Specifications

would suggest reading a few (even slightly outdated ones as they still provide good information on
safety and proper assembly). Also, check online support forums and user/customer reviews of
products and other technical suggestions (especially important is information on the compatibility
of components). At some point in the future I will try to put together a guide with information on
building a PC but for now this is something the reader will have to undertake on his or her own.
Figure 1: A configuration for recording from common game consoles capable of outputting in enhanced or
high definition standards.
General Functionality and Design Choices
As mentioned, I wanted to build something that would have the capability to record gameplay
footage from sources such as Sony's Playstation 3 or Microsoft's Xbox or Xbox 360. These
consoles are capable of outputting high definition video using component or HDMI cables. The
Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 2 are capable of video output in 480p (480 x 640, progressive
scan) which can also be recorded depending on which capture hardware is purchased.
2
The
Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are capable of outputting video in 720p or higher and the original Xbox
had a maximum resolution of 720p (although not all games support that resolution).
2 The standard or common definition is 480i and older consoles output at lower resolutions. For Playstation
2 titles which support widescreen and 480p video output, the resolution has to be set by the following
method: when the game is loading and the Playstation 2 logo appears, pressing the triangle and 'x'
buttons simultaneously will load a screen where progressive scan (480p) can be enabled. A very limited
number of PS2 games (Gran Turismo 4 and Tourist Trophy) are purported to support 1080i. The highest
resolution for the Wii is 480p and component cables must be used with both the Wii and the PS2 to
achieve the highest resolutions.
2