Hi all,

I'm entering this years dbp (if I get finished in time!) and I was wondering how to create the video of the game being played on the 360?

The game is developed only for the 360 rather than windows so I don't think I can use any pc tools.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks.

You can either film your TV with a video camera, or you can probably use a video capture card to hook up your Xbox output into the PC, and capture the video signal.

I thought filming the monitor with a camera would be a bit clunky but I guess if it works that's fine.  I don't have a capture card, I just thought maybe there was a way within the development environment that I wasn't aware of.

I guess you don't get much simpler than filming the screen!

Thanks.

I think if your game runs on PC also, then you can just capture that by any screen capture software.

I know you said you were only making a 360 game, but I think I would just take the time to quickly make a PC version and take a video of that. That's the technique I typically use for the Zune and the 360. It just gives you a much nicer looking video and really doesn't take too terribly long. Typically just some input and resolution changes (resolution particularly for the Zune). Then like the above poster said, you can pretty much use any screen capture software like Fraps or Camtasia and create a nice clean video.

I also want to enter if i get the game finished before 23 sep.

I'm a total noob in XNA still trying to learn XNA but thx to the tuts i kind of learned allot allready.

If i understood this right why not use same project right click and copy it as a windows project it should be able to compile if your xbox 360 game compiles aswell cause from what i understood from the tutorials doesn't matter if it's windows or xbox the code will run on both.

My idea is just copy it as a windows project and than compile them and use the windows version to make a vid of the game and than good luck in the dbp :).

I'm not registering yet cause if i don't finish the game what will happen than i haven't seen anything about that so if someone knows tell me plz cause if nothing happens than im going to register now.

It's OK to register even if you won't finish.

The problem with doing the video on PC is that the PC graphics and CPU performance is very different from the Xbox. Your game may run very differently in that environment.

I haven't solved the problem myself yet, but I'm considering borrowing a 720p MP4 camera from a friend and filming my TV (which is a 120 Hz display, so it may reduce flicker). We'll see how that goes.

Hook your video output from your XBox to your VCR, or set top DVD Recorder (if you have one... if not, they're REALLY affordable), or the video input into your camcorder (preferably, a digital camcorder).  Take note of the capability of your recording device... If you're going to record on an SD (Standard Definition) recording device, then you'll need to flip the switch on your XBox cable bundle to non HD.

If you're recording to a digital device such as a DVD recorder or a digital camcorder, then getting it to your computer is trivial.  If you're recording onto a VHS tape, you're still going to need something to convert it to digital.  I have a Hollywood DV/Analog bridge that does the trick.  Be warned though, their support is non-existent... literrally.  There are other devices you can get at Wal-Mart.  I just checked their site, but can't find them there, but I see several variations of my old Hollywood DV/Analaog bridge every time I go there.  They're pretty cheap too.  With them, you plug your analog device (VCR, Camcorder, XBox) to your bridge and connect the bridge to either a USB or FireWire port on your computer and just import it directly into your computer.  I recommend just using Windows Movie Maker (comes with Widows, so you already have it) to import it... don't need any extra software.

Alternatively, you can aim a video camera at an LCD monitor (don't even attempt a CRT as you'll get horrible vertical synching problems)... but then, if you want it as a video file, you've still got to go with one of the options above.  TechTV (when it existed, before it was eaten, digested, excreted, and subsequently flushed by G4) recommended this low-tech method... They actually used it for their live TV demos.  Their techs tested it and got the best quality doing it that way.  I would imagine you get the best quality for TV that way, but the best for computer would be a purely digital reproduction of the original bits... but to do that, you'd need some screen capture software and when I try that, both it and the game are competing for CPU and if they aren't both winners, then frames will get dropped.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the replies everyone, sorry I haven't posted sooner but I thought the thread was dead, guess I'm just impatient.

I tried filming my lcd monitor but the fps was way too slow and it lost a lot of detail + you could hear me clicking the gamepad lol.

I haven't created a pc solution because capture software is a little slow as has already been stated + i've tuned all the code for the 360 etc.

csharpner, I have a dvd recorder so I guess i'll just plug composites from the 360 to the dvd recorder and see if I get a picture.  Don't know why I didn't think of that sooner, doh!

Hopefully I'll have a video posted of my dbp entry soon, although looking at some of the other entries I might have to apply lots more polish to make the grade!

 

Cheers

Well I'm using a Decklink HD Extreme for capturing my Xbox360 material. (Component input, HDMI output for preview) But since that card is rather expensive ($1195) and only aimed at people who also use SDI you could also get the much cheaper Blackmagic Intensity Pro ($349). It will capture 1080p with ease (if your harddrives can handle it). It still is a rather expensive solution when you are not doing video / television stuff for a living or semi professional hobby.

What software do you recommend to record our PC version of our Xbox game, directly onto the PC?

I have video-taped the screen before, and it's just not professional.  Bad video and audio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-8awFyDlB8

Fraps is a rather good and not very expensive solution to capture direct-x material on a pc. Downside is you need a rather strong pc if the game requires a lot from your hardware since it needs to render and save the frames at the same time.