Difference between revisions of "Wii capture"

Revision as of 10:41, 18 May 2013

Console Information

Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii features a multi-out A/V connector in the back. The A/V cables that come with the system include the standard red, white, and yellow (composite video) connectors. This is the same connector used by the Wii U. Nintendo also offered a set of component cables that can also plug in to this multi-out A/V connector. When recording footage from the Wii, you'll need to decide whether or not you will be recording in the standard definition 480i or if you will attempt to record the higher quality progressive signal 480p. Which resolution you choose will may a drastic effect on the recording equipment you will need.

From the home screen click the Wii Button in the bottom right Select Screen Here you can change the resolution from 480i to 480p Note: You must have component cables connected in order for the 480p option to become available

Recording in 480i

Third party A/V cable with S-Video

You can also connect component cables to the Wii and record in 480i. You might want to do this if you are using a CRT television that has component inputs, but does not support 480p or higher resolutions. Make sure that your capture device has support for 480i resolutions if you try this. If you are not using a CRT and your capture device has component inputs, it is recommended that you record at 480p instead if your capture card supports this.

Recording at 480p

The Wii has the option of outputting a higher quality progressive signal. Recording at this resolutions requires that you have a capture device that is capable of recording in high definition signal. Your capture device must have component inputs and support the 480p resolution.

Usually you will need to get a powered splitter for the A/V connector you are using. The exception is that some high definition capture cards have a passthrough feature where they are able to both capture the signal and broadcast it to your television without introducing any lag. If your capture device doesn't support this feature then you will have to get a powered splitter.

Wii Virtual Console

When you play a game on the Wii Virtual console the Wii will attempt to render the game at its original resolution. For Nintendo and Super Nintendo games, this means that the Wii will be rendering them at 240 lines of resolution. Recording this should not be a problem if you are using a standard definition capture device (one that only has composite/S-Video inputs) or a DVD recorder. You may run into problems if you are using a capture device that is designed to record high definition footage to try and record video from certain virtual console titles. Most high definition video capture devices do not support video resolutions that are this low. Unless your high definition capture device explicitly lists support for 240 lines of resolution, it is safe to assume that it will not be able to record this video from the SNES and you will need a standard definition capture device to record the footage. Two commonly used capture devices that support 240 lines of resolution are the Dazzle DVC100 and the Ez-Cap. If your capture device has component inputs, supports 480i but does not support 240 lines of resolution, read on.

There are two workarounds.

Component Interlaced Mode - This feature forces Wii Virtual Console games to render at 480i instead of 240 lines of resolution. It was included in Virtual Console titles released mid 2007 or later. Some, but not all, Virtual Console titles released before then would be updated to include this feature. You can find a list of games that have been updated to support this mode here.

Activating Component Interlaced Mode

• Connect component cables to the Wii
• Start the Virtual Console Game
• Press the Home button on the Wii Mote
• Select the Operations Manual
• Connect the Nunchuk controller to
• Press Z + A + 2 simultaneously

If successful, you will hear a beep. The Wii will now render the game you are playing in 480 lines of resolution. If you did not hear it, the game may not support this mode.

Use the Wii U instead This isn't exactly an ideal workaround. Virtual console games that are downloaded to the Wii may be transferred to the Wii U. The Wii U does not attempt to render games at their original resolution, but will instead attempt to upsample games to their original resolutions.