Hauppauge HD PVR, The Recorder All Gamers Want (Review)

The Game Fanatics reviews one of the most envied personal video recorders in the video game industry.

[Nitrowolf2]

i want one of these so bad. heard good things

[-Alpha]

I wonder if systems can support the general feature

PS3 has that video editor. If we could convert gameplay like UC3 into videos, then add VO's we can make some nice stuff right from our consoles.

[DragonKnight]

You can, I have a friend who has his consoles hooked up to it and streams gameplay all the time. I believe the software to record it to your PC comes with it.

[I_find_it_funny]

All Gamers Want?

bullshit I dont want it, I'm not a reviewer, I dont want to be a 1000001st dude on youtube posting gameplay nobody gives a fcuk about, and I'm defiantely not one of those nolife's streaming their gampley on justin.tv

all gamers my ass

[InLaLaLand]

@I find it funny
I think it's useful if you do not want to play older consoles on the HDTV. I use a capture device to play PS2 games on the computer because PS2 games look horrible on the HDTV even when you use component cables (image looks sharp but still some jaggies).

[kaveti6616]

@ i_find_it_funny

okay, calm down.

you may not want it, but if you want to see footage for a video game you're anticipating, then you probably would want the guy posting the vid to have used this device to capture the video game footage, rather than an off-screen camera that produces a low-quality, shaky, picture of the game.

This device is good. There are a lot of gamers who post crappy videos of games. If they want to post gameplay vids, they should invest in this device.

[jriquelme_paraguay]

HEEELLLLL YEAAAH!!!

I import one from Amazon... is awesome!

But im not using it now, because i only record my Online Matches... and i have a PS3 :(

[Johnny Jiron]

http://www.youtube.com/user...

All my gameplay videos here are done with this DVR at various settings. The selling point for me was no need for a strong PC. Hell I did some of those videos on a Netbook.

Of course if you plan to do some hardcore editing then you'll need a bit more power.

[JsonHenry]

Why would I want this? My Win7 PC can do all of these things already..

[kyl277]

Why not just get FRAPs?

Oh for console players.

[mrv321]

I'm a PC gamer, but your being stupid. Graps can be a massive hog, and since PC gamers disbute the fact that PC gaming costs $1500 and claim that a $600 CAN run games very well which is true.

[kyl277]

As it's massive hog then why not just turn down your settings? It's not like you need crystal clear high resolution video when recording.

I'm not bashing anything, I'm just saying that surely it would be easier to turn down settings than spend £200 on a PVR.

I posted the 1st sentence then edited in the 2nd one, I wasn't trying to say "hahah console kids need a pvr herp derp pc is da best".

@jriquelme_paraguay

Don't be so quick to call troll.

[mrv321]

A XBOX 360 costs $200, this PVR is also $200 and isn't even the cheapest option.

I'd prefer the record on my PS3 than PC, because let's think about this.

I want to play a game, let's say Crysis 2, I also want to run it on highest ( I mean that's the reason I got the PC )
I decide to record, with fraps I take a further FPS reduction
I also decide to encode aswell, taking an even further reduction

I just don't believe that a $600 machine could do that, $800 MAYBE. But the point I'm getting as is if the selling point is PC gaming is fraps then you should reconsider. I play PC games because the input is varied and so the games are varied. From SC2 to World of tanks.

[nirosan]

I hate Fraps, I bought something called DxTory you don't need an amazing PC for that. Best part is the video comes out very good, and you get barely any frame drops.

[jriquelme_paraguay]

and why you dont think before post?
oh... tr..

[InLaLaLand]

Is Debut any good?

[buckley]

Any software that streams or records from the same system that the game is being played on causes a huge performance hit. That's not a solution.

I have a Black Magic Intensity Pro capture card which is great for capturing/streaming console games, but streaming from the PC that it's installed in still hurts. So for PC footage recording and streaming, I'll go to an inexpensive separate PC box with the capture card in.

This Hauppauge PVR is basically that.

[JsonHenry]

It isn't a massive hog. Not sure why everyone seems to think so.

[Linko64]

These things are easy to set up and use, veyr happy with mine <3

[scottyd]

no hdmi input / output? fail.

[thrasherv3]

Yeah, after using HDMI I refuse to go back to Component cables...

[DragonKnight]

You can't record in HDMI due to HDCP. That's why there are no input/output for it.

[buckley]

Agreed that HDMI output would be great, but HDCP is going to prevent from capturing HDMI input. Component is still the best option.

[Sprudling]

Using a splitter you can still get HDMI from the PS3 to your TV while recording with the HD PVR.

[Ve3tro]

Intensity Pro and Shuttle are better.

[SpLinT]

i have the Shuttle. It craps on this HDPVR

[Genki]

A good and convenient device for sure, but nothing that can't be done with this: http://www.amazon.com/AVerM... which is what I bought.

I'm actually a bit surprised at how slow moving this technology is, I'm waiting for a DVR that has HDMI in/out. When that's released, then we can talk turkey.

[fredrikpedersen]

I have one, my YouTube channel is

youtube.com/fredrikpedersen

It is highly recommended, I've had it for a year now.

[JewyMcJew]

In Canada, with all the HDCP, this is your only real digital alternative to the Explorer boxes.

It works exactly as advertised, but unfortunately it will not work with EyeTV's incredible Mac/iOS DVR software. Blah.

[Ve3tro]

Look up the MUX HD, it's a HDCP stripper. I've been using it along with my capture equipment and it works really well.

[DJ]

I have it. It's great, but beware of support for your particular OS. I tried it on Windows 7 and it wouldn't work. It does work on XP 64bit, but you have to download the drivers online. Other than the initial setup, I have had zero problems.

I just wish the bitrate of the captured video was higher.

[buckley]

Pretty much all capture options are going to have some hoops to jump through to get it working on your particular system though

[Sprudling]

The HD PVR works just fine on 64bit Windows 7 for me.

[DJ]

I'm running Windows 7 32bit on my Macbook, so maybe that's why.

[Graphics]

No HDMI... That right there = a no buy.

[Sprudling]

Even if it can't record HDMI doesn't mean you can't use HDMI from PS3 to your TV. Just use a splitter which is the best option anyway considering input lag, although from experience it doesn't seem like the HD PVR has any.

[Ser]

It records in 1080p, it doesn't need an HDMI cable.

[Gamemakerman]

It records up to 1080i, but from my experiences with the box, it's a far better to record in 720p.

And no, you can't just convert HDMI to component, it requires quite expensive equipment to do so.

[DragonKnight]

It records in 1080i, not 1080p

[Ser]

Whoops, my bad. I meant to say 1080i.

Like Gamemakerman stated though, it's far better to use the 720p option. Everything you record looks much better.

[G4MERx]

i got ShitCap and its REC in 3D =)

[fredrikpedersen]

Also, TurtleBeaches are good with this setup, because it comes with cables that taps in behind the HD PVR. Therefore you can hear game audio, PC audio and record MIC to PC if you want to. I have the PX21s

[Gamemakerman]

I own this box and it's great, but far from perfect. It's not compatible with other recording software then the bundled program, a program that have a lot of issues (especially when recording off composite or S-VHS sources).

The box is therefore not usable with streaming software such as Wirecast or Adobe Flash Media Encoder. It's possible to stream using the box and i do it myself from time to time, but you have to jump through a lot of hoops to do so and not a viable solution for multiple streams.

The quality of the output is great and overall a great solution for those who just want to upload footage to youtube.

For professionals i can highly recommend the Blackmagic Intensity Pro card, since you can fully dump the raw image (no compression at all), record in better quality using HDMI from the Xbox 360. The downfall is that this solution requires a quite fast PC and can't be used as a passthrough unless the PC is powered on. You can also use multiple Intensity Cards for streaming purposes on one machine.

For the average user who wants to record some gameplay and upload it without sacrificing their current setup, go buy the Hauppauge HD PVR, it's great. For the professional seeking something in the same price range, go with the Intensity Pro, it can deliver better content if you know how to use it properly.

[TheTruth89]

it doesn't have HDMI. fail

[Gamemakerman]

Go read what HDCP is, then you might understand why this box is far from fail.

[R834]

One of my friends has one of these, and the quality really is good.

I got myself a Dazzle card, and yes, it's annoying playing in SD, and yes the quality isn't brilliant, but I bought my Dazzle for £10, while these HD PVRs are over £100, sometimes going on £150.

That's my reasoning.