Question / Help Capture card - what to buy

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HellYeahPlay

New Member
Hello everyone, I'm going to make a stream with two computers , but can `t choose the PCI-E capture card 1080p / 60fps which would definitely worked with OBS without problems, someone can something advise?
 
Is there an "all-in-one" device that could capture component and hdmi separately? I've read that anything above 480i (including 480p?) should be a minimum of usb3.0.
 
For 1080p with 60fps the choices are quite limited atm, especially more pci-e devices are needed.
USB3.0 wise there are the Elgato HD 60, Avermedia Live Gamer Extreme and maybe one or two other devices. For pci-e, unless you want to invest serious money, the micomsoft as mentioned by DoAGoldeneye or maybe one of the cheaper Black Magic cards are available.
At the moment I would maybe wait for some Christmas offers or even see if new devices come out around that time.
 
For the sake of this example... lets use the Avermedia Live Gamer Extreme capture card. (because this is entirely new to me)

It connects to a computer via usb3.0. Game system connects via component or HDMI in. Game signal goes to a monitor via HDMI out. Is this correct?

Also, how much of a load does a capture card like that put on the CPU?
 
Yes (if the capture card has passthrough capabilities), you connect the HDMI out to your TV or Monitor.
The load depends on the capture card, if its input is encoded or not for example. So for the LGX it will probably be slightly higher than for an internal card. It probably also depends on the driver of each manufacturer. But since you normally use them in a dedicated machine, its no big problem in general.
 
I can strongly recommend the Micomsoft SC-512N1-L/DVI. You can also get one (the exact same card, minus the passthrough daughtercard; just use splitters if you want a passthrough display) from SabrePC as the Yuan SC512 for $200. Literally THE same card, down to the headers and silkscreening.

I firmly believe that it is hands-down the best capture card on the market at the moment for livestreamers. I have one, and if it broke I would be buying another five minutes later. Worth every penny.

1080p@60 capture, down to 240i (for NES and older). HDMI/DVI (with audio), component, s-video, composite, VGA. Capture delay of 0-2 frames when set up properly means generally not needing a separate TV unless you're doing frame-perfect tricks. Only down sides? The on-card deinterlacing is relatively poor, and it doesn't do HDCP (but you can buy a gray splitter to break that anyway).

A capture card does increase CPU load over a Game Capture (so don't buy one if you're gaming on the system you're playing from, it won't help) but it's minor.

I'd advise against USB 3.0 devices if at all possible. They tend to be finicky. Likewise with AverMedia's junk. They make starter-grade gear, but fall behind the curve quickly when you even get into the midrange.
 
FerretBomb said:
I can strongly recommend the Micomsoft SC-512N1-L/DVI. You can also get one (the exact same card, minus the passthrough daughtercard; just use splitters if you want a passthrough display) from SabrePC as the Yuan SC512 for $200. Literally THE same card, down to the headers and silkscreening.

I firmly believe that it is hands-down the best capture card on the market at the moment for livestreamers. I have one, and if it broke I would be buying another five minutes later. Worth every penny.

1080p@60 capture, down to 240i (for NES and older). HDMI/DVI (with audio), component, s-video, composite, VGA. Capture delay of 0-2 frames when set up properly means generally not needing a separate TV unless you're doing frame-perfect tricks. Only down sides? The on-card deinterlacing is relatively poor, and it doesn't do HDCP (but you can buy a gray splitter to break that anyway).

A capture card does increase CPU load over a Game Capture (so don't buy one if you're gaming on the system you're playing from, it won't help) but it's minor.

I'd advise against USB 3.0 devices if at all possible. They tend to be finicky. Likewise with AverMedia's junk. They make starter-grade gear, but fall behind the curve quickly when you even get into the midrange.
Click to expand...

Thx, this card Micomsoft SC-512N1-L/DVI work perfectly? Without stutter, fpr drop, etc? And how i make 2pc stream setup with this card? Its DVI.
 
I thought it was implied that you're capturing a console?

For 2 PCs, you can just duplicate your monitor on your gaming PC, send one to your monitor as usual, the other to the capture card. I know Nvidia supports this, as its what I do when I stream. AMD probably has a similar feature.

If you can't or don't want to do that, you need a Y splitter of some sort that can do 1080p60.
 
DVI and HDMI are interchangeable, with a passive adapter (pin-to-pin). DVI even carries audio. You probably have one of these adapters laying around from an old video card purchase.
You plug a cable between the capture card and your GPU like it was a monitor. Set the GPU to clone displays. You can also use a standard HDMI splitter instead, and plug one end into your monitor and the other into the capture card. This is much simpler, and advised.

I haven't had any stutter or skip issues with mine unless the system was under high (90%+) load; did get some frame dropping at that point, but any capture device will under those conditions.
Just make sure you plug it into a PCIe 2.0 slot (on most modern motherboards this isn't an issue as they're all PCIe 2.0 or 3.0, but older ones like mine only have a few slots that are 2.0). You may also want to play with the color mode used for capture... it's a very versatile card, and you can configure it quite deeply. I've found that RGB24 or YUV2 produce the least capture latency, if you're looking to do what I do, and play right from the captured video for a console, instead of using a separate monitor.
 
Big thx, guys!

But i think i'm stupid =) Because I'm a little confused =) ) ) )

With HDMI capture card I could understand how all is connected , but a DVI capture card , I'm confused . Someone could write me a schematic , since I really dumb , which is now all be connected and how , if I do not want to duplicate the monitor.

With HDMI i would have done something like that
three_pc_streaming_setup_v2.jpg
 
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If I may ask something unique to my situation... I may very well only want a capture card for Wii and Wii U. I also have my Wii hooked up with component cables. Quite frankly, the Micomsoft is well more expensive than I'd be able to budget. Is there a cheaper PCI interface card that would do the simple capturing I would need? Even if a card only has an HDMI in, there'd surely be a converter to get that from component I'd assume.
 
For PCIe (not PCI) 720p there really is little to no reason to pick anything but the Avermedia Livegamer HD. I mean, sure, there are alternatives, but they're either more expensive or have less features. You can pick it up from around 99$ for the Lite version.
 
How about for 1080 from the WiiU? Can you provide a link for it that cheap?

Edit: My thing is that I'm basically a noob when it comes to this end of computer hardware. I'm not opposed to learning but I would prefer something that will work as simply as I need it to.
 
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HellYeahPlay said:
With HDMI capture card I could understand how all is connected , but a DVI capture card , I'm confused . Someone could write me a schematic , since I really dumb , which is now all be connected and how , if I do not want to duplicate the monitor.

With HDMI i would have done something like that
Click to expand...
HDMI or DVI actually make no big difference in general. Only downside of DVI is that you cannot send sound. But please dont make it too complicated, you linked a picture for a 3-PC setup.
standard_two_pc.fw_.jpg

That is an example for a simple 2-PC setup. Either a HDMI or DVI cable goes from PC1 to the recording PC2 and its capture card. HDMI to DVI or DVI to HDMI cables can be used if necessary.
 
inthenameofDT said:
How about for 1080 from the WiiU? Can you provide a link for it that cheap?

Edit: My thing is that I'm basically a noob when it comes to this end of computer hardware. I'm not opposed to learning but I would prefer something that will work as simply as I need it to.
Click to expand...
The Livegamer HD can record 1080p (from any source) at 30 frames per second (which is still awesome to watch by any stretch of the imagination).
 
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