Gaming Capture Hardware for Smash on Wii U

[MrJeff]

I'm hoping that someone with more technical experience can give me a few pointers. I'm planning on hosting a Smash on Wii U tournament around Januaryish, and I was thinking about streaming some of the matches. I've got a computer with a AMD A6-5200 processor and 8 GB RAM. I don't know if it matters but it has a USB 3.0 port. Is there something I can get that will allow me to stream Wii U games on Twitch? Obviously 1080p would be preferable, but I don't know if my computer can handle that. I looked at Elgato, and I'm not encouraged by the system requirements... though honestly, I don't understand the technical side well enough. Lower than 1080p would be acceptable. I have component cables that will work on my Wii U if that matters. I also have the AV cables for the Wii... which I think works on the Wii U, though I haven't actually tried.

Ideally, even if I have to stream at lower than 1080p, I'd still like to be able to record at 1080p (though not necessarily at the same time) if that's possible.

Ultimately, if I just don't have a good enough computer (and it's not in the cards to upgrade it right now), then some sort of recorder might be acceptable in place of a streaming device. At least I could post highlights to YouTube.

Any recommendations or thoughts on a streaming device or something like a PVR would be helpful. I'm mostly just considering my options here, but I'd appreciate insights from someone who has more experience than me.

 

[Neoslow]

i would recommend finding the first version of the hauppauge hdpvr. it has component cable slots and will record gameplay in 720p. hope this helps

 

[LIQUID12A]

http://gamerzone.avermedia.com/sp/game_capture/live_gamer_portable

Works on Wii U too. It's a bit pricey, but it can record to an SD card.

 

[MrJeff]

Thanks for the info! This is the type of stuff I was looking for!

 

[infomon]

The AverMedia LGP is neat because it does hardware-H.264 encoding which should lower some of the CPU strain involved with streaming. But you still have to use their driver software and get it onto Twitch somehow. These are your options for getting your stream onto twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/broadcast

It's definitely more limiting than I expected when I purchased the hardware.

 

[MrJeff]

It's definitely more limiting than I expected when I purchased the hardware.

What do you mean by "more limiting"? Your first paragraph seemed to be very praiseworthy, but that comment at the end seems a little negative. I'm hoping you can provide a bit of clarification to help me out, as I'm sure I'm just not completely understanding what you're saying.

 

[infomon]

I mean the software options for actually livestreaming through providers like Twitch could potentially be a limiting factor on your ability to stream. That was my case, but I'm in a wonky situation, where I only have MacOS X 10.7 and Linux. So it's pretty much impossible for me to stream with this device. I might be able to get it to work if I upgrade the MacOS but ultimately you rely on the quality of AverMedia's drivers. I was hoping the device could work like any webcam etc. so that it could remain relatively software-agnostic, unfortunately that is not the case. But you probably have Windows so you're probably OK.

I am able to run the AverMedia software on the Mac, it just doesn't have any streaming facility. I can just watch the match while I play it, with sound, so that's great. I figured I could just get other software to capture that one application window and stream it. Unfortunately, Twitch only supports a very small number of streaming tools, none of which work on my setup. The closest I got was with Wirecast, but it's $500 (the demo watermarks the audio and video, obnoxiously enough to make it worthless). And it also puts enough strain on the CPU that the video gets heavily distorted, so it just doesn't work.

I'm sure if I had a fast Windows PC then it would be okay, but even then I suspect you'll end up subscribing to a commercial service like XSplit which is $15/month I think. I haven't yet been able to try the OpenBroadcastSoftware, the only open-source streaming application that works with Twitch as far as I can tell.

One other caveat: The LGP works great if you're using HDMI input from the console. However if you use its Component input, it seems to black out the video signal sometimes -- at least while you're streaming to the PC simultaneously. So if you want to stream Wii (not Wii U) then you may still need a Wii2HDMI adaptor for things to run super smoothly. YMMV.

 

[infomon]

Notwithstanding the above, the LGP seems to be the highest recommended external (portable, USB) capture/streaming device. I'm just surprised there aren't better, more obvious options, especially for the price tag.

 

[ndayday]

I can say if you don't have the right computer specs or OS things will either not work optimally or not at all. I believe the LGP only supports Windows 7 and 8 for example on Windows.
Just run over the requirements and you should be fine. I also recommend OBS as, first off, it's free and second of all it's pretty easy to work with the LGP.

Also it's really pretty cool because you can record matches to SD card away from a laptop/computer if you so wish, although obviously you'd want a larger SD card (also has to be at least class 10) so you're not having to transfer files every few sets.

Also consider the internet you'll have, as streaming in 1080p is obviously pretty heavy on your internet. You might not be able to stream at 1080 and have to settle for 720 or less. In the end what will matter is your frame rate, as you don't want to have a really good image but have it be a slideshow.

uh yeah i think that's it...but yeah definitely check specs and have an idea of what kind of internet you'll have at this tournament

 

[MrJeff]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the insight. Yes, I have a Windows 8.1 laptop, so it definitely has to be external, but at least I'm running an OS that is more likely to be supported with software. I'm not into paying a monthly fee for streaming -- won't be doing it that much -- but I'd be fine with buying a good SD card if it allowed me to record that way. It's definitely looking like LGP in conjunction with OBS will be a good option for me. I'm really grateful for all of your help... I think it may have taken me quite a while (if at all) to come to this same conclusion on my own.

I'm very glad I've joined the Smash Boards community! A very good choice!

 

[Jed05]

AverMedia ExtremeCap U3 is one of the only capture devices that can do 1080p and 60fps, and is what I use. The only negative is that you need to buy an external HDMI splitter (Around $20) if you want to output to more than just a PC.

Take note that most cards do 60fps for 720p but only 30fps for 1080p.

 

[SphericalCrusher]

http://gamerzone.avermedia.com/sp/game_capture/live_gamer_portable

Works on Wii U too. It's a bit pricey, but it can record to an SD card.

This. I own one and it works amazing. I stream it from my WiiU multiple times a week.

 

[Vortex 4]

The real big issue with streaming in HD is not so much your computer or capture device (although better equipment does help), It mostly will have to do with your internet upload speed.

If you have cable internet, while you may have download speeds above 10 Mbps, your upload speed will probably be 1 Mbps or less. So even if you have all the best hardware you still won't be able to stream in HD. I know this because I have a powerful PC but also have cable internet.

9 times out of 10 DSL has better upload speeds so you're probably safe with that.

Yet, for live streams I wouldn't be so concerned with 1080p. Most of your viewers will be completely happy with 720p or even 480p. Still you may want to record at 1080p locally on your computer, if you can, so you have nice HD videos to upload to Youtube.

 

[ADAPT Chance]

Like Vortex said a lot everything depends on your internet speed (upload). If your connection is below 1mbs upload, things are going to be a challenge to say the least.

Especially when starting off with streaming I wouldn't focus much on 1080p. 720p is perfect in most cases but if you can't support it then 480p is a good substitute.

 

[MrJeff]

Those are all good points. I'll have to check my upload speed at home. Fortunately, the tourneys I'll be hosting will quite probably be at Provo, UT library. I don't know what sort of internet they have, but Provo is one of the few places in the US with Google Fiber, so I'm not too worried about that. I'm more worried about my computer's ability to handle streaming.

In any case by ability to stream at 1080p is not as important as my ability to record at 1080p. The tournaments I'll be hosting will be amateur-level, so I doubt that many people outside our own community would be interested in watching anyway. Still, I'd like to stream something because it gives the tournament some legitimacy in my mind.

If I could stream at 480p and record at 1080p, I'd be very happy with that. And it sounds like Avermedia can do that. (Please correct me I I'm wrong about that!)

 

[MrJeff]

I just checked my upload speed... it's 2.71 Mbps (at least right now). Is this good enough to stream HD? I was curious based on the way the conversation had been going.

 

[Luddoj]

I have some questions about AverMedia Live Gamer Portable, hope anyone on the thread could be so kind to answer:

1) What's the output file's format? (Ex -> .avi ; .mp4 ; .wmv) Can you choose which one to use or is it pre-set?
2) Is LGP capable of recording Wii Footage from component cables at 720 x 480i? I have a CRT TV not able to record in Progressive Mode (480P) but I do have component cables that could go into the LGP (as there's no way the Capture Card could read composite)
3) Can I record Wii footage in 720 x 480i in 60 FPS?

Currently I have an Elgato Game Capture HD, but I'm thinking about replacing it for a LGP based on all the amazing things people say about it. Still, I'm afraid to sell it before knowing that the AverMedia is consistantly better. I want to be able to record & stream at least in 480i 60 FPS, and that's something I can do with the Elgato. What kills the Elgato for me is the delay between recording and compression, because the video being streamed is always 2 or 3 seconds behind what you are actually playing, and even though I delay my facecam and my microphone on OBS and Xsplit, sometimes it just desynchs and the recording/stream ends up looking terrible.

So if anyone could answer me those questions, and try to explain me why should I get a LGP instead of my current Elgato, it would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[NinFanGamer]

I have the exact same question as Luddoj -- currently have a n Elgato HD capture card and am thinking about getting the Avermedia LGP, simply because I hate the delay between the live gameplay on the TV, and the actual display on my monitor. I read above that the LGP uses the H.264 encoding, but thought that that was what Elgato said they used that caused the delay between what you see on the TV and what you see on your monitor. Will I still have the delay with the LGP? Thanks in advance!

 

[MrJeff]

Just to give an update... I ended up getting the LGP. My computer can handle streaming via RECentral just fine using the default settings, and it turns out pretty good. It isn't quite powerful enough to run OBS unfortunately, but that's okay what I need it to.

Regarding the delay... From my limited experience so far, yes, it is there. I was doing a little bit of reading, and apparently all USB-based capture devices will have some sort of delay. For me, this isn't an issue.

Thanks everyone for steering me in the direction of the LGP!