A PC based internal HD recorder for video gameplay or cable or satellite TV programs

Colossus is a High Definition video recorder for making real-time video recordings at resolutions up to 1080i using high quality H.264.

Colossus records HDMI video from PC gaming systems in HD, plus can record HDMI directly from an Xbox 360 or from a PS3 using Component Video input. Click here to see a review of Colossus published at Total PC Gaming.

Colossus also records Component Video (YCrCb) from cable TV and satellite set top boxes, with a built-in IR blaster to automatically change TV channels for scheduled recordings.

With the Colossus HDMI input port, you can record HD video at up to 1080i from any un-encrypted HDMI source!
Note: Unencrypted HDMI comes from the Xbox 360 plus most video cameras. Most cable and satellite TV set top boxes encrypt HDMI output, so you cannot record from these sources.

Audio is recorded using two channel stereo or optical audio with five channel Dolby AC3. The optical audio for AC3 is a passthrough: whatever format AC3 comes in gets recorded (and also output through the optical output connector).

The recording format is AVCHD, which can be used to burn Blu-ray compatible DVD disks. Two hours of HD recordings, recorded at 5 Mbits/sec, can be burnt onto a standard 4.7 GByte DVD-R or DVD-RW disk for playback on a Blu-ray DVD player.

Click here to see a review of Colossus published at Total PC Gaming.

Record your video game play

One of the popular uses for the Colossus is for recording video gameplay. As said on GeekTonic:
"Now I think anyone watching me play videogames is a sure-fire way to put them to sleep – or at least laugh at my videogame performance. But I know there is a very large number of videogamers using the HD-PVR to record their video gameplay."

Record your multi-player PC game play on your PC, without slowing it down!

A cool trick with Colossus is to loop the HDMI output from your graphics card to the HDMI input on Colossus. This way, you can record your multiplayer game play from your PC onto the same PCs hard disk, all without slowing the PC down. An incredible feature which only Colossus can do! Note: for recording MPOG game play, an HDMI output is required on your video card and you might need an HDMI splitter.

Record your cable TV or satellite TV programs in HD. Create your own HD video library!

The Colossus amazing recording quality allows personal archival of your favorite TV programs. Record your TV programs in HD, then burn them onto a standard DVD disk (up to two hours) in a high definition AVCHD format.

Colossus connects to any component video equipped HD set top box. Colossus also has standard definition composite input so you can record your old home video tapes and then burn onto a DVD disk.( S-Video input available with optional cable.)

Record cable or satellite TV in Windows 7 Media Center with the Hauppauge plug-in

Windows Media Center in Windows 7 can now record cable TV and satellite TV programs using Colossus plus your home cable or satellite set top box. All you need is Colossus and our special Windows Media Center plug-in. Click here to get the plug-in plus instructions.

Turn your old home video tapes into Blu-ray DVD disks

You can also use Colossus to turn your old VCR tapes into Blu-ray disks. Record your video tapes using Colossus and then burn Blu-ray formatted DVD disks on your PC.

Overview

• Record high definition video using H.264 video encoding with digital audio. Colossus is an internal PCI Express board, full height, and runs with Windows 8, Windows7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
• Includes a built-in high quality hardware H.264 high definition encoder, for high performance, high quality video recordings
• Record high definition video at up to 1080i resolution. Also records standard definition video. Record at datarates from 1Mbs to 20Mbs.
• Record your game play in HD (up to 1080i) with component video and digital audio (optical) from Xbox360 or PS3 game consoles.
• Record your favorite TV programs from HD cable TV and satellite set top boxes. Colossus connects to most HD cable TV and satellite TV receivers with component video and optical digital audio. Stereo audio inputs are supported, too.
• Burn your video game play or your favorite TV programs onto AVCHD disks in high definition using standard DVD media. These AVCHD disks can be played back on a blu-ray DVD player. Up to 2 hours of HD AVCHD video can be recorded on standard DVD-R disks at 5MBits/sec.
• Create HD recordings which can be played back on the Xbox 360 and PS3
• Includes Hauppauge WinTV v7 TV application for automatic recording of TV programs from cable or satellite set top boxes
• Includes Arcsoft ShowBiz to record video game play. Burn HD disks or upload video game play in HD to YouTube
• Colossus has component video plus stereo and digital audio pass through, to allow HD recording and viewing at the same time.
• NTSC and PAL support
• HDMI input port included. If you have an un-encrypted HDMI video source, such as a digital SLR, you can record directly from this source.
  Note: most cable and satellite TV receivers do not support un-encrypted HDMI video.
• Includes IR blaster and IR receiver/learn cable. Colossus can "learn" your cable TV or satellite remote control and can automatically change the channel on your set top box.

Model numbers

model 01414

Colossus with WinTV v7 and Arcsoft ShowBiz applications.

Included with Colossus models 1414

• Colossus PCI Express full height board
• Hauppauge remote control
• A/V cable adapters (two sets supplied)
• Component video cable set
• IR blaster/receiver cable
• Installation software on CD: WinTV v7 and Arcsoft ShowBiz applications
• Quick Installation Guide

Specifications

Hardware encoder

• H.264 AVCHD video encoder
• AC-3 recording from AC-3 source
• Recording datarate: from 1 to 20 Mbits/sec (user selectable in the ArcSoft ShowBiz application)
• Recording format:
  • up to 1080i from component video (YCrCb or YPrPb)
  • NTSC: 720p60, 1080i60, 480i60, 480p60
  • PAL: 720p50, 1080i50, 576p50, 576i50, 480p50, 480i50
    Note: the video input format determines the recorded format. For example, 1080i input records at 1080i, 720P records at 720P, etc. Any other format conversions needs to be done with the MediaConvert program (supplied).
• NTSC or PAL supported

System Requirements

• Processor Requirements (minimum for HD playback): Dual core CPU 2.0GHz or faster
• Windows 8,7 (32 and 64-bit), Windows Vista or Windows XP service pack 3 (32-bit).
• Graphics with 256MB memory (or greater)
• PCI Express x1 slot
• Sound card for audio playback
• CD-ROM drive for installing the Colossus software

Bundled software applications

•  ArcSoft "ShowBiz" for video recording and authoring and burning of your TV recordings onto a Blu-ray DVD compatible disc
• Hauppauge WinTV v7 application, with support for the Hauppauge remote control and IR blaster

Input and outputs

Note: video input on Component and HDMI sources is limited to 1080i

• A/V cable input adapter with:
• Component video input
• Left/ Right RCA audio input
• A/V cable output adapter with loop through audio and video:
• Component video output
• Left/ Right RCA audio output
• Optical audio input and loop through output
• HDMI input (Note: for use with un-encrypted HDMI video sources)
• IR Blaster output

Third Party applications for Colossus

For the PC:

NextPVR supports Colossus for TV watching and recording.
Click here for the latest version.

WinTV v7 supports Colossus.
Click here for the latest version.

MediaPortal version 1.2 now supports Colossus.
MediaPortal version 1.2

For the Mac:

HDPVRCapture: for Colossus
Click here for the latest version

Installation Guides