Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010)
My previous experience with capture devices is limited only to the Hauppauge Colossus, an internal capture card for PC. It was decent, for what it's worth, as it had HDMI
It doesn't even come close to comparing to the Elgato Game Capture HD.
Historically, HDMI has never been kind to capture devices. Your best option was always an internal card (which from my experience is okay, but you'll eventually run into problems with device recognition and the like), and the very few external devices that actually provided HDMI capabilities kinda stunk (BlackMagic, for example).
The Elgato Game Capture HD, however, rises above all those and is probably the best capture device on the market now. If you're looking for the simplest, most efficient way to capture footage from your PS3 or Xbox 360, this is it. No question.
The device itself couldn't be easier to set up. HDMI in. HDMI out. USB out. That's all. And looking at the device itself, you'll notice one BIG difference between it and other external capture devices: No external power supply is needed! This makes it possible for you to take it with you, hook it up to a laptop, and literally record anywhere you want!
Speaking of which, the device is pretty small, almost enough to fit in your pocket, and looks pleasant enough to display on your desk. I think aesthetics can be a problem with capture devices, since who is going to show off their little box that records them playing video games? But it's pretty sleek looking, all black and shiny, so go ahead. Show it off!
It helps that the software is excellent as well. Elgato really seemed to have gamers in mind when designing the program, as it is outfitted with what they call Flashback Recording. Basically, it allows you to play your game and not have to worry about hitting record every time you want to capture specific footage. It automatically starts recording temporary footage when you open the program, and once you get the footage you need, you can choose exactly what to save. This is a huuuuuge thing for me, since I record fighting game footage, and it gets annoying have to stop my recording every so often when I have trouble landing combos. It honestly makes the recording session all the more relaxing knowing that I don't have to worry about missing anything.
If there's one thing about the device I'd caution, it would be that you can only capture at 60 FPS with 720p, not 1080p. No word yet from Elgato if the plan to change anything about that, as it could just be a hardware limitation, 720p is not slouch, but it's something to consider if you're looking for the absolute highest quality in your footage.
Nevertheless, the Elgato Game Capture HD is a true sight to behold. Simple, sleek, FUNCTIONAL, and with awesome software to boot. It's everything I've ever wanted in a capture device (MAYBE minus composite video recording. My SNES will remain uncaptured for now...) all rolled up into a tiny little black box. It seems unfathomable that it could work as well as it does, but, well... it does! Sure the price is a little on the high end for capture devices, but it provides so much value in its ease of use and stability that it's definitely worth the cost of admission.
have had it for a few weeks, and it is awesome. i use it for ps3, and can actually get a 1080p video signal to my monitor from the elgato, despite the ps3 outputting from component to the elgato. it lets me choose 1080p on the ps3, and it displays it--this may depend on your display. passes the audio through to the pc just fine; i cannot speak for the monitor as it has no built in speakers. lets you stream directly from the software easily, lots of configs possible. commentary audio feature is very useful. for the streaming, it would be nice if they automatically streamed at the best quality possible given a specific upload speed limit.
I can go on all day how amazing this product is but I'm going to try and keep it short and to the point. If you're debating o getting the HD PVR or the Elgato. GET THE ELGATO!!
Here is why:
-Smaller product
-Less Cords
-HDMI
-Excellent Software
-Updates are always occurring
The most recent update now allows you to record your voice and allow you to commentate.
-Full 1080p
THE MAJOR REASON
The software works as a DVR when recording. What I mean by that is, it records live and remembers everything that previously happened. So you don't have to always record and create a file, then delete it if you didn't get a "montage clip." You can just rewind to when you got it and the software will record from that point forward and create your video file.
So basically you can have your Elgato plugged into your Laptop and whenever you get a clip or something you want to record. Just rewind back to the beginning of that clip and press the record button.
I bought this product for my 10 year old son for Christmas. When he first asked for it, I was a little skeptical. I had no idea this device even existed or that you could actually do something like this. He wanted it to record his game play on his Xbox 360. We have had no issues with this product. It was very easy to hook up and also very easy for a 10 year old to understand. he now streams live from his xbox and it's great! I would highly recommend this product!
The El Gato is so simple to use and offers an extremely easy way to capture all of your greatest gaming moments! It also captures in up to 1080p which means you can capture footage at the highest quality and easily upload it to youtube or where ever.
It also has a cool feature where it captures everything as long as your ps3 is up and running, BUT you can rewind it and choose to record what ever portion you wish to keep, which really comes in handy when it comes to saving hard drive space.
I love this gadget. Record my PS3 games with it. Quality? Couldn't ask for better. Can't do live voiceover...but I'd rather think about what I have to say anyway...so it doesn't matter. Just want to point that out, if this matters to you. One more complaint. Even if you don't have the console on, it seems like I could feel a little heat (or power), if you still have everything all plugged in and tbe computer on to do other tasks. (It could be my imagination.) Why concern? I just want this little thing to last.
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
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!
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*** 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.
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*** 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).
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*** 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.
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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.
Buy Elgato Game Capture HD PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Recorder for Mac and PC up to 1080P (10025010) Now from Amazon.com
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