Colossus Brings Internal HDMI Recording to PC

Now you can record unencrypted HDMI and component video feeds with Hauppauge's new internal PCI Express video capture card.

On Monday, Hauppauge Digital announced the release of its new internal HD video recorder for the PC, the Colossus. According to the company, the PCI Express x1 card features both component (YcrCb) and HDMI inputs for real-time H.264 compressed recordings. This means that consumers can now record at resolutions up to 1080i from unencrypted feeds flowing from video game consoles, cable TV and satellite set top boxes.

"We have had phenomenal success with our external HD personal TV recorder, the Hauppauge HD-PVR," said Yehia Oweiss, Hauppauge Digital's Vice President of Sales EMEA. "Due to high demand we have now released an internal version of this product and included an HDMI input so that users can now record directly from any un-encrypted HDMI source too."

The card comes packed with an the Hauppauge WinTV v7 application for viewing, scheduling and recording the video feeds (think software-based DVR). Also included is ArcSoft's "ShowBiz" software which allows video editing including adding effects, transitions, timeline editing and the ability to burn to DVD, Blu-ray or upload directly to YouTube. The overall colossal package also includes a 3-inch component cable, 1 component adapter cable, an IR blaster cable and a remote.

On the system requirements front, customers will need a dual core CPU at 2.0 GHz or faster (the minimum for HD playback), Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows Vista or Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (32-bit), a GPU with 256 MB of memory or greater, one PCI Express slot, a sound card and a CD-ROM drive for installing the software.

The Hauppauge Colossus can be purchased here online for $159 USD, or at Best Buy, Amazon and other retailers for roughly the same price.