By A capture card is a device which inherently captures or records live gameplay or other sessions on the PC or console and streams them on a different screen for uploading. It is widely used by professional gamers because it is much preferable over the free software that offer the same function. This is because it is much more superior in terms of audio/video quality and performance.
When it comes to the best capture cards, they have the capability to record high quality input, as well as show low latency and good connectivity. Here are a few of the best capture cards that we found.
1 – Elgato External Game Capture HD60S
One of the front runners in the capture card fraternity, the Elgato can record and stream videos of 1080p resolution and 60fps frame rate, which has become pretty much the standard for professionals. It also bears very low latency so it offers little or no discernible lag. It allows direct access to Twitch and YouTube, which is an added bonus, as well as the 5-minute automatic recording.
2 – AVerMedia Live Gamer Extreme External Game Recorder
The AVerMedia is a strong adversary to the Elgato with its similar 1080p recording at 60fps. It also protects you from lag and offers very low latency. It drops the ball in the software department, with a software that just isn’t what the standard requirement these days are. However, it does offer a free 3-month subscription to the highly rated XSplit Premium, which cushions the blow a bit.
3 – StarTech High-definition PCIe Capture Card
The StarTech is a card for the experts, because of its complicated insertion and setup process. It has to be inserted inside the computer and has to be setup according to your specifications. However, the quality that it offers does rival the Elgato and the AVerMedia, so its price is a bit on the steep side.
4 – Hauppauge HD 1540 PVR Rocket
The most portable of the lot, this Hauppauge has the distinction of not requiring an external power source. It also bears the features that a portable device should possess, internal power supply, pocket dimensions, as well the ability to record data directly onto a USB.
The technology has been increasing at a crazy rate over the past decade. Nearly every device you can think of has been made faster, stronger, smaller, and cheaper. The HDMI capture card has gone through all these changes to become what it is today. The addition of HDMI to capture cards allows the devices to capture video and audio in a quality never seen before. These are just a handful of the many benefits using HDMI has for your content.
Support up to 8 channels of digital audio
Bandwidth up to 5GB/s
Full HD quality requiring only a single cable for both audio and video
I could get into the messy technical details as well, but you would be better off to see the specifics of the device you really want to now. I have picked out top 3 rated brands of capture cards for you to choose from. Once you have read our short run down of each device.
1 – Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro HDMI
The Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro HDMI capture card is an ultra-high end capture card geared towards getting the absolute most out of all your content. It has the compatibility with the following;
- Analog Component
- NTSC
- PAL
- S-Video
- Analog Audio
- Windows and Mac OS X Compatible
You may not need to look no further than the Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro HDMI capture card if you are looking to record content at a professional grade.
2 – AVerMedia Game Broadcaster HD
The AVerMedia Game Broadcaster HD is a great runner-up, quality wise, for the best HDMI capture card. This card also allows for FULL 1080p HD recording, and also offers VESA resolution support. The AVerMedia Game Broadcaster HD fully complies with Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder, allowing live streaming of your game play.
3 – StarTech High-Definition PCIe Capture Card
It is an entry level capture card that covers all the basics you need to record live content. One thing to note is that this card, like the previous 2 listed, also supports 1080p (full) high-definition recording. It also covers all the other bases someone new to live recording needs to get started.
Where to buy the capture card?
To purchase one of the recommended capture cards above, you can pay a visit to The Review Gurus where you can more explains and the find the details of your selected device including price, customer rating and the specifications.
