As we enter a new “platinum-age” of Melee, it’s becoming more and more important to the community to record and stream tournaments, practice sessions, smashfests, and other content than ever before. With the advent of Twitch.tv and the accessibility of streaming software, mixed with the popularity of content creators like VGBootCamp, ClashTournaments, and SaltyPlayground (to name a few), the prospect of creating content is becoming more appealing. The problem is, there’s not a simple how-to guide on how to start.

I’ve seen countless threads on Facebook, Reddit, and even a few on Smashboards, asking how you go about recording/streaming Smash. The community does a fairly good job of explaining what you need, but their explanations of the equipment and software needed to create this content is lackluster at times.

This multi-part guide will focus on explaining what equipment is needed to record video game footage, how to use it, as well as what you’ll need to know to create the best content possible, within your budget. I’ll be breaking down equipment and software based on price and efficiency, so you’ll be able to make an educated decision on what you’ll want to invest in.

Part 1 will discuss capture equipment, and will give several options to choose from. Part 2 will discuss recording and streaming software, and what you should understand about how video works. Part 3 will show you how to put the two together, to assist in creating high quality content for your archival needs.

First And Foremost: To record gameplay of any game, at a remotely decent quality, you have to be willing to invest some money into it. Most computers may be able to run programs like Dolphin and play Smash at a decent framerate, but to play lagless and record it, that’s a different story. So to start off, let’s get the simple stuff out of the way.

What You’ll Need

• TV/Monitor/Display to connect your console to. Generally you’ll see CRT TV’s around, due to the nature of our game.
• Console, video cables, power brick. Obviously, you’ll need a game to record, so this is a given. Oddly enough, I have been asked about this in the past, so I’m throwing it in the list for good measure.
• Computer to capture and edit gameplay footage on. I’ve heard some stories of cameras that have direct input, but you’ll still need a computer to edit/upload your content.
• Capture Card to record the gameplay. I’ll get into this more; explain what a capture card is, how they work, etc.
• AV Splitters (x3). This is to split the signal from the TV to the capture card.
• Recording software/editing software. I’ll cover some easy options for this in this guide as well.

Capture Equipment: What’s Best For You?

I’ve seen variants of this question asked dozens of times. The market is really saturated with a variety of capture cards, varying in prices, and it’s hard to decide which ones are good, and which ones are garbage. So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular recording devices. Click the images to get a higher resolution image to see what you’ll be really dealing with.

Note: Not all of these screen grabs are from Melee. I was only able to grab what I had on-hand for video files. They do still serve the point, however.

EasyCap ($8 – $15) – This was my first capture card. Its $10 average price is extremely appealing, but jumpy, blurry, and low-quality video signal is not at all appealing. Note how distorted, pixelated, and washed out the image here looks. This screengrab was taken from one of my older videos, so this is my experience with the EasyCap.

Dazzle DVC 100 ($50 – $80) – The grand-daddy of capture cards. When you go to most tournaments, this is the most common capture card you’ll see. It’s fairly easy to use, and it produces decent results for the price tag. Notice how the pixels are a lot crisper in the Dazzle’s screengrab. The colors are still a little muted, but the image is much more pristine, and presentable.

AverTV HD DVR ($80 – $90) – My personal capture card at the moment. Without a doubt, the best recording device I’ve ever owned. It’s not a portable capture card, as it’s internally housed inside your desktop PC, but the quality that I’ve attained with this device still surprises me. Capable of recording both video signals (analog and digital), through most cable types (Composite, S-Video, Component, HDMI).

Avermedia LGP ($160 – $180) – A current popular choice, and a very good capture card. This card has internal storage via SD card, so you can record without a PC. It only accepts component and HDMI input, so you’ll need a Wii with component cables to record on it, as well as a monitor that accepts HDMI to output the video feed onto. The EVO staff is currently trying to get us to use this method for the Melee tournament at this year’s Evolution tournament. I’ve not tested it myself, but everyone I’ve talked to who’s used it has loved it.

Elgato Game Capture HD ($160 – $180) – Another popular choice, a competitor to the LGP. It has the same functionality as the LGP, outputting HDMI from an AV source. It doesn’t have on-board recording, so you’ll need a PC present to record with it. I don’t have experience with this setup either, sadly, but I’ve heard positive things about it.

Hauppauge! HD PVR ($150 – $200) – The CoD montage recorder. This is the most popular HD recording device, because of its on-board encoding. All processing is done by the capture card itself, thus reducing strain on your computer’s processor. The problem with this setup is that it only records component video well. It has input for composite (Yellow, Red, White), but the several times I used mine, it was not a desirable experience. That being said, the component input is gorgeous, and Melee looks wonderful being output at 480p. If you’re willing to play on an HD CRT, or on a TV that has component inputs, then this is a good option for you, as you’ll get the cleanest look for Melee.

BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle ($180 – 200) – This is the capture card used by GimR and I believe Chibo. It’s a wonderful card IF YOUR COMPUTER CAN SUPPORT IT. That’s a MAJOR flag. The thing is, it doesn’t even support most modern motherboards. It operates off an archaic chipset without any updated drivers or support from Black Magic. I’ve done EXTENSIVE research on the thing, and you’re better off looking for a different option in my opinion. For the price and the effort that goes into it, it’s not easy or recommendable in my eyes. If BlackMagic shows some interest in keeping the product up to date, then I have no problem adding it to the list, but it’s not really a desirable choice when compared price and quality wise to other devices. That being said, if you are willing to put the research in, and base your whole setup around the device (if you’re just starting a setup, you might have a supported mobo already if the computer is old USB 3.0), then it’s the only device that can capture at 480p (component, like the HDPVR) and output at 480 (composite, the RCA cables you’re used to) with no lag.

Check VGBootCamp for example footage!

All in all, whatever you choose as your recording device of choice boils down to your own preference in quality, your hardware limitations, and of course, your budget. Next time, I’ll be discussing capture and broadcast of footage!

If you want some more in-depth discussion, feel free to contact me!

-MIOM | C_Naught

@C_Naught