AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable Capture Card Review

Getting all the accessories aside and taking a closer look at the capture device itself, first impressions are wow!  Measuring in at 70 x 131 x 22mm, the palm sized unit is very light, weighing in at only 117g which, as we all know, is essential for any portable device. The all plastic design aids in the feather weight build and AVerMedia have topped off the red unit with a brushed metal effect plastic top that surrounds the instant record button. This button has a LED right surrounding it that lights up and flashes according to the devices status and the actuation on the button is nice and light, much like that of a mouse click (with a similar noise)

Even though the unit is compact, there is no short fall on connectivity options. Using the included cables as see in the introduction, the scope of what can be connected is virtually limitless with the included component adaptor and PlayStation 3 display cable. Whilst up scaling is not supported, the LGP can still record in full 1080p at 30fps direct to a PC or in 720p at 60fps in standalone mode, all whilst being able to pass though video at a rate of 60fps and encoding with the hardware H.264 codec. AAC audio is captured wither through HDMI or component, but analogue audio can also be recorded through the 3.5mm pass though.

On the opposite side of the unit is a switch that changes the recording mode from the inserted SDHC card to a directly connected PC, allowing for live broadcasting through the XSplit software or recording straight to the PC instead.

Mentioning a PC, to one end can be found a mini-USB 2.0 port for the aforementioned live broadcasting, but also for transferring video from the installed card. The USB port also provides power, even when in stand-along mode, so a USB port will need to be close by to supply power irrespective of what mode the unit is in.

The main feature of this unit is the ability to record video without the need for a PC to be connected and on the opposite end of the Live Gamer Portable is a SD card slot. As shown below AVerMedia place a notice sticker over the slot informing you that a minimum of a Class 10 SDHC card is required for recording as lower class cards will not work due to their slower write speeds.

On the underside of the LGP, there is a smooth rubber pad that covers the whole of the bottom, protecting a console, for example, from scratches when the unit is placed on top. Its also stops the unit from slipping and sliding around when connected.