Capture Card

[Harrison.Greenhalgh]

Hey guys I am looking to buy a capture card. I am wondering what is the best one.

[Spudskii]

hmmm well what do you wanna use it for?

Like streaming or just capturing for montages/machinema

[Harrison.Greenhalgh]

both if possiable but most likely just capturing

[Roastbeef_253]

If you want to record or stream in HD, then you have to go with the Hauppauge HDPVR or the Black Magic Intensity Pro. Definitely have to look at the Pros/Cons. Black Magic must be installed in computer. They do have the Black Magic Intensity Shuttle, but that will not work with a computer unless it is running USB 3.0 ports (almost all computers at this point run 2.0). The Hauppauge is great, but it does not accept HDMI input like the BMI does. So, if you are playing on a monitor, there are some additional purchases you will need to make with it. #1, you will need to purchase a HDMI splitter. Obviously, this is to split the 1 HDMI output from the Xbox into 2 outputs. Then you will also need to purchase an HDMI to component converter. The component cables would go into the Hauppauge and the other HDMI cable from the splitter would go into your monitor. I'm not going to go into more detail right now, but if you have anymore questions, I am sure that myself or someone else here would be happy/willing/able to help you out.

[Harrison.Greenhalgh]

thank you Roastbeef but do you know the cost of each

[Roastbeef_253]

Each one is $200. Here are some links for you...

Black Magic Intensity (http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/)

Hauppauge HDPVR (http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html)

[Harrison.Greenhalgh]

Thank you bro you have been extremly helpfull

[Eclipse]

Also the BMI only runs on certain chipsets on your motherboard.

[MidKnight]

hope you find a good capture card!

[Hi im Jakey]

If you're planning on streaming Hauppauge HD PVR cannot be streamed straight from your tv/monitor unless you re-encode on your computer using GraphEdit. Or what most people do is stream the preview screen on their pcs but you still need a good processor to do that lag free.

BlackMagic Intensity Pro you need a RAID 0 HDD setup (at least 2 or 3 HDDs) to capture uncompressed, although there is an option to record compressed jpeg which I think most decent computers can do but I'm not sure.

[forefront]

Also the BMI only runs on certain chipsets on your motherboard.

Be very wary of this. The BMI is the best raw HD capture device on the market at this price range, but it will destroy your computer if it's incompatible. Generally, they don't like AMD Motherboards and CPU's. My BMI has all but destroyed my computer (freezes and crashes constantly), and Blackmagic Design wont even admit that they aren't compatible. They keep insisting that it is, even though many users have complained. Therefore, I suggest you have a good deal of computer knowledge going in.

Generally, it is said that the BMI is better for streaming, and the PVR is better for capturing, but as far as quality the BMI is best. The PVR will be less hassle in the long run though.

[Inexist]

Black Magic I heard is pretty good.

[Ash]

Hauppauge is soooo easy to setup and use, comes out with very nice quality, plus it's external.

[ZeroCool]

I would say BMI but as stated make sure your computer can support it