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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