Can I get s-video or component video out of a Mac G5 using a cable or other device?

April 2, 2007 6:09 AM

Trying to capture video off a Mac G5 and looking for a hardware solution. Can I get s-video or component video out of a Mac G5 using a cable or other device?

I'm working on some training videos and I want to capture the users screen movements on Machine A and capture it on Machine B. Machine A is an intel G5 with two DVI outputs.Is there some sort of cable or adapter that connects to DVI and converts to s-video or component video?

Also if you've had some experience with a hardware solution to capturing video off of a Mac (usability tests, screencasts, etc.) I 'd love to hear about your workflow. Please note I'm not looking for software solutions like Snapz Pro or iShowU.

posted by jeremias to computers & internet (7 comments total)

You should be able to use the following Apple DVI-to-Video adapter.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:48 AM on April 2, 2007

The adapter Blazecock referenced works great on my system to send S-Video out to the big TV in the living room.

To do this, 1) you have to mirror the displays, and 2) resolution is restricted -- 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768. (Anyone know of a workaround?)
posted by omnidrew at 7:44 AM on April 2, 2007

You'll be restricted to 480i output. There is no workaround because you're outputing to a television. If you need HD output you'll need a DVI-to-HDMI adapter.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:57 AM on April 2, 2007

The device is called a scan converter. It'll work, but look soft if you're trying to 'edit' this. Just google.

If you're working at 1024x768, you still exceed 720p video (vertically in this case.) Most scan converters are ideal for 480i (standard def) downconversions.

Now that it's converted, you'll need some method of capture on the 2nd macintosh (A DV deck or hardware card (such as an AJA or blackmagic card.)
posted by filmgeek at 11:12 AM on April 2, 2007

I know you said you didn't want to go this way, but I'm a film and video editor, and when I want to capture full motion video on my Mac screen, I use Snapz Pro X.

You'll end up with a perfectly usable, very high quality Quicktime file. Probably cleaner with less noise or compression than you'll get with some kind of external video capture.

Good luck!
posted by MythMaker at 5:19 PM on April 2, 2007

Something else that might be helpful for you, if you change your mind, and decide to try a software solution, is that you can capture it at very high resolution (far higher than video's 480 vertical lines) and then ZOOM in much further without the image falling apart.

For a tutorial, that might be helpful.
posted by MythMaker at 11:43 PM on April 2, 2007

Since I just did a Tutorial DVD, I'll say that iShowU was the best of the software we tried for frame rates. And yes, it was on video software.
posted by filmgeek at 7:15 AM on April 3, 2007