This game recording setup has more advantages than disadvantages compared to the Hauppauge setup, it can involve a lot less cables using the HDMI ports, can record up to 1080p and capture 5.1 surround sound, comes with Mac OS compatible recording software and best of all it’s cheaper! The only downside to this setup is that there is no portability and your Xbox 360 and TV must be near your PC or Mac Pro, you can get some extension cables and try to expand the range your setup can be from your computer.

What You Need

Xbox 360 with HDMI

• 
  
  
  BlackMagic Intensity Pro Grahpics Card
  Price: $0.00
• 
  
  
  2m HDMI Cable (Xbox 360)
  Price: $0.00

Xbox 360 without HDMI

• 
  
  
  BlackMagic Intensity Pro Grahpics Card
  Price: $0.00
• 
  
  
  2m HD Component Cable (Xbox 360)
  Price: $0.00
• 
  
  
  2m Phono Cable (Xbox 360)
  Price: $0.00

Installing the recording software

After you have installed your BlackMagic Intensity Pro PCI Express grahpics card, you can now begin installing the gameplay capturing software. The good thing about the BlackMagic Intensity Pro Card is that it comes with BlackMagic Media Express, which is Windows and Mac OS compatible recording software! When everything is installed correctly and you run this software you will be presented with this user interface and in replace of the aeroplane picture you will have a live preview of what’s being seen through your TV screen when we have everything set up correctly!





No need for any extra expenditures compared to the Xbox 360 Hauppauge HD PVR setup.

Connect Xbox 360 to BlackMagic Intensity Pro

Xbox 360 with HDMI

The Xbox 360 introduced a HDMI port way back in August 2007, so if you are lucky enough to have bought your console after this date then you should have a HDMI port at the back of your Xbox 360 no matter if it’s an Elite version or not, a lot of people seem to get confused about this!

Next Step: Connect TV to BlackMagic Intensity Pro

Xbox 360 without HDMI

If you are one of the unfortunate people, like myself, to have been a hardcore gamer and still have your Xbox 360 since before August 2007 with no HDMI port, luckily the BlackMagic Intensity Pro provides a component cable solution for us too! It’s not anymore complicated than plugging your HD component cables from your Xbox 360 to your TV than into the component plugs for the Intensity Pro, it’s exactly the same, just make sure that you are putting your Xbox 360 cables into the ‘In’ plugs rather than the ‘Out’ plugs for the TV:

Connect TV to BlackMagic Intensity Pro

Xbox 360 with HDMI

The HDMI is definitely the easiest setup for the BlackMagic Intensity Pro graphics card, hooking your TV up to it is now just a matter of plugging in your HDMI cable into the slot on the right, the HDMI ‘Out’ slot, then plugging the other end into your HDTV:



If you can remember I recommended buying 2 x 2m HDMI cables in the ‘What’s Needed‘ section above, well basically this is the point where it can come in useful, having the extra length on the HDMI cable allows you to place your TV and Xbox 360 further away from your computer and still be able to record. I chose to buy the 2m length as this was appropriate for my setup, everyones setup is going to be different so please choose a length that will suit yours.

Next Step: Capture Gameplay with BlackMagic Media Express

Xbox 360 without HDMI

Take the HD component cable and phono cable and plug them into your TV where your Xbox 360 component cables would usually be, then connect the other end into the remaining available component plugs from your BlackMagic Intensity Pro i.e. the ‘Out’ plugs.

What these setups are essentially doing is sending the Xbox 360 display into your BlackMagic Intensity Pro graphics card, it then captures the display and sends it straight out to your TV, and this happens so fast that you will not receive any lag between your Xbox 360 and your TV screen!

Capture Gameplay with BlackMagic Media Express

Upload videos to Youtube

• Easy to set up
• Portable
• Records in HD (1080i)
• Zero recording lag when gaming

This recording setup will allow you to be able to record anywhere straight to a PC/Laptop/Mac which gives it a much better advantage over any other setup. We also provide a BlackMagic Intensity Pro Setup option for people who are familiar with installing new PCI Cards and have their PCs relatively close to their Xbox 360, if you feel that’s more you, check it out here.

Hauppauge HD PVR Xbox 360 Setup

What You Need

• 
  
  
  Hauppauge HD PVR
  Price: $204.99
• 
  
  
  1.8m USB Extension Cable (Optional)
  Price: $4.86

Installing the recording software

If you are planning on recording your games to a Windows PC/Laptop then using the software that comes with the Hauppauge HD PVR (Arcsoft) should suffice and you can move onto the next step below. Unfortunately if you are using a Mac or Macbook, then you need to download additional recording software that’s compatible with the Mac OS, you can either purchase EyeTV 3 for $79.95 or HDPVRCapture, software written by a Hauppauge engineer, for only $29.95! Install the software as per instructed.

Connecting the PVR to the PC/Laptop/Mac

The Hauppauge HD PVR comes with a USB lead to connect the device to your computer, the USB will be on one end and the other will be sized to fit into this slot:



You then just need to connect the USB to your PC/Laptop/Mac, and if you can’t manage this you must have been living under a rock for the last few years. This is also where you can use your USB extension cable noted above in the ‘What’s Needed‘ section should you decide to buy one, it’s not necessary, but provides a bit of extra flexibility on the location of your recording setup from your computer.

Connecting Xbox 360/TV to PVR

Insert the Xbox 360 component cables into the ‘In’ component plugs:




When you have hooked your Xbox 360 up to the Hauppauge HD PVR, you then need to plug in the component cables that came with the Hauppauge HD PVR into your TV where you would usually connect your Xbox 360 and then connect the other end into the HD PVRs ‘Out’ component plugs:

Recording using the software

Now that you have everything set up correctly, switch on your Xbox 360 and your TV. Run your recording software on your computer/laptop and you should find that the software is is displaying exactly what’s on your TV screen. Recording your gameplay is now just a matter of hitting the record button! That’s it!

The Hauppauge HD PVR has the ability to record straight to the .MP4 file format, a high definition format recognized by most hardware & software, including your Xbox 360 itself and even Youtube!

Upload videos to Youtube

Now that your .MP4 recording file has been recorded and saved onto your computer, uploading your gameplay is just a matter of going to Youtubes upload page here and following their simple step by step instructions. Awesome!