HowTo: make quality and hires videos from aos4 machine.

...Intro...

Almost all the time when most of us watching aos4 related videos on youtube, cry, because of quality of them : most of time it is camera pointing on screen, which is nogo anymore.

Through, there was some exceptions, like channel from LogicalHeart(hostcove) :
https://www.youtube.com/user/hostcove/videos

Or like channel from AmiBoing/EntwicklerX :
https://www.youtube.com/user/entwicklerx/videos

They seems to use some hardware for recording, but noone know which ones, and while those 2 channels was good exception, still most of time you can see camera poining on screen (like i do all the time :) ), or in better case usage of SRec (which eat fps and didn't show you real expirience).

...Bring out the Gimp...

Taking a look at how gamers record their streaming from their plastaytions and xboses, i found easyly that most of time they use devices of 2 kinds : or it is devices from Avermedia, or it is devices from Elgato. Comparing reviews on most of popular ones from both companies, Avermedia ones seems to be better choice in end, so i start to look at their stuff.

They have many devices of course, but for me was important those kind of abilities:

1. Being able to record high-resolutions at 60fps (by high i mean 1920x1080 at least).
2. No fps drop should be, all should be done in hardware
3. Sound should be recorded too, of course.
4. It should't be PCIxxyyy or anything card which need to put to the computer, so should be external device.


So i go to https://www.avermedia.com, start excluding thing by thing, and find out what meet my criteria (press open in new tab for full size as usuall):



Device called "Avermedia Live Gamer Portable 2". It is fresh enough, so it cost not 5$ , but about 200$ instead (i recieve my today for about 180$).

...Inside...

Of course before i go for it, i read some nice reviews about, and while it was clear that it _should_ do what i need (i.e. taking from anything some input, and record it), i wasn't sure how it all will works, and will it works at all , as when it come to amiga, everything is possible and unpossible :)

Device done pretty stylish, and there is few photos i made when unpack this thing (as usuall press open image in new tab for fullsize):







As you can see (or not so), there is HDMI in, HDMI out, usb, 2 sound in and microsd slot.

HDMI in/out are those ones which used to in/out video. I wasn't sure that HDMI will works fine, because they (that device) take the sound from HDMI, and i wasn't sure if it will works without at all, and didn't block anything else. If not, then the plan was to directly connect sound-out from amigaone to mic-in on device.

usb there is used for powering the device, and for "cardrider" mode, when you have microSD in (by default there is no microSD come, so you should put your one, and it should be formatted only in fat32 or exFat, nothing else like ntfs will not works. And microSD should be quality one, or also nothing will works).

But most intersting part about that device (and, basically to some previous models too, but they can record only in 30fps, while this one 60), is that it have 2 different ways of how to do recording.

First way are usuall: with PC in combo, i.e. when you put HDMI from amiga(or any other hw with hdmi out) to device, and from device to monitor (so to see what you record), and then powering it via usb cable connected to PC, then, you have on PC their recording programm called ReCentral, which you use for recording.

Second way, called PC-Free, you only need anything from which you can power the device (even from phone), and then you only press button on that device and recording is going on on microSD. Then you copy ready files from.

But this second way not _that_ good in terms of recording as i read, and at moment i didn't make it works, as (seems so), my microSD sucks hard. There should be some class10 one minimum, enough memory, etc, etc. So, i use my PC notebook and ReCentral to record stuff which come from os4 machine.


...Final result...

So, nothing else to say, there is result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIFG-9EHr94

Be sure you set HD, 1080, fullscreen, to see how it all clear and good. Enable sound and stuff too.

Resolution which i take are 1920x1080x32.

On video shown fresh ScetchBlockPro, warp3dnova logo example, spencer and 2 games i plan to release soon for gl4es which we didn't have before.

...Is there anything bad/wrong with ?

Well, ReCentral app _of course_ doesn't mean to be amiga oriented, but instead for gamers on consoles, so there is some issues. For example, if you run anything which is of different resolution than your current one from which you start record (like as we have workbench 1920x0180, but run in another screen something in 640x480), then app will made some shit-black-pause and recalculate in/out resolutions to fit best ones, which in end leads to bad video with pause, while in reality there is none. I of course will write to their technics to maybe they can fix it, but its amiga-only fix, not sure if they will worry at all. Noone switch resolutions probabaly in the same session many times :)

Another issues, not all resolutions can be taken at all too. For example , 640x480 can, but 640x512 can't. 1920x0180 can, but 1440x960 can't. That probabably also can be fixed, they made new bioses and update their utility quite offten, and device itself are new one (from 2018), so maybe it will be better. But even if not, it is enough already, of course.

And third issue is that seems you need very carefull choice MicroSD for. Avermedia even have in their FAQ, list of the "tested and working fine" microSDs. 2 cheap ones i tried, do not works and i even can't update bios of lgp2 because it updates from microSD too. But as i use for recording PC and their ReCentral app , it is for now not of big deal too.

Nice review. Looks like a very cool gadget!!!

@kas1e

Nice find. Yes, we need more people using these kind of gadgets to get high quality video.

Some of us have been using the Elgato HD60(s), which does a good job too.

If someone's considering getting an Elgato, I recommend getting the HD60 and NOT the HD60s. I got the HD60s hoping that the latency was low enough that I could actually use the Amiga while viewing it on the laptop. However, the latency is still too high. Even worse, it requires USB3, and my laptop's USB3 ports were suddenly downgraded to USB2 for a few months until another Windows update restored USB3 capability. The HD60 model has a built in encoder which can handle higher frame-rates than having the raw frames piped through USB3, and then encoded on the computer.

Hans

@Hans

I have the Elgato HD60S, I some time have problems with sound being a little behind when recording and when Amiga OS switches resolutions, it can course some problems.

Also as you say needs USB3, so did go and buy a USB3 controller for my PC.

Sadly my PC does not always register the Elgato, so I have to unplug and plug-it back in.

One more thing when ElgatoHD is connected between the Amiga and the monitor, it needs the PC for power, so no screen unless the PC is turned on as well.

@kas1e

I am using Avermedia Live Gamer Extra.

https://www.avermedia.com/gaming/produ ... apture/live_gamer_extreme

Works perfectly when recording AmigaOS4.
This captıre device needs i7 cpu for 1080p@60HD recording from my experience.

@kas1e

AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2:

https://www.euro.com.pl/urzadzenia-do- ... e-gamer-portable-2-.bhtml

Typ zewnętrzny
Kompatybilne platformy PC
Obsługiwane rozdzielczości 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 567p, 567i, 480p, 480i



AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus 4K:

https://www.euro.com.pl/urzadzenia-do- ... -portable-2-plus-4k.bhtml

Typ zewnętrzny
Kompatybilne platformy PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U
Obsługiwane rozdzielczości 2160p, 1080p, 720p, 567p, 480p

This is just the kind of thing that's better to share. Well, I would. Very little use but interesting results.

For live (rather than timelapse) recordings I use an EZCAP box, forget the exact model number at the moment, but I connect it to the HDMI output of my gfx card, whilst the DVI output connects to my monitor. THis way I get absolutely lag free display. It records at upto 1080p 30fps.

It has two disadvantages, if you change screen resolution it starts to record a new video file, but that file is always empty. I always use full 1080p mode for the things I record anyway so no issue in practice.

The other issue is that you can't record audio from the audio inputs if using the HDMI input. This means I have to record the audio seperatly on my SAM.

Biggest advantage is that is needs no external PC just saves the video to a FAT32 USB stick in mp4 format. That can be easily imported inot my X1k for editing in blender.

@broadblues

Quote:

Same with that LGP2 : connected it to the HDMI output on gfx card,and another output connected to HDMI of monitor (or, via HTMI->DVI adapter, works as well). Through LGP2 give up to 1080p 60fps, not 30.


Quote:

That one also present on LGP2, so i just use 1920x1080 and didn't switch to any other resolution while recording. There is also LGP2 Plus, which _maybe_seems_so_ can record when resolutions changes, but that need to be tested.

Quote:

With LGP2, you have 3 ways of recording audio : from HDMI (So for us no-go), and 2 separate inputs in device itself. So i can for first just connect output of soundcard from amigaone to the input in the device, and record all realtime audio+video. More of it, there is one more input for sound, so you can in realtim put your voice over the video.


Quote:

The same with LGP2 and LGP2+ : there is some "pc-free" mode, which mean you don't need PC. You just connect device (give him usb-power from anything you may think of, even from the same amigaon) , attach cables , and just press button on device , and it will record the same mp4 on MicroSD , which you can then put to whatever place you need. Through, resolutions can't be any. For example when you have 640x512, or 1440x900, and press button to record : nothing happens, nothing record. Only in some "popular" resolutions. If i understand things right, LGP2+ , seems do not have that restriction, but can't be sure until test it.

What i did first was to buy best one i thought at that time was the "Roxio Game Capture HD Pro" the features seems to be what i wanted.. but, i found out the hard way, amigaone did not support sound using hdmi, so i hoped those analog input could be used for sound instead..

https://www.roxio.com/en/products/game-capture/hd-pro/

It did not work off course.. only either digital or analog for video+sound, that means i needed a new box that had optical input for sound as well. so i searched and did some research..

my next purchase was this "hauppauge HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus"

http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_hdpvr2-ge-plus.html

Which had same as Roxio but also optical in for sound.. so both signal went digital.. and finaly.. it worked perfectly.. i had no issue with it..

I recorded video with both record boxes (one without sound off course) and one with sound. Both are from same year, but maybe 4-5 months apart.

Roxio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-BCq1CF7qg

(go to 1:48 min to see workbench)

HD PVR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClykaJEWEcI

(go to 2:24 minutes to see the workbench)

hope i was to any help:)

@noXlar
What happens when you do record via HD PVR , and change resolutions ? For example let's say you have 1920x1080 workbench, start recording, and then run EUAE in full screen, in something like 640x480. And then switch back to 1920x1080, and move whole screen down, to see 640x480 screen of euae ?

Will it in that condition continue to record without problems, or it will just stop recording as most of these devices do ?

@kas1e

i have a video if i can find it when i rebooted worbench and recorded the whole thing.. the amiga change screenmode then as you asked for, right?

at fist (don't remember if it was roxio or hauppauge) hdmi signal couldnt get lock on. but, my later tries it worked as i wanted.. let me try to find those videoes..maybe i have some closer to what you meant

@kas1e

okay, found two other videoes.. and uploaded them on youtube for you:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcKnymWTE5Q
Reboot OS4.1 while recording test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnSbKYhSgw8
(Another OS4.1 Video record test))

one thing i thought was strange when i run that last one (orginal videofile) on my pc using mediaplayer classic, when that screenmode where changed to get settlers game fullscreen it behaved strange and sometimes crashed, i had to use another player (splash pro) to be able to play without stop. so, some hardware/software is doing its thing when screenmode is changed, or at least trying to.. just isn't perfect but it does work okay..

@noXLar

At least on latest videos, can be seens that it handle 3 different video modes without interrupting , right ? First one is VGA one with some low-res , then amigaos4.1 logo (another lowres one, but sure different than bios one), and then workbench (something like 1280x960?).

Through in last video, isn't there some "interrupt" in video recording, when you run settlers ? I can see you unpack data, then, i can see mouse stay where it was, and then settlers runs and plays (i mean i didn't see how mouse moves over it icon, dbl-click, and runs, like it all skips in recording).

@kas1e

Workbench is in fullhd 60hz


check this youtube link..

seems like the recorder change resolution on the fly and record it..if the source are using the supported screen modes

if you ask me, wouldn't have it any other way


but, check the youtube video i just made.. i recorded the video with software videorecorder so you could see.

it all happens after settlers have been closed..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYEI7On8rXg

@kas1e It *would* make this thread actually readable
if you halved the pix width in the first post,
getting rid of the horizontal scroll bar that is
hidden for the most part.
Maybe it is fine for 1920 screen.

@Thematic
Reload whole page, it is thumbs. But they thumbs only after whole image loaded. If it didnt even a bit, it will be shown in full size and so broken the layout and give horisontal scrollbars

Ah, I'm silly. Without Javascript it breaks up.

@noXLar
Not sure if I ask too much, but do you still own "HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus"? If so, can you record a video, where you just power on your amiga computer, then once workbench loaded, go to the screen mode prefs, and choice there 640x480. So to see how it will record when you switch between your resolution and 640x480. And preferable also then to 1024x768.

And another question: can this device record audio too, or need external stuff for?

The reason why I ask is that my LGP2 record sound and video all fine, but work best with 1920x1080 only, while once I switch to anything like 640x480 it completely sucked. And their "ReCentral" app is full of bugs and just sucks too much.

I just want for now to change my LGP2 on something which can record all the video modes without interrupts (and not just 1920x1080).

Thanks!

You can get really cheap HDMI to USB video capture dongles now - just run the amiga output into that and capture it in VLC or something.