Micomsoft XCAPTURE-1 USB 3.0 Capture Unit

[ociplaC]

Quick, dumb question: what resolution am I supposed to recording Wii games at (for 480i/p)? 720x480, like the PS2, or 640x480? I'm currently using 640x480, and it seems a little thin-looking, but it might just be me.

I remember that someone said that Tetris The Grand Master is a bit picky to record, but I can't remember if that statement was for 1, 2 or 3. I believe the framerate is above 60fps on these games. You could also ask on the SDA Forums, they had all 3 Tetris boards at the recent AGDQ, so someone there should know how to record them.

On a side note Grillz/TWF is a pretty good TGM player and is a personal friend of KevinDDR. Last time I checked their streams they were using something other than XCapture-1 though.

[Fudoh]

Quick, dumb question: what resolution am I supposed to recording Wii games at (for 480i/p)? 720x480, like the PS2, or 640x480? I'm currently using 640x480, and it seems a little thin-looking, but it might just be me.

720x480 is corrent, but the AR will stay the same, since 720x480 and 640x480 are both 4:3. 720x480 is D1 which simply doesn't use square pixels. On the DC's output will will usually have black borders on the sides. Sega's fault, not yours.

[Smashbro29]

Recently had a huge issue with this card and OBS (I didn't try it anything else, no time), I was getting about 10fps with an i7 2700k, 16 gig ram, GTX 680. The card would instantly max out my CPU if it was active in a scene, no matter how low the resolution. I reinstalled everything and while it still makes it run to 100% it's not dropping the framerate or quality.

Why does it run up to 100? Why is it only recently making OBS run about 60% of my CPU when it was about 30 before on identical settings? I read it's a bug that kicks your CPU into overdrive but tell me in detail how to get past it.

In Windows (Windows 7 in this case), go to Control Panel > Power Options.
Click on "Change plan settings" for your current power plan.
Click on "Restore default settings for this plan".

That should temporarily get rid of the bug. In my experience it only comes back when I disconnect the XCAPTURE-1, so as long as you keep it connected, it'll hold. The only band-aid we got.

Thanks, but for some reason its using a hell of a lot more CPU then before when everything was in order, I'm doing a 1080p 60fps video capture and here are my settings in OBS:

https://imgur.com/a/kyt7r

It's not an OBS issue, I've had a near identical with Video Keeper 2. Just running the preview made the program itself jump to about 30%-ish usage and made my CPU overall run at 100% via making everything else jump up in CPU.

Exact same windows with VK2

ON: http://i.imgur.com/N7OvSvm.png

OFF: http://i.imgur.com/DPEGxmt.png

The power reset trick only works for a few seconds and then it all goes right back up.

I just reinstalled the thing too with the latest. I just don't get it, it was working fine for a really long time.

This ended up being a sound driver issue, it's odd the new sound drivers didn't fix it in OBS but it did fix it in VK2. I needed to get the new obs from a friend that has completely reworked audio.

It's amazing what the smallest thing can do to your entire setup.

However, I came to ask another question that I can't think of a better place to ask. I know the best way to record with scanlines with a mini is by using a 1080p "frame" and stretching your 720p video to it (mirroring the effect of taking the mini's 720p picture and having your 1080p monitor scale it for the correct results) but when streaming I can't push higher than 720p (for viewer's sake) so I make my scene 1080p drop in my 720p capture in and it stretches it right and then brings it down again via downscaling when streaming. The issue is does this look right? To test (and because it was funny) I recently decided to upload a clip from my stream to see if the scanlines pass the test.

http://youtu.be/p9JKKl3ZXZk

It's just acting, I'm not sure anyone is that edgy.

[aperturegrillz]

The SC-500N1 doesn't need HV sync, it works with normal clean c-sync. Maybe the voltage is too high on the sync signal? Do you have other boards that work with the XCAPTURE?

I remember that someone said that Tetris The Grand Master is a bit picky to record, but I can't remember if that statement was for 1, 2 or 3. I believe the framerate is above 60fps on these games. You could also ask on the SDA Forums, they had all 3 Tetris boards at the recent AGDQ, so someone there should know how to record them.

I've meant to try other arcade boards but haven't had a chance to borrow any of KevinDDR's yet and I don't yet own any of my own.
It's possible the voltage is too high on the sync or on the video, I know JAMMA games generally output high voltages for video. I may try putting it through some resistors to see if that helps.
I know TGM2 runs at 61.68fps but I feel like that shouldn't be an issue; I know Kitaru runs video from it straight to his pexhdcap and it works fine. He uses resistors on the RGB lines though which supports the idea that the signal level might be too high. Anyway I'm getting a sync strike soon so we'll see if that makes it work.

[Whitesnake]

Hey guys I recently picked up a StarTech USB3HDCAP and I noticed on an earlier post the X-Capture-1 has issues detecting 240p over Composite/S-Video is this problem addressable? Has it been fixed with the Micomsoft drivers? or are they just the same as the Yuan ones that come with the StarTech?

Currently I'm just deinterlacing and removing the top field first with AmaRecTV this seems to fix the combing issues but the picture looks a little less sharp as a result.

[Sixfortyfive]

Hey guys I recently picked up a StarTech USB3HDCAP and I noticed on an earlier post the X-Capture-1 has issues detecting 240p over Composite/S-Video is this problem addressable? Has it been fixed with the Micomsoft drivers? or are they just the same as the Yuan ones that come with the StarTech?

Currently I'm just deinterlacing and removing the top field first with AmaRecTV this seems to fix the combing issues but the picture looks a little less sharp as a result.

240p is interpreted as 480i over composite and S-video, but no actual visual information is lost. To make it look right, you need to ignore the deinterlacing options in the capture card's setting itself (keep it on "Weave (None)") and deinterlace the video with a "double frame rate, top field first" method instead (or maybe "bottom field first" in some weird exceptions that I might not be aware of). I know that VirtualDub has an option for this. I'm not sure about Amarec.

[blizzz]

In Amarec it is called deinterlacing "for Retro Game".

[Whitesnake]

Thanks for the replies guys

@Sixfortyfive

I assume this is because Composite and S-Video are defined as 480i/576i the video broadcast standard for compatibility? or is it a limitation of the capture card.
The way you describe it suggests a console could display 160p of resolution but will still be shown within 480i/576i resolution over Composite or S-Video.

@blizzz

I used that option, but I also noticed it has options for "Action Game" "Role-playing Game" and "HW Deinterlacing by VGA" It doesn't really explain what the difference is between those modes. There is also a Scan Line Double option which is set to Auto currently.

[Whitesnake]

I just noticed the Nintendo Gamecube is picked up as 240p on Composite via the StarTech USB3HDCAP

[Whitesnake]

Have you guys experienced any video judder when viewing or capturing footage in 60fps?

I've uploaded an example to hopefully show this.

http://www.filedropper.com/2015-03-05-1144-03

If you look closely at the scrolling Soul Calibur logo you will see it judder for a few seconds then it recovers.
It happens at 06s and 23s.

The problem exists in OBS, XSplit and AmaRecTV but it doesn't occur in DScaler my thoughts are this might have something to do with the way these programs render the video, Direct3D etc. I've tried a whole manner of settings in each program and it none of it seems to make a difference.

[Whitesnake]

Further experiments have revealed that it is a problem with DirectShow or applications which use DirectShow I switched to "Overlay" on AmaRecTV and it got rid of the frame rate hitching, But that doesn't help with programs like OBS.

Are there any other newer drivers available for similar devices I could try, or even older drivers? I can only find the 1 file at StarTech's website.

[Thrill]

You can try the Lumens one but I doubt they will work/they seem to be older: http://www.lumens.com.tw/a/program_down ... 140430.exe

The AmaRec blog actually did a post about using Overlay which apparently works out to be a frame faster than EVR, I think that makes it under a frame of lag: http://amalabo.blog35.fc2.com/blog-category-16.html

I only have a crappy camera so getting proper results was difficult to verify the claim. The results I did get didn't seem to indicate it was a frame faster but meh. It's hard to understand if he meant in the current release (3.10) or in 3.24 which doesn't seem to be released.

[Whitesnake]

You can try the Lumens one but I doubt they will work/they seem to be older: http://www.lumens.com.tw/a/program_down ... 140430.exe

The AmaRec blog actually did a post about using Overlay which apparently works out to be a frame faster than EVR, I think that makes it under a frame of lag: http://amalabo.blog35.fc2.com/blog-category-16.html

I only have a crappy camera so getting proper results was difficult to verify the claim. The results I did get didn't seem to indicate it was a frame faster but meh. It's hard to understand if he meant in the current release (3.10) or in 3.24 which doesn't seem to be released.

Thanks for the reply. Thrill

I just tested those drivers and they seem to operate the same way unfortunately

I uploaded another video to further show the problem

http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=841 ... 7136532036

It is a 1080p 10mb FLV, so for anyone watching it make sure you can play it back smoothly, I use the latest VLC.

Does this problem exist with the XCapture-1 when using DirectShow? I have tried things like changing the desktop refresh to 59hz and the framerate within programs to 59.94fps with some minimal success, sometimes it can play smooth for 5 or more minutes but will start to go choppy again and stay choppy.

The new OBS Multiplatform has an option called Buffering in the video settings which I suspect it something similar to Triple Buffering that also seemed to fix the issue for a short time but it reverts into a worse state eventually.

[charlocharlie]

Hi, first I'd like to thank this thread for the recommendation of the Startech USB3HDCAP. It's a great card and it saved me a bunch of money over the XCAPTURE-1.

I've made great use out of it using the HDMI, VGA, and component inputs, but today I have been having problems with S-Video and composite from my N64. If the S-Video is processed through a RGB decoder and then input to the card over VGA, it's fine, but with composite and S-Video, I get a weird cut off image like this:



That is the image I see. The bottom half is obviously cut off. My AmaRec settings are set to defaults with no cropping. The capture card drivers interpret the video as 1440x240p @ 60fps. I'm guessing that's the issue. Is there a fix for this, or is it just the out of date Startech drivers?

Thanks all the info in this thread.

[Smashbro29]

I love the card but sometimes it just kills my CPU usage for seemingly no reason and no amount of restarting or reinstalling seems to do it.

The support on the card is just plain bad. I could really use a big update, I'm getting sick of reinstalling until it works and then praying it doesn't mess up and force my cpu to 100% over and over again and yes I did reset my power settings that works for about 1 second.

[Sixfortyfive]

Hi, first I'd like to thank this thread for the recommendation of the Startech USB3HDCAP. It's a great card and it saved me a bunch of money over the XCAPTURE-1.

I've made great use out of it using the HDMI, VGA, and component inputs, but today I have been having problems with S-Video and composite from my N64. If the S-Video is processed through a RGB decoder and then input to the card over VGA, it's fine, but with composite and S-Video, I get a weird cut off image like this:

http://i.imgur.com/7I6sCWc.png

That is the image I see. The bottom half is obviously cut off. My AmaRec settings are set to defaults with no cropping. The capture card drivers interpret the video as 1440x240p @ 60fps. I'm guessing that's the issue. Is there a fix for this, or is it just the out of date Startech drivers?

Thanks all the info in this thread.

It looks like you've got something set to 240 lines when it should be 480 lines or vice-versa. Can't really offer any more input than that.

[eightbitminiboss]

I love the card but sometimes it just kills my CPU usage for seemingly no reason and no amount of restarting or reinstalling seems to do it.

The support on the card is just plain bad. I could really use a big update, I'm getting sick of reinstalling until it works and then praying it doesn't mess up and force my cpu to 100% over and over again and yes I did reset my power settings that works for about 1 second.

That's unfortunate. I don't normally have to redo the power settings bandaid unless I've unplugged it. What version of Windows?

[charlocharlie]

It looks like you've got something set to 240 lines when it should be 480 lines or vice-versa. Can't really offer any more input than that.

I've messed around with the video settings more and I've discovered that messing around with the video decoder tab temporarily fixes the issue. If you quickly switch through the settings, it will occasionally get "stuck" showing the full screen. Move a setting up and down slowly, and half the screen is showing again. Confirming any settings also displays the glitched half-screen again. It's too bad this issue exists on the USB3HDCAP.

EDIT: After communicating with Startech support, they informed me that the product is advertised without 240p support. I do KNOW for a fact that the product does support 240p as I can glitch the drivers to show 240p in full. I'm disappointed that Startech would put this needless software limitation into their product. I asked support for them to release update drivers that compete with Micomsoft's drivers, but they said they have no immediate plans to update the drivers.

I wonder if there's a way to create hacked drivers that implement most of the features of Micomsoft's drivers to make this product competitive.

[charlocharlie]

Alright, I managed to get the Micomsoft drivers to work with the Startech USB3HDCAP. For those wondering how to do it:
1. Obtain copies of both drivers.
1.5 Uninstall any existing USB3HDCAP drivers using Device Manager. (It's under 'Sound, video, and game controllers')
2. Copy the [ENTRY] and [ENTRY.NTamd64] sections of CY3014.INF from the Startech drivers to the Micomsoft drivers. You'll only be working in the "64" folder if you're on 64-bit. Just overwrite the existing section in the Micomsoft drivers and save.
3. Restart your computer and allow it to install unsigned drivers (Google this)
4. Use DPInst.exe in the Micomsoft drivers and allow installation when Windows warns you.
5. That's it. The USB3HDCAP is now using the updated Micomsoft drivers.

Now this brings up my issue still. 240p capture of a Nintendo 64 over S-Video still has the "half-screen glitch" even on the Micomsoft drivers. Am I missing a setting in the drivers?

Here's my driver settings: http://puu.sh/h0QsG/c92868bbe0.png
And my Amarec settings: http://puu.sh/h0Quf/1e77f8a87d.png

[Thrill]

Wow, nice find. That definitely makes the USB3HDCAP a great capture card now.

Your settings are wrong. In AmaRec, you want your device tab (Graph1) to be 720x480 at 29.97 and then set Graph2 Preview to Top field first and set the deinterlacing to "for retro game". This will give you a 480, 60 fps preview. To capture like this go to the recording tab and set Filter to On.

[charlocharlie]

Sadly that didn't seem to fix it. Maybe the hardware for the USB3HDCAP actually cannot capture 240p.

[Thrill]

Sadly that didn't seem to fix it. Maybe the hardware for the USB3HDCAP actually cannot capture 240p.

I know it works because I did it with the USB3HDCAP. That's why I uncovered the NTSC_M_J bug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKqU8V-_ZtI

That's composite LttP on SNES.

[lettuce]

Anyone had any success getting the XCAPTURE-1 (or any other Micomsoft devices) working with Windows 10 Technical Preview??. Im just getting a black screen on AmaRec and VideoKeeper 2

[aperturegrillz]

The SC-500N1 doesn't need HV sync, it works with normal clean c-sync. Maybe the voltage is too high on the sync signal? Do you have other boards that work with the XCAPTURE?

I remember that someone said that Tetris The Grand Master is a bit picky to record, but I can't remember if that statement was for 1, 2 or 3. I believe the framerate is above 60fps on these games. You could also ask on the SDA Forums, they had all 3 Tetris boards at the recent AGDQ, so someone there should know how to record them.

I've meant to try other arcade boards but haven't had a chance to borrow any of KevinDDR's yet and I don't yet own any of my own.
It's possible the voltage is too high on the sync or on the video, I know JAMMA games generally output high voltages for video. I may try putting it through some resistors to see if that helps.
I know TGM2 runs at 61.68fps but I feel like that shouldn't be an issue; I know Kitaru runs video from it straight to his pexhdcap and it works fine. He uses resistors on the RGB lines though which supports the idea that the signal level might be too high. Anyway I'm getting a sync strike soon so we'll see if that makes it work.

An update, in case anyone's curious: I tried a sync strike and it didn't change anything; the composite sync was not the issue. I've since been able to try both Tetris the Grand Master and Snow Bros on my supergun and the XCAPTURE can pick up the 240p RGB+S signal out of them just fine. I assume the black screen issue with TGM2+ is due to the unusual framerate. Disappointing but not the end of the world. I've resorted to using a gonbes just for this game, which makes the capture look kind of crappy (by trying to deinterlace a 240p picture) but at least it works.

[lettuce]

Having really issue getting the Xcapture to work after not using it for a good few months, ive never had issues in the past.

With the latest Micomsoft drivers (ver. v1.1.0.125 & 1.1.0.140) i dont get a display at all no 'no video' logo or anthing just a black screen, with the Yuan CY3014 drivers i get a display but no audio.

Any ideas on what the heck is going on??

[Thrill]

Display but no audio? Sure you're selecting the correct audio choice? Eg embedded audio for HDMI.

[lettuce]

Display but no audio? Sure you're selecting the correct audio choice? Eg embedded audio for HDMI.

Yeah thats one of the first things i check. In the end i discovered it was my AVR thats blocking the audio for some reason. This doesn't explain why im not getting video from the official Micomsoft drivers though, whats different from the official drives to the Yuan CY3014 ones that allows me to get video from them!?

[eightbitminiboss]

New driver is out. I don't read Japanese but it mentions the high CPU usage bug.

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

https://twitter.com/MicomsoftX/status/5 ... 1857500161

Edit: Windows 8 x64 only looks like.

[Sixfortyfive]

New driver is out. I don't read Japanese but it mentions the high CPU usage bug.

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

https://twitter.com/MicomsoftX/status/5 ... 1857500161

Edit: Windows 8 x64 only looks like.

Using Google translate on the download page suggests that this fixes the bug when the power options are set to "Power Saver" or "Balanced," but using "High Performance" will still cause Task Manager to report 100% usage at all times.

If someone could do a proper translation and/or give it a test, that'd be nice.

[lettuce]

Hmm ok im having really strange issue with the official Micomsoft drivers. if i select the 'Audio Input' as 'Line-In' i get a display on my capture software but if i select 'embedded' i get no display. Any ideas what could be causing this issue?