Micomsoft XCAPTURE-1 USB 3.0 Capture Unit

[Sixfortyfive]

nice and extensive review - thanks !

The resolutions you mentioned as unsupported via HDMI (16:10 ones) should work through VGA though.

One point I missed in the review: as you mentioned composite and s-video 240p is seen as 480i instead with forced deinterlacing to 30fps, while RGB works with 240p/60fps. What about 480i ? Any way of recording this in true interlaced - maybe via component, RGB or HDMI ?

I don't think I have any 480i RGB or HDMI sources. I tried the Dreamcast over composite (which I assume is 480i) for the heck of it; still 30fps. I might be able to do something through component when my D-terminal adapter comes in the mail. I'll try out the Wii or something when it comes in.

And at a further glance, there seems to be more supported resolutions in the card settings than what the spec sheet indicates. 1680x1050 and 1280x800 are present. It also scales the source to whatever resolution you pick, at least through HDMI and composite. (VGA input produces a scrambled image unless you match the source resolution.) The source's original resolution is always marked as "default" in the drop down list, as well. The pass-through output seems to always be 1:1; no signal conversion, no up or downscaling, and the original colors seem to remain intact.

(Fudoh, while I've got you here, care if I ask for a recommendation? I have a lovely 31kHz CRT VGA monitor that I'd like to hook up to the 15kHz RGB output of the Genesis via the XSYNC-1. I assume I just need a simple linedoubler, preferably something with zero latency and good IQ with no need for scanlines or other filters. Don't really feel like shelling out the cash for something big like an XRGB just yet. Know of anything that does this one specific job well?)

[Fudoh]

I don't think I have any 480i RGB or HDMI sources. I tried the Dreamcast over composite (which I assume is 480i) for the heck of it; still 30fps.

DC is 480i through composite, s-video and RGBs. Since RGB sources like your MD/GEN show as 240p60 through RGB, but the NES shows as 480i through composite (although it's 240p), I wonder how 480i through RGB are handled. I assume component and RGB will be handled identically. If you have a PS1 or PS2, there're plenty of 480i games through RGB.

Don't really feel like shelling out the cash for something big like an XRGB just yet. Know of anything that does this one specific job well?

then wait for Crafty's RetroPix linedoubler. Everything else is either expensive or has 2+ frames of lag.

[lettuce]

Great review, regarding the CPU usgae issue, I setup a custom power plan that loads when i load AmaRec and when i close AmaRec is reverts back to the default power plan. This way the CPU clock speed wont be excessive thus less heat and energy wasted when capturing!

[Sixfortyfive]

I don't think I have any 480i RGB or HDMI sources. I tried the Dreamcast over composite (which I assume is 480i) for the heck of it; still 30fps.

DC is 480i through composite, s-video and RGBs. Since RGB sources like your MD/GEN show as 240p60 through RGB, but the NES shows as 480i through composite (although it's 240p), I wonder how 480i through RGB are handled. I assume component and RGB will be handled identically. If you have a PS1 or PS2, there're plenty of 480i games through RGB.

So my D-terminal adapter actually came in the mail today. I plugged in the Wii via component. When the console is set to 480p, VideoKeeper2 and VirtualDub pick up a 720x480p signal at 60fps. When I switch the console to 480i, they display 720x480i at 30fps.

I can dig out the PS2 later if you like. Are the resolution settings & support game-specific or system-wide on that console?

EDIT: I just remembered this was a multi-system cable. Swapped out the Wii for the 360. The 360 comes in at 30fps in 480i as well. I don't think this thing can do 60fps interlaced.

[Fudoh]

they display 720x480i at 30fps.

thanks! would you mind uploading a little test sample ? Maybe from a 360, browsing through the dashboard or something like that. I'd just like to see the deinterlacing applied in some more detail.

[Sixfortyfive]

they display 720x480i at 30fps.

thanks! would you mind uploading a little test sample ? Maybe from a 360, browsing through the dashboard or something like that. I'd just like to see the deinterlacing applied in some more detail.

I'll try and have something up later tonight.

[Thrill]

The 360 comes in at 30fps in 480i as well. I don't think this thing can do 60fps interlaced.

30 fps (or 29.97 in this case) is the correct interlaced framerate. It's even proper framerate if you are working with 240p retro consoles over composite/S-Video since that is interpreted as 480i.

You can use the 29.97 framerate and deinterlace to 60 fps. If you don't know how to do this try the SDA encoding program: https://forum.speeddemosarchive.com/post/yua3.html

For 240p retro from composite/S-Video capture at 720x480 29.97 then in the program select top field first with d4 dimension and f1 framerate. Your encode will be proper 320x240 at 60 fps (well 59.94 in this case).

If "normal" 480i then select D1 dimension in either F1 or F2. Most real 480i games are only F2 anyway. List here as to what you should pick for what game: https://kb.speeddemosarchive.com/DF

[Fudoh]

You can use the 29.97 framerate and deinterlace to 60 fps

usually yes, but the unit seems to apply deinterlacing already, throwing out temporal information or even complete fields (depending on the deinterlacing algorithm used) - hence my request for a little video test sample.

[Thrill]

Oh yeah if it's doing on the fly deinterlacing to 30 then that is just whack.

I'm pretty sure earlier in this thread the XCAPTURE-1 drivers were missing 3 or 4 options in the driver that should hopefully be available in a future update that would fix this issue.

[Sixfortyfive]

they display 720x480i at 30fps.

thanks! would you mind uploading a little test sample ? Maybe from a 360, browsing through the dashboard or something like that. I'd just like to see the deinterlacing applied in some more detail.

Well here's something in VideoKeeper2 that I missed the first time around:



And here are the effects:

http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/v ... 2_high.mp4
http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/v ... middle.mp4
http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/v ... r2_low.mp4

Whatever this Deinterlace setting does, it doesn't seem to be available for configuration outside of VideoKeeper2, and whatever mode it's set to in VK2 has no apparent effect when using the device in other programs. (When capturing in VirtualDub, it seems to be similar to either Low or Medium.) So, I'm not certain if this function is hardware-based or something VK2 is doing specifically.

Short gameplay clip:

http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/v ... ualdub.avi

I used Trouble Shooter on Genesis again (via composite this time) because I figured that the rapid blinking effect used for gunfire and temporary invincibility would be a good thing to test. You can compare it with the 240p60 video on the webpage if you like.

EDIT: I just remembered that Sonic 2 uses 240p for normal play but switches to 480i for versus, so I loaded that up through RGB to see how the XCAPTURE-1 handles it. VK2's status bar switches between "720x240p" and "720x480i" appropriately, the picture isn't mis-scaled (it displays in 720x480 the entire time), and it takes roughly between 1 and 2 seconds for the picture to load again on each mode change. (It's not instant like it would be when playing on a CRT.) The framerate also switches between 60fps and 30fps when going back and forth between the two. (This could be problematic for audio/visual sync during AVI capture, as AVI doesn't handle variable frame rates. MP4 might be okay though.)

Also, I was mistaken earlier. The picture can be scaled to whatever resolution you want when playing through RGB after all; I just had to switch VirtualDub to Preview mode instead of Overlay.

EDIT 2: Okay, a few capture tests. VideoKeeper2 just stops the recording immediately if the signal switches from 240p to 480i. VirtualDub continues recording, but as expected, the 30fps 480i parts play back twice as fast as they should. XSplit and Open Broadcaster Software seem to handle the switches fine during recording.

EDIT 3: Added sections for deinterlacing, scaling, and pass-through, plus some minor clean-up. http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/xcapture1.html

[Sixfortyfive]

There was a recent driver update mentioned in the other capture card thread, but I figure it's worth posting here too:

http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/xcapture-1_download.htm

Interlaced capture is no longer broken. There's some other minor changes and additions here and there, but nothing I really see worth going into detail on. I updated my article accordingly. There's some sample videos in the Deinterlacing section if you want to see how it functioned before and after the update:

http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/xcapture1.html

[STG]

There was a recent driver update mentioned in the other capture card thread, but I figure it's worth posting here too:

Thanks for the heads up, this update fixed a number of issues I was having both in Amarec and Videokeeper2 just from using it briefly. The best part was that it allowed me to offset the RGB image so it wouldn't cut off a few lines of the top of the picture for a vert PCB. Much better! Glad the weekend's coming up, more time to play!

Couldn't seem to access the new Special Adjust Settings in VideoKeeper2, anyone able to check that out?

[lettuce]

There was a recent driver update mentioned in the other capture card thread, but I figure it's worth posting here too:

http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/xcapture-1_download.htm

Interlaced capture is no longer broken. There's some other minor changes and additions here and there, but nothing I really see worth going into detail on. I updated my article accordingly. There's some sample videos in the Deinterlacing section if you want to see how it functioned before and after the update:

http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/xcapture1.html

Regarding the Auto-Scaling of the XCAPTURE-1, i have noticed that if im playing a PS3 game @ 720p (as the ps3 auto switches to 720p even though you have 1080p selected in the PS3 video options) and i have my capture software (AmaRec) set to 1080p i always notice screen tearing towards the top edge of the screen. Have you experienced this at all?

[Sixfortyfive]

Regarding the Auto-Scaling of the XCAPTURE-1, i have noticed that if im playing a PS3 game @ 720p (as the ps3 auto switches to 720p even though you have 1080p selected in the PS3 video options) and i have my capture software (AmaRec) set to 1080p i always notice screen tearing towards the top edge of the screen. Have you experienced this at all?

Yeah, after reviewing some of my earlier footage I can see the same thing. It doesn't happen when the source and the capture card are both set to 1080p though.

Checking the reverse, there's also some tearing when capturing a 1080p source with the device set to 720p.

EDIT: Actually, I can't be too sure about this either way since I'm not comparing the same game. I'd need to do a proper control test.

[lettuce]

Regarding the Auto-Scaling of the XCAPTURE-1, i have noticed that if im playing a PS3 game @ 720p (as the ps3 auto switches to 720p even though you have 1080p selected in the PS3 video options) and i have my capture software (AmaRec) set to 1080p i always notice screen tearing towards the top edge of the screen. Have you experienced this at all?

Yeah, after reviewing some of my earlier footage I can see the same thing. It doesn't happen when the source and the capture card are both set to 1080p though.

Checking the reverse, there's also some tearing when capturing a 1080p source with the device set to 720p.

EDIT: Actually, I can't be too sure about this either way since I'm not comparing the same game. I'd need to do a proper control test.

Hopefully this can be sorted out in an upcoming driver update

[Thrill]

Why would you want a capture card to do on the fly video processing? It's job is to capture video. If you want 1080p video then capture in the native 720p like you are supposed to then upscale your source in VirtualDub or something.

[Sixfortyfive]

Why would you want a capture card to do on the fly video processing? It's job is to capture video. If you want 1080p video then capture in the native 720p like you are supposed to then upscale your source in VirtualDub or something.

I agree, but sometimes you just have games or systems that switch resolutions on the fly. I'm honestly pleased that the XCAPTURE-1 is pretty competent at handling that much in the first place, as none of my previous cards could, so it's not a big deal.

[lettuce]

Why would you want a capture card to do on the fly video processing? It's job is to capture video. If you want 1080p video then capture in the native 720p like you are supposed to then upscale your source in VirtualDub or something.

Its usefully when switching between systems, you could forget to switch between 1080p and 720p for the capture, this is especially useful for the PS3 where it depends on the game if it is 720p or 1080p and this information isnt always obvious . I was capturing a fair amount on the 360 at 1080p (as thats what i have the 360 set to) and then one day switched to the PS3 to do some capturing and forgot that PS3 switches the res depending on the game and doesnt always upscale like the 360 does. When i watched back the capture i notice the screen tearing as i had forgot to switch the capture resolution from 1080p to 720p. Thats why i like the feature, just fire and forget. Is not a massive pain to change the capture res depending on the system your using, but its something that can be forgotten to do sometimes.

[parodius]

Anybody tried this with a USB 3.0 ExpressCard ? As bandwidth is somewhat limited on those, I'm wondering how it would perform...

[alamone]

If I get my hands on an XCAPTURE I'll test it, I have a Vaio Z that only has USB 2.0 but has an expresscard slot.

[STG]

Anybody tried this with a USB 3.0 ExpressCard ? As bandwidth is somewhat limited on those, I'm wondering how it would perform...

That's how I connected it since my laptop is much older, I bought a cheap $36 Startech card from newegg and it works fine.

[Plasia]

wow so this is actually lagless? Am I reading the first page right? You just disable aero and you can play and record laglessly?

Can someone calmly explain this to me?

This would be awesome for my speedrunning

[Smashbro29]

Regarding the Auto-Scaling of the XCAPTURE-1, i have noticed that if im playing a PS3 game @ 720p (as the ps3 auto switches to 720p even though you have 1080p selected in the PS3 video options) and i have my capture software (AmaRec) set to 1080p i always notice screen tearing towards the top edge of the screen. Have you experienced this at all?

Yeah, after reviewing some of my earlier footage I can see the same thing. It doesn't happen when the source and the capture card are both set to 1080p though.

Checking the reverse, there's also some tearing when capturing a 1080p source with the device set to 720p.

EDIT: Actually, I can't be too sure about this either way since I'm not comparing the same game. I'd need to do a proper control test.

Marvel 3 or Ultimate Marvel 3 on PS3 is usually the best test because it's always moving so freaking fast. Though this is kind of a big deal because if I used this during streams it would be immensely helpful to just leave the thing at 1080p and have all the consoles come into it (not using a source below 720p thankfully) and let OBS pick it up at 1080p and be done with it. This could be a pretty big deal. I would definitely appreciate a few tests on this issue.

Also weird off base question, thinking of pairing this with the framemeister how would using the 720p mode with scanlines look when upscaled to 1080p? Would that ruin the look? I hope not.

[Sixfortyfive]

Could someone with this device and a PS3 check how it functions when you have "Deep Color Output (HDMI)" on the PS3 set to either On or Off? I've heard that it may have problems displaying a picture on one of those settings and I want to double check.

[Smashbro29]

Could someone with this device and a PS3 check how it functions when you have "Deep Color Output (HDMI)" on the PS3 set to either On or Off? I've heard that it may have problems displaying a picture on one of those settings and I want to double check.

That's the second small oddity mentioned so far. If they're true I wonder if they're patchable.

[blizzz]

That's partly the PS3's fault. Even my Sony TV doesn't auto detect if the console is set to deep color.

[Sixfortyfive]

Could someone with this device and a PS3 check how it functions when you have "Deep Color Output (HDMI)" on the PS3 set to either On or Off? I've heard that it may have problems displaying a picture on one of those settings and I want to double check.

That's the second small oddity mentioned so far. If they're true I wonder if they're patchable.

From what I understand, Deep Color is a colorspace that allows for more colors than the 16+ million provided by 24-bit RBG. The only way that you'd even notice a benefit from having it enabled would be if you have a source developed for it and display compatible with it. I doubt it's terribly common on either of those fronts.

Anyway, I added a quick screen-tearing test to my page:
http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/xcapture1.html

[Smashbro29]

http://www.sixfortyfive.com/streaming/xcapture1.html

Look for screen tearing, I was wondering if this is an issue on the PCI-E version too. Scaling is huge to me.

[Thrill]

I might be moving about soon so would like to look into getting this.

Some questions:

1. What USB 3 chipset and speed do I actually need to have? I've had awful luck with the Intensity Shuttle so I'm very wary of anything that states USB 3.0.

Will any laptop do? Something like: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/ ... 1-pdt.html

2. Has anyone tried capturing component video using the PEXHDCAP/Elgato dongle in the mini din port or do they force you to use D-Terminal?

[eightbitminiboss]

I might be moving about soon so would like to look into getting this.

Some questions:

1. What USB 3 chipset and speed do I actually need to have? I've had awful luck with the Intensity Shuttle so I'm very wary of anything that states USB 3.0.

Will any laptop do? Something like: http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/ ... 1-pdt.html

2. Has anyone tried capturing component video using the PEXHDCAP/Elgato dongle in the mini din port or do they force you to use D-Terminal?

Regarding 1, NEC Renasas. Just like the Shuttle.