Digital Foundry: First Again with Stereo 3D HDMI 1.4 Support

June 30th, 2010

Digital Foundry is extremely proud and excited to announce that its TrueHD product has now been upgraded to support the new HDMI 1.4 stereoscopic 3D protocols for gameplay. We were first with direct capture support for the 1080p60 HDMI standard, and the experience that made this possible made the support for stereo 3D relatively painless to add.
This means that TrueHD is the first - and currently only - system available right now capable of acquiring the PS3’s bespoke stereo 3D output at the full frame-rate, when attached to a debug or “TEST” development console. Not only does TrueHD acquire the full stereoscopic output, but the card itself registers as a 3DTV: the significance of this is that you can capture 3D footage without even owning a 3DTV. Useful if you don’t have such a display, or if units are limited around your studio.
So, what form does the stereo 3D output take? Basically two 720p frames (one per eye) are incorporated into one 1280×1470 image, with 30 lines of black separating the two views. Here’s a couple of direct shots taken from a TrueHD capture session.

Click through for the full images. They’re actually derived from CineForm-encoded footage, though the customary lossless 24-bit RGB codecs are supported for those who simply must have a pixel-perfect dump of the HDMI port. The top image is for the left eye, the bottom for the right.

Obviously this is video capture quite a step apart from anything we’ve done before, and while we support 1280×1470 as a direct capture option, this frame setup is completely divorced from current editing workflows. So just how do you integrate this into your existing editing set-up?
Thankfully, the world leaders in high definition compression, CineForm, have been working on 3D video editing tools for a long time now and the HDMI 1.4 standard has now been integrated directly into both their world-beating encoder and workflow products: CineForm NEO-4K has all the 3D tools required to make full stereo 3D editing a reality, while NEO-3D offers the additional function of keyframing for convergence dissolves. Both packages also include CineForm FirstLight, allowing you to manipulate and colour-grade your captures on the fly using active metadata - staggeringly useful features.
The addition of the HDMI 1.4 stereo 3D support should also mean that TrueHD now becomes a viable platform for NVIDIA 3D Vision capture thanks to the firm’s release of the 3DTV Play package - something we’ll be testing out once the support is complete.
The final icing on the cake? Existing TrueHD users will be able to upgrade the hardware side of the equation for free, though users with CineForm NEO-HD licenses will need to arrange an upgrade to the NEO-4K or NEO-3D packages. CineForm itself tends to offer full “trade-in” value on the existing license, so the upgrade should be cheap and painless.

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ExpressCard-HD Update

June 30th, 2010

Ongoing development of ExpressCard-HD is currently on hold, and has been for a couple of months now. While the card itself is proven and works beautifully, the problem we are finding right now comes down to laptop graphics chips and the massively variable performance level between different models.
Digital Foundry’s capture tool relies on having strong 2D performance for the real-time scalable preview window. We are finding that laptop GPUs occasionally short-change the user in terms of 2D performance, often within the same family of silicon. Consider the Dell XPS M1330. It’s a great little laptop from a couple of years ago with an onboard NVIDIA 8400GS. Regardless of OS, its 2D performance is absymal, dropping frames randomly and killing capture performance.
Now consider the ASUS Z37S. Practically the same machine, but with a different sound chip and a slightly downscaled NVIDIA 8400G. Same driver as the Dell, and it works fine, despite being an inferior version of the exact same GPU! Bearing in mind the amount of GPUs out there and our inability to test them all, we’re not confident in releasing the product as an upgrade when it may not work on your particular system.
Real-time preview window is an essential element of the package here as Expresscard-HD itself has no video passthrough. Therefore, Digital Foundry has taken the decision to sell Expresscard-HD as a complete, validated system as opposed to an upgrade. Alternatively, we will validate the card on a specific platform, so you can buy in confidence. On all other systems, mileage will vary.
Right now, we are looking to target the new range of Core i3 and i7 laptops with the integrated Intel GPU - which is an enormous step-up from the firm’s previously poor integrated offerings. The GPU in this case is a standard part that’s included on the die of the CPU itself, so we can validate both CPU and GPU performance and ensure that the product works well for you.
Hopefully the wait will be worth it: pro-level HD capture from an ExpressCard really is as cool as it sounds - we really want to get this product out.

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New Hardware Announcement: ExpressCard-HD 480p/720p Capture for Laptops

December 1st, 2009

Digital Foundry is pleased to reveal its latest hardware, allowing for full HD capture on the go. ExpressCard-HD is an upgrade designed for video games capture in any environment, featuring support for analogue component at 480p and 720p resolutions, with 1080i to follow.
Simply plug in the ExpressCard34 upgrade into your notebook, attach the analogue component break-out box, and you’re instantly capturing superb quality video. No external boxes required are required to house the capture card: your laptop is instantly turned into a battery-powered pro-quality HD recorder.
While an HDMI capture solution may have been initially the more obvious choice, the selection of analogue component allows for the widest possible compatibility with all mainstream gaming devices. ExpressCard-HD supports 720×480 and 1280×720 resolutions, allowing for hassle-free connection to Nintendo Wii and Sony PSP in addition to all makes and model of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
To give an indication of quality at HD resolutions, here are two shots taken from Assassin’s Creed 2 running on the Xbox 360. Click on each thumbnail for the full-size shot.

Full 720p capture at 60 frames per second is possible with Digital Foundry ExpressCard-HD, though our customary support for multiple frame-rates is also included. If the game runs at 30, why capture at 60?

ExpressCard-HD is equally at home with 480p component sources, capturing at 720×480 at up to 60 frames per second. In these shots, our Xbox 360 is running in normal 4:3 mode. It’s important to note that analogue component always runs at 4:3. When playing a widescreen game, the screen simply stretches the image outwards. ExpressCard-HD does not do this - you’ll need to resize the image itself elsewhere in your workflow.

As you can see, ExpressCard-HD’s 480p support works just fine, meaning no issues capturing Wii or PSP. Set the HD consoles to run at 480p, and you can also capture using very weak CPUs. Indeed, even an ExpressCard-equipped netbook should be viable here. Again, click on the thumbnails for full-size shots.

ExpressCard-HD produces phenomenal results based on the same kind of tools as used in our TrueHD and HDScope products. There’s full support for the CineForm codec, AMV Codec and UT Codec Suite. We would recommend CineForm as the most space-efficient compressor - something that’s crucial when recording onto a bandwidth-limited device such as a laptop hard disk drive.
System specs? For 720p60 capture, we recommend a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo equipped laptop running 32-bit Windows XP, with at least 2GB of RAM. A discrete graphics card is also recommended; even something as lowly as an NVIDIA 8400GS will do the trick. Support for Intel integrated graphics is being tested. However, this will require a stronger CPU as the processor needs to emulate the hardware overlay provided for “free” by a dedicated graphics chip. Support for 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 may follow.
The on-screen preview window supplied by ExpressCard-HD is of crucial importance as the hardware itself offers no video passthrough option. There is simply no room on the board. However, there is a full-screen option on the capture tool itself. This, combined with the video output typically found on all laptops, serves to give you much the same effect as a dedicated passthrough. Notebooks equipped with HDMI video outputs are particularly well set-up for this task, as audio is integrated into the output.
For a wider selection of sample shots, please click here. ExpressCard-HD is expected to be ready very early in 2010. Please contact info@digitalfoundry.org for more details.

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New Hardware Announcement: Mobile Capture with Digital Foundry HDScope

March 22nd, 2009

Digital Foundry is pleased to announce its new entry-level unit, designed for ultra-mobile, quality-focused high definition capture. Primarily aimed at video games media outlets, HDScope is a portable computer with an integrated 7″ widescreen touchscreen display, measuring just 30.5 x 20 x 18.5cm and weighing around 5kg. Simply plug into the mains, connect to any component or unencrypted HDMI source and you’re instantly recording superb quality video.
HDScope works best with 720p, but also supports 480i/576i and 1080i. Video and audio passthrough allows you to use HDScope as an intermediate ‘bridge’. Connect your source to the unit, and the unit to your HD display and you have full realtime gameplay on the main screen while HDScope’s touchscreen is used for preview and recording functionality.
Digital Foundry’s customary support for CineForm HD is included, along with two lossless codecs - the freeware UT Codec Pack and the shareware AMV Codec.  AMV also includes multiple lossy options; not quite in CineForm’s league for ultra-precision capture, but still remarkable. All recorded clips can be played back in realtime on HDScope’s integrated touchscreen.

Digital Foundry HDScope, capturing Dead or Alive 4 on Xbox 360. All recording functionality can be carried out via 7″ LCD touchscreen, with AV passthrough options allowing you to retain gameplay on the big screen. Keyboard, mouse and monitor can also be attached, transforming HDScope into a powerful small form factor PC.

HDScope’s performance on 720p video is akin to TrueHD in its YPrPb 4:2:2 mode. The new hardware lacks signature Digital Foundry 24-bit RGB support, as this is an entry level product with a corresponding feature set, but the quality level is still exemplary. Here’s a quartet of Dead of Alive 4 shots. DOA’s lack of anti-aliasing, it’s mind-melting strobing colour schemes and ultra-fast v-locked 60fps gameplay make it a nightmare to compress - ideal testing material. Click on the thumbnails for full 720p screenshots taken directly from the captured video.

The top shots show CineForm compression at work, revealing that even in this ultra-stress test, it’s still the best quality vs filesize codec in town. The shots at the bottom are extracted from lossless captures acquired by the HDScope in the same session.

Some random HDScope facts: universal power supply means it’ll work anywhere worldwide… CineForm compression means optimum quality and at least 20 hours of 720p60 video at ultra-precision quality on HDScope’s 1TB hard disk… includes typical Digital Foundry variable frame rate selection - why capture a 30fps game at 60fps and waste valuable hard disk space?… use HD Fury 2 to capture from any HDCP encrypted source…  inexpensive adaptor available to capture Wii 480p… carry case also available!

Should HDScope prove to be popular, expect a TrueHD 1080p capable unit to be introduced.

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New Hardware Announcement: 1080p Notebook Capture with TrueHD Mobile

December 17th, 2008

Take a custom-built notebook, an ExpressCard to PCI Express interface and the Digital Foundry TrueHD Express capture card and this is what you have - 1080p video acquisition in a complete package that weighs just 3.2kg. They say that a picture’s better than a thousand words, so let’s up the ante a touch with a hastily put-together, but quite illuminating video.

A welcome return to our old friend Ridge Racer 7, capturing directly into the CineForm codec at 1080p via TrueHD Mobile. To give some sense of scale, that’s a 13.3″ sub-notebook.

No hardware has been altered here. You can remove the TrueHD Express card from the enclosure, and run it in your PC for all the benefits outlined here. But card performance on the notebook is reduced from PCIe x4 bandwidth down to PCIe x1. In real terms, that’s 720p60 and 1080p30 at 8-bit YUY2 (courtesy of CineForm compression) and 720p30 and 1080p15 at 24-bit RGB, via the lossless codec. Bearing in mind speed limitations on notebook hard disks, you can’t really ask for much more. While the notebook can run from batteries, the enclosure itself requires mains power, that’s pretty much the only major limitation.
Otherwise, as it’s the same hardware, there’s support for component, VGA, DVI and HDMI and crucially, the quality of the assets between desktop TrueHD and the mobile iteration remains identical.

A selection of Ridge Racer 7 1080p screenshots taken directly from the TrueHD Mobile captures encoded in the CineForm codec. Quality level is identical to the standard-setting desktop version. Click on the thumbnails for the full-size shots.

So… obvious question out of the way first. Why custom-build the laptop? The short answer is that my Dell XPS M1330, using the same core parts, didn’t work properly. I’d expect the same to be true of many different notebooks, depending on the BIOS. Right now I’d also rule out using Vista for the OS too. It drains too much power, particularly on the graphics card. Our realtime scalable preview window needs all the juice it can get there.
Things might (probably) change with the new Centrino 2 based notebooks - higher FSB, faster CPUs, more memory bandwidth. You’re looking at a Core 2 system of 2.6GHz or better, integrated GPU, and a nice, fast SATA notebook drive to allow the hardware to truly flourish.

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