http://live.pirillo.com/ – Many people use their computers to capture video. Some people use TV tuners while others swear by a dedicated video capture device. A user asks how he could capture video on his laptop so that he can play with the Xbox 360 on his laptops monitor.

Doing this might be trickier than you think as you’re going to need either a TV tuner or a video capture device. Chris thinks the best choice for this is a USB or FireWire-based video capture device:

• A TV Tuner is overkill, as you don’t need to be able to tune in several channels.
• A video capture device will generally have a higher quality input than a TV tuner card.
• Using USB or FireWire frees up a PCMCIA slot on the laptop, this also allows the capture device to be used on several machines, not just a laptop.

There are some things you will need to consider when buying a video capture device:

• Your capture device must support your output. If you have component cables, and the capture device only supports composite you won’t be enjoying high-def gaming.
• You should find a capture device that supports capturing audio with video. If you don’t, then the audio and video can fall out of sync.
• You’ll need the right software. This is where TV tuners have the advantage: if you don’t have the ability to view the video as it is coming through the device, what good is it? TV Tuners are built specifically for viewing video as it is being passed through.

Do you have any recommendations for a video capture device?