Halo Video FAQ
Q: Well? How do you make a frikkin video??
A: Ugh...
Okay , lets see. First you will need an xbox, a computer, and a capture card. There are many different types of capture cards available. Some are internal (PCI) and some are external (Firewire / USB)
The one I own is the Dazzle external "Hollywood bridge" which is firewire. I recommend this to those who have firewire ports and want good quality. Canopus makes better quality ones but are more expensive (200-400 dollar range)
Connect the xboxs output to the input on the cap card, and if its an external device,hook up wires from the box's output and bring them to a tv so you can watch what you are recording. Also hook up the box to the computer using a firewire cable or usb (whatever the hook up is) and open up your favorite video editing program. For mac, the best video editors are iMovie (free , comes with the computer) or Final Cut Pro (not free. . but really high quality)
As far as compression, iMovie and Final Cut Pro have export options but you should download the Sorenson Pro 3 Codec (not free) and use that when exporting from FCP or iMovie. 150-200 bitrate should be fine for a 320x240 video , even 640x480. Set it to two pass VBR and change the audio codec to mp3 or mp4 audio. (aiff audio will increase filesize GREATLY)
If you compress the video well and it is relatively short and under 10 mb, you can upload it to mythica.org for free and they will host the video. Putfile and other companies provide free hosting but really suck.
Remember when making a halo video, only include what people want to see. If you want to show a great snipe, you can show 1-2 seconds of lead-up and then the shot.. but do not show the zoom-out of the scope and a second or two after... it is not needed and takes away from the moment. You can slow down the actual shot for effect as well.
Heres what a normal internal capture card basically looks like:
And the external box I have looks like this:
Post any questions you have in the guestbook / pseudo-forum ;)
-Juggler
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