Superplay capture solutions

[Fudoh]

4x WD Caviar Black 1TB.

[Fudoh]

@ZOM

is it possible that BMD's Media Express 2 is a piece of crap ? I just updated from 7.1.2. (with ME1) to 7.6.3 (with ME2) and had nothing but problems. From the non responsive capture app, to non working hardware playback - - - terrible. Only way for me was downgrading again to my previous version.

I still think that iulab's iuVCR is the better capture app all around. I started using it with my Sweetspot card and still use it for the BMD. The only downside is that it's only working for 720p59.94 capture and nothing else. Combine this with a set of Newtek codec's and you get brilliant results with around 20-25MB/s. Way better than BMD's MJPG codec.

[ZOM]

Dude, same here! I just tried a bit ME2 and after that swiftly reverted to ME1. Not only non-responsive, but I often have to switch from playback to capture back and forth to even get a picture. (Not to mention that the fixed resolution ME2 is using won't do for my desktop)

BTW, I'm using iuVCR too now, great piece of software
I also have the free to download VH multicam studio which has a very basic & barebones capturing app included but I did not really test it out yet. Still looks better than ME.

[akumajo]

about intensity pro / shuttle

both YPbPr and RGB colorspace are supported ? i have a doubt about rgb

example : xrgb3 > shuttle

[Fudoh]

BMD's RGB colorspace support means HDMI with RGB colorspace, e.g. from a PC or 360. It's not related to analogue RGB (either RGBs or RGBHV).

[cools]

I'd quite like to dabble in recording some stuff from my cabs. Does anyone have any recommendations for a DVR (either HDD or DVD is fine) that will take an RGB input? I'm quite capable of building a cable to split out video/audio so it displays on the cab and gets fed to the DVR, and split the sync and attentuate the audio from the PCB if necessary.

I only want to do PCBs, and be able to edit the captured files on my PC. Hitting a button on the unit (rather than a remote) to record would be ideal.

[Ed Oscuro]

Just installed a new capture array (onboard ICH10R controller):

Not a question or comment so much as a set of random observations:

Intel has been sneaky lately about its chipset controller drivers. (Putting aside that I broke an installation of XP by installing the wrong drivers in the wrong order; that was easy to overcome as I hadn't done anything with Windows installation yet.)

Around 2006-2007 Intel put out flash cache hardware, along the lines of Windows ReadyDrive and ReadyBoost (for Vista), under the name of Intel Turbo Memory. That had separate drivers for a long while. (I'll get to the chipset drivers for a second.) There is still a download for these drivers, and installing them will revert (should you have anything newer) your chipset drivers to about the 8.9 revision mark.

Somewhere after revision 8.9 Intel discontinued the Intel "Matrix Storage Manager" name and came up with "Rapid Storage Technology" - these drivers have been improving most people's numbers, in general. It did seem to cut out Turbo Memory (in my case, the really-not-noticeable 1GB module which allocated 512MB for ReadyDrive and ReadyBoost each), even the latest revision with User (file) Pinning (i.e. select what to cache), and it's not clear if that module has any functionality as Rapid Storage Technology drivers initially didn't apply to the Turbo Memory controller (yellow exclamation point in Device Manager, no driver; searching for hardware changes fixed this eventually). Matrix Storage Manager was itself a new name over what they had before, and I think that the name changes may be roughly incidental with new chipsets - but even old chipsets are helped by the new drivers.

Obviously, Turbo Memory is irrelevant to the question of capture speed - it's just an interesting wrinkle that would just speed up your initial boot, in theory.

However, the rather frequent changes to the name of Intel's controller drivers has been of some importance.

[Ramza]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new and better solution to capture videos from my arcade pcbs (cps2 & cps3). I thought about buying a Hauppauge HD-PVR, so I need to convert the 15khz RGBs signal to 480p or 720p Component. I figured out several ways to do this:

Upscale it with a RGBs to VGA Converter. Then I would need to convert the resulting 480p/720p RGBHV to Component in order to use it with the HD-PVR. Are there any (cheap) alternatives to the Kramer FC-14? Could I also use one of those cheap Scart to YUV boxes from ebay?

[Fudoh]

If you're strictly looking at capturing CPS2/3 games, you'd be best of with a 15khz RGBs capture device, like the Sweetspot. The CPS systems are close enough to NTSC spec (~59,6 vs. 59,94z), so this should work flawlessly.

If you're upscaling, then transcoding, then live capturing in h.264 you're throwing away quality with each single step. All to end up with the very same video stream you'd get by capturing the original 15khz output.

Eventually the BMD and Hauppauge solutions are probably even more sensible to non-standard-NTSC timings.

[Ramza]

If you're strictly looking at capturing CPS2/3 games, you'd be best of with a 15khz RGBs capture device, like the Sweetspot. The CPS systems are close enough to NTSC spec (~59,6 vs. 59,94z), so this should work flawlessly.

OK, that would be an option. Would MVS (59.19 Hz) work with this card too?

If you're upscaling, then transcoding, then live capturing in h.264 you're throwing away quality with each single step. All to end up with the very same video stream you'd get by capturing the original 15khz output.

Eventually the BMD and Hauppauge solutions are probably even more sensible to non-standard-NTSC timings.

I see your point. Although it would be nice to have the option to capture HD for XBox360 with a HD-PVR or BMD Card. How about adding a Iscan HD instead of the VGA & Component converters? Or would you rather recommend different solutions for SD & HD capturing?

[Fudoh]

OK, that would be an option. Would MVS (59.19 Hz) work with this card too?

unfortunately I haven't tried and don't have a Sweetspot anymore.

Timm from NG.dev bought my Sweetspot card. Maybe you can ask him about MVS compatibility. He probably has tried it with Last Hope and/or Fast Striker.

Or would you rather recommend different solutions for SD & HD capturing?

No, Iscan HD + BMD is nice for SD and HD, especially since the HD has RGBs inputs and reclocks the signal to 59.94Hz and solves all the compatibility problems right away.

[Ramza]

No, Iscan HD + BMD is nice for SD and HD, especially since the HD has RGBs inputs and reclocks the signal to 59.94Hz and solves all the compatibility problems right away.

Time to start saving, I guess As usually, thanks for you help!

[zakk]

I've captured MVS with a sweetspot before; should work fine.

[akumajo]

hey, it's been a while

another device will be released next year, Hauppauge Colossus HD-PVR

Chipset List
ViXS XCode-3111
Analog Device ADV7441A
hynix H5PS5162FFR 512MB DDR2

Video Codecs:
AVC "H.264" encoding video codec up to 1080i
Note HD MPEG-2 recordings may have to be done by 3rdparty software developer such as SageTV or GBPVR becuase Hauppauge provides software will most likely not support HD MPEG-2 recordings.

Audio Codecs:
AAC
AC3

Transcoding:
AVC, MPEG2
HD to HD/SD

A/V RCA Jacks:
HDMI input (NoN-Encrypted HDMI signals up to 1080i)
Component, Left audio, Right audio
Toslink Digital Optical audio input
Loop through output for Component, Left audio, Right audio
Toslink Digital Optical audio output
IR
IR Blaster

Bus Interface:
1x PCIe

source : http://www.shspvr.com/smf/index.php?topic=12325.0

I'm still waiting for Blackmagic H264 Pro recorder ...

[StarCreator]

Interesting. It looks like it pretty much has the same capabilities as the BlackMagic Intensity Pro.

I had picked up one of those AVerMedia AVerTV HD DVR MTVHDDVRR cards, but even though I've installed it, I have yet to try any serious capturing. A big caveat of the AVerTV is that it doesn't seem to support capturing at framerates above 30fps.

[RGB32E]

I haven't used my BMD Intensity Pro for a while... I've been thinking about trying to capture the output from my XRGB-3. The config being B0 mode at one of the 720p resolutions using a DVI to HDMI cable. I'm using a newer SSD right now, so I think capturing raw data shouldn't be a problem!

[ZOM]

^^Have you run BMD's disc-speed utility with your new SSD? I'm curious on what readings you get.

[Fudoh]

I've been thinking about trying to capture the output from my XRGB-3. The config being B0 mode at one of the 720p resolutions using a DVI to HDMI cable.

doesn't work. Even if there was a 720p output on the XRGB (which there isn't). To capture from a XRGB-3 you need a DVDO scaler inbetween which decouples both sync and frequency of the input from the output. The DVDO generates a completely new 720p59,94Hz signal which you can then capture using the BMD. The nice thing about it is that you apply underscan via the DVDO, so you can capture the native 480p B1 signal and just cut away the black borders around it.

[akumajo]

Micomsoft capture card will be released in a few days

SC-500N1/DVI : http://www.micomsoft.co.jp/sc-500n1.htm


anyone tested AmaRecTV with a blackmagic device ? It's seems to be used by many japaneses people.
http://amamaman.web.infoseek.co.jp/engl ... ectv_e.htm

[ZOM]

AmaRecTV

This looks very interesting, will give it a try!

[alamone]

nosuke has posted some test results for the new Micomsoft video capture device:

JAMMA PCBs:
http://garakuta.homelinux.org/~nosuke/d ... 4.html#3-3

Consoles:
http://garakuta.homelinux.org/~nosuke/d ... 4.html#8-2

[alamone]

Also, regarding the Intensity Shuttle (what I use), it is very finicky about the sync rate.
I have a VGA -> Component transcoder (BOX1020) but the Intensity Shuttle is unable
to sync to any output from the XRGB2, or my Gefen DVI scaler (afterwards converted to VGA
using a Moome box).

PS3 has HDCP. However, if I feed PS3 HDMI to HDFury (or Moome) and then to BOX1020,
I can capture at 720p @ 59.94 using the component video input.

XBOX 360 works fine on the HDMI capture since XBOX 360 has no HDCP.
Unfortunately the HDMI passthrough (output) does not work properly - you get a distorted signal with weird colors.
Also, this only works if the Intensity Shuttle is the ONLY downstream device, if I tried inserting
a 1-to-4 HDMI splitter, the Intensity Shuttle would no longer lock to a signal, although
all the other devices on the splitter worked fine. I suppose this is some kind of stupid
anti-piracy measure. Thus I end up just using the component video input for XBOX 360 and PS3,
since the passthrough doesn't work on HDMI.

For older consoles, I just use a VGA -> S-video converter with VGA passthru,
and feed the S-video signal to the Intensity Shuttle. Not the best quality solution, but like I said the thing is very
picky about the scan rate, and you have to select the appropriate matching scan rate
using the Blackmagic capture software. 60hz is different from 59.94 hz.

[Fudoh]

@alamone

the Intensity Shuttle is unable to sync to any output from the XRGB2, or my Gefen DVI scaler

that's why I recommended a DVDO scaler before. This way you can unlock the output frequency which allows you to record all those sources on the Intensity (Shuttle).

The snapshots by nosuke look nice, but 35,000yen (including the XSync) are quite steep. I'm looking forward to download a few test captures and to see how they actually handle the different input frequencies. A BMD Intensity and an iScan HD+ (on the lower end) or a DVDO Edge (on the higher end) are a pretty much perfect capture solution for vintage game systems already.

[alamone]

that's why I recommended a DVDO scaler before. This way you can unlock the output frequency which allows you to record all those sources on the Intensity (Shuttle).

Have you tested the DVDO with non-standard sync JAMMA boards, like Seibu SPI? Does it convert 54hz to 60hz?
The Gefen DVI scaler is able to convert 54hz to 60hz, but like I said the Intensity is unable to lock to the Gefen signal.

Also, would it work in a chain where the XRGB-2 does the initial upscan, and then the VGA is fed into the RGBHV input?
Or, is it better to instead split the incoming scart RGB lines to both the XRGB-2 and to the DVDO Edge via RGBS input?

I'm assuming in your setup, you set the DVDO output to 480p or 720p, and set the corresponding resolution in the Blackmagic software?

[alamone]

By the way, the XRGB-2 -> Box1020 -> Intensity shuttle can capture some PS2, depending on the video mode it's using, but generally the Intensity shuttle cannot sync to the signal for most consoles and JAMMA boards. The resolution setting is set to NTSC Progressive in the Blackmagic software.

Feeding Dreamcast VGA Box -> Box1020 -> Intensity shuttle appears to work. At least, I can see the signal in the Blackmagic software.

[Fudoh]

Have you tested the DVDO with non-standard sync JAMMA boards, like Seibu SPI? Does it convert 54hz to 60hz?

yes, works fine.

Also, would it work in a chain where the XRGB-2 does the initial upscan, and then the VGA is fed into the RGBHV input?

yes, but I've never tested this particular setup with a 54Hz board.

On my setup I have to scale to 720p because I use a BMD Multibridge which can't capture 480p. But I can capture 480p embedded in a 720p frame and just cut away the black borders.

By the way, the XRGB-2 -> Box1020 -> Intensity shuttle can capture some PS2, depending on the video mode it's using

ok, but this doesn't make too much sense, since you can capture the PS2 directly as well on the Intensity, at least games running in 480i and 480p.

[alamone]

ok, but this doesn't make too much sense, since you can capture the PS2 directly as well on the Intensity, at least games running in 480i and 480p.

Yeah, I almost forgot that PS2 can actually output component video, since most older consoles are RGB only.
In my case, I have the PS2 connected to XRGB2 by RGB cable, and XRGB2 does not support component input,
so it's kind of a hassle to swap to component cable if I want to capture from PS2. Anyway, I will consider
getting a DVDO edge ($420ish at amazon.com) for higher quality capture of vintage and JAMMA PCBs.
For now I will just use the S-video input since I mostly use it for streaming anyway;
in the end the compression kills the video quality anyway.

[panzeroceania]

HDMI inputs -> RGBHV output ?

From a 360, yes, from a PS3, no. In other words: yes, but only if the signal is unprotected (without HDCP).
yes.

so if you got an HDMI stripping box then you could do it.

[emphatic]

Today I found one of these Panasonic DMR-E100H at a local flea market for €70: http://reviews.cnet.com/video-players-a ... 60167.html

Is it a good deal for recording from a Supergun (RGB SCART) or using the s-video and/or composite for consoles?