HDMI (to use my Xbox 360 HDMI cables I am already using) to sent it back to my TV, in real time to play my game without any lag. No lag during capture is super important. I cannot stress this enough.
4. Will any HDMI copy protection disable capture?

1. As for Blackmagic Intensity Pro, it has an HDMI input and an HDMI output. You can connect the ouput of your xbox 360 to the HDMI input of Blackmagic Intensity Pro, and connect the HDMI ouput of Blackmagic Intensity Pro to the HDMI input of your TV / LCD screen (although the preview screen doesn't seem to work when connected this way).
   
   Alternatively you can use a passive HDMI splitter from the xbox 360 with an HDMI cable to the Blackmagic Intensity Pro and an HDMI cable for connecting to your HDTV (however as Intensity PRO can handle this without any splitters, there is no need to buy one).
   
   You can also use an HDMI to DVI cable for connecting to your computer monitor. You may also need an in-line HDMI amplifier. Or use an active HDMI 1x2 splitter instead of a passive HDMI splitter and an HDMI amplifier.
   
   
2. Older xbox 360 game consoles do not have an HDMI connector.
   
   
3. See item #1
   This should allow you to record 720p gameplays and play games without any lags.
   
   
4. You shouldn't have any problems recording games. As for recording Blu-Ray DVD, HDCP protection is used when outputting video via HDMI.
   
   Blackmagic Intensity Pro doesn't say anything about HDCP, so most probably it won't be able to record such videos. But you can use AnyDVD HD, which allows you to play Blu-Ray videos on any device even if they don't support HDCP.

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

I need to record my game plays from xbox360 and PS3 in full HD quality (1080p). I'm willing to pay a lot for the Full HD Capture card that can record from my game consoles without upscaling.

[WaningGibbous]

Originally Posted by mokdeeo

Just 2 steps.

Step1: Download screen video capture software and install it

Step 2: Adjust the settings if needed and click the Record button. If you have finished your recording, stop it, save the file and watch the playback.

My monitor doesnt have hdmi input, so I bought an hdmi to dvi cable for my monitor. I switch monitor to dvi and see input but I'm unable to record the dvi... it still records the vga.

What am I doing wrong? I know I'm dumb. Thanks in advance. BTW I'm using sngit to record video, not using recorder from the above link.

Originally Posted by WaningGibbous

My monitor doesnt have hdmi input, so I bought an hdmi to dvi cable for my monitor. I switch monitor to dvi and see input but I'm unable to record the dvi... it still records the vga.

What am I doing wrong? I know I'm dumb. Thanks in advance. BTW I'm using sngit to record video, not using recorder from the above link.

How do you get video on your computer from DVI, HDMI or VGA?

[extcyrav3]

the main problem with wanting this is that you want a computer with an hdmi in or somhow convert it to usb im not sure that s possible but i have seen a man that used an hdmi splitter and with the scart ps3 chords and some how with a desktop and dual moniters he was able to record with running one of the chords through a 70$ modem but if u could find some how a hdmi to usb that would be great but what ps3 shouldl have done was (if u dont need 1080 and would settle for 720) they should of made it so u can run out more than one cable option at a time like have an svideo running to a 30 easy cap card and play in hdmi to make it easier.... but there is a product by the name of "roxio" or something and it is 100$ and uses componant cables (a step down from hdmi but a step up from msvideo and componant) well i hope i could help but based on what u want again like i said you would be looking for a very awkward device but again sony could have made it a little easier to record given the options that theyy had

[wild_asterix]

I recently set up a system to do this and it works great. The key components are getting the Video from the console into the PC and also being able to record the video to the hard drive in real time.

I used an HDMI splitter box (cost around ?50) to take the video to the PC. I used a Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card with its bundled software to record the video. (I could have saved on the cost of the splitter box as the card allows the video signal to be looped through but this would have meant that I would have had to have the PC on whenever the XBox or PS3 were in use.)

In order to record, disk write speeds have to be fast. I found that the cheapest and best way to do this was to create a RAM drive. I used some software from Dataram to create this RAM disk. (I think that this is always going to be the best solution as the actual data transfer rate for Magnetic hard drives have not increased in 10 years meaning that the latest SATA III drives are no faster than the old E-IDE ones! The data transfer rates are still only around 110MB/s even though the SATA III standard allows for 600MB/s. SDD's are now approaching this max speed. A RAM drive however is many times faster than even an SSD and is therefore the best choice for any process that will involve a lot of disk access. (I installed extra RAM so that I could devote some for the RAM drive when needed.)

I did find that the best I could record was 1080i and not 1080p. This may be a limitation with either the Blackmagic card or bundled software, though it is advertised as being capable of 1080p. This was my only minor issue. ( I did check that it was not the splitter's fault by wiring direct.) The Blackmagic Express software produced the warning "No Remote" any time the input signal was 1080p.

I hope that this helps someone else.