[Tutorial] Capturing Playstation 3 video with Intensity Pro

My configuration:

ASUS M4A78-Pro (AMD 780G chipset)
AMD Phenom(tm) 9950 Quad-Core
8GB DDR2 800Mhz
ATI Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3 (OpenGL v4.2, DirectX 11)
Windows 7 64Bit / Ubuntu 12.04.01 LTS 64Bit
BlackMagic Desktop v9.7 (Driver ver 9.7.0.0)
Update all drivers to the last version

Linux Kernel 3.2.0-37-generic x86_64
X ver. 1.11.3
fglrx driver from ATI compiled for 1.4.99.906, module version = 8.96.4

My custom working xorg.conf

Code: Select all

Section "ServerLayout"
   Identifier     "aticonfig Layout"
   Screen      0  "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0" 0 0
EndSection

Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
   Identifier   "LG 32LV3500"
   DisplaySize  508 285
   HorizSync    30.0 - 83.0
   VertRefresh  58.0 - 62.0
   Gamma        0.8
   Option       "VendorName" "LG"
   Option       "ModelName" "32LV3500"
   Option       "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
   Identifier  "ATI RADEON HD 5450"
   Option      "BusType" "PCIE"
   Driver      "fglrx"
   BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
   Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]-0"
   Device     "ATI RADEON HD 5450"
   Monitor    "LG 32LV3500"
   DefaultDepth     24
   SubSection "Display"
      Viewport   0 0
      Depth     24
      Modes     "1920x1080" "1360x768" "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
   EndSubSection
EndSection

If for some reason your desktop doesn't fill up your screen, please do the following and restart, AFTER, you modify your xorg.conf and have the ATI drivers installed.

Code: Select all

sudo amdconfig --set-pcs-val=MCIL,DigitalHDTVDefaultUnderscan,0

SETTING UP PLAYSTATION 3 AND BLACKMAGIC INTENSITY PRO

- Connect the component cable from Playstation 3 to the Blackmagic Intensity pro Breakout cable (R-Y IN / Y IN / B-Y IN).

- Make sure to have your HDMI cable from Playstation 3 is connected to your TV or Monitor because the screen will blackout when you switch to video component.

- At your computer open the Control Panel and click at Blackmagic Design Control Panel (Please refer to the Blackmagic Intensity Pro for your specific Operational System) and make sure to set your input to Component Video & Analog RCA Audio and click OK to finnish:


- This is the secret, open the Blackmagic Media Express (BME), go to Preferences and set the Project Video Format to NTSC click ok.


- At the Playstation 3 go to Display Settings > Video Output Settings and select Component / D-Terminal. The will go black.

- Now at the BME screen you'll see the Playstation 3 screen, set the configuration to 480p, 720p and 1080i and ckick at the D-PAD to the right to confirm this options. The BME screen will go black again, at preferences set the Project Video Format to 1080i. Confirm pressing "X" and set the Audio Output Settings to Audio Input Connector / SCART / AV MULTI.

Deppending on the game you should change the Project Video Format at BME if you get a black screen.

It's a bit tricky at first but can be done.

just a heads up incase anyone gets confused. The Intensity Pro DOES NOT capture 480p video from the component input. If you need to capture 480p from component, the only option is the buy a component to HDMI converter, as 480p IS supported via HDMI.

Also, just wondering.... Whats this xorg.conf things you talked about!?

just a heads up incase anyone gets confused. The Intensity Pro DOES NOT capture 480p video from the component input. If you need to capture 480p from component, the only option is the buy a component to HDMI converter, as 480p IS supported via HDMI.

Thank you.

Also, just wondering.... Whats this xorg.conf things you talked about!?

Linux stuff.

Hey there

Thanks for your tutorial.
But for me, it doesn't work and i don't know why :-/

From ~2 years, the card worked perfect with Win7 x64 and an (very) old driver.
I've used the original Sony component cable to record my PS3 gameplay.

Now i'm on Win 8 Pro x64 with the driver version is 9.7.
I still have the component cable, but nothing works

I just got blackscreens with the Media Express Software and Sony Vegas 12 Pro.
I set my PS3 on 720p, on the control panel of BMD and Media Express 720p @ 59,94Hz but every time just blackscreens

Could you please help me?
Would be very glad!

Thanks
- And sorry for my english :-/

From ~2 years, the card worked perfect with Win7 x64 and an (very) old driver.
I've used the original Sony component cable to record my PS3 gameplay.

Now i'm on Win 8 Pro x64 with the driver version is 9.7.
I still have the component cable, but nothing works

Could you please help me?

If Win8 doesn't work, try a linux distribution to make sure that the card it's working. Another problem that I've face with Playstation 3 i that if you left the HDMI connected, every time you boot the console it will tell you that it has found a HDMI connection and ask if you wanna change it or not.

Disconnect the HDMI from the Playstation 3 and use just the component cable to see if it's working or not. Don't forget to set the video for NTSC first to see if the Playstation 3 is sending video at this format.

The last thing to check is that if you change something in the BIOS, if you did, change it back. Yesterday I've got a problem with audio, the input levels was too high and with noise, the problem was with the card that skip the slot a little bit. Turn your PC off, remove and put the card back at his own slot and make sure it's well attached and tight.

If nothing this works for you, try to ask for technical support from the Blackmagic people.

- And sorry for my english :-/

I don't even speak english, I just know how to write in english.

Hey, thanks for your answer.

I set up my PS3 to 720p with my TV and then plugged in the cable to my BMD.
Normally it worked perfect via this way.
Of course the HDMI cable isn't connectet then.

Because of NTSC.
I'm from switzerland so we have PAL standard here in (EU).
Do i've to set the settings on NTSC? :-/

Yes, i changed stuff on my BIOS, but only because i setup a new PC.
My specs are:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 @ 8x 3,6GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte X79-UD3
Video Card: nVIDIA GeForce GTX680
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
RAM: 16GB Corsair

Cheers and thx for help!

EDIT:
It works !!!!
I've changed nothing on the settings, i only updated my BIOS
Man i'm so happy yaayy!!

May i ask you something else?
Why is there no 1080p @ 59,94Hz option?
Or is there another way to record PS3 on 1080p?

May i ask you something else?
Why is there no 1080p @ 59,94Hz option?
Or is there another way to record PS3 on 1080p?

Because the capture card can't handle it??
Many of us that do "home" video doesn't need that, if you need to record at that resolution you'll nedd to put some cash down to buy a broadcast level capture card and it's not cheap.

Can't handle it?
But the card can handle 60FPS? -weird
And why is on the "Disc Speed Test" tool a 1080p @ 59.94 format...
Sorry for so much stupid questions

Can't handle it?
But the card can handle 60FPS? -weird

There is no mention at the Intensity Pro specs telling that it support 1080p 59.94fps.

The card can only handle 720p60.

And why is on the "Disc Speed Test" tool a 1080p @ 59.94 format...
Sorry for so much stupid questions

It's just a tool to test speed in different formats, it comes with a few (if not all) Blackmagic produts, it means nothing to a specific product.

I'm doing 86MB/s and besides of what the tool says, I can record a 1080i@59.94 just fine and here is a sample of it.

Hi, I have a PS3 and this card, and have tried to set the card to PAL, then I've gone:

1. Set the PS3 to 576p.
2. Change Video output to Component
3. .....nothing shows up on the BME screen.

I know it should work, because I've gone through this process before, but yesterday, my PC decided to crash and when it came back on, it completely forgot everything I'd set up between the PS3 and BME.

This is despite the fact that I've rebooted the PC in the meantime, many times, and it was fine.

Can someone help, please?

Uninstall the BM software and download the new one and try again.

Just done that tonight. I since realised that the card isn't working with the Xbox 360's component output, either (it doesn't have HDMI output), whereas my Wii U's HDMI input into the Intensity Pro is absolutely fine.

1. Works great with windows 8.1 (I'm using 8.1 enterprise)
2. the HDMI standard that the Intensity pro is using doesn't support 60fps @ 1080p. The card is more then capable of handling it.
Clearly I was mistaken, possibly, but effectly the same. The Card is able to handle it, but is not able to capture it because of PCIe x1 slot limiation
3. You have to match the settings perfectly on the PS3 & w/e software uses your BMIP capture card (BME works well for recording)
-As in, it's best to set up the component output using a real TV/monitor first (1080i, or 720p suggested for performance reasons o course) [Only check one, so your system will not jump around in screen sizes and if it has to it'll upscale to 1080i for 720p games - Reason being is, unless the software can/does auto-switch resolutions like a TV, you will lose the video when it switches off what your looking for, and BME does not auto-switch at all]
*using a TV with component just makes it easier.
-THEN you setup the control panel to take in component, following setting up BME (if your going to use it) project to 1080i (suggest 59.xx) or 720p(59.xx)

I love this card, but I do wish the software was smarter in terms of scanning the inputs on the card and looking for the correct settings.

Besure to uncheck (stop capture if droped frames are detected, & uncheck Stop playback, because that will stop the viewing on your external display causing problems if your using it)
Be sure to check, (Continue playback when in background) because as much as I love windows.. like any OS something can take the focus for a moment and cause an interruption)

just a heads up incase anyone gets confused. The Intensity Pro DOES NOT capture 480p video from the component input. If you need to capture 480p from component, the only option is the buy a component to HDMI converter, as 480p IS supported via HDMI.

Also, just wondering.... Whats this xorg.conf things you talked about!?

Though that's when you just use composite, instead. All the HD Multicables for a PS system (excluding PS4) have composite & component.

2. the HDMI standard that the Intensity pro is using doesn't support 60fps @ 1080p. The card is more then capable of handling it.

Actually your second comment is incorrect. All HDMI is capable of doing 1080p60, so the HDMI standard on the Intensity is capable of doing it. The reason it can't do 1080p60 is because the card is designed to work on a PCIe 1 1x slot which has a maximum throughput of 250MB/s before any overheads. As 1080p60 is around 248MB/s without audio then the card doesn't have enough bandwidth to do it