Wii U capture
From SDA Knowledge Base
Contents
Console Information
| Resolution | 480i/480p/720i/720p/1080i/1080p |
| Virtual Console Resolution | 480i/480p/720i/720p/1080i/1080p |
| A/V Outputs | HDMI, Composite, Component, S-video |
| Backwards Compatibility | Wii, Wii Virtual Console |
Nintendo Wii U
The Wii U features the largest variety of resolutions and A/V connectors yet to be seen on a Nintendo console. The Wii U has the same a multi-out A/V connector in the back that the Wii does and it is fully compatible with A/V cables used on the Wii. The A/V cables that come with the system include the standard red, white, and yellow (composite video) connectors and an HDMI cable. The system also contains an HDMI connector on the back.
Available resolutions for each cable connector
| Composite | 480i |
| S-Video | 480i |
| Component | 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p |
| HDMI | 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p |
When recording footage from the Wii U, you'll need to decide whether or not you will be recording in the standard definition 480i or if you will attempt to record in higher definitions. Which resolution you choose will may a drastic effect on the recording equipment you will need.
Recording in 480i (Standard Definition)
The A/V cables that came with the system include the standard red white and yellow (composite video) connectors. The yellow cable is for composite video and will output a video signal at 480i. While the standard A/V cables that come with the Wii are composite video, the Wii U is also capable of outputting S-Video. Nintendo did not release an official S-Video connector for the Wii U, however you can purchase a third party set of cables that includes it. S-Video provides superior picture clarity and quality and it is strongly preferred over composite video when doing recording.
You can also connect component cables to the Wii U and force the Wii U to output video at 480i over the component cables. 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 a higher resolution.
Recording at higher resolutions
Recording at higher resolutions requires that you have a capture device that is capable of recording in high definition signal. Your capture device must have either component or HDMI inputs. Because the Wii U has a wide variety of A/V connectors and resolutions, you should be able to find a resolution that is supported by just about every capture card.
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.
If you are recording capture footage using an HDMI connector, you do not have to worry about HDCP (High Definition Content Protection). The Wii U's video signal does not contain HDCP and so this is not a concern when recording. Other consoles such as the Playstation 3 and XBox 360 use HDCP with the HMDI connector.
Wii Virtual Console & Wii U Virtual Console
The Wii U emulates the Wii's menu screen. From here the Wii U can access the Virtual Console shop that was available to Wii users and download games. Additionally, any Virtual Console games that have been purchased on the Wii may be transferred to the Wii U. The Wii U processes games differently than the original Wii does. Previously, the Wii Virtual console would render games at their original resolution. This meant that Nintendo and Super Nintendo games would be rendered at 240p. Many capture cards did not support this resolution and were thus incapable of recording footage from the Wii's Virtual Console. The Wii U has fixed this.
When you play a Virtual Console game, the Wii U upsamples the video resolution to match whatever your Wii U resolution settings are. Let's say that you connect your Wii U to a high definition television using the HDMI connector. You download the original Super Mario Bros. from the Virtual Console. This means that if you download Super Mario Bros. on Virtual Console that your Wii U would render the signal for the original Super Mario Bros. in 1080p! Capturing older games in resolutions drastically higher than their originally designed does not necessarily give you better quality video, but it does make the Wii U video signal compatible with more video capture devices.
The Wii U has recently released its own Virtual Console. The Wii U renders titles downloaded here at whatever your Wii U's system resolution settings are instead of your game's original resolution.
