AVerMedia ExtremeCap U3 Capture Device Review
Using the ExtremeCap U3
Contents
The physical installation of the ExtremeCap U3 in PC mode is simple. Just connect the device to your computer using the provided USB 3.0 cable, and connect the video input from your console using either the HDMI cable or the video component cable.
After connecting the AVerMedia ExtremeCap U3 to a computer and installing the driver and the capture software (you have to download it, since the device does not come with a CD), you can run the RECentral, which is very simple to use. There are four options at the main menu on the left: “bulletin” (for news about the product), “capture” (to capture video), “stream” (for streaming live video over the web), and “video folder” (simply opens an explorer window of your video folder).
Figure 9: capture software main view
In the capture menu, you can choose between 1-click capture, use a wizard for simple settings, or an advanced settings menu, shown in Figure 10. Even at this menu, there are few options, which makes all the video capturing process very simple. The video file format is always MP4, but you can choose the video resolution (from 320 x 180 to 1920 x 1080), frame rate (from 15 to 60 fps), video bitrate (from 0,3 to 60 Mbps), and audio bitrate (from 32 to 256 kbps). You can also choose the video and audio sources. One of the great features of the product is that you can mix the audio of the source you are capturing with a local microphone.
According to the manufacturer, one of the highlights of this capture device is the ability to capture uncompressed video at 1080p and 60 fps. But you can only do that with a third-party capture software (such as Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas), since the RECentral always use the H.264 codec.
Figure 10: advanced settings
There is also a live stream mode, which is similar to the capture mode, but it needs you to configure your account at some online streaming service such as YouTube Live, Justin.TV, UStream, niconico, or a custom one.
The ExtremeCap U3 also comes with a simple program that tests the performance of the USB 3.0 interface between the computer and the device, in order to be sure it supports all possible resolutions and bitrates.