Just under a week ago I posted a “first look” at AVerMedia’s latest offering in the HD capture card market: the Live Gamer Portable. In short summary, I said that the C875 would be a direct competitor for the Elgato Game Capture HD but, on closer inspection, it seems to blow everything else out of the water.
[ Best Price on AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable : UK : USA ]
AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable: best HD capture card of 2013?
Better still, AVerMedia have been kind enough to send me one for review.
AverMedia C875 Live Gamer Portable Capture Card. 1.0 out of 5 stars Onutilizzabile su iMac 27 2del 013 con 10.14. Je vais me prendre le AVerMedia Live Gamer. Having seen the quality and ease of use of this unit I almost wish I'd gone for the PC free version AverMedia C875 GL710 Live Gamer Portable HD, though the AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 (GC510) was far too much money for a first slash at this. Personally I found it a doddle to set up and use, even the firmware update went smoothly.
So, let’s look at the specs shall we? Now in terms of physical proportions the Live Gamer Portable is on a par with the Elgato Game Capture HD but the similarities don’t end there, because AVerMedia’s latest offering also supports HDMI in and out, alongside component in for us suckers restricted by Sony’s HDCP protection in or on the PS3.
Use C875 Live Gamer Portable On Mac 10.14 Version
Now I understand there is a workaround that allows you to use HDMI in and out on a PS3 but until I have had a chance to play around with the Live Gamer HD I don’t want to say for sure.
As per the Elgato, and the clue is in the name I guess, the device also supports Live Streaming but the specs don’t end there. The AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable has a couple more tricks up its sleeve which lead me to believe this will be one of the best, if not the best selling capture card of 2013.
Unlike the Elgato and other competition, such as the Roxio Game Cap and HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition, the AVerMedia is compatible with consoles AND PCs. That’s right, this bad boy works with the PS3, XBOX, Wii, Wii U and all PCs and because it has a built in processor PC gamers won’t see any impact on system resources when they use this device.
Are we done yet? Not quite. If you’re subscribed to my channel then you will probably know I chose my current that I chose my current capture card, the AVerMedia Game Capture HD because it allows you to capture console gameplay without the need to connect to a PC. Now let that sink in for a second.
Yep, you guessed it. AVerMedia have integrated PC-less recording on the Live Gamer Portable. Like I said, this thing is a beast.
So, to recap, we have support for HDMI in and out, along with the ability to record and live stream on all consoles and all PCs. You can also record PS3, XBOX, Wii and Wii U gameplay without the need to hook up the device to a PC: something which will no doubt appeal to casual gamers who have their console in one room and their PC in another.
As it stands I don’t know whether I have to send this back or whether I can offer it as a giveaway, so you will have to subscribe to find out.
AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable: official launch trailer
AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable: Image Gallery
For a full list of technical specifications on AVerMedia’s latest offering, visit the official Live Gamer Portable website.
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Update: now that I have been able to set-up my LGP I have put together a set of instructions for using the C875’s PC-free mode & also recorded a quality test. The raw video was rendered in Sony Vegas using the same template that I used for my old Game Capture HD.
Last week I posted a blog to say that I was awaiting delivery of my AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable. Well, it arrived on Friday** and – due to work commitments – it is still sat in the packaging on my desk.
** I wanted to say “sadly” but you should never complain about having lots of work on. Especially when you’re self employed! Unfortunately games have to take a back seat sometimes 🙁
In any case, I have made some time this evening to record a quick unboxing video and I plan to try out the PC less/ PC free mode tomorrow night. If you want to see either video, make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel.
AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable: How to set-up PC Free mode
Use C875 Live Gamer Portable On Mac 10.14 Download
Regular readers will know that I currently record my gameplay with the AVerMedia Game Capture HD which stores footage on an internal hard drive (or USB stick). As per the diagram above it looks as though the Live Gamer Portable connects in exactly the same fashion, so it shouldn’t take me too long to get this bad boy up and running.
Use C875 Live Gamer Portable On Mac 10.14 Hp
However, I do notice a couple of differences:
1. The AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable has a built in battery so it can be used without a USB connection to your console. I don’t really see why you would need this but it seems pretty cool nonetheless; and
2. Unlike the Game Capture HD, which stores to an internal HDD or USB stick, the Live Gamer Portable utilises an SD card when in PC-free mode. I have some knocking around at home but they are all relatively small, so I have just ordered this 128GB beast from Amazon.co.uk. I paid £78 with free postage and, at the time of ordering, there were apparently fewer than 10 available. I say apparently as I wonder how much of that is just a marketing ploy! Those of you in the US of A can pick up 128GB storage for your LGP for a snip over $100.
It is also worth pointing out the Live Gamer Portable is massively restricted when using PC-free mode, recording a (relatively) modest 720p at 16 Mbps. When hooked up to a computer it’ll do 1080p at an astonishing 60 Mbps!
If for whatever reason you cannot fathom the above image the chances are you also struggle with the interwebs. But, just in case, here is a step by step tutorial:
More information on the AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable.