If you are a professional gamer and also live stream video games on social media platforms like Twitch and YouTube, you probably have heard about video capture cards. Basically, video capture cards are designed to directly record or stream your monitor in superior image quality without impacting your PC’s performance.

However, you might be thinking, this can also be completed for free by any capture/streaming software like OBS, then why spend money on that? Well, a video capture card can offer you smooth gaming experience and flexibility which a recording software can’t. In this blog, let’s learn about the advantages of a capture card one by one.

What is a Capture Card?

Before we come to the main theme, let’s learn the definition of a video capture card. A video capture card is a device that can capture the video signal output from a camera, DVD player or gaming console and convert it to a digital format that can be recognized by a computer.

For example, if you want to record gameplay from your PS5, you need a capture card that connects to the HDMI port on your console, as your PS5 cannot capture and stream your gameplay simultaneously.

How Does a Capture Card Work?

A capture card works by collecting the video signal from another device, like a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch, and encoding it into a format that can be recorded or broadcast. The video signal is then decoded and delivered to a computer, where it can be recorded for later viewing or broadcast live.

You can often record audio from the source device with a capture card, so you can easily record both gaming and commentary.

Generally, you connect the capture card to the device you wish to record or stream from in order to output the data, whether you are recording or broadcasting live.

Benefits of Using a Capture Card

Using a capture card has many advantages, whether you’re a YouTuber or a streamer. Some of them are as follows:

Get Rid of Extra Load from Your PC

If the PC you’re using is not very powerful, it can’t take the entire load to record or stream gameplay and also run games smoothly at the same time. A powerful PC with high configuration usually costs a lot for many gamers. In this case, a high-quality video capture card like AV Access 4KVC00 can help your PC get rid of extra load and actually save money in the long run.

Supporting up to 4K@60 Ultra HD video input, 4KVC00 video capture device can be connected to an HDMI game source, like Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, etc. You can stream up to 1080P@60Hz HDMI video capture signal to your PC via USB-C interface. It also supports up to 4K@60 HDMI local output, so you can enjoy your games on a connected monitor. With a video capture card, your computer doesn’t have to run any video game or transmit any image to you monitor; it just needs to act as a video recorder.

High-Quality Streaming/Recording

One more reason to get a capture card is video quality. With the free capture/streaming software, you can only get an average quality. If you also run too many sofwares simultaneously on your PC, it will reduce video streaming quality and may cause serious latency in transmission. Just imagine you have a huge fanbase and your viewers are not getting the best quality video, they will not be happy with your live streaming. And the new fans are also not going to stay in your channel if the video quality is too poor.

With a capture card, you won’t face these difficulties at all. There are various kinds of video capture cards on the market, and the video recording capacity varies cards to cards. As for game recording options, an average one with 1080P@60 full HD video capture like AV Access 4KVC00 is sufficient for common gamers. 4KVC00 also boasts USB 3.0 super speed transmission, eliminating the problems of picture lagging and freezing. With ultra-low latency on video transmission, you can live stream to your favorite social media platform in no time.

Easily Manageable and Flexible

A high-quality video capture card can act as a USB docking gadget, as you can connect other devices to it. It offers you great convenience in managing devices. For example, with AV Access 4KVC00 video capture card, you can connect an HDMI game source as well as a 4K monitor to it. In addition, it is built with 3.5 mm audio input/output ports, so you can connect a microphone and an earphone to easily add external commentary or interact with other players in your live broadcast.

In terms of compatibility, 4KVC00 can work with different PC operating systems, including Windows 10/8/7, Mac OS and Linux. It is truly plug and play; you don’t have to install any software driver.

Summary

The above are the main advantages of using a capture card for your game live streaming. It not only gets rid of extra load from your PC, but also ensures high-quality video streaming and ultra-low latency in video transmission. It can offer you better flexibility in device management and smooth gaming experience. You can fully enjoy your gameplay while live streaming or recording.

More Resources

You may be also interested:

• DisplayPort vs HDMI: Which Is Better for Gamers?
• Should I Use a Fiber Optic HDMI Cable for Game Streaming?

Original copy: https://www.avaccess.com/blogs/guides/benefits-of-video-capture-card-in-game-live-streaming/