Hauppauge - HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Basically, the HD PVR 2 is great for people who want to start recording gameplay of their Xbox 360, PS3, etc and just want to be able to have great quality footage. Includes HDMI ports (1 in, 1 out) and an A/V adapter to connect your consoles (PS3, Old phat white Xbox 360s) via video Component cables. It's fairly simple to use (setting it up is easy, software is probably one of the most difficult things to do, and even that is pretty simple) and it's really just plug-and-play. Now, Hauppauge does provide an installation disk, including drivers and software. Now, all I did was install the drivers from the disk, but I ended up going to the Hauppauge website and downloading their new capture software called "Hauppauge Capture". a MILLION times better than the one that is included on the disk. The new software has a sleeker interface and allows for seamless audio integration (For example, I can record my game audio and party chats while syncing my commentary with it at the same time.) That's a little more advanced to setup because it involves splitting your audio signals and such. Also, the hauppauge capture has it's own built in editor, where you can edit your videos on the spot with the basic features, perfect for those who are not wanting to spend money on professional video editing software. Now, even though I've listed great features about it, there are some downsides when buying this unit. For example, if you have your console connected to your HD PVR 2, your PVR NEEDS to be powered on (not just by the ac adapter, but it needs to be plugged into a USB port as well) in order to see picture on your tv. Also, maybe it's just me, but sometimes the PVR just doesn't want to work. Sometimes, it will show that it is on, but nothing will be on the screen. Now, the simple fix is to unplug the USB cable from the HD PVR and plug it back in, and if that doesn't work, you will need to disconnect the HDMI cable(s) and reconnect them in order to get picture back. Not a total deal-breaker, but it makes me wonder: How many times can I do that before it breaks permanently? All in All though, the Hauppauge HD PVR 2 is great for those who want to record their gameplay for a new YouTube channel, or if you just want to be able to watch those epic 360 noscopes later. Fairly simple to use, and user friendly software.

Hello gamers! if you're reading this review you most likely want to capture game content and upload your footage to YouTube. My goal is to give you some hints if you have an old HDPVR and are thinking about upgrading to the new HD PVR2 based on my experience as a gamer and user of the old HDPVR. The bottom line first: the HDPVR 2 Gaming Edition is easy to setup, has great features and has amazing amazing video recording quality. I was able to eliminate a bunch of cables which the HDPVR needed and my setup is cleaner. Plus, it has a price lower than my HDPVR, which cost me over $200 about two years ago. I used to think the old HDPVR was incredible, but this new device is even more incredible. Now the meat: you connect this device to your TV monitor over HDMI, you plug your game console into the back of the device (Xbox uses HDMI and the PS3, due to the something which Sony has done to prevent recording from HDMI, connects via component video#, plug it in and in about 10 minutes #it took me exactly 8 minutes to get it running), you'll be recording video. Georgeous video. Incredibly beautiful video. I normally only record on the weekends. During the week, I like to play and practice but I normally don't record. So what I did is hook HD PVR2 to my TV and my xbox and leave it powered on. Then, when I want to record, I just plug my laptop in. This is soooo cool. No more messing with the cables, no more pulling them out when I want to take my laptop into my br. And the cabling is much easier than the old HD PVR. I bought some extra long component cables for the original HDPVR, but with the hdmi cables which are in the HD PVR 2 box I don't need to use the extra long cable anymore. I always had to bring my laptop over to my TV set and start the recording there since the old HDPVR had short cables, but the new HD PVR2 comes with longer HDMI cables so I can leave the HD PVR2 next to my xbox. Much more convenient. Now for the really cool part. I used to record my xbox videos at 1080i. But with the HD PVR2, I can record at 1080p!!! People used to tell me that 1080p was better and I didn't believe them because the recordings on the HDPvr were so good. But I do now. These recordings are completely crazy good! Why upgrade to HDPVR 2? So most likely you're a gamer and you have awesome gameplay that you want to put out there on the YouTubes or you've been doing it for a while and maybe your HD PVR finally took a fatal head shot and you might want to get something new. Since the new HD PVR2 outputs HDMI, the connection to your TV monitor is much easier. They include a 6 foot HDMI cable with the HD PVR2, so I was able to get rid of all the cables I was using with the old HD PVR and now things are really neat and tidy. Now for the PS3. Since Sony are such sticklers for copy protection you need to use component video with a special cable that Hauppauge provides. Its the same high quality cable you can get for about $20 at Bestbuy and they include it with HD PVR2. Since I don't use a PS3 I really don't care, but if your a PS3 gamer you'll be happy with the quality of the cable they put in the HD PVR2 box. How about the software? Well, the showbiz software which comes with the HD PVR2 is pretty basic: record, edit, upload to YouTube. Not a lot of bells and whistles. But honestly, I had the TME application which came with the old HDPVR and not once in two years did I use the extra features which it came with. I use Vegas for editing. I record the game with chat, maybe cut some of the bad parts of the recording, mix in some audio from my microphone and then upload to Youtube. Basic but really simple. So thank you for reading I hope you found this useful and easy to understand my recommendation is by this device plain and simple. Thank you for reading this please click Yes if you found this review helpful.

Been using the PVR series for a while, mine was working fine I just has some extra cash and wanted to get the slick new 1080P out of this. Set-Up with the drivers a little annoying, but I get it working fine. Thing is to take your time and watch YouTube for all the tipz. Bad: -No Mac support. No idea why they ignore Apple thats why I took off a star. One mac and two iPads in this house boyz + ALIEN. Get with the program. - Included software is junk. No matter, I'm on Vegas and its fine. Free software always sucks. -Careful with the cables when recording, don't knock it around. I put minez on the carpet. Good: -Solid support, always helpful. Check'em out on gaming channel YouTube and on FB. Lots of love on YouTube. -Nice design, smaller and less cables. Clean. - One touch record is cool. You have to hit it once, then can't stop for like 15 seconds. Still its great sneaking up on a scene and tapping it to record. - Hauppauge is the original gaming solution. I like a company that sticks to a platform and works with its users .

I bought this to record PS3 and Xbox videos. I will try to describe as much as I can, as best as I can. Design: It's pretty neat. The lighting is great. The "Fast Record Button" (as I like to call it) located on top comes in handy. Just make sure you click "Capture" on the software in your PC before pressing that button to record. Set up: For the Xbox, it seems a bit more simple. USB to PC, Hdmi from Xbox, Hdmi to TV, and connecting it to the power. Simple. For the PS3, you get component cables since you can not record out of an Hdmi with the PS3. So you connect the adapter to the hd ovr, then connect the component cables from there to the ps3, then the usb, hdmi to TV and power supply. The component cables and adapter can get a bit messy. Software/Program: I see some people here having trouble with the Drivers or updating. I did not have an issue with that. Everything installed in less then 5 minutes. Program: It opens up fast. Which is good. But what I don't really like, If I select a video and drag it to the time line, it's good. But if I select the video IN the timeline, it takes a few seconds to finally select it, let alone allow any options to show. One thing I don't like, is it is a bit complex to use if you want to trim clips or cut multiple clips. Adding text and effects (like blur in or out, dim in or out etc) can be a struggle. You can't just drag effects or texts wherever you want without doing other specific alignments first. I still can't find how to do slow motion, fast forward etc. Honestly, my Dazzle was easier to use. But this obviously has its advantages with visual graphics. One thing I do like is once you are done editing, when it comes to uploading the video, you can automatically upload it to YouTube. Or to your Video folder etc. I was a bit bummed out about not being able to record in 1080p, but 1080i or 720p is ok for me. Note: There is like a 3 second delay from what goes on in your screen, and what's being recorded. BUT everything records great. The sound and video are always synchronized. So don't mind the delay. It won't disrupt anything. At least for me it hasn't. So over all, it's good for the price. A bit more complex to use than a standard capture card. I am not too happy that it does not have that many options for editing, or maybe I just haven't found all. Setting it up is easy as long as you don't mind the cables. Software updating is fast and easy also. Visual and graphics are great HD, but not top of the line. So like I mentioned, for the price, it's a good deal. Just need to get used to it. Only reason, I recommend it, is because you ARE getting what you pay for. Seems fair. IMO. But I still believe it should be at least $125.00 or so.

I've owned black magic intensity pro, Hauppauge hdpvr and now this one. First and foremost if you own a Dell you CAN NOT USE BLACK MAGIC PRODUCTS!! They are not compatible with Dell mother boards. This is by far the easiest to use and best deal for your money. You will not regret this

what can i say about this product? it works out of the box... although there maybe some issues on drivers having it updated, or setting up the software that it came with. also having a delay when to pop up on hdmi 2 so be patience when trying to run this. i found out that before chaging the display on ps3, i have to connect the usb, then open the software it came with, then i switch the display. overall giving it 4 out of 5 for the bunch of wires and a/c adapter.

so far it has worked for my son the gamer.Had to call my sister the computer expert to get it all going and have heard a bunch of bad reviews on it but so far no problems.should not cost so much imo.

I feel like the Hauppauge is getting a bad wrap on here. I've used both the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition and the elgato Game Capture HD. While both have the pluses and minuses, I think the Hauppage is the better unit for most people. The elgato is very resource hungry so if you don't have a powerful computer it will bog down your system and create issues in the video. The Hauppauge, on the other hand, is much less resource intensive so the majority if users should be able to record nice videos with it. The big drawback is the set up, especially for PS3. However, there are short (7 min) videos on YouTube and you can also use YouTube's recommended settings. I don't think there is a perfect PVR out there for gaming but the Hauppauge is a solid unit and you shouldn't steer away from it based in these other reviews.