Recording Videos with Windows Media Encoder
*Note, I'm currently making this guide without the program in front of me as I am unable to install it on my work computer. I will check over everything later when I have the chance to make sure I have all the names of buttons/links exactly right. I will also try to add screen shots later.
This is essentially going to be a step by step guide on recording Smash videos with Windows Media Encoder. WME is a strong program and can do more than just record videos, but I won't delve into the rest of it's features now.
~*~ Step 1: Connecting Your Devices ~*~
Required Equipment:
Please read step 2 to know which cables you need
2x RCA/Composite Video Cable (1 is required, 1 is optional) - This is your standard video cable that has yellow/white/red plugs on each end of the cord. If you don't have one you can pick one up at your local CVS or similar store.
1x RCA Audio to 3.5mm Audio Cable (Optional) - One end looks like just a red and white plug similar to your composite video cable, and the other end looks like a standard headphone jack (like the end of your headphones you would plug into an iPod). You can easily find it at a store like Best Buy, or possibly at a local CVS store.
3x Composite Cable Splitter (Optional) - This is a tiny cable that has a composite input on one end and 2 composite plugs on the other end. If you think of it this way, it's so you can plug the yellow video cord from your Wii into one end of the splitter, and then you have 2 ports for your Wii video. This is not a box like device, it's a mini cable. You can find them at places like Best Buy or Radio Shack.
I'm going to assume that you already have the drivers installed for your capture card. If you do not, please refer to the instruction manual and/or bundled CD.
1. Connect your capture card (most are through USB unless it is internal) to your computer.
2. This step about connecting your Wii to your video encoder will differ depending on what kind of hardware you have.
If your TV has video/audio out ports on it, plug your Wii into the TV normally. Connect your RCA cable from the AV out on the TV to the AV in on your encoder. If you wish to record audio from the game and you have AV out ports on your encoder, plug the RCA-3.5mm audio cable from the red/white out on the encoder to the line in jack on your computer. If your computer doesn't have a line in jack (most laptops don't), plug it into the microphone jack. An alternative hook up method (also good if your encoder doesn't have AV out) is to only plug the video out from the TV into the encoder, and hook the audio out from the TV directly to your computer.
If your TV does not have AV out ports and your encoder does, plug your Wii AV into your encoder. Plug the RCA cable from the AV out on your encoder to your TV. If you wish to record audio, unplug the red and white cables from the audio out on your encoder and put in two splitters. Plug the red and white cords you just unplugged into each of the splitters (make sure they aren't on the same splitter). Then take your RCA-3.5mm cord and plug the red white ends into the splitter and the other end into your line in jack on your computer, or your microphone jack if you don't have a line in port.
If neither your TV nor encoder have AV out jacks, then plug a splitter into all 3 yellow/white/red ports of your Wii's AV cable. Plug an RCA cable from one end of the splitters to your TV and a second RCA cable from the other end of the splitters to your encoder. If you wish to record audio then unplug the red and white cables that were going to your encoder, and instead use the RCA-3.5mm cable from those ports to the line in jack on your computer or the microphone jack if line in isn't available.
This sounds complicated but it's easier than it seems. This is because Windows Media Encoder (and almost any program that isn't the bundled one) will not work with recording audio through the encoder for some reason. These programs however are superior to the bundled ones which is why this is preferred.
~*~ Step 2: Setting Up Windows Media Encoder ~*~
1. Download and install WME.
2. Open WME.
3. A dialog box for a wizard will open. Close this box. You check for it to not show again on startup, you will never need it.
4. Click the properties button near the top of the program.
5. On the first tab where you select your devices, set your video device. From the drop down list of devices, choose your video encoder. If you are not recording audio, make sure audio is unchecked. If you are recording audio, then check it and choose your sound card from the list. Click the properties button next to the list (might be called options). Under device choose the port you plugged the RCA-3.5mm jack into, either microphone or line in.
6. Switch to the Output tab in the properties window. Uncheck the option they have for streaming to a webserver, and check the archive to file option. Click browse and navigate to where you wish to save your video, give it a name, and accept.
7. Navigate to the quality tab. Choose to edit the current profile. This is where you set your video quality. On the first page you set your codecs, on the second tab you set your bitrates and options. Change only what I say and leave everything else the same.
I recommend using:
Video Codec: Windows Media Video 8 (If your computer is stronger you can experiment with Windows Media Video 9 but I've always been a fan of 8)
Audio Codec: Windows Media Audio 9
Video resolution: 640 x 480
Video bitrate: 1500k
Audio profile: 96kbps 48khz
If your computer isn't powerful enough to run that, I recommend using:
Video Codec: Windows Media Video 7
Audio Codec: Windows Media Audio 9
Video resolution: 320 x 240
Video bitrate: 1000k
Audio profile: 64kbps 48khz
You can also experiment with your own options like WMV8 @ 320x240, or WMV9 @ 640x480 with 2000k bitrate and so on.
8. Accept the options and apply the changes. You may close the properties box.
9. If you wish to save all of this so you don't have to do it again, you can go to File > Save As so you can save these settings. Then you can just open that back up later instead of doing all this again (make sure your device is plugged in before you open the save file or it will error).
~*~ Step 3: Record Some Smash! ~*~
1. When you want to start recording, click Start Encode near the top of the Window. You should see a video preview of what you see on your TV. It will appear to be skippy, but that's ok, it's just a preview. You will also see a bar on the left side with green yellow and red sections. This fluctuating meter if your audio level. If your audio is fluctuating around near the middle or top, everything is fine. If there is no bar, then your audio isn't configured properly.
If your bar is max'ed out the whole time, then it is most likely set to record too high. To fix this, open up your sound properties through Windows. Switch to your recording devices and find your line in or microphone source. Lower the volume of this. Normally I keep it very low since the incoming audio is incredibly loud.
2. You may pause and resume a recording but that generally increases the chance of the end result erroring.
3. When you are done, click Stop. A dialog box will come up asking if you wish to view the video, or close that box. I normally just close it...
I recommend not recording batches too big as this program can error, and if it does, you lose everything you recorded. This generally only happens on slower computers when recording very long files like over an hour. Still, it's better safe than sorry.
4. Navigate to the video file you made. Rename it to something else. This way when you start recording again, it makes a new file and doesn't write over the file you just made.
