Video recording/editing

[Nuudoru]

I've noticed that a lot of people at this forum are making videos at youtube.

What software are you guys using?

I've been looking around lately to find software I might enjoy. First it was fraps, but it doesn't seem to get along very well with some games. I don't know why..

Do anyone have any experience with using Xsplit as a recording device? I've been using it to stream a lot with good results, but never heard of anyone using it to record. It also kind of bothers me that I have to pay to get the best sound quality.

[BumblebeeCody]

For recording I use a Roxio Game Capture. I highly recommend buying this because it's incredibly cheap. It cost me around £80 (not too sure what that is exactly in Kronor). Not only that though, it but it comes with it's own editing software which is incredibly easy to use. You can upscale it to 720p. While not true 720p it still comes out pretty nice. Example of my video
This also lets you record PS3 and Wii if you have the cables which are really cheap.

Xsplit is pretty easy to use if you have the basic version because you don't have much to worry about (less features available to you). Basically by adding my game capture card you can stream directly to it and then to the Internet(Justin/Twitch etc). I have a decent amount of knowledge of Xsplit if you need it. You can record to a local drive with this too by the way without going live.
Xsplit > Broadcast > Local recording.

Tried Hypercam?

[CFMM]

Hey look something I can talk about.

For PC screen recording Fraps and Camtasia seem to be the best. They have the most features and once you adjust and play with the settings you can find what works for you. I just recommend having a good processor and/or video card, they seem to lag and drop frames for me on my old PC when I attempted to use them at full screen.

For recording console games it really depends on what console. If you are only doing modern games (PS3, 360, Wii) and want HD recording then go with the Hauppauge HD-PVR. It costs about $200 but it works pretty well. It's a loss-less recorder which means that there is NO delay from the recording device to your television. I previously used one and it worked fine, however this device does NOT work with older systems. The oldest that will work is PS2, and only with PS2 games. You cannot use PS1 games in a PS2 with it. The reason is because older consoles displayed at resolutions too low for the PVR to recognize.

If you want a "general" recording device that works with ALL systems then I recommend the Dazzle DVC100. It's a USB device that features the composite R/Y/W cable ports, and an S-video for the systems that supported that media. Comes with great software, easy to use. I believe the video feed that displays on your PC is real-time without any delay, but I am not certain on that. By habit I use an A/V splitter that I use to split the video game to the TV and PC simultaneously.

Both of those work fine for me.

As for editing, I suggest checking out Ulead Videostudio (whichever the newest version is, I think Pro X4). It features lots of features like multiple video tracks with chroma key (green screen) and multiple audio tracks that you can tweak and adjust for volume and whatnot. It features a lot of professional things but doesn't require tons of experience to learn, good for beginners. I used Ulead VS 11 for my 2010 series GMO2, and I am using Pro X4 to edit its 2012 run.

[legendary_mantis]

(07-11-2012 01:25 PM)CFMM Wrote:  If you want a "general" recording device that works with ALL systems then I recommend the Dazzle DVC100. It's a USB device that features the composite R/Y/W cable ports, and an S-video for the systems that supported that media. Comes with great software, easy to use. I believe the video feed that displays on your PC is real-time without any delay, but I am not certain on that. By habit I use an A/V splitter that I use to split the video game to the TV and PC simultaneously.

To add my 2 cents to this part: Dazzle is good , but it is very un reliable. Many youtubers (my self included) had issues with the product after a while. And there's usually about a .5 - 2 second delay on a small window so you either need 2 monitors, or A/V splitter cables.. It's good for maybe a year then it will start to crap out. Your best bet for consoles is just to go right into an HD PVR and for older games use emulators and a screen recorder. I don't think Fraps works with emulators. Obviously no one should help you get those on the forum.

[CFMM]

I have to disagree with your assessment of the Dazzle. The first production I ever made using a Dazzle product was in 2008. I used the device off and on for a while, and extensively in 2010. Then, off and on again. I eventually lost the device to a power surge earlier this year, so it lasted four years for me with mostly regular use. I probably recorded well over 100 hours of video total.

The Hauppauge PVR is great, but the list of supported system is absolutely atrocious and I could not recommend someone buy one of those (at $200!) and then use a crappy screen capture with older console games.

[legendary_mantis]

(07-11-2012 01:48 PM)CFMM Wrote:  I have to disagree with your assessment of the Dazzle. The first production I ever made using a Dazzle product was in 2008. I used the device off and on for a while, and extensively in 2010. Then, off and on again. I eventually lost the device to a power surge earlier this year, so it lasted four years for me with mostly regular use. I probably recorded well over 100 hours of video total.

The Hauppauge PVR is great, but the list of supported system is absolutely atrocious and I could not recommend someone buy one of those (at $200!) and then use a crappy screen capture with older console games.

Well for standard def console recording devices, dazzle is the best out there no doubt. I just heard alot of bad things about it from other LPers and from my own experience.

And isnt the Happauge PVR (well all HD PVR's) is primarily meant for recording HD TV? It's just an added bonus to record games?

[Erik The Swift]

I actually use a Hauppauge HD PVR for recording. I don't have any editing tool, so I can't do any full length videos. (I have two but the both kinda suck IMO)

[CFMM]

I believe Hauppauge makes two kinds of PVR's, one of them intended for TV and one for games. The gaming client comes with a set of RCA input ports (red/yellow/white, but I have no idea why since they do not work) and some additional software (ArcSoft Showbiz, was kind of buggy but IMO it was alright). It also captures in varying formats optimized for X360, PS3, and Blu-Ray playback.

Dazzle is just one of those "if it works, it works" kind of things. You get the global compatibility at the cost of not being able to capture video at a resolution higher than 480p. I'm sure the reception is spotty among people who've used it. I wasn't too happy mine was suseptible to being fried in a power surge but I chock that up to user neglect. I shouldn't have left my filming arrangement set up and unprotected.

They are both amazing devices and I would recommend both of them to anyone looking to capture video game footage. It just depends on what kinds of games you will be playing. On the project I work on (GMO2) we play games from systems as old as the Atari 2600 and NES through things as recent as the Wii/PS3/360. The global compatibility was a must-have for me.

I haven't used Roxio or the GameBridge equipment so I can't give my thoughts on the matter. I would highly suggest avoiding the cheapo $15 USB devices that are just a mess of wires and stuff. They seem really unreliable and nobody seems to ever bring them up in LP communities.

[Nuudoru]

I'm kind of lazy and don't want to make a huge post quoting everything I find useful.

So I just want everyone to know that I'm reading this thread through and I'm finding it extremely useful.

Hey, another question.

When my roommate use his capture device it always screws up the blackness in games. If it black he gets those weird white lines going through them. This doesn't happen with any other color, just black. Is it some kind of hardware quality problem?

[CFMM]

What kind of device is he using? Not sure why he'd get scanlines on 100% black.

[Nuudoru]

(07-11-2012 07:08 PM)CFMM Wrote:  What kind of device is he using? Not sure why he'd get scanlines on 100% black.

At this moment, some cheap USB capture device. It looks like one of those Easycap things, except it's not an easycap.

[CFMM]

(07-11-2012 07:12 PM)Nuudoru Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 07:08 PM)CFMM Wrote:  What kind of device is he using? Not sure why he'd get scanlines on 100% black.

At this moment, some cheap USB capture device. It looks like one of those Easycap things, except it's not an easycap.

I hate to sound like an asshole but that's probably the problem: it's one of those cheapo things. They really only design those to capture low-quality footage from camcorders for the purposes of web conferencing. The scanlines could just be a compression issue, or if they are only appearing around the border of the video they could also be the device not knowing how to interpret a lack of video feed.

[Nuudoru]

(07-11-2012 07:23 PM)CFMM Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 07:12 PM)Nuudoru Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 07:08 PM)CFMM Wrote:  What kind of device is he using? Not sure why he'd get scanlines on 100% black.

At this moment, some cheap USB capture device. It looks like one of those Easycap things, except it's not an easycap.

I hate to sound like an asshole but that's probably the problem: it's one of those cheapo things. They really only design those to capture low-quality footage from camcorders for the purposes of web conferencing. The scanlines could just be a compression issue, or if they are only appearing around the border of the video they could also be the device not knowing how to interpret a lack of video feed.

I figured it might be the device. It looks really cheap.. I guess we have to go back to the first thing he bought. He has a dazzle device, but his computer won't recognize it as a "webcam" device so we couldn't try it out in any other software. Kind of sucks since that one was pretty expensive. Even worse is that we lost the package we got it in so now we don't know which model he bought.

[BumblebeeCody]

^^^^^
Does your friend have Xsplit installed?

(07-11-2012 07:26 PM)Nuudoru Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 07:23 PM)CFMM Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 07:12 PM)Nuudoru Wrote:  

(07-11-2012 07:08 PM)CFMM Wrote:  What kind of device is he using? Not sure why he'd get scanlines on 100% black.

At this moment, some cheap USB capture device. It looks like one of those Easycap things, except it's not an easycap.

I hate to sound like an asshole but that's probably the problem: it's one of those cheapo things. They really only design those to capture low-quality footage from camcorders for the purposes of web conferencing. The scanlines could just be a compression issue, or if they are only appearing around the border of the video they could also be the device not knowing how to interpret a lack of video feed.

I figured it might be the device. It looks really cheap.. I guess we have to go back to the first thing he bought. He has a dazzle device, but his computer won't recognize it as a "webcam" device so we couldn't try it out in any other software. Kind of sucks since that one was pretty expensive. Even worse is that we lost the package we got it in so now we don't know which model he bought.

That's why I reccommened Roxio but it's the better version of Dazzle. Yet to many people that have had issues with it. Then you get other capture cards like Hauppauge that have amazing quality but don't give you editing software, which Roxio does.

[DidYouKnowGaming]

For editing I use adobe premiere.