Recording Melee Without a Laptop On-Site

[DCW]

I want to record matches at my own home and at friends' houses and weeklies so that I can analyze my gameplay. However, I don't want to have to take my laptop with me wherever I play. I'm looking for a recording option that doesn't require a laptop at the site of recording. (Of course a laptop / computer will always be necessary in the end to process the captured video.) Probably such a setup would store the video on a USB drive, but I'm open to any non-laptop option.

In this thread by Kadano , he mentions the Pinnacle Video Transfer as a no-laptop option. My question is, are there any others? If there are, how do they compare in quality and/or price?

My understanding of recording technology is very limited, so I apologize if the answer to this question is obvious to most. Thanks in advance!

 

[-ACE-]

Until you find the right option for you, do what I do, smart phone it! Record, upload to YouTube, delete from phone, repeat. I do this at tournaments a lot. The phone doesn't even have to have service if Wi-Fi is available (most nationals).

 

[Kadano]

Avermedia Live Gamer Portable also has a record-to-SD-card feature.

 

[Team Plasma N]

20XX Tournament Edition will have the feature to save replays on a memory card, so it might be worth getting that.

 

[DCW]

-ACE- Thanks! Unfortunately I don't have a smartphone, so I can't use that option. My brother has an iPad, though, and we've been improvising recordings with that.

Kadano Sorry, I missed the mention in your main article that the Avermedia LGP didn't need a laptop. Under your description of the Avermedia LGP you say that

"To complete your setup, you need either a super low latency LCD / HD CRT with HDMI in or a fast component or HDMI → composite / S-Video / SCART RGB adapter so you can hook it up to your SD CRT."​

Most of the CRTs I play on are SD, so I guess I need "a fast component or HDMI → composite / S-Video / SCART RGB adapter." What would you recommend as some good options there? (Most likely I would choose to convert to composite.) Also, does it make a difference whether I choose to convert from component vs. HDMI?

 

[Kadano]

I actually don’t know of any affordable fast devices that do that job. I never used the Avermedia LGP, so I haven’t had a reason to look into that.

Converting from component is the better choice because getting it to HDMI in the first place usually adds a bit of lag.

 

[DCW]

20XX Tournament Edition will have the feature to save replays on a memory card, so it might be worth getting that.

That's true. Do we know when the pre-orders ship? I thought they were supposed to ship in November, but my friends who pre-ordered haven't received theirs yet.

 

[DCW]

Thanks, Kadano . I'll probably go with the Pinnacle Video Transfer, because it's cheaper on Ebay and I don't care too much about quality or streaming.

BTW, would something like Elgato Game Capture HD also work? It has a USB port, but maybe that's only to connect to your computer, not for a flash drive.Sorry for my ignorance. : p

 

[Kadano]

Yeah, that’s only for PC, not for flash drive. You’d need a gender reverser anyway (and it still woulyn’t work).