Capturing Game Footage

[FatalError]

I need some help getting game footage (so I can have it for superplays, video projects, etcetera), and I need some specific help:

1. I have a video capture device, and I can plug in any console (assuming it uses composite/SVHS outputs). So capturing from a console isn't too hard (although I need to figure out how to get a larger resolution through my crappy Pinnacle software). What is the best file format to use to get a decent quality without having a file size that is ultra huge (I am assuming some .avi codec would be best)?

2. Capturing something from a portable system may be more difficult. Any way how to do it?

3. Recording from MAME: I can use the "Play and Record Input" from MAME and it will save it into a .inp file. Is there a way to convert these files to playable .avi/.wmvs? I know WolfMAME can record games (but there is no documentation ANYWHERE on HOW to do this), and I know older versions of MAME had an option to "Play and Record AVI". All new versions of MAME don't have this option, so I need SPECIFIC instructions of how to create playable .avi/.wmv's from MAME (and what versions of MAME I need).

I have been on Google and Yahoo! for a while trying to locate this information. I try not to ask on forums until I've exausted all other resources. So, here I am hoping someone here can help. I thank you in advance.

[Icarus]

• If you are using Pinnacle hardware, then it is best not to use their software to capture. I have used a DC10+ in the past, and currently using a DC30+, and they both capture great with VirtualDub. VirtualDub supports multisegment captures, so you can record for as long as you have harddrive space to store the raw data.
  
  For encoding, you might want to do a few test encodes using different codecs and file formats yourself, so you can decide for yourself which is the best to use. DivX is good for small sized output, but the playback quality of the video can drop if there is a lot of motion in the video itself (shmups are guilty of this). XviD has more compression features and works great for high quality and high motion output, but the file size increases as a result. The MPEG file format is great for quality, but gives the largest filesize as a result.
  
  Don't forget to encode your audio as well. Use MP3, 96kb/s, 44.1khz, 16bit, stereo is recommended for good audio.
• You're not likely to capture from a handheld, unless you have a GameBoy Player or somesuch - in short, you need a handheld to console convertor, so you can route the video from the console to your capture hardware.
• If you want to capture MAME playback, you can either use a PC-to-PC feed (obviously you need two PCs, one with the capture hardware, one with video output either via graphics card output or a VGA to RGB scan convertor), or a PC-to-VHS method, using one PC with video output routed to a video casette recorder. You record the play, then playback the tape and record the video to the PC.
  
  Alternatively, you could use EK-MAME Plus, which does AVI output, both from regular play, and from an .inp (the recommended method). EK-MAME video output tends to desynchronise the video and audio though, so be careful and check your output carefully before you encode to save on the hassle. Check out my Bakraid ST guide for some EK-MAME video examples.

[Specineff]

Icarus, thanks for sharing the info about virtualDub. Pinnacle captures VHS video and encodes it with Crap-O-Vision on my sytem. I'll give it a spin.

[Platypus[gEc]]

Is FRAPS not an alternative for MAME recording? Whatever file format is produces can then be compressed via the usual software...

[Icarus]

VirtualDub is probably the best video capture program available, and the best thing is, it's totally free. It's also one of the few that can do multisegment, which works around the 2GB (or 4GB for NTFS formatted drives) capture size limitations, and one of the few that can edit 60FPS video.

With the release of VirtualDub 1.6.5 and higher, Phaeron has added DirectShow capture support, so you no longer need to rely on bundled software to capture in Windows XP. This was a huge problem for the Pinnacle MJPEG range, as before VDub 1.6.5, you could only capture from Video For Windows (VfW) drivers - pre-XP drivers.

VirtualDub is definitely recommended if you do any form of video capturing. You can't do any fancy titling, but you can always use Premiere or something for that.

Regarding MAME encoding: those are the best methods I've used to capture PC output. The PC-to-PC and PC-to-VHS can also be used to capture PC games, such as Chorensha and AIRRADE Air. Both give varying quality depending on the hardware used - I use a VGA to RGB upscan convertor from Trust.com and the quality good, but a bit blurry.

I haven't used FRAPS so I can't comment on it.

[FatalError]

Thanks for the tip on EK-MAME Plus. I'm playing around with the settings, and trying to get the best possible output while having a managable file size. It makes it easier to edit as well.

[Fost]

Is FRAPS not an alternative for MAME recording?

I could never get FRAPS to work with MAME, but I use it to capture all sorts of other footage. It always seems to do a much better job of maintaining framerate/quality than anything else I've used. I'm sure there's a way to get it working with MAME though...

[zakk]

I bet the MAME+FRAPS problems people are having is that they don't set MAME to use DirectX rendering. FRAPS will NOT capture DirectDraw stuff. If you're using a port like MAME32, there's an option somewhere in 'default game settings' to use DirectX. Enable it for FRAPS recording.

[Fost]

Ahh - worked out the problem with MAME+FRAPS: it doesn't work in windowed mode - I thought that would be a better idea. If you turn off 'start maximised' then the game will always run at its native resolution without being scaled. Most shmups from the golden era are 240X320 so if you run them full screen non TATE, MAME by default scales them to 1024X768. Makes no sense to capture scaled up data, and the less data you are pumping out to the hard drive, the less of an impact it will have on frame rate. Best thing to do, is run with the game in TATE mode, fullscreen, and force 320X240 on. Then you can rotate the video back in your NLE package of choice.

I also noted that it's best to match the frame rate of the game with MAME. Running FRAPS at 60fps (on a 60fps game - which most shmups seem to be) captures perfect video and audio, whereas 30fps can cause slowdowns in MAME and really mess with audio recording.

Anyway, I now have some lovely video of my spectacularly bad shmup skills

[Platypus[gEc]]

Anyway, I now have some lovely video of my spectacularly bad shmup skills

Which is the only reason we mess around with these things in the first place