Capturing PC Footage

You'll need to record some footage from your console or PC if you want to show off your gaming skills or capture a really funny moment in a game to include in your videos. Aiming a camera at the screen is one option, but you'll get much better results by recording through a direct AV feed.

Getting footage of PC games is tricky because you have to capture a video signal while you're playing the game you wish to record. You can use video-capture software that records the video to your PC while you're playing, or you can output the AV signal to an external recording deck.

Video-Capture Software
The advantage to using software is that you won't need external devices to record your footage; it's all stored on your computer and ready to edit. The downside to using video-capture software is that the program does use system resources, which can affect gameplay, although the hit isn't too noticeable on modern, high-end systems. These types of programs have different features and limitations, so you'll want to try out a demo before buying the full version. Fraps is currently the best known video-capture software for gaming.

Recording Devices
You can use external recording devices to capture PC footage as well. If your video card has S-Video output, you can run an S-Video cable out to a recording device such as a VCR or a camcorder. Otherwise, you'll need to buy a scan converter to convert your VGA signal into a composite or S-Video signal that your recorder can accept

Use a scan converter to record PC gameplay on an external recording device.

Consumer-level scan converters can be found for under $100 and provide good video quality. If you're planning to purchase a scan converter, take note of the maximum resolution it can handle and its maximum refresh rate. A scan converter that can handle 1600x1200 at any refresh rate will cover most situations, but it will also be more expensive. We've had success with the AverKey iMicro. It has a maximum resolution of 1280x1024, can handle high refresh rates, and is fairly affordable at less than $100.

If none of these options work for you, you can simply record your monitor using a camcorder. With the right lighting conditions and angles, you can get a fairly decent video this way. Be sure to adjust your monitor's refresh rate to get rid of the scan lines. Generally, you'll want to set your monitor to 60 hertz if you're using an NTSC camera.