How Do YOU Capture Retro Game Footage?

[Snatch1414]

So I have an Elgato HD and life is good when recording Xbox One footage, however what is the best way to record retro games? My PC is right next to my main living room TV which is a fairly large flat screen. That picture sucks for capturing though. Can I find any old little tube TV and just hook it up to the Elgato or do I need something better for decent quality picture? I'm not getting into S-Video mods and all that stuff I just want to know the best way to go about it with the typical hardware. Thanks

PS: Don't think this matters a ton but this is mostly for 8-bit and 16-bit consoles and a smattering of DC and PS2 stuff. Thanks

[SNESdrunk]

Retron 5 works awesome with Elgato HD, everything looks fantastic

[ninjainspandex]

in a pokeball

[TechXRenAgadeX]

I use a Dazzle for my Retro Consoles but I have an El Gato HD60 or w.e. for my PS4 gameplay the El Gato is amazing I'm probably going to get an HDMI splitter and start recording with that but Dazzle is easier right out the gate

For personal recording just stick with whatever because the videoa and audio quality is so small especially with retro games but if you want to share and distribute your content use the El Gato it just looks smoother

[Snatch1414]

Assuming I'm not buying any new equipment is there a good way to get quality retro footage? My flat screen just makes it look like hell. I'm willing to buy a small tube TV if that will improve things but I don't really want to go any farther than that. Can I play the game through the Elgato on my PC monitor while recording maybe?

[Ghudda]

Assuming I'm not buying any new equipment is there a good way to get quality retro footage? My flat screen just makes it look like hell.

Do you mean is there a good way for you to record retro footage? If so, it doesn't matter what TV you using since the consoles video output will plug directly into the device you are recording with. If you're asking for a way to get good picture quality with older standard definition consoles, then a CRT TV is your best bet. Best way to approach that is to just get on Craigslist and find someone with a Sony Trinitron / Sony Wega in the size you want (they get massive). You can usually get a quality CRT for around $30-$50. Specifically, you want to find a TV that offers S-Video and component (Red Green Blue) video connections.

I'm willing to buy a small tube TV if that will improve things but I don't really want to go any farther than that. Can I play the game through the Elgato on my PC monitor while recording maybe?

You CAN play a game through the elgato on your PC monitor while recording, but you WILL encounter a delay that you probably will not enjoy. It's not recommended.

[Snatch1414]

Thanks. When I tried the first method you mentioned the picture was blurry as hell. I thought, as you stated, that the recording software would pick up the signal from the console but maybe I hooked it up incorrectly because the picture was really blurry just like on the flat screen I was playing on. I will have to try again. Did plan on getting a CRTV just haven't got down to brass tacks yet. I think there's some in the local thrift stores.

[Ghudda]

For the short time that I was capturing retro footage, I was using the Elgato Capture HD (not the HD60). It worked awesome for the time that I had it and handled older consoles great. I have tried a few other capture cards, but I almost always encounter extremely frustrating driver and software compatibility issues. I learned my lesson and just coughed up a little more and the Elgato was perfect.

On another note, I've always wanted one of those DVD recorders (something like this) that I could plug my consoles into and record footage to a DVD. My dad had purchased a real high quality one a year or two back to make DVD copies of old VHS tapes, but it has since disappeared.

[Ghudda]

Thanks. When I tried the first method you mentioned the picture was blurry as hell. I thought, as you stated, that the recording software would pick up the signal from the console but maybe I hooked it up incorrectly because the picture was really blurry just like on the flat screen I was playing on. I will have to try again. Did plan on getting a CRTV just haven't got down to brass tacks yet. I think there's some in the local thrift stores.

Yeah, the problem with capturing at such a low native resolution that the older consoles put out at, is that you then have the urge to enlarge that capture window which will then degrade the image quality. So say you're recording something like the SNES with standard composite cables at 256x224 pixels, the capture card is going to capture it at the resolution and so if you try to enlarge or stretch that footage to a larger "box", you're going to see distortion just as you would on your HD TV.

The only real way around this, is to either upgrade the compatible consoles to component outputs (up to 480i/p), or to get an upscaler like the infamous XRGB mini, of which is a pretty expensive commitment (BUT AWESOME) and allows you to play retro consoles in 720/1080 resolutions with minimal distortion.

[the7k]

Retron 5 works awesome with Elgato HD, everything looks fantastic

I agree, it's the main reason I got a Retron 5.

With my Saturn, though, I use a SCART-to-HDMI converter. Planning to do the same for PS1 and any other retro systems Retron 5 doesn't support. http://www.amazon.com/CVID-BG-460-Syste ... 00988GMLG/