Recording gameplay from my X-Box 360 to my Macbook Pro

[Nirvana]

Hey guys, here's the deal. I have this model of Macbook:

http://www.bestbuy.com/nex/product/sku/9755395

And I really like the video editing software. However, I'm really inexperienced when it comes to actually recording things and uploading them. I've been doing some research and I found this link to be helpful:

http://jacobsmalls.hubpages.com/hub/Guides-to-Recording-Xbox-360-Gameplay-to-Desktop-or-Laptop

However, before I make any huge purchases, there are a couple concerns I have.

My Macbook is relatively new; it is an early 2011 model. I need a program that is compatible with it, and I'm not 100% sure whether the products listed are compatible with it.

More importantly, if there's any better way to record gameplay that you guys know of, I would love to know. I have a standard definition TV, if that helps. My main concern is about the compatibility of certain products, or if any of you guys have product suggestions.

[alec006]

If you wanna record in SD then I got the perfect capture device for a Macbook Pro. Ask for software, Macs come with a perfect program for this called iMovie. It's pretty simple and easy to learn, it gets the job done.

Here's the capture device:
http://www.amazon.com/Canopus-77010150100-ADVC110-Converter/dp/B00030ATTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313171060&sr=8-1

Since it's Firewire 400, you need an adapter cable:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009EFQT/ref=ox_ya_os_product

The capture device is really professional and records videos at 720x480 which is SD and even better you don't even need a power adapter because it powers it using the firewire bus.

[Nirvana]

Awesome! That's exactly the type of answer I was looking for. I'm glad it's on Amazon too, so because I have a decent amount of points to cut down that price. I appreciate your help ^_^

Do you mind re-linking the adapter cable link? It's broken :/

[alec006]

Awesome! That's exactly the type of answer I was looking for. I'm glad it's on Amazon too, so because I have a decent amount of points to cut down that price. I appreciate your help ^_^

Do you mind re-linking the adapter cable link? It's broken :/

Sure thing : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009EFQT/ref=ox_ya_os_product

I recommend getting the Belkin cable due to the fact Firewire 800 is abit different than Firewire 400 and Grassvalley the manufacture of the capture device recommends use of that cable, it works flawlessly for me so I'm hoping it will for you too.

No problem, glad to help :)

[Nirvana]

Now before I buy this, I'm curious. What would I need if I want to record in HD? While recording in standard definition would be the most convenient for me, my brother has an HD TV that I can use if I really wanted to. What would I need differently?

[alec006]

Well recording in HD is more expensive and takes alot more hard drive space as well.

Now if you want to see your recording on an HDTV, what model Macbook do you have again, the Best Buy link is broken.

S-Video and Composite will not produce an HD picture since they can only go to 480i which is SD. HDMI however can produce 720p and 1080i/p both which are HD video.

If you got the money, then here's an HD capture device that will work on the Mac.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/559115-REG/Grass_Valley_602227_ADVC_HD50_Real_Time_HDMI_to.ht ml

And of course you need the Firewire 800 to 400 cable by Belkin

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009EFQT/ref=ox_ya_os_product

And here's an example what that particular adapter can do with Call Of Duty 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_pG5ba_qI

If you do decide to go HD then I recommend recording in 720p since it doesn't take up quite as much space as 1080i does, but if you wanted full HD which is 1080i with this device then I recommend using at least a 1 TB external hard drive.

[Nirvana]

Here's the model I have:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Apple%26%23174%3B+-+MacBook%26%23174%3B+Pro+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i7+Processor+/+13.3%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive/9755395.p?id=1218167391965&skuId=9755395

Hmm. That is quite pricey, although it isn't out of the question. This does open my eyes to another option.

I have another question, it's regarding some advice these guys mentioned:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlX9Tl0-Lp4

Around the 16:50 mark, they mention their way of recording in HD, and the Hauppauge is in a good price range. Do you have any information about that device? Apparently the device isn't originally compatible with the Mac, so I found there is something I can download to make it compatible, supposedly.

http://www.hdpvrcapture.com/cms/?q=node/1

Do you know anything about these devices? If this doesn't work, then I'd be totally willing to spend the money on the device you listed, but I just figured I'd ask since you really seem to know your stuff.

Thanks for the responses, honestly they've been a godsend for someone like me who isn't very bright on this topic of matter.

(Edit: Hmm. The HD TV my brother owns that I mentioned earlier is the same one they mentioned in the video, which doesn't have component inputs. That pretty much gets rid of that idea, unless I buy a whole new TV, which would pretty much equal the price of what you linked me, if not more. That kind of puts this idea away :/ )

[alec006]

Theoretically you could run that device in a virtual machine since you can run Windows using VM Ware or Parallels but I'm willing to be it wouldn't produce good results.

I looked it up the software and looks like it does work on the Mac fairly alright. The device itself looks alright as well, not to bad even, honestly I would try it out to see what it can do.

The one reason I recommend the other device where it is more expensive, as if I didn't spend enough money on consoles, wires and a mac lol is the fact it's firewire and its listed as Mac compatible. Firewire in itself is better least in my experience when capturing video & audio streams. Granted USB capture devices are good as well but they tend to lag more and desync audio sometimes.

Also the particular devices I've used and that I've shown are actually semi professional and produce a very good analog to digital picture. The frame rate is constant which is a huge thing for video games, the audio is always locked in sync and it's easy to edit on the mac since it's a native format.

Ask for the HDTV thing, if it's an true HDTV then use an HDMI input lol. They do make these things called HDMI splitters where you can have one signal going into your capture card and the other going to the TV so you wouldn't have to play on that 13 inch screen, not to mention even thou it's Firewire, there's still a small delay.

I do recommend capturing in 720p which is HD at 1280x720 since the device can capture 60 frames per second which is what you want with a video game.

Again it's all up to you and what you wanna spend, both devices should yield great results, I'm only recommending what I've used personally since I have the best knowledge of those devices and how they behave.

And you're welcome, I love helping people with technical questions that people get huge headaches over :)

Now question, do you just wanna record gameplay because you can or are you gonna upload these to Youtube?

[Nirvana]

I've been thinking about this, and I'm leaning towards going all out; I think I'll save up and buy the HD capture device you recommended. Everyone loves watching videos that are in great quality, right? ^_^

As far as why I'd like to upload gameplay...well, I've really taken a liking to fighting games, and I feel like I can contribute a lot to the fighting game community with my style of play and strategy. I'd really like to upload my matches and get some feedback, or even showcase some specific setups or combos that I have.

"Ask for the HDTV thing, if it's an true HDTV then use an HDMI input lol. They do make these things called HDMI splitters where you can have one signal going into your capture card and the other going to the TV so you wouldn't have to play on that 13 inch screen, not to mention even thou it's Firewire, there's still a small delay."

Maybe I read this paragraph wrong, but what I got from it...is this saying that if I don't have the splitters, then I'll be playing on my laptop while recording? I don't have a problem with this, but I'm just curious if this is what you meant.

[alec006]

Yea they really do, original hardware captures are much better than emulation captures. 720p on Youtube is also great since it's the most widely used HD format since not everyone has a 1080 device or a computer/bandwidth to handle the stream.

Ah, I see, that's an interesting reason :)

Yes actually, you would be playing on a small capture screen in iMovie which is about 1/4 of the 13.3 inch display so, in theory you will be playing on a 3.325 inch window.

Not only is the window size the problem, it's just the fact the kind of games that you're talking about playing there will be a noticeable delay from the time you press the button to the time you see it on screen. It's pretty small like .5 to 1.5 seconds at most but in a game, that's everything, it happens with all capture devices, that's why I recommend getting a splitter so you can play the game natively on your HDTV in HD without any delay and capture it at the same time your playing.