The capture card actually makes a beautiful impression is super packed and comes with all necessary cables. Processing is tiptop and the product looks the price accordingly dibasic. But that's more or incidental in this review, because I want to mainly deal with the functionality, which is excellent.
Use on the console:
As such, the capture card has a simple structure. It includes the console via HDMI to the "HDMI IN". The TV comes with an HDMI cable, "HDMI OUT". Then you close only the USB cable to the computer and the picture and sound from the console will be looped through to the TV. To record you now need to download and install the driver on the manufacturer's website. Once this is done, one needs only a few settings the quality, resolution and come through which inputs audio and video. If you press the record button, so it all is taken properly.
NOTE: The image on the computer is delayed. Only the picture of the connected TV is verzögerugsfrei. Anyone who wants to take up the gameplay and look directly at the computer the game, who is not happy. Who tried something but already ...
Attention II: After recording the video, you can export it directly, for example YouTube, MP4 original (interlaced) or MP4 1080p (progressive). In our old Xbox 360 is only 1080i (interlaced) available. Then we wanted ignorant export the video as 1080p. The export takes by several hours, is clear, because the exporter must convert progressive, which is incredibly intensive computing the 60-FPS interlaced video to 30 fps. Initially we thought the card was defective or spins, but you have only "Mp4 Original" as the export format, it all runs normally. (As it so the 1080i video format of the old Xbox 360 renders as 1080i)
Use the computer:
The real selling point was that I wanted a replacement for hardware software recording programs have as Fraps. Advantages over Fraps:
- Card draws hardly Performance (Some people write it would attract a lot of perfromance, but I will get later)
- The videos are converted by the card directly into MP4, thus are no huge amounts of data
- Due to the small amount of data you need - unlike Fraps - no second hard drive that is alone busy writing the files. Fraps so takes on huge files that a conventional hard disk on the computer works, not enough of the speed to store the files. Result: The video is choppy. So you need for Fraps really a second hard drive, the only ALONE to save the Fraps files is really there.
Well these are the advantages. The Disadvantages:
- The quality is not lossless as Fraps, but 30 000 bit (bit rate) really for games shooting more than adequate
- The setup is for recording on the computer a little more complicated, but possible.
To connect to the computer:
The graphics card is connected via HDMI to the capture card. So also the computer monitor. The device is connected via USB to your own PC. But come on a problem: The monitor has no speakers, unlike the television and Windows can only select a sound source simultaneously. So either you play from the sound of the game through its loudspeakers, thereby added to the video has no sound. OR to play the sound over HDMI from on the capture card, which you can hear no sound.
The solution: Elgato's software is really flexible, so we can choose, we record the video from the HDMI terminal and the sound via the Component Adapter (which is actually meant for consoles). You can now connect your sound card via an adapter cable of 3.5mm to RCA the supplied component cable and connect this in turn to the capture card. In Windows you now sets that the sound comes as usual over the speakers (not written as above via HDMI) and turn up the volume to 100%. The sound will be routed instead of HDMI via the audio cables to the capture card. It now goes to the video settings in the software and make a mark for "Analog Audio" option. This means that the software now takes the picture from HDMI and games sound we just grind separately via the component cable. We can not listen now but. Quite simply because we still buys a cheap 3.5mm jack splitter. This is an adapter, which allows you to connect two 3.5mm stereo jack cable to a socket. The adapter comes now to the computer. The speakers and the capture card come to the adapter respectively. Even the capture card gets the sound and still you can hear him. One should check in advance but if you do not back of the computer and the front of the housing has two ports. Many sound cards can set you that sound is output on both ports simultaneously. So you can see the capture card to the audio output back to connect the PC and the headset front of the chassis.
For Performance: Really good! The Capture Card accepts the encode the video, so everything Windows does, is to store the files during recording on the PC. The videos can be exported only after the recording. Exporting then eats power, but during the export can not play, because as I said it is done after recording.
I have a few statements to refute two here once performed a benchmark 3D Mark 2011.
Income excluding video recording:
Graphics (The performance of the graphics card): Approximately 10 050 points
Processor (power of CPUs): Approximately 9800 points
Combined: Approximately 9000 points
Result with video recording
Graphics: Approximately 10 000 points (a paltry 50 points difference)
Processor: Approximately 9000 points (800 points difference)
Combined: Approximately 8500 points
Well as you can see, the graphics performance has hardly suffered. However, the processing power went down, which is logical, since the processor while recording to the HDD here is to save the files. But the processor is primarily used for physics stories used less in the graphics. So in graphics-intensive games you notice no difference in processor-heavy and games, you realize only a minimal difference, but does not fall into the weight.
WARNING: Your PC should significantly exceed the minimum requirements but. There are also minimum requirements, ie the requirements that you must meet to take in the worst quality. So you should already have a quad-core processor and enough memory on.
Now I have explained how the capture card can even use your own computer. Let's talk a little about the software:
The software has some nice features that I can not completely list here. But what I call the most important:
- All recordings are saved on the game name and additive in a library, which is useful as a backup system
- You can export the original video from the library with a single click
- You can directly record audio comments for gameplay, and there are options that the game sound is quieter, as soon as you talk
- There is a built-in editing function available, with which you can adjust video before being exported
- The card is fully stable and crashed far from never, even if the computer was running at full load times. (Also have other cards here, where this is not so. With the cards I have often crashes when I can even take a normal file)
- There are Kombatibilitätsoptionen you can change the monitor or TV should cause problems and spend no picture.
- Many more features such as the adaptation of the image (color, contrast), volume of the commentary, volume of the game, location, Autoexport etc. etc. can be adjusted yet.
All in one: Successful capture card which, although not quite as many features as some competitors have, but works reliably and stably. For all people who regularly publish gameplay on YouTube, which is certainly a major plus. Who wants to have to constantly focus on an ever suspending card.
Purchase recommendation to all gamers, regardless of whether you want to take the PC via HDMI or the console.
