Product Description:
Elgato Game Capture HD enables you to record PlayStation or Xbox game play to a Mac or PC and share it with your friends and fans. With advanced hardware H.264 encoding, you can capture in stunning HD quality, while keeping the file size low. The game play is passed through to the TV via HDMI - in pristine quality, without delay. Elgato Game Capture HD doesn't need a lot of cables or even a power supply to record your game: With direct Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 input, you can use a single cable to connect it to your console. The included software makes it easy to capture every move you make, even if you forget to press the record button: The unique Flashback Recording feature lets you time shift your game play, so that you can simply slide back in time on your Mac or PC and hit the record button retroactively. With one click, you can share your game play with your friends and fans on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Even better, the tailor-made Elgato Game Capture HD software allows you to quickly trim your gaming scenes and pass them on to your favorite editing software. Ships with: Elgato Game Capture HD, Quick Start Guide, USB cable, HDMI cable and PlayStation 3 cable.
Product Details:
- Uses H.264 encoding to capture your game play in stunning HD
- Using Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 input, a single cable is all that is needed to connect to your console
- Flashback recording lets you time shift your game play so you can simply slide back in time on your Mac or PC and hit the record button retroactively
- With one click you can share your game play with your friends and fans on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
- Mac: OS X 10.7 or later, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPUPC: Windows 7 or later, 2.0 GHz dual core CPU, sound card4 GB RAM, built-in USB 2.0 port
Customer Reviews:
Simply amazing By MyKeyReviews
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3Q0RHPTVPGCJZ When it comes to capturing gameplay from your consoles, you want as good quality as you can get so you can show your friends or the world those amazing moments in detail.
The problem is there are so many different game captures to choose from these days such as Roxio, AverMedia, Hauppauge +more, that it can be a daunting task to choose the right one.
Whilst I can't comment on the others being bad or good due to the fact I haven't personally tried them myself, I can safely say that 'Elgato Game Capture HD' offers simple connectivity, ease of use and very high quality.
So what's in the box?:
Game Capture Device | AV Cable(PS3) | Unencrypted HDMI Cable(Xbox or use as pass-through) | Component Cable | Mini USB - USB cable.
Minimum system requirements:
* Mac: Mac OS X 10.7, 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU.
* PC: Windows 7, 2.0 GHz dual core CPU.
* Sound card | 4 GB RAM | Built-in USB 2.0 port | You will also need an internet connection to download the software from Elgato's official website as there is no software disk included.
- - -
Setting everything up was extremely simple:
Step 1) Download the game captures software.
Step 2) Connect your console to the 'Game Capture HD' using the appropriate cable:
- PS3: You need to use the AV cable rather than HDMI cable, this is because the PS3's HDMI port is encrypted (You can still get 1080i quality).
- Xbox: Use the HDMI cable provided.
Step 3) Link the 'Game Capture HD' and HDTV together via HDMI cable.
Step 4) Insert the USB cable included to both your computer and 'Game Capture HD'.
Step 5) Load up the software.
Step 6) Turn on your console.
- IMPORTANT PS3 Information: PS3 users will need to go to their PS3 "Settings" - "Display Settings" - "Video Output Settings" - "Components / D-Terminal" - When selecting resolution, make sure "1080p" is NOT selected, only go up to "1080i".
The PS3 auto-detects when an HDMI cable is used, but it doesn't auto-detects the AV input. The way I got around this was hooking the PS3 up directly to the TV(whilst AV cables were also connected to the game capture), I then went to the display settings and clicked on "Component / D-Terminal", once selected I had quickly removed the HDMI from the PS3 and connected it to the 'Game Capture HD', this solved the problem and took only 30 seconds for me to do.
Step 7) If there is no picture displayed on the game capture software, go to the 'Game Capture HD Settings' which can be located within the "Device" box under the "Capture" tab. The setting button is to the right-hand side and looks like a hammer and spanner crossed over. It is important to have the "Input Device" on the right settings, after selecting the right option, you should have your gaming consoles screen displayed on the software. *Note*; the software has a few seconds delay on game footage, so use your TV to play games.
Step 8) Tweak other settings if necessary, then your done!
Set-up took barely 5 minutes overall, I was very pleased with how easy it was to set-up. :)
- - -
The computer specs I used whilst using the 'Game Capture HD' software were:
* Windows 7 64-bit Operating System | Intel i7 960 3.2 GHz Processor | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Graphics Card | 12GB RAM.
First of all, the installation process was error free(always a good start), the program loads up promptly and so far I have yet to see it crash.
The layout is basic in a good way and is very easy to navigate, you have simple settings to choose from such as where you would like the gameplay recordings to be saved, the quality of the video files(which will impact the file size) and adjustments in the picture output.
As for recording gameplay, couldn't be any simpler, just press the big red button to start the recording process and press it again to stop.
To the right of the record button you have a "time-shift" bar, this is probably the best feature I have ever seen. Lets say you decided to stop recording because the game your playing is not going in your favour, then out of the blue you do the most epic thing you have every done in gaming history, which of course could not be re-created even with the highest bit of luck... well don't despair, the software keeps an ongoing backup for a certain period of time, which by using the "time-shift", you can go back in time to record that epic moment.
There is also an edit tab available, however it is very basic. Tools available are 'trim' & 'delete', it basically lets you keep the good parts and throw the bad out. For those wanting that extra editing experience, I would suggest something like Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 (other software's available).
The final part of the edit section is a quick share where you can click on lets say "YouTube", then all you have to do is type in your account details and it uploads the video for you.
- - -
Overall I think this is a completely solid package, and whilst it may seem a tad expensive, I do feel you get your monies worth and would highly recommend!
- - -
♦ UPDATE: 29th December 2012 ♦
Since the review had initially been published, there have been several significant updates for the software:
1) Now supports 1080p.
2) Live Commentary: This is my most favourite update for the software, it lets you capture your voice by using a microphone that's connected to your computer, results are fantastic and I use it all the time.
To use, you have to enable the microphone icon and then select the microphone from the "Audio In", there is also an option which when checked, reduces the game volume as when your talking through the microphone which delivers a fantastic balance between game & microphone audio.
When you decide to stop recording using this feature, as you would before, give it 5-10 seconds after you have finished your gaming before you click to stop recording, this will ensure nothing is cut off.
3) Stream live gameplay onto websites such as Twitch.
4) You can now record from your standard definition retro gaming consoles.
5) Now confirmed it works with Nintendo Wii U via HDMI!
- ♦ - Current software available is 'Version 1.2'. - ♦ -Elgato almost gets it perfect! If you want to record gameplay get this... By Charles Bittner
Hello gamers if you're reading this review you most likely want to capture game content and upload your footage to YouTube well I hope you find this review useful. I'm going to be comparing the Elgato Game Capture HD to the Hauppauge HD PVR and the Elgato Eye TV. And my goal is to give you direction as to which one you should buy based on my experience as a regular uploader of gaming footage to YouTube.
The straight dope: IF YOU JUST WANT TO RECORD GAMEPLAY BUY THIS OVER A PVR IT IS THE PERFECT DEVICE.
To watch Drift0r do a video review search this code on YouTube: 1RXqiyQetiA
Here is Drift0rs how to live stream video on YouTube: dTsBQeoy-nA
This short and sweet review of this device is: Buy this over the Happauge HD-PVR or Eye TV I feel it's just a superior unit for capturing gameplay no extra pieces of equipment are required like with the other products that I mentioned. It's compact and just simply passes your signal directly to your TV and allows you to capture all your gameplay and just jump back simply if you need to grab a clip. I feel that Elgato has been paying attention the gaming community on YouTube and is bought out one of the better products for us to use. The price at the time of this review is $190 about on par with HD PVR's you might be considering and this works seamlessly with Mac and PC as the software is provided for both so to me it's a no-brainer.
Another very cool feature is that it does HDMI recording on the Xbox on the PS3 you need to use a special cable they provide. But I'll discuss that more below.
My only complaint (and it's not really a complaint) is that it doesn't capture 1080p and only 1080i. Not a big deal because I think it's 720p is perfect and when you get into 1080p video files they get ridiculously huge and add to render times. Just an FYI 1080i is 30 frames per second and is interlaced whereas 1080p would be a full 60 frames per second. But then again the files would be ridiculously huge and I feel 720p is great for YouTube.
***UPDATE - 1***
The super benefit of this unit is it is bus powered (9aka draws it's power from the usb port) so no wall ac adapter (wall wart) needed! I feel if you want to go places and get gameplay (i.e. a gaming convention/a companies offices/a friends house) all you need is the Game Capture and a laptop. This thing is waaaaay better than an HD-PVR
The meaty review - The Elgato Game Capture HD vs HD-PVRs - FIGHT!
So most likely your gamer and you have awesome gameplay that you want to put out there on the YouTubes or you've been doing it for a while and maybe your HD PVR finally took a fatal head shot and you might want to get something new. I feel that this device is much better than HD PVR and here is why.
When you're dealing with HD PVR's if you're unfamiliar you have to use YpbPr composite cables (it's 5 cables that are like RCA cables that used to connect your console to your HD PVR) now these composite cables require that you purchase the correct one for your PlayStation or Xbox they cost around $10-$20. And the bundle of cables is a huge mess to deal with and kind of a general PITA. But just to get an idea the general layout is like this.
Console (connects to) HD-PVR (connects to both) your TV and your computer - and or having to deal with composite cables when connecting your console to your PVR and then from the PVR to the TV. It is generally a major pain in the butt.
And if you were thinking about getting the EyeTV from Elgato it requires that you purchase a $70-$90 signal splitter to use that as a capture device for the Mac.
On a side note I believe that HD PVR's can be used to record television and such (not a feature I ever used but if you're interested in using them for that as the only scenario where they have an edge over the Elgato Game Capture)
So now on to the game capture and why I think this device is awesome. 1st off you can run HDMI directly from your Xbox into the game capture and then out your TV just plain awesome one cable very simple. Now for the PS3 since Sony are such sticklers for copy protection you need to use a special cable that thankfully Elgato provides. But again its only one cable and not a bundle of 5 cables that you have to deal with when you're using composite cabling. but the beauty of this device plain and simple is that it runs on both Mac and PC and its small and easy to take with you. It really is an amazing thing and beat HD PVR's hands down.
Now the software: Elgato software is amazing I personally use an Happauge HD-PVR for my Mac and use their Eye software so that I can use my Hauppage with my Mac because it only ships with software for Windows (and the Windows software for the Happauge sucks big time). But the software that comes with the game capture is awesome the cool thing is it allows you to not have to constantly be recording your gameplay but if you get a clip that you want to savor game is use the jump that feature and recorded when you're ready. And another awesome feature is that like their EyeTV software you can export and encode in many different formats. I have always and think I will always love the way Elgato gives its users options when it comes to transcoding to different formats. So the software apartment again another win for the game capture HD
The way I look at it if you want to capture game content this is the device that buy I think the day and age of the HD PVRs being used for game capture is over. This thing is awesome!
If you want to check out another cool review of the software by Tejbz search on YouTube for this video: fX5YGLyiUWc
So thank you for reading I hope you found this useful and easy to understand my recommendation is by this device plain and simple. Thank you for reading this please like if you found this review helpful.
Chuck the Capper28 of 29 Not just for Xbox/PS3, it captures every video source you throw at it By John Smith
I have to admit that although I have been an avid gamer back in the college days, I don't spend any more than an hour or two per week playing video games. I don't own a PS3 so I didn't test it for PS3. For Xbox 360, it works right out of the box!
I found this device can capture pretty much any (unprotected) video source. I think Elgato should read this review and advertise this as a general HD video capture device - not just a game capture device for Xbox 360 and PS3.
The best part about this device (as others have mentioned it), is that it uses one USB cable for both power and data - you don't have to deal with separate power cable to hook up to an AC outlet.
Another thing that I like about this is that this device is so light and so small that you can take it with you anywhere in your bag. This is about the same size as the popular external hard drives - only lighter!
______________________________
*** Xbox 360 ***
After hooking up the HDMI cables from this little device to my Xbox 360 and then back to my LED TV, I tested by recording Gears of War 3, Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures. The software worked flawlessly with Windows 7. The captured video was HD-quality. The software allows me to do basic video editing and directly share it with my social network or post it on YouTube. Right from the provided software, I can also export it into Windows Movie Maker if I want to do more video editing.
______________________________
*** HD TV capture ***
I am into capturing live TV events for personal use. Though this was not advertised as a TV capture device, I couldn't see why it won't be able capture video and audio feed from my Comcast Motorola digital TV set-top box. So when I hooked up the HDMI cable to the digital cable box, the device's software quickly identified it as "Protected HDCP". But to overcome this, I instead hooked up an AV to component adapter cable and connected to my digital TV box using component cables for video and audio. Viola! I can now capture live HD TV!!
Here's why I would get this over instead of Elgato EyeTV even if I am only capturing live TV:
1. Both are similarly priced (~$180)
2. EyeTV appears to only work with Mac - not PC. Game Capture works with PCs and Macs.
3. EyeTV does not support connection out to your HD TV since it has no HDMI out ports. Game Capture includes a HDMI out port.
In short, with Game Capture device, you can capture Xbox 360, PS3 as well as digital TV on both Windows and Macs, but with EyeTV device you are very limited in your choices. The only downside that I can see is that EyeTV allows you to schedule recording while this device's software doesn't have that feature. If you don't care about using this for DVR, this would be a better solution than EyeTV to capture digital TV (in my opinion).
______________________________
*** Screen capture from Windows and Macs ***
I've found some additional uses for this device that I'm sure other geeks must find useful. I tested it to capture the screen output from my MacBook Air by connecting a Thunderbolt to HDMI converter cable into the HDMI in port and It worked without a glitch with the highest video quality settings. Likewise, my Dell Studio laptop has an HDMI out cable so it works with that too. So not only can I use this little magical device to capture games, digital TV, but I can also use it to record training sessions on computer if I wanted to by capturing the screen output from my computer to another computer. This essentially provides the same functionality that you'd get if you used one of the software-based screen capturing applications such as Camtasia Studio that retails for $300.
______________________________
In conclusion, not only do I recommend this device to the avid gamers out there who want to capture their gaming feats but I also recommend this to people who are considering other HD TV capturing devices to capture HD TV and to people who want to just capture just about any unprotected HDMI source.
Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010),Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010) Review, Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010) Comparison Price, Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010) Best Offer, Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010) Best Price