Console Recording
At a really high level, recording a speedrun for SDA means that you will try and get the best possible quality video footage from your console to your TV and to a recording device of some kind at the same time. This can be a little bit complicated, but we'll try and walk you through it step by step. You're going to need your game console, a television, some kind of recording device, and if you're capturing your run to your computer some kind of capture software. Before you jump into the fray, it would help to understand a little bit about audio and video signals and cables. Go hereto get acquainted with some of the stuff that you'll be working with. Once you're a bit familiar with the basics read on below and we'll cover each of the things that you'll need to record a speedrun in more detail.
Equipment
Game Console
Which console your game is on will determine the type of equipment you will be using
| Nintendo Systems
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| NES
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| SNES
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| Nintendo 64
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| Gamecube
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| Wii
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| Wii U
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| Gameboy / Gameboy Advance
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| Nintendo DS / 3DS
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| Sega Systems
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| Genesis / MegaDrive
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| Sega Master System / Game Gear
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| Sega Saturn
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| Dreamcast
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| Sony Systems
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| Playstation 1
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| Playstation 2
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| Playstation 3
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| PSP (Playstation Portable
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| Playstation Vita
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| Microsoft Systems
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| Xbox
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| Xbox 360
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| Other Systems
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| Neo Geo
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| 3DO
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| Jaguar
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| Atari 2600
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Television
Yes, the TV you use can make a difference in your speedrun. We're going to lump TVs into two categories
| CRT TVs
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These older televisions are ideal for speedrunning, but they have their limitations
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| LCD TVs
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Newer televisions are widely available and they support the latest video formats, but they pose some challenges
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Recording Devices
| Video Capture Devices
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Currently the most popular recording choice
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| DVD Recorder
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An acceptable alternative to capture devices
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| VCR Recording
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Strongly discouraged, but still accepted
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Splitters
Splitters allow you to send the audio and visual footage from your game console to your television and recording device at the same time.
| Unpowered Splitters
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Less expensive, but the quality of the capture suffers. Also they only support composite video
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| Powered Splitters
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More expensive, but better quality.
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Recording Software
If you are using a video capture device you'll need to use some type of recording software.
| VirtualDub
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A free, powerful, and commonly used capture program
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| Amarectv
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A free tool and simple tool, Amarectv is popular because it can let you record your runs and stream live simultaneously
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| Dscaler
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A slightly less popular, but powerful capture software
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PC Recording
Start here.Capturing a PC game is both easier and harder than capturing a console game. You won't be worrying about splitters or messing with cables. You will be playing the game and attempting to record your screen at the same time which can pose some unique challenges.
