If you’ve been thinking of sharing your PS3 gameplay activities on Youtube or Facebook, the cost of a High Definition (HD) capture device may be holding you back. We’re here to tell you that there’s a much cheaper way to do it. Sure, the results won’t be in HD but, hey, this isn’t a wedding video, right?
Back in 2011 we wrote about the Diamond Video Capture device, telling you how to use it to archive your VHS/Beta tapes. The basics in that post still apply so go here to read it: Archive VHS Tapes . The price of this capture unit is less than $50.00. Compare that to the Elgato HD device at $170-$199 and you’ll see why we are suggesting the Diamond unit instead.
How it works:
You probably have your PS3 set up to play through the HDMI connection on your HD TV. Sound and picture all in one cable and the best resolution out there, it doesn’t get better than this. In order to capture the video and sound from your PS3, you have to get the two signals into a computer. It doesn’t matter if you use a laptop or desktop but you will need a newer CPU and lots of RAM to get a good capture.
Both systems mention above, the Diamond and the Elgato, work the same way. You put their devices in line between your PS3 and your computer. The Elgato would use the HDMI out, everything in one cable, while the Diamond needs to make use of the standard definition wires that come with the game console. Those wires do not include an S-Video out but the Diamond has an S-Video in so, to get the best quality, head out to get a set of S-Video connectors from any game supply store. We have an after-market set which will work for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. If you’ve got both consoles, get something like that to capture gameplay from either one.
The only slightly confusing part of all of this is telling your PS3 which video output to use. First, make sure you’re not in the middle of playing a game. Scroll to the far left, second icon ‘Settings’ and choose Video Output Settings. From that point on, you have to decide which settings to use. For the Diamond card, choose Composite/S Video, as shown in this photo:
HDMI is highlighted but you want Component/S Video for the Diamond Capture Card.
Once you choose these settings, and you have to choose your audio out as well, the PS3 will switch from showing on your TV to popping up in the Diamnond Capture window on your computer. Don’t forget to accept the settings by pressing X on your controller or the PS3 will revert back to its previous setting.
Do the video switch first then start the Diamond capture software immediately. Make sure everything is hooked up, obviously, and you’ll be able to see your gaming activity on your computer screen. All the controls will still be as before, you only use your mouse/cursor to start and end the capture.
TIP: We mentioned this in our previous post on the Diamond card but it’s worth repeating. There will be a set of green scan lines across the Diamond window when you first start the software. Look for the tiny X on the bottom left, close the capture window down and start it again. The scan lines will disappear.
Here’s a link to the Sony site which explains the Display settings as well as the various cables you can get, most optional, to carry the signal from your PS3 console to the Diamond Capture connectors: PS3 Video Output Settings
We’d suggest getting the S-Video cable but if you’re only going to do a few simple captures, don’t worry about it. Stick with the AV out/in and things will look just fine. Here’s a link to the first video we created:
This was made using the composite video out/in. We’re going to do more using the S-Video connection to see what difference it makes. Updates as soon as we get them. Have fun! The PS3 is our console of choice and we’ll upgrade it to the Ps4 as soon as it comes out. Can’t wait!
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We sometimes write about gaming here on Computers Made Simple. While we don’t play many video games, we do spend much of our spare time playing Gran Turismo 5. Yes, we’ve pre-ordered GT6 which comes out in December. At some point in the game, depending on how often you play it and how often you log in to your Playstation account, your GT5 item list will get full. By full we mean over 2500 paints, hundreds of racing outfits and hundreds of helmets.
Once you hit the limit, and we’re not sure what that limit is, you have to delete these items or you won’t get your 200% bonus for credits. GT5 tries to add items but your storage is full so it lowers your bonus accordingly. We rarely paint a car except for those we sometimes give to online friends so deleting them wasn’t a problem. If you’re in the same situation, here’s how to delete the items in groups, as opposed to one by one.
1. Here’s what you want to see when you start GT5, having signed in to your Playstation account: (The pics are from a digital camera as opposed to screen caps. Sorry for the quality.)
We’re not concerned with the items but we do want to collect the 200% credit bonus.
2. There is an error warning that comes up when your item storage is full:
Time to delete some paints.
3. Head over to your item box:
Looks like a suitcase on the left side of your screen.
4. Once you’re in the item storage area, scroll down to Paints. You can delete racing outfits and/or helmets too but we had way too many paints and had to delete them. This system works for anything you want to delete:
We only have 252 now but we deleted 2300 earlier this week.
5. Down at the bottom of your screen, you’ll see ‘L1’ and ‘Select Multiple’. By the way, make sure you’re using your controller NOT your wheel, if you have one, to do this.
Press L1 to Select Multiple paints.
6. If you want to go through and select some, go ahead. We wanted to delete them all so we pressed the square button (purple) on the controller, just as it told us on the bottom of the screen after we pressed L1:
Press the square button to select them all.
7. Everything has a blue check to the left of it:
If you have multiples of the same item, this system will only delete the first, not all of them.
8. TIP: This process will not select multiples of the same paint color, right? It will select one only. To get rid of them all, you have to do this trick several times.
9. Once you have selected the ones you want to delete, press the triangle (green) button to bring up a menu:
The triangle button brings up the Menu below.
10. This is the menu, delete or cancel.
Delete or cancel. We chose Delete.
That’s it! We’re back to normal again, minus a few thousand paint items. Now when we log on, we get the full 200% bonus. Let us know if you have problems with this. It’s pretty straightforward but let us know if you need help.
From time to time we take a break from writing about Facebook and WeChat. In our spare time we often play videogeames and our favorite is Gran Turismo 5. Here’s a piece we wrote for another site that we thought we’d share here. It’s a holiday weekend in Canada so we’re taking some time out for ourselves. Let us know what you think, OK?
One Car, Three Tunes
You guys already know how much time it can take to set up a car. Adding the equipment, sorting out the suspension settings, the gear ratios; all of that takes time. Here’s how you can tune a car three different ways and change from one setting to the next almost instantly.
The routine starts when you get a new car, either new to you or totally brand new. The first thing to do is change the oil or, if the car has more than 300 miles on it, rebuild the engine and the chassis. Once you do this, the car is back to the way it left the factory and has the same or more horsepower than it did when you got it, even if it’s a brand new car.
Next, before you do anything else, go back to your garage and go into the tuning settings page. You’ll see three default settings, all the same. Go to the right, the C setting, and then scroll to the far left and choose ‘Edit Comment’. Delete the words that are there and then type in ‘Original’ or ‘Default’, whatever you want but make sure you signify that this is the settings as they are now.
All settings are stock, just the added permanent parts are different.
Once you’ve done that, go back and select setting A or B, it doesn’t matter. Head over to the tuning garage and add whatever equipment you feel is necessary. Then go back and tune that equipment as you see fit.
Let’s say you’re tuning for 500 PP. Do that, set it all up and test the car. Once it’s just the way you want it, head back to the garage, select the Settings page and choose either A or B, whichever one you chose first. Rename that to ‘500 PP’ or whatever it happens to be.
At this point, you’ve got two settings. The default and the 500 PP setting, right? If you look at the default, Setting C, you’ll only see some of the additional equipment you added. Why? Because some tuning bits are permanent and some aren’t. Things like weight reduction, engine steps, chassis reinforcement, etc. are permanent. Every setting for this car will have them.
Other equipment, things like turbos, superchargers, intake and exhaust bits and pieces, are not permanent and can be selected or deselected as many times as you want. Your 500 PP setting uses some, the default setting only uses the permanent pieces.
OK, so two are set. Let’s say you want to up the PP to 650. At this point, Setting B and C will be the same. What you want to do now is switch to Setting B and modify it. Tune it to 650 PP then go into Setting B and change its Comment to ‘650 PP’.
All set up with tranny settings adjusted, suspension too. Why don’t the tranny settings show? We’re not sure but they’re set.
Now, when you’re online and need a 650 or 500 PP car, you can switch settings in an instant without adding this or deleting that. You’ve still got the factory settings to play with should you wish to use them. Keep track of which setting you change and make sure you change the comment if you up or lower the PP.
You’ll find this useful with NASCAR. Say you race Indy and Daytona in the same set of races. You don’t have to change cars, just change the settings you use. Label one Daytona and the other Indy.
We all have favourite cars. With this technique it’s easy to set it up for a city track and for a high speed track, then switch back and forth very quickly. Good luck!
Part of the fun of playing a video game on a PC is sharing in-game photos with friends. Until FRAPS came along, the process was quite complicated. With FRAPS, capturing a photo while playing a game is as easy as a keystroke. FRAPS isn’t new, it’s been around for a few years but you may not have heard of it. Here are some shots from Far Cry, an older game but still one of the favorites around this office:
One of the ghost ‘copters that can’t be destroyed but never attacks.
We like to collect vehicles and boats. These are all one owner vehicles…
Download FRAPS here: FRAPS and install it. Directions are easy to follow, just make sure you start FRAPS before you start the game. You can choose to have the frame rate shown on your game screen, the original purpose of FRAPS, and then choose to record stills or videos. We’ve found FRAPS to be foolproof, simple and a great tool to test out your computer and/or new video card.
TIP: FRAPS saves stills as BMP files, rather large file size. If you’re going to post or share images, open each one up in Irfanview and change them over to JPGs. File size in the JPG format, because it is a compression or ‘lossy’ system, is much smaller.
Another weekend and another GT5 post. This time we’re going to share some secrets about how to win a couple of the Seasonal Events, specifically the Lamborghini and Ferrari series.
GT5, the best game out there for the PS3, in our opinion!
If you have Gran Turismo 5 and you haven’t been using the online features, you are really missing out. The best money, the most fun and the best cars are all online. In the standard A-Spec and B-Spec races, the prizes are pretty poor, all in all. Jump to the Seasonal Events online and you’ll always have spare credits to buy the hottest cars in the game. See our post on how to win a million credits in 20 minutes here: Fast track to a million credits. Additionally, there is an online used car section that changes about once a month. You can’t get the cars in the online lot anywhere else.
About once or twice a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, the Seasonal Events in GT5 are upgraded. Some finish but others begin. Once you get your driving level up over 30, usually, you can race with the best AI drivers out there and made some very serious cash. Sure, the races are tricky and you have to be a skilled driver but that’s the point of the game, isn’t it.
We’ve stressed the concept of practising before. Here is the link, in case you missed it: Practising Benefits in GT5 The game is much more entertaining if you accept the fact that you can’t just sit down and win. You have to spend some time learning. Sure, there is a huge frustration factor but the benefits soon outweigh that.
The Lamborghini Seasonal series is the most recent addition to the one-make races. Pick any Lambo, except the Nomad, set it up and race over five courses. The prizes aren’t that great, to be honest and the winning car in most of the races sells for 15 million credits but, aside from that, this series is a lot of fun. Each course uses different skills and each car handles differently but you’ll be able to win if you use some of our tips. All of these tips apply to the Ferrari Series, as well. In the Ferrari event, you can only choose from two cars, different versions of the F1 vehicle. That event is even more difficult than the Lamborghini series but the same tips and secrets apply. Here we go:
1. Practice: When you’re in the actual race, your adrenaline is running. This may affect the outcome. You might go too deep into a corner, hit the wall and get even more frustrated, especially if you’ve built up a good lead and have to watch the cars you worked hard to pass whizzing by. Better to run a few laps, or a lot, on the practice course. Each track in GT5 is available in the practice area. Use the time you spend practising to tune your car, figure out the best driving line and challenge yourself to get better times each lap. As you know, the ghost car that shows up after the first lap is actually you, right? See if you can leave yourself in the rear view mirror on each lap.
2. Adjust Top Speed: Each course has different straight sections. For the long straights in Nurburgring, for instance, you need the highest speed possible. On a short course, such as Rome, high speed isn’t necessary. Some courses require a bit of both, top speed and acceleration, so you’ll have to work out those details as you practise. If you find your revs topping out near the end of the straight, don’t worry too much. Adjust your top speed and we know that you’ll see a difference in your lap times.
3. Soft Tires: Use soft tires as much as possible. Ignore the cautions used in the settings menu until you are sure you’re breaking the rules. For instance, in the Lamborghini series the rules state ‘Sports hard or less’. That’s not the case. Equip your car with sports soft tires and you’re fine. That setting alone can give you a terrific edge. Always spring for the soft tires unless you’re in an endurance race.
4. Oil Changes/Car Wash: Change your oil after about five races in each car. If you buy a used car, make sure you change the oil and wash the car before you enter any races. If you are in a series of races and you can’t back out to change the oil, your car will be progressively slower. In a series like that, you can’t do much about it. We mean the Championship Series, of course. In a regular series, change the oil after each race.
5. Easy Way to Increase PP in a Race: If you don’t finish a race, say if you hit a wall, you can restart the race even if your PP level is out of range for the event. Let’s say you change your oil, set your PP to the required level and enter the race. As you know, after a few laps, maybe ten or so, your PP will creep higher as your engine loosens up. If you quit the event then try to get back in, the game won’t let you until you lower your PP. However, if you restart the race, you can gradually increase your PP to a significantly higher level. Don’t exit the race unless you want to change a setting. Just do a restart and your PP will increase a bit, depending on how many laps you’ve driven.
6.Wedgies: Use your car as a wedge to get around corners quicker. On the Rome circuit, you’ll be faced with situations where a car is just ahead of you and a corner is coming up. Braking late and using the other car as a fulcrum will get you around the corner much quicker. Time your speed with your accelerator and nudge the other car out of the way, using its inertia to help you make the corner. This works best on the hard left hander on the Rome reverse circuit but you can use it on the Autumn Ring and other courses, as well.
7.Watch for Spin-outs: On the Tuscana Tarmac track, look out for the other drivers spinning out. Many a time we’ve smacked another Lamborghini after we’ve built up a good lead, only to lose it in the weeds. Slow down and be prepared to dodge the other car or cars. You might lose a bit of time but you’ll be passing at least one other car per spinout, right?
8.Ignore Warnings Sometimes: Don’t always pay attention to the red warning stripe if you are using the driving line during the race. The red pre-corner warning is useful but it’s not always correct. If you have soft tires, you can often ignore braking and get around the corner just fine without slowing down. Better yet, change your line around the corner and use the red and blue rumble strips to help you. A perfect race means you stay on the pavement itself but if you notice, the other cars are often driving on the strips at the edge, well off the track.
9. Better Cornering: Basic racing skills tell us that a straight line through a corner is faster. Keep that in mind and your lap times will go down. In corners such as the third left hander in the Rome reverse circuit, you don’t have to slow down all that much to make the corner. Brake a bit but aim for the far left side of the track. If you just miss the wall there, you can hold your accelerator for just a moment then floor it once you’r past the right wall which sticks out a bit. If you don’t time this correctly, you’ll smack the right wall so time your acceleration accordingly.
10.Pedal to the Metal: Don’t take your foot off the gas while you’re braking. You don’t have to keep your right foot planted to the floor but don’t take it off the pedal completely. If you do, your car will fishtail most of the time. Keep your foot down and you will brake in a straight line.
11. Less Braking: Don’t always depend on your brakes. If you are on a wide corner, get used to feathering your accelerator instead of braking. Once you hit the binders, you will lose momentum and it takes precious time to build it up again. On a hairpin, sure, you have to brake but on a more gradual corner you can use your accelerator to control your speed. Doing this keeps your momentum up and works just as well to slow you down. The whole point is to get through the corner without going sideways and braking can get you sideways quite easily.
12.GTPlanet: Use the forums to get tips from other players. GTPlanet is one of the best. Join the site, it’s free, and use it to get settings, tips and inspiration. Good luck and happy racing!
One of the best GT5 forums out there.
Thanks for reading!
a little bit of hi-tech, a little bit of common sense and a lot of fun
