Hooking up PC to laptop?

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 12:47

Is there any way I can run a game on PC and get it to show up on screen on my laptop and then record it with fraps on the laptop?

When I press record in FRAPS to record gameplay, the framerate of the game I'm playing drops and makes it more difficult to play. I have a new laptop and was thinking why not hook up the PC to it, install fraps on the laptop and record what the laptop sees of the game. The problem is, can it be done? The laptop seems to have outputs, like HDMI and VGA, but not inputs. Some USB way of doing it?

MagicBoy · 2 Oct 2011 at 12:50

Not really. Any alternative software solution would impose a bigger performance hit than FRAPS.

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 12:53

MagicBoy said:
Not really. Any alternative software solution would impose a bigger performance hit than FRAPS.

Hmm. What about an HDMI to USB cable, would that do the job? So HDMI out from either my monitor or graphics card (they both have HDMI sockets) and then other end of cable would be USB going into laptop? The idea is for the laptop to do the recording so that my PC doesn't lag and I can just play the game at normal framerates.

MagicBoy · 2 Oct 2011 at 12:56

A cable/adaptor that does HDMI input to USB capture doesn't exist that I'm aware of. The bandwidth and CPU overhead on the USB connection would likely make it unsuitable.

It can be done the other way with USB DisplayLink adaptors to get DVI/HDMI out of a laptop but frankly they are utter rubbish in my experience.

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 13:05

So there's no way I can do this? Real pity considering I have a laptop. You'd think it would be simple just to connect them both up and have the laptop monitor what I see on the PC.

MagicBoy · 2 Oct 2011 at 13:08

See previous answer. I'm not making this up for fun.

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 13:10

MagicBoy said:
See previous answer. I'm not making this up for fun.

There's no need to be rude mate. I read your answers and you basically said it can't be done. What's the problem?

MagicBoy · 2 Oct 2011 at 13:29

I'm not being rude, just factual. You asked a question, I answered it. You proposed a possible solution. I responded to that. You then rephrased the same question as I suspect you didn't like the answer.

The only thing I can find that might work is this : http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/models/

However ... it's USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt only which bears out my earlier comments.

USB was designed to replace legacy parallel and serial ports for input devices, printers, scanners, Zip drives and the like. USB 2.0 is just a faster version of this. It's not a bus that was designed to cope with high bandwidth real-time video like Firewire for example.

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 13:44

I think you got out the wrong side of the bed if you ask me.
I'll just stick my HD camera in front of my monitor.

Tommyzz · 2 Oct 2011 at 14:48

Can't you just get a capture card like they do for xbox?

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:07

Dunno. But what about this?!

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/440812334/HD80E_HDMI_Express_Video_Capture_Card.html

Looks like it should do the job? Not cheap though. I do have an express card slot on my laptop, 34mm. It lets me hook up an hdmi cable to my pc hdmi output, the other end goes into the express card hdmi slot, and the express card into the laptop. How would I know if it fits 34mm, or are express card slots one standard size?

Chihero · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:24

altho there could be a way of doing this, wouldn't you be basically asking your GPU to output the game twice? if you want it on your laptop and your PC?

surely that's gonna hit FPS harder than just using fraps on one output?

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:31

Chihero said:
altho there could be a way of doing this, wouldn't you be basically asking your GPU to output the game twice? if you want it on your laptop and your PC?

surely that's gonna hit FPS harder than just using fraps on one output?

I was wondering that as well. Would it make any less of a hit if I connected to the HDMI output at the back of my monitor instead of from the HDMI output of the graphics card?

Reaper 392 · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:33

the black magic intensity shuttle should work just fine up to 1080p resolution on the laptop IF it has a USB3 connection. if not i believe hauppauge do a similar model (possibly called the HD PVR) that will record up to 1080i and works off of a USB2 connection.

i havent heard about the black magic intensity extreme before now so i cant comment on it, but it looks like it can take DVI and minidisplayport in rather than the HD component.

i'll have a little look around and see what i can come up with. its going to be quite expensive though

i am 99% sure that the video passes through the card rather than goes to the recorder and the TV at the same time, but you can easily get HDMI splitter cables which will be great if you can game and record at the same res

MagicBoy · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:40

Merlin5 said:
I was wondering that as well. Would it make any less of a hit if I connected to the HDMI output at the back of my monitor instead of from the HDMI output of the graphics card?

What's the monitor? I've not seen any around yet with an HDMI passthrough?

Chihero said:
altho there could be a way of doing this, wouldn't you be basically asking your GPU to output the game twice? if you want it on your laptop and your PC?

surely that's gonna hit FPS harder than just using fraps on one output?

Dual outputs should have the same performance when cloning the display as there's no additional rendering overhead.

Chihero · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:46

Dual outputs should have the same performance when cloning the display as there's no additional rendering overhead.

fair enough!

The Hauppauge HD PVR gaming edition takes component video i think and outputs to USB 2.0

agian its like almost 200 quid for the gaming edition one

Merlin5 · 2 Oct 2011 at 15:59

MagicBoy said:
What's the monitor? I've not seen any around yet with an HDMI passthrough?

Dual outputs should have the same performance when cloning the display as there's no additional rendering overhead.

http://www.lg.com/uk/it-products/monitors/LG-lcd-monitor-W2361V.jsp
Ah, yeah, that's probably an HDMI input only. Still, from what you're saying about dual outputs, does that mean the express card should work with no real framerate hits to either computer?

Reaper 392 · 2 Oct 2011 at 16:34

Chihero said:
fair enough!

The Hauppauge HD PVR gaming edition takes component video i think and outputs to USB 2.0

agian its like almost 200 quid for the gaming edition one

i can find one on amazon for £150. it doesnt say anything about gaming edition though. your not going to get anything decent much cheaper unfortunately

Chihero · 2 Oct 2011 at 16:54

i think a Dazzle DVD recorder is what all the Xbox360 players use to stream and capture that's under 50 quid

but i guess it'll only do 720p at best

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qdl-QcmoP0&feature=related

again its component input usb2.0 out