iPlayWinner

So I get a ton of questions how to record and stream footage from both the 360 and PS3 so I wanted to write up a guide that will help people put together a small set up to do both. The thing about this is there are a ton of different ways to do both, so a lot of it comes down to your current set up and how far you choose to take things. I'll cover some different methods and types of equipment, but of course its ultimately up to you on how you want to customize things.

A big shout out to Jared Rea, Mike Perlas, Albert Carmona, Tony Cannon and Potatohead from Get Your Tournament. Without these guys, this guide would have never been possible.

RECORDING & STREAMING HARDWARE

There are a lot of different ways to record footage directly from your console, but here are a few that I either own or have been tested within the community.

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HAUPPAUGE 1212 HD PVR

PC or MAC: Both
Laptop or Dekstop: Both
Inputs: Component, Composite & S-Video
Internet Streaming Capabilities: Yes but not out of the box -- fairly involved process. Mac only.

Product Description:

High-definition personal video recorder records directly from cable TV and satellite set top boxes at up to 1080i

Records in AVCHD format for burning Blu-ray DVD discs

Includes Hauppage's WinTV scheduler to schedule TV recordings, and built-in IR blaster to automatically change TV channels

Standard definition composite and S-Video inputs lets you digitize your old home video tapes directly from VCR

Measures 7.8 x 6.8 x 2.8 inches; weighs 1.2 pounds

First up is the Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR. This is a unit that I personally own and use to record all my HD footage from tournaments. It's a light wieght external unit that is fairly easy to use. You just plug in component cables and USB cord, turn it on and you're pretty much good to go. This unit is awesome for recording footage, and streaming to uStream or Justin.TV is possible using this unit although it is not as straight forward as some other methods.

Beyond that, dealing with the raw HD footage can be a bit of a hassle if you're not well versed on video compression and editing. I use a Mac, and if I don't want to add names and logos and stuff its pretty easy to upload the MP4 files that it creates to youtube. Anything beyond that though can take some time between all the compression and exporting to get the video right for YouTube.

Also, this unit only takes Component, Composite and S-Video so many of you may be wondering how the hell you can hook it up to a HDMI monitor or TV such as the EVO standard Asus. There is a solution to this via a Component to VGA converter. Since most monitors and many HDTV's have a VGA in, this is a great work around if you don't have access to component inputs. This is the one that I use and it works very well:


SIIG Component to VGA Converter

Aside from a couple shortfalls, the Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR really cannot be beaten for the price. If you main objective is to record HD footage, this is your best bet.

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Matrox MXO2 Mini for DESKTOPS

Matrox MXO2 Mini for LAPTOPS (ExpressCard slot required)

PC or MAC: Both
Laptop or Dekstop: Both
Connection: PCI or ExpressCard Slot
Inputs: HDMI, Component, Composite & S-Video
Internet Streaming Capabilities: Yes

Product Description:

Small, lightweight, external box that's easily connected to your cameras and monitors

Capture and playback high definition video via HDMI and analog component; or NTSC and PAL via analog component, S-Video and composite

Turns your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor with color calibration tools including blue-only

High-quality 10-bit hardware scaling engine for realtime upscaling, downscaling and cross conversion on capture and playback (See Specifications section for scaling features supported on Mac and PC)

Next is the Matrox MXO2 mini which is another external unit that allows you to record HD footage. I don't personally own this but have heard a lot of good things about it. Not only will it allow you to record footage, but apparently it works well with streaming right out of the box as well. The unit takes component and HDMI inputs so it is really cut and dry as far as hooking it up to your game systems.

There are a couple downsides to this unit though, one being the price. It's about 2x as much as the Hauppauge, making it a fairly expensive unit if you are just trying to stream some smaller tournaments or simply record footage of your own. Also, it requires an ExpressCard slot which many laptops do not have (high end MacBook Pros are the only Macs that have them at this point).

Beyond that, according to AJ from GetYourTournament who uses this unit, it can be a bit "temperamental", saying that it has some odd issues when it is connected while booting up your system. Read all about it here.

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BLACK MAGIC INTENSITY PRO

PC or MAC: Both
Laptop or Dekstop: Desktop Only
Inputs: HDMI, Component, Composite & S-Video
Internet Streaming Capabilities: Yes.

Product Description:

True HDMI Digital Connections: Intensity features HDMI-in for connecting to cameras and digital set-top boxes for the highest quality capture.

Go Beyond HDV Video Quality: HDV video compression suffers from not being full 1920 HD resolution and the extra processing

Live Production with On-Air 2.0: Experience the incredible excitement of filming events live. Included with Intensity is Blackmagic On-Air 2.0

Windows and Mac OS X Compatible: Plug into Windows or Mac OS X computers with the same card and use your favorite software, including Final Cut Pro

Professional Video Standards: Instantly switch between HD and SD video standards including HDTV 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/59.94, NTS

If you have a desktop, Mac or PC that will be dedicated to recording and streaming, the Black Magic Intensity Pro is a great investment. It's comparable to the Matrox MXO2 in that it takes HDMI, Component, Composite and S-Video and also works with internet streaming right out of the box. With it it being under 200 dollars, it's also one of the most economical choices out there as well.

Of course, the downside is that it's for desktops only which means if you plan on traveling around to tournaments to record and stream events, it may be a bit of a hassle to drag your rig all the way across town to do such.

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StarTech SVID2USB2 USB 2.0 Video Capture Cable

PC or MAC: Both (Mac Requires VideoGlide Drivers)
Laptop or Dekstop: Both
Inputs: Composite & S-Video
Internet Streaming Capabilities: Yes.

Product Description:

Video capture USB 2.0 cable provides a bridge between computer and VCR, camcorder, or other S-Video source

Offers real-time MPEG 1, 2, and 4 recording

Supports NTSC, PAL and SECAM for 30 FPS capture at a maximum resolution of 720x480 NTSC or 720x576 PAL

Small form factor fits in your hand for easy portability

Plug and play design requires no software or power adapter

So this little unit has a couple different uses, the first obviously being video recording capabilities. It wont record in HD but if you play on CRT TVs anyway it is probably the absolute cheapest way to record your matches. Second, it works well for streaming for both PC and mac so if you need a low cost solution to stream casual matches or small gatherings from your home this may be your best bet at around 15 dollars.

This can also come in handy with combined with a video down converter. What this means is you can have a HD Recording unit such as the Hauppauge, down convert the video to SD and send it to this USB Capture device to stream. So you will be playing and recording in HD while streaming in SD.

Keep in mind there are a ton of these USB Video Capture devices out there, so shop around and find the one that works best for you. I use this one personally (on Mac) and it works great though!


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ALTONA COMPONENT TO S-VIDEO/COMPOSITE VIDEO DOWN CONVERTER

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CE LABS AV 400COMP High-Performance Component/HDTV Distribution Amplifier

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Behringer XENYX 1002FX Stereo Mixer

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Apple MacBook Pro

VIDEO EDITING & WEB CAM SOFTWARE

So once you've recorded your HD videos you will of course need to clean them up and get them ready for YouTube among many other mediums. There are freeware programs out there that will allow you to quickly edit and convert your video files, but if you want to get more in-depth like add logos and other effects, many of those programs cost quite a bit.

There are also many recording programs out that that you may find more user friendly than the software the hardware comes with. For hardware such as the Hauppauge, these programs are required in order to record video on the Mac.

Also, if you plan on doing Picture in Picture webcam work with your stream and crazy overlays to spice thing sup, that will also require additional software to do such.

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MPEG Streamclip

Type: Video Editing
PC or MAC: Both
Cost: FREE
Download URL: http://www.squared5.com/

This is a very useful FREEWARE program that allows you to quickly edit and export video. I personally use this for smaller projects to clean up and export to smaller .mp4 files that are ready for Youtube. This also comes in handy for prepping raw HD video for programs such as Final Cut and Adobe Premiere.

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Elgato EyeTV3

Type: Video Editing and Recording
PC or MAC: Mac OS X only
Cost: 79.95
Download URL: http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/buy.en.html

Although this program costs about 80 bucks, it is well worth the price considering it will allow you to record and edit your videos from the Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR. This is pretty much an all in one solution if you plan on doing simple video edits and what not. It's very reliable and easy to use so if you plan on recording major tournaments this is the way to go.

You can also combine this program with CamTwist to stream footage from your Hauppauge to either uStream or Justin.tv.

One downside is that it doesnt seem to play well SD video coming from the Hauppauge. So if you plan on recording video from your PS2 or other SD device, you may want to look into other types of software.

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HD PVR Capture

Type: Video Recording
PC or MAC: Mac Only
Cost: 29.95
Download URL: http://www.steventoth.net/blog/products ... /ordering/

This is another program that allows the Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR to interface with your Mac OS X operating system. It works very well but does not have any built in editing features. Combine this program with with MPEG Streamclip and it's about all you need to do simple recording and editing.

I have found on occasion the software can be a bit temperamental. It works well 90% of the time but sometimes it will not recognize the Hauppauge hardware and will require a restart. That said, it works very well to record SD footage so if you plan to record PS2 games via the Hauppauge this is your best bet.

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CamTwist

Type: WebCam Software
PC or MAC: Mac Only
Cost: FREE
Download URL: http://allocinit.com/index.php?title=CamTwist

For being freeware, this is an incredibly useful program to use if you are looking to add Picture in Picture webcams and special effects to your stream. It also has a function called Desktop + which will allow you to capture any window from your desktop. What this means is you can have a program such as EyeTV with the Preview Window open, and use Desktop + to stream the gameplay footage over uStream.

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Adobe Flash Live Media Encoder

Type: Streaming Software
PC or MAC: Both, Mac pre-release closed beta only. Official OSX support in ver 3.1 coming soon.
Cost: FREE
Download URL: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmedi ... iaencoder/

So without getting into all the technical details, using this allows you to get super crips and smooth picture quality on your streams. The basic idea is that the video is pre-processed then sent to uStream. So instead of doing all the processing on the fly and getting a blocky looking stream, this will make the video all nice and pretty then send it to ustream. Pretty much essential if you're doing a stream these days.

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QuickTime Broadcaster

Type: Streaming Software
PC or MAC: Mac Only
Cost: FREE
Download URL: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/broadcaster/

Much like Adobe FME, this allows you to get a clean picture and smooth frame rate when streaming from your Mac. Great alternative for those of you who are not in the Adobe FME closed beta for Mac.

Instructions on how to use this on justin.tv: http://www.justin.tv/p/quicktime

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Soundflower

Type: Sound routing software
PC or MAC: Mac Only
Cost: FREE
Download URL: http://cycling74.com/products/soundflower/

So this program is essential when streaming from Mac when using CamTwist since CamTwist does not support digital audio. CamTwist will handle all your video great, but audio is a whole other beast. The basic idea here is it will route sound from different programs.

A simple example is lets say you wanted to record a podcast via Skype on your Mac. You could route all the audio from Skype to GarageBand, and record the incoming audio. For streaming, you will use this same concept to get the game audio to your stream. If you are not using CamTwist you don't need to bother with this but and interesting program to learn about none the less.

MOCK STREAMING SET UPS

Again, there are an infinite amount of way to set up a broadcast, but I figure the best way to explain things is show a mock set up of a potential recording and streaming rig and this will give you an idea on how to set up something similar for your gatherings or tournaments.

MOCK RIG 001

Level: Intermediate

Equipment & Software:

- Monitor or TV with VGA in
- 2x MacBook
- Hauppauge 1212
- Component to VGA Converter
- Video Down Converter
- S-Video USB Capture Device
- Mixer
- Mic (s)
- Powered Component Splitter
- PS3 or 360
- CamTwist
- Adobe FME or QuickTime Broadcaster

THE SET UP

Macbook For Recording

You will want to dedicate one MacBook for recording so it wont interfere with the actual stream itself. It may be possible to stream and record on one MacBook, but I wouldn't risk it personally considering both will take up a significant amount of resources.

First step is set up your PS3/360 and connect Component Cables to a powered Component Video Splitter. You will then take the Component Video Out and connect that to the Component In on the Hauppauge. You will then take the Audio out and connect that to your mixer. From there you will take the the master out and connect it to an audio splitter, one which will go to the Hauppauge. This will allow you to record commentary that goes along with the gameplay. You can potentially set this up to record commentary on a second track via Garage Band or some other audio recording program but that is entirely up to you.

Now you are all set to record.

MacBook for Streaming

Your other laptop will be dedicated for streaming, so you will want to take a second set of Component Video Cables and connect them to the Video Down Converter. You will then take the S-Video out and connect it to a S-Video USB Capture device.

You will take the second set of audio cables from your mixer and connect that to your line in on your Mac. By using the "Line In" Program and "Soundflower", you will be able to route the sound to uStream.

Connecting to the VGA Input

So now that everything is set for recording and streaming, you need to put the game on a display so you can, you know, play it. So you will take a third set of Component Cables and connect them to your Component to VGA converter. Simply run all the connections to your monitor or HD TV and you will be set to go.

MOCK RIG 002

Level: Basic

Equipment & Software:

- MacBook
- Hauppauge 1212
- CamTwist
- EyeTV3

THE SET UP

Liberating your Hauppauge

So most people think its impossible to stream with JUST a Hauppauge 1212. This simply is not true. That said, this is not the most reliable way to stream but is a real simple and effective way to stream your sessions with limited equipment. Since you are using just one MacBook and you will be dedicating EyeTV3 to provide the footage, it is not recommended that you record and stream with this set up. For smaller gatherings its probably fine, but I assume it would be too much for a major event.

Capture EyeTV preview Window

So hook up your Hauppauge and download EyeTV3 and CamTwist. Once your Hauppauge is active, EyeTV will present you with a Live Recording Preview window. From here open up CamTwist and select Dekstop +. This will allow you to capture the preview window. CamTwist will be recognized by whatever program you are using to stream, so you are all set with the video from here.

Routing the Sound

Depending on your current set up you may need to do more than what is listed below to get everything to work. Everyones rig is a little different so this portion may take a bit of tinkering to get it to work right.

Since CamTwist does not support audio, you will need to route the sound by using Soundflower. You will set the output on EyeTV to Soundflower, and also set the input on whatever software you are using to stream to Soundflower as well. If you want to get real creative and put Skype into the mix, add commentary among other things, you can use this method to route all of the audio to your stream.

Livestreaming on a Budget by Mike “thxyoutoo” Perlas

What's up guys? Many of you will not recognize me but I am part of the media team here at IPlayWinner. This past year has been a very exciting time for everyone with the introduction of Street Fighter 4 and the new era of gaming in general with Live Streaming become so popular in the last year. I stepped into this scene and started off recording matches for tournaments and events and soon found myself wanting to be able to broadcast these events live. Fast forward a couple months and I'm on the stream team for Nor Cal Regionals 2009 which in my opinion has been the highest quality stream to date for the fighting game scene.

That production was relatively expensive. The total equipment required to do what we did rang up to be a pretty big number – and we still did not have everything we wanted. Luckily equipment was split between Haunts, Mr. Jared, and myself. Not one of us had the equipment to run the show individually but together as a team we had what we needed.

However, this will not be something anyone can rely on. You people out there may not have the money to get thousands of dollars worth of equipment. You might not have friends that have equipment you need to borrow. For me, I can't always rely on Haunts or Mr. Jared to be available to me. My personal broadcasts are not even close to what we did at NCR2009, but many have complimented it to be high quality regardless.

What does it take to live stream an event? Do I need to spend a ton of money? The answer is yes and no. Personally, the majority of people will be happy with your broadcasts as long as it is clear and smooth – and this can be achieved on a very affordable budget. Before we talk about expenses lets talk about what we want to do.

This is a list of things that are very common in today's broadcasts in order of importance (based on my opinion):
1)In game footage
2)Commentary
3)Live video of the location (venue/players/commentators)
4)Graphics, Logos, and Player Names

We are going to try to stream with the least amount of money possible while making the above 4 options possible. Luckily option 4 is FREE (more on this later). This setup will only stream Standard Definition setups. Streaming using HD technology is much more complicated and pricey – right now we want to spend the least amount of money possible.

1)In game Footage
a.This is the most important thing. Without in game footage there isn't a point in having a stream. People won't want to watch a broadcast of a camera pointed at a monitor (this has been done and it was not very appreciated). What you need is a capture device which can be expensive – luckily there is this bad boy.
b.Dazzle DVD recorder
c.This little device is $45 and it works! The picture quality will be no worse than any other standard definition capture device – it won't be the prettiest thing in the world but nobody will complain as it'll look just fine.
d. Note: I have seen usb capture devices for as low as $15 however I have never used these things and do not know if they can livestream. The dazzle is the cheapest thing I know that is capable of being detected by streaming services and apps.

2)Commentary
a.Lets face it – people like hearing other people talk about the game. The excitement of an announcer makes it that much more exciting for the audience. A well informed player talking about what just happened can help less educated gamers realize the significance of why a player did something or why something that just happened was amazing. But that is content, lets talk about hardware.
b.Behringer 502 5-Input Mixer
c.Oh sweet another piece of equipment that is less than $50! This will allow you to do 4 mics and add in-game sounds. Within my personal equipment inventory I own a different model that has more than 1 XLR slot, has extra knobs that do who knows what, and in general less need for adapters in the event I don't want to use stereo ports. However, my mixer is like 4 times the price – so take that how you will. At $45 bucks this is more than what we need.
d.Note: You will need to buy microphone(s) as well (duh).

3)Live Video of the Location
a.People love to see the people behind the game tag. They want to see what Marn looks like in real life. They want to know who these names are! Well for that we need a camera. I personally use a very pricey Panasonic DVX100a. However, we are on a budget around here so lets pretend you guys aren't film students.
b.The cheapest option is to use a webcam or a video camera. Some people may already have one of these since it is 2010 – who doesn't own either? If you own a video camera the important thing to note is you need the ability to disable the function that automatically turns off the camera when it isn't recording. This function is not always available to cameras so if you are hunting for one or already have one please research and find out if your model has that.
c.If you don't have access to either of them then lets go shopping! There are too many webcams out there and this is all personal preference. The pricetag will definitely mean variance in picture quality. It is up to you! You can spend as much as $200 on a webcam/video camera and have a very nice picture or you can spend as little as $8 on amazon (that will be really shitty but it's cheap... lol). Just remember people are more interested in the game footage than a live webcam so take that into consideration as you are doing your budget stream.

4)Graphics, Logos, and Player Names
a.This is purely cosmetic. At a functionality standpoint this doesn't add to your broadcasts. However, cosmetically this adds a lot to the value of your broadcasts. This must cost a lot right? Wrong! This is entirely free. All you need is to download ManyCam .
b. Manycam will allow you to put graphics and effects into your broadcasts, switch from ingame footage to your webcam, and allow you to do other neat and fun things during your broadcasts. Did I mention that this is FREE?

5)The only other thing you need to buy that you may not already have is called an A/V Amplifier. This device basically hooked up to your console then splits the signal to a number of different devices (Dazzle, Sound Mixer, and Television that the players will play on).
a.I personally use one I picked up from Radio Shack for $50. Just walk in and ask for a Distribution Amplifier.

Now that you own all the equipment make sure you also own all the essential wires, adapters, cords, and various small things you need to connect it all together. Most of it is self explanatory while if you are confused you can pretty much walk into a radio shack and explain what kind of cord you need and they'll get it for you no problem.

So we hooked it all up... now what? Basically you go over to your broadcast website of choice and register (I personally am a fan of Ustream.com). Then notice the Broadcast Now button on the top right, click that and click “allow”. Then set Video Source as ManyCam and Audio source should be Line In (assuming that is where you connected your sound mixer). From here on out it's all about your production skills and how you present your broadcasts. Want to be a real baller? Use Adobe FME as explained by Haunts in the above posts to make your streams look prettier.

Lets look at how much money we spent. It really depends on what you want to broadcast. If we want the whole show we are looking at about $200. However, if we do bare essentials we can start broadcasting with $100. Again, it is up to you as to how much you want to spend. Whatever you decide remember entertaining the audience is worth more than how much you spend on a production. Sometimes you don't need the extra stuff and you want to have a very basic setup.

Soon I will be gathering video tutorials on how to use “budget” stream equipment in more advance ways to give the illusion you are a big time production team

STAY TUNED!

[Reserved 2]

Thanks for this - I just ordered the StarTech SVID2USB2 USB 2.0 Video Capture Cable, arriving tomorrow so I will have a mess around with it and see how I get on.

Do you know if there's a good external option like the Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR that supports HDMI?

JBardolph,

Hit me up if you have any questions. I'm using the exact same thing currently.

Dementia,

The Matrox MXO2 Mini takes HDMI. The thing to be aware of though is that PS3/XBOX360 have HDCP via HDMI so I dont think you can record directly from HDMI from a PS3/360 anyway. I think you have to use component cables to get the signal. I could be wrong but that is what I have read online.

Hey haunts,

Can you tell me what your whole current setup is? The video capture cable arrived today - I see that I need at least one other item, to plug both the xbox and this device into. I see the other items you have listed here but I do not want to buy the wrong item.

Thanks

Sure. My current set up is:

MacBook 2.2 GHZ with 4 Gigs of Ram
Xbox/PS3 with component cables
Hauppauge 1212 HD PVR
Altona Video Down Converter
StarTech USB Capture Cable running Video Glide Drivers
CamTwist
Adobe FME 3.1
RANE TTM 56 Scratch DJ Mixer
Component to VGA Converter (for Asus Monitors)

I am basically running my Xbox to the Downconverter, then running the S-Video out to the S-Video in on the Capture Cable. I then use the Component passthrough on the downconverter and route that to the Hauppauge for recording.