All hardware gameplay recording solutions: record SD and HD gameplays

#1 06-26-2010, 06:20 AM

HD capture boxes (USB 2.0)

Hauppauge 1212 HD-PVR (Editor's pick) is a benchmark for recording from game consoles. Allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080i. Uses component video input (supporting pass through). Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Supports component (YPbPr) pass through.
AverTV USB HD DVR (C874) (DarkCrystal HD Capture Station) allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080i, via Component (YPbPr) and Analog Video content via S-Video/Composite. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Playback through HDMI out supported. Hardware Transcoder Supports component (YPbPr) pass through.
Elgato EyeTV HD - Allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080i. Uses component video input. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Dual-format capture mode for fast playback on an iPhone and iPad. Supports Mac OS.

HD capture boxes (USB 3.0)

Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle - Allows to record HD videos up to 1080i50, 1080i59.94, 1080i60, 1080p23.98, 1080p24, 1080p25, 1080p29.97, 1080p30, 720p50, 720p59.94, 720p60. Support HDMI and component video input. Does NOT have hardware encoding, so is very resource intensive.

HD capture PCIe cards

Hauppage Colossus HD PVR (Editor's pick) - Allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080i. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Uses component video as well as HDMI input.
Blackmagic Intensity Pro - Allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080i. Uses HDMI input (digital) as well as component video input. Does NOT have hardware encoding, so is very resource intensive.
AverTV HD DVR - Allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080i. Uses HDMI input (digital) as well as component video input. Does NOT have hardware encoding, so is very resource intensive.

SD capture cards

EasyCap DC60/DC60+ with Ulead Video Studio - the cheapest SD recording solution. Uses component video.
EzCap 116 with ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD
Diamond VC500 with Arcsoft Show Biz
Dazzle DVC 100
Dazzle Video Creator Plus HD (Dazzle DVC 100 + Pinnacle Studio v14)
Pinnacle Studio MovieBox HD Ultimate Collection includes hardware and software (Studio Ultimate). Supports SD gameplay recording only.
Pinnacle Studio MovieBox HD includes hardware and software (Studio HD). It allows to record from composite (not component!) video and S-Video. Supports SD gameplay recording only. Note that MovieBox supports firewire (IEEE1394), but AFAIK you can't use it for recording gameplays, because it is intended to be used with camcorders and other devices.

alexthunder · #2 08-30-2012, 03:46 AM

Newer HD capture boxes (USB 2.0) requiring PC or Mac for recording

Elgato Game Capture HD (recommended) is a USB 2.0 video capture device. It allows to record HD video up to 720p60 and 1080p30. Uses HDMI and component video input, so it can record from both xbox 360 and PS3 gameplays. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Supports no-delay HDMI passthrough to the TV. Record PlayStation or Xbox gameplay to a Mac or PC. Flashback Recording feature allows to record retroactively.
Hauppauge 1512 HD-PVR 2, Hauppauge 1480/1488 HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition with Surround sound and Hauppauge 1504/1516 HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus is USB 2.0 video capture device. It allows to record HD video up to 720p60 and 1080p30. Uses component video input, so it can record from both xbox 360 and PS3 gameplays. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Supports no-delay component (YPbPr) and HDMI passthrough, so you can play games and record them simultaneously. Windows PC or a Mac required for recording.

Newer Standalone HD capture boxes (USB 2.0) requiring NO computer for recording

AverMedia Game Capture HD (C281) is a video capture device. It allows to record HD video up to 720p60 and 1080p30. Recording format: MP4 (Codec: h.264 & AAC). Uses component video input, so it can record from both xbox 360 and PS3 gameplays. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Supports no-delay component (YPbPr) passthrough, so you can play games and record them simultaneously. Works without a Windows PC.

Newer HD capture boxes (Thunderbolt)

Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt is Thunderbolt video capture device. It allows to record HD video up to 1080p. Uses HDMI, component, composite and S-Video connections, so it can record from both xbox 360 and PS3 gameplays. Powered over the Thunderbolt cable so you don’t need cumbersome power supplies. Requires a computer with Thunderbolt running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Newer HD capture PCIe cards

AverMedia Game Broadcaster HD (C127) is a PCI-Express X2 card. It allows to record HD video up to 720p and 1080p. Recording formats: MPEG-2, AVI, WMA, WMV, H.264, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV. Uses component video input and HDMI input, so it can record from both xbox 360 and PS3 gameplays. Uses hardware h.264 encoding. Supports no-delay component (YPbPr) passthrough, so you can play games and record them simultaneously. Allows to broadcast your gameplays (Compliant with Adobe Flash Media Live, Xsplit, and wirecast).

Standalone Recording from Xbox and Playstation · #3 01-11-2017, 12:16 PM

Newer standalone HD capture boxes (USB 3.0) requiring NO computer for recording

SEETEC HDMI to USB3.0 capture allows to record 1080P60 HD video from HDMI and YPbPr. Supports USB3.0, 300-350MB/s throughput. Compatible with USB 2.0 40MB/s.

Newer standalone HD capture boxes (USB 2.0) requiring NO computer for recording

ezcap283S HDMI Video Game Recorder allows to record 1080P30 HD Video from Xbox, PlayStation gameplay etc and save it to USB Disk or HDD Directly. No need any PC or Mac. Supports 1080P HDMI Pass through to HDTV (you can play the HD Gameplay when you are recording it). Hardware H.264 encoder.
ezcap284 1080P HD HDMI Video Capture Box allows to capture up to 1080P30 video from HDMI, YPbPr (component) or composite ports (from blue ray, set-top-box, computer, game box, VHS, etc). Supports HDMI Pass-through.

alexthunder · #4 09-06-2015, 04:50 AM

Newer standalone HD capture boxes (USB 2.0) requiring NO computer for recording

Hauppauge HD 1540 PVR Rocket 1080p Video Game Recorder - portable HD recorder allowing to record 1080p30 or 720p60 gameplay. Allows to record via HDMI (without HDCP protection) and component video. Records onto external storage (USB hard drive or flash drive). Can also be connected to your PC and record to your PC's hard drive. Allows to stream your gameplay to Twitch, Youtube with Hauppage Capture or StreamEez. Supports 1080p HDMI passthrough.
Ezcap HDMI Recorder (also knows as Sourcingbay DVR-EC010 HDMI Game Capture 1080P HD Video Recorder Box for Xbox 360, Xbox One, AGPtek 1080P HDMI One Click Recorder For Xbox 360 & One PS3 PS4 HD Video Game Capture and more) is a standalone recorder allowing to record/capture video gameplay from WiiU/Xbox 360/Xbox One/PS3/PS4. It allows to record 1080p30 videos via HDMI or YPbPr component input. It features HDMI pass-through. Records onto external storage (USB hard drive or flash drive).