This review is from: Elgato Game Capture HD, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360, or Wii U gameplay, Full HD 1080p (Personal Computers)
Customer Video Review Length:: 9:30 Mins
► PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally done back in July 2012 (same goes for the video). Elgato have over the years been improving upon improving the software’s features and usability even more than what was originally a top game capturing software.
There are now two device options to choose from: 1) Elgato Game Capture HD: The first model which is what my review is based on. This model supports devices via its HDMI & A/V inputs. This one is more suited for the last generation of consoles and prior such as the PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360. You can only record up to 30fps with this device.
2) Elgato Game Capture HD60 Featuring just HDMI inputs, this is made for the newer generation of consoles such as the PlayStation 4 & Xbox One… Well basically anything that supports HDMI. This newer version can also record up to 1080p 60fps!
Below you will find my original review for the Elgato Game Capture HD, followed by any updates I’ve made thereafter. It’s a long review, however I hope it will help you make the right decision based on your needs.
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.
♦ Box Contents & System Requirements ♦
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.
♦ Set-Up ♦
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. 🙂
♦ Software / Use ♦
The computer specs I used whilst using the ‘Game Capture HD’ software were: * Windows 7…
This review is from: Elgato Game Capture HD, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360, or Wii U gameplay, Full HD 1080p (Personal Computers)
Vine Customer Review of Free Product(What’s this?)
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…
This review is from: Elgato Game Capture HD, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360, or Wii U gameplay, Full HD 1080p (Personal Computers)
New Edit: Elgato is continually updating their software, so I’ve updated my review below with important points (and noted where things no longer apply, marked with three asterisks ***).
As the title says, ***this appears to be the opposite of the HD-PVR 2 in almost every regard***. -Since Hauppauge has now released their own capture software for their HD-PVR devices, and I have not used said software, I can’t really compare the software.
– Physical ease of use – the pass-through just plain works. The HD-PVR 2 required the PC to be powered on and the software opened before anything was passed through. The Elgato, I didn’t even have the drivers installed yet and the pass-through worked. Definitely a plus.
– Video quality – the 1080p bitrate on the Elgato is over twice the HD-PVR 2 (30 Mbps vs 14 Mbps). It’s not a big deal for just uploading clips to YouTube (since they compress 1080p to the 2-6 Mbps range anyway) but for a filmmaker like me, quality is the number one priority, so the Elgato won out on this alone.
– Software – the Elgato approach is both good and bad. For filmmaking, HD-PVR 2 is preferred because you hit record, you made a file, and you stopped recording. Then you have a file. That’s it. With Elgato, it starts recording as soon as you open the program and doesn’t stop until (presumably) you run out of disk space. This is a plus for gameplay footage – there’s no need to record all the time and then go back later with a different program to cut up your footage, all this is built-in. You scroll back to before that big play happened, hit record, then edit it and export it. In-program cutting with no re-encode is definitely a plus.
***HOWEVER file management definitely needs work. As soon as you hit record, the ENTIRE FILE that it has been recording is saved. So if you open the program for 10 minutes, scroll back 5 minutes and hit record, it shows the latter 5 minutes in the program, but the entire 10 minute file is actually saved. And there’s no way to get that first 5 minutes back unless you go get the raw TS file and cut it with a different program. You could have the program open for 45 minutes, hit record on only the last 2 minutes, and you’d have a 2-minute file in the software but a 45-minute file on disk.***
The previous behavior no longer exists – during Timeshift recording, the program actually makes multiple smaller files, and then only saves the files it needs to depending on where you scrolled back and hit record. So it will have a small part of the “unrecorded” footage, but when you stop recording, it cuts the file down to exactly where you scrolled back to.
***So to save disk space, I would cut the clip I want and do the “MP4 Original” export, which cuts and remuxes the video into an MP4 format (which jives with Media Player Classic and Premiere Pro CS5 with no problems – awesome). And then, after exporting the clip, I delete the original file, and the software DELETES THE EXPORTED FILE TOO. Unless you move the exported MP4 from the default folder, the program deletes it when you delete the source clip, which to me, doesn’t make any sense and is why I only gave 3/5 stars. I lost ALL of my first-day test footage because of this bug. (and none of the files were recoverable because I kept playing after exporting and deleting, and recording the new file overwrote all the old ones).***
The above point has been fixed – exported clips are no longer deleted when you delete the footage entry.
The “Input Device” selection is also very strange to me. As far as I can tell, it has a huge impact on picture quality. Even with an Xbox 360 plugged in, the “Other” option looks much better than the “Xbox 360” option (deeper blacks, better contrast, etc). So I leave it on “Other”. However, when the software is not open, it appears that the option defaults to “Xbox 360” (even when a non-Xbox device is plugged in) so the picture looks worse when the software is closed than when it is open (and thus, recording). I removed the Elgato from the equation and plugged my device directly into the TV, and it looked as good as it did with the “Other” option checked and the software running. So the Elgato is doing some sort of processing on the signal, meaning the pass-through is not a bit-for-bit pass-through of the source material, which is a bit unsettling. But hopefully that’s just a bug that can be fixed.
Overall, the hardware is amazing, but the software needs ***a lot of work*** (not as much anymore). It’s definitely geared towards the less-technical user (the quality slider is just “good” to “best” and only recently did they add an indicator of what “good” or “best” means in terms of Mbps), so I’d like to see some more advanced options available, and maybe more explanation on what “Input Device” really does (and an option to turn off whatever processing it’s doing).
Simply amazing,
Customer Video Review Length:: 9:30 Mins
► PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally done back in July 2012 (same goes for the video). Elgato have over the years been improving upon improving the software’s features and usability even more than what was originally a top game capturing software.
There are now two device options to choose from:
1) Elgato Game Capture HD: The first model which is what my review is based on. This model supports devices via its HDMI & A/V inputs. This one is more suited for the last generation of consoles and prior such as the PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360. You can only record up to 30fps with this device.
2) Elgato Game Capture HD60 Featuring just HDMI inputs, this is made for the newer generation of consoles such as the PlayStation 4 & Xbox One… Well basically anything that supports HDMI. This newer version can also record up to 1080p 60fps!
Below you will find my original review for the Elgato Game Capture HD, followed by any updates I’ve made thereafter. It’s a long review, however I hope it will help you make the right decision based on your needs.
.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.·:*¨*:·.
♦ Introduction ♦
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.
♦ Box Contents & System Requirements ♦
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.
♦ Set-Up ♦
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. 🙂
♦ Software / Use ♦
The computer specs I used whilst using the ‘Game Capture HD’ software were:
* Windows 7…
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Was this review helpful to you?
|Elgato almost gets it perfect! If you want to record gameplay get this…,
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…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?
|Opposite of HD-PVR 2,
New Edit: Elgato is continually updating their software, so I’ve updated my review below with important points (and noted where things no longer apply, marked with three asterisks ***).
As the title says, ***this appears to be the opposite of the HD-PVR 2 in almost every regard***. -Since Hauppauge has now released their own capture software for their HD-PVR devices, and I have not used said software, I can’t really compare the software.
– Physical ease of use – the pass-through just plain works. The HD-PVR 2 required the PC to be powered on and the software opened before anything was passed through. The Elgato, I didn’t even have the drivers installed yet and the pass-through worked. Definitely a plus.
– Video quality – the 1080p bitrate on the Elgato is over twice the HD-PVR 2 (30 Mbps vs 14 Mbps). It’s not a big deal for just uploading clips to YouTube (since they compress 1080p to the 2-6 Mbps range anyway) but for a filmmaker like me, quality is the number one priority, so the Elgato won out on this alone.
– Software – the Elgato approach is both good and bad. For filmmaking, HD-PVR 2 is preferred because you hit record, you made a file, and you stopped recording. Then you have a file. That’s it. With Elgato, it starts recording as soon as you open the program and doesn’t stop until (presumably) you run out of disk space. This is a plus for gameplay footage – there’s no need to record all the time and then go back later with a different program to cut up your footage, all this is built-in. You scroll back to before that big play happened, hit record, then edit it and export it. In-program cutting with no re-encode is definitely a plus.
***HOWEVER file management definitely needs work. As soon as you hit record, the ENTIRE FILE that it has been recording is saved. So if you open the program for 10 minutes, scroll back 5 minutes and hit record, it shows the latter 5 minutes in the program, but the entire 10 minute file is actually saved. And there’s no way to get that first 5 minutes back unless you go get the raw TS file and cut it with a different program. You could have the program open for 45 minutes, hit record on only the last 2 minutes, and you’d have a 2-minute file in the software but a 45-minute file on disk.***
The previous behavior no longer exists – during Timeshift recording, the program actually makes multiple smaller files, and then only saves the files it needs to depending on where you scrolled back and hit record. So it will have a small part of the “unrecorded” footage, but when you stop recording, it cuts the file down to exactly where you scrolled back to.
***So to save disk space, I would cut the clip I want and do the “MP4 Original” export, which cuts and remuxes the video into an MP4 format (which jives with Media Player Classic and Premiere Pro CS5 with no problems – awesome). And then, after exporting the clip, I delete the original file, and the software DELETES THE EXPORTED FILE TOO. Unless you move the exported MP4 from the default folder, the program deletes it when you delete the source clip, which to me, doesn’t make any sense and is why I only gave 3/5 stars. I lost ALL of my first-day test footage because of this bug. (and none of the files were recoverable because I kept playing after exporting and deleting, and recording the new file overwrote all the old ones).***
The above point has been fixed – exported clips are no longer deleted when you delete the footage entry.
The “Input Device” selection is also very strange to me. As far as I can tell, it has a huge impact on picture quality. Even with an Xbox 360 plugged in, the “Other” option looks much better than the “Xbox 360” option (deeper blacks, better contrast, etc). So I leave it on “Other”. However, when the software is not open, it appears that the option defaults to “Xbox 360” (even when a non-Xbox device is plugged in) so the picture looks worse when the software is closed than when it is open (and thus, recording). I removed the Elgato from the equation and plugged my device directly into the TV, and it looked as good as it did with the “Other” option checked and the software running. So the Elgato is doing some sort of processing on the signal, meaning the pass-through is not a bit-for-bit pass-through of the source material, which is a bit unsettling. But hopefully that’s just a bug that can be fixed.
Overall, the hardware is amazing, but the software needs ***a lot of work*** (not as much anymore). It’s definitely geared towards the less-technical user (the quality slider is just “good” to “best” and only recently did they add an indicator of what “good” or “best” means in terms of Mbps), so I’d like to see some more advanced options available, and maybe more explanation on what “Input Device” really does (and an option to turn off whatever processing it’s doing).
But the bottom line…
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|