how to record gameplay from a console

[littlebottom]

its been bugging me ages, how do you just record whats on screen when playing a game on a console (or pc i suppose) onto the pc? without just sticking a camera infront of the screen :smallannoyed:

im assuming you need to be able to connect said console to the pc?



for example, if im playing a game on the Ps3, lets say... metal gear solid 4, how can i record this onto my computer, so that i have a video of what i have just done on the game? (possibly also, how to record what i was saying at the time too, if possible without having to record it seperately and splicing the audio in?)

sorry if this is a silly question, but its intrigued me for ages.

[Lord Seth]

Well here's how I do it anyway. To do it my way, you will need:
1) An analog-to-digital converter (some digital camcorders double as this; I use my DCR-TRV120 as my converter)
2) A "splitter" if you want to be able to watch it on the TV while you're sending it to the computer. (as an example, this (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103065), which is the one I use)
3) A program that will be able to accept data from the converter. (I use Final Cut Express)
4) The wires necessary to set it up.

So, what you do is you take the red/white/yellow wires that come out of your console that you would ordinarily stick into your TV, and put connect them into the "input" part of the splitter. Then you use wires with the red/white/yellow things on both ends to connect one of the "output" ones to the TV. A converter (or camcorder that works as one) should come with a wire that ends with the yellow/white/red ends, so hook the red/white/yellow parts (sorry, I don't know what they're called!) into the "output" part of the splitter, and hook the other end into the converter. Now get a DV cable, (FireWire in I think most cases), and hook the camcorder/converter to the computer. Exactly which kind you'll be using depends on the converter and the computer, though it may have come with the converter. So you can still see it on the TV while playing, get a wire that has the red/yellow/white things on both ends, connect one end into the, and the other to the television, where you normally would've directly connected the console to.

Now open up the program, in my case Final Cut Express. Set it up as necessary (Final Cut Express should be set to "DV-NTSC DV Converter" if you're using that), then start capturing the video. In Final Cut Express's case, you just go to File->Capture, then hit "Now" to start capturing. (it'll be different in another program, but probably pretty similar)

There's probably cheaper ways to do it. I just do it this way because I happened to already have Final Cut Express and the camera, though I did have to buy the splitter.

I've only really tested it out with a GameCube and Wii so far, but it should work with any console.

[leafman]

It might be possible to connect the PS3 into a dvd recorder/burner and then route to a t.v. and record to a dvd as you play.

ninja'd the tech does exist:
Otherwise I think you would need some sort of converter connected to your PC that would act as the video and audio in ports of a t.v. Then you would need software that could interpret the input and record it into a movie file. Frankly, I don't think any of that exists considering there are much simpler and cheaper alternatives.

As for recording gameplay while playing on a PC, there is a program you can get, I don't remember the name of it right this second, but I'll look it up for you.
Edit #2: I found the software, it is called FRAPS - http://www.fraps.com/

[Lord Seth]

As for recording gameplay while playing on a PC, there is a program you can get, I don't remember the name of it right this second, but I'll look it up for you.You're probably thinking of CamStudio. I've never used it (I've got a Mac and use Snapz Pro X), so I can't say anything about it myself.

EDIT: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screencast) has some examples of programs that do that.

[leafman]

Its FRAPS. I can't say I recommend it myself as I haven't used it but I know of some people who use it all the time.

[Lord Seth]

Its FRAPS. I can't say I recommend it myself as I haven't used it but I know of some people who use it all the time.Ah. CamStudio is the name I've heard the most so I figured that was what you were talking about.

[littlebottom]

cool, i may try this, but if anyone else has a different way, please tell me, also i have one more question...

is there a splitter for a HD connection?:smallredface:

that will work fine for most things, but my ps3 runs off HDMI, so im assuming, its the same but with a different splitter... if it exists.

although recording through my wii should be sorted now, if i can get hold of the bits and bobs :smalltongue:

[Lord Seth]

cool, i may try this, but if anyone else has a different way, please tell me, also i have one more question...

is there a splitter for a HD connection?:smallredface:Probably. I don't have HD or even really know much about it to tell the truth so I don't really know how I would go about converting it onto my computer. For all I know you can connect it directly.


(possibly also, how to record what i was saying at the time too, if possible without having to record it seperately and splicing the audio in?)Forgot to answer this part. There's probably a better way to do it, but here's how I do it: I use an audio recording program (actually, Snapz Pro X, as it can record audio in addition to video) on my other, older laptop (capturing gameplay footage is fairly CPU-intensive and I don't want to do anything else on the computer where I'm recording the footage but I suppose it could work if necessary), then record my narration as I play. Then I take the audio file, transfer it over, then import it into Final Cut Express and sync it up with the audio/video from the game. It's easiest if you have some way to make sure you've synced it up right, like playing "eeny meeny miney moe" with the different options in the game menu before you start playing. (for an example where I wasn't actually intending to use it to sync things up at the time, look at about 2:50 into this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf9b52gMWHY&feature=PlayList&p=A254A392EFEFF807). Yes, that is me talking)

Incidentally, if you're using FCE like I do, it's best to record things to an external hard drive (the "scratch disk") because you'll likely have more room, and unless you have lots of free space on your computer's hard disk you're likely going to get skipped frames. If you do this, make sure the one you get has a FireWire connection, preferably FireWire 800 (a faster version of FireWire 400). I'm probably dropping a lot of tech jargon on you, so if you're confused feel free to ask me to clarify.

Like I said though, there's probably cheaper ways (which may actually be better), like with a Capture Card of some sort. I'm just explaining how I do it.

EDIT: Ack! Completely forgot to say something important. Make sure the video is isn't interlaced if you're planning to put it online. Most TVs use Interlaced video, and most computers use Progressive video. Depending on how you import it, this may result in you having a video file that's interlaced, while your computer tries to play it progressively. This results in incredibly ugly lines appearing whenever something moves on a screen. If you see that happening, make sure you de-interlace it if you plan to put it online or display it only on a computer.

[OracleofWuffing]

Like I said though, there's probably cheaper ways (which may actually be better), like with a Capture Card of some sort. I'm just explaining how I do it.
I've used a Capture Card to record Console video games. My specific experience has been with ATI's All-in-Wonder 9800 Pro, which is... A bit ancient by today's standards. From what I can tell, the workflow isn't too much different. I can't speak for all cards and computers, but the software that comes with this card will lag about a split-second behind the actual feed, so splitting the signal is necessary. The cheesey way I found around doing that, though, is that I feed my game console's AV connection to a VCR, feed the VCR's AV connection to the Capture Card, feed the VCR's Coaxial connection to the tv, and play the game on the TV. Since we're talking HD here, that may not be the best option.

Other than that, there are two annoying hurdles. First, you'll pretty much have to set up ATI's TV program to a custom recording setting. ATI will provide you with very little information on how to do this, and if you've never worked with video files, there will be a lot of jargon piled on you. (GO BACK AND READ WHAT LORD SETH SAID ABOUT INTERLACING. YES, EVEN IF YOU READ IT BEFORE, IT IS IMPORTANT.) The other hurdle is that your video file will usually come out bloated anyways, so you're stuck using something like Virtualdub or MediaEncoder to get that file down to a more manageable size. I guess this is cheaper than getting Final Cut Express, but you're going to be doing some light hardware installation for this. A really, really good tuner card will also run you more than Final Cut Express, though.

To get your/my voice with the playthrough, fire up Audacity, start recording on Audacity, make a noise when you start recording on the TV Tuner, and cut your recording to that noise. When you get down to compressing things in Virtualdub, go to Audio->Audio from another file, and your recorded voice is the new audio track.

[Lord Seth]

Final Cut Express is only for Macs anyway, and I'm guessing he has a PC, so he'd want a different program if he wanted to try something like what I do. Trying to do what I do would probably be a bit expensive, though; I happened to already have Final Cut Express (bought it to do some other video editing work) and the thing I use for the converter (a digital camcorder that was bought to do recording on, and luckily doubles as a converter) so for me it was largely a matter of just using what I already had. The only thing I really had to buy just to do the recording of the gameplay footage was the splitter.

Tip: If you're looking for video editing software--or actually any software at all--and you're a student, see if you can get a discount of some sort. My University has a tech store that only students and faculty members can shop at, and it has absolutely amazing discounts on some software; I actually got Final Cut Express there, because it cost like half as much as it would anywhere else.

[littlebottom]

it is just as i thought, it is rather complicated... but i shall give it a try. i might have to go find my old non-HD connection for my ps3 and see if i can get any results. im gonna try and get it to work, but i can forsee needing to go out and buying a splitter or something... ah well, we shall see.

i shall see if i can get it to work with what ive got, like i say, i dont think ive got a splitter lying about... so i doubt it:smallsigh:

i shall be back with the results soon. but in the meantime, please feel free to add any information which might help, i really appreciate it:smalltongue:

EDIT: by "soon" i mean tomorrow... its late now