AverMedia Live Gamer Portable Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. Software & Operation4. Conclusion5. View All Pages

Today we'll be taking a look at the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable. Equipped with an on-board H.264 hardware encoder to reduce CPU usage, streaming compatibility and the option to record directly onto an SD card, AverMedia claims the Live Gamer Portable is “Smart & Sharp, Your All-Purpose Sharing Weapon”. Compatible with PC, PS3 and the Xbox 360, it is currently available for £159.90.

So, is the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable the ultimate companion for gamers who want to share their accomplishments?

Specifications:

• Interface: USB 2.0.
• Video Input: HDMI, Component Video.
• Audio Input: HDMI, RCA L/R, 3.5mm Audio.
• Video Output: HDMI (Pass-through from Component and HDMI Input).
• Audio Output: HDMI (Pass-through from HDMI Input), 3.5mm Stereo (Pass-through from HDMI and 3.5mm Audio Input).
• Other: SD Card Slot.
• Codec: Hardware H.264 encoder.
• User Interface: On-board Hot Button for one-click recording/ streaming.
• Dimensions: 70mm (d) x 22mm (h) x 131mm (w).
• Weight: 117g.
• Record Quality: Maximum: 16Mbps@1080p30.

The Live Gamer Portable ships in a black box with a bright picture across the length of the front.

The bottom of the box lists the contents, specifications and requirements.

The back of the box describes the Live Gamer Portable's key features and shows a layout of the recorder.

Inside the box are the Live Gamer Portable itself, a soft protective bags, an HDMI cable, 3.5mm audio cable, a component video/audio cable, a mini USB cable and a PS3 cable. Also included is an XSplit Broadcaster Gift Certificate which gives the buyer a three month license. XSplit is a dedicated suite of tools aimed at live streaming. More information can be found here.

A top view of the Live Gamer Portable shows the Hot Button, which is used to start and stop streaming/recording, the input and output labels at the back and the PC/PC Free Mode recording switch. To put the Live Gamer Portable's size in perspective, it is approximately 2.5 times thicker than a Samsung Galaxy Note II and almost 75% of its length and width.

A close-up of the Hot Button shows the textured surface. The cover is made out of plastic but has a brushed aluminium look to it.

At the front we can see the PC/PC Free Mode switch. Placed to the left recordings are saved directly to your hard drive, whilst setting it to the right will allow you to record directly on an SD card.

The left hand side is where you'll find the USB slot which serves to supply power and transfer data onto your hard drive.

The right hand side shows the SD Card slot. Those with Micro SD Cards will have to secure themselves an adaptor to record in PC Free Mode.

Finally, the back of the recorder houses the AV IN, HDMI IN and OUT and AUDIO IN and OUT ports. Keeping in line with its portability, the design is clean and kept simple.

AverMedia does not provide an installation disc with the Live Gamer Portable. Instead, the drivers can be downloaded here, directly from their website.

The main screen lets you select one of four options on the left hand side: Bulletin, Capture, Stream and Video Folder.

The Bulletin section is basically just a news section. Even though it is not bothersome, this function could have worked just as well as a ticker along the top or bottom of the screen.

The Capture and Stream sections offer the same configuration options. Having these areas separated means you can record gameplay in higher quality without having to continually adjust settings if you want to start streaming. As can be seen in the screenshots above, there are three options available when setting up the Live Gamer Portable: Newbie, Amateur and Pro. These options all serve to get you up and running as fast and effortless as possible.

The Video Folder button brings up the folder designated to store recordings.

Taking a closer look at the Newbie option we can see why it has been named as such. If you followed the instructions in the manual you can simply click Detect. The software will detect the best settings for you and by hitting the Ready button you can start recording or streaming without the need for more details.

The Amateur option offers access to all possible options but spreads these out over clearly labelled tabs along the top of the screen. The Amateur screen also shows diagrams for each possible connection method. Handy if you have any doubts.

The Pro option is, in essence, exactly like the Amateur option. The main difference is that all settings can be changed without selecting different tabs. All options are self-explanatory and AverMedia has done a good job keeping things nice and simple.

The Video Format option lets you choose between TS and MP4 files. If you decide to record commentary the software will create a separate file for the microphone input. A clever feature that increases flexibility when editing.



Setting up a live stream is a straight forward process. Selecting the Login option on the Stream screen brings up a small screen where you will be asked to define the Streaming Service, your username and password. Selecting Apply completes the set-up process.

I completed the set-up process for a TwitchTV account and was up and running within 5 minutes.

There is also a Speed Test available which attempts to login using your details and then performs a speed test for 15 seconds. It is important to keep in mind that your bandwidth will vary throughout the day. For that reason we would recommend using the speed test during the busiest part of the day. Having a worst case scenario bandwidth indication will help you select settings that will let your stream survive even if your bandwidth degrades.

We could write entire books on the performance aspects of capture cards, but the proof is in the pudding. For that reason we recorded three videos at resolutions of 1080p and 720p. We also switched between recording at 30fps and 60fps, as well as using a Video bitrate of 40000kbps. [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF358f0jzsQ'] [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlMFSuL5BUI'] [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YX9uWMzvgE']

I also recorded a clip in the PC Free Mode using an Xbox 360 onto a SanDisk Ultra 32GB Class 10 HC1 Micro SD Card. [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XIezmBmzPE']

I think we can all feel a little bit safer knowing that I do not own a Ferrari.

AverMedia has done a lot of things right with their Live Gamer Portable. It is lightweight, well constructed and compatible with all of today's major platforms.

However, we ran into one issue while using a pair of wireless USB headphones. Because our transmitter only accepts AUX input we were forced to connect the Live Gamer Portable by daisy chaining the audio port at the back of the motherboard, the Live Gamer Portable and our transmitter. This method resulted in a ‘buzz' throughout the recordings, even with a high-end pair of headphones. We would have liked to see an option to connect headphones directly with a USB cable for recording purposes.

All in all, we consider the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable a powerful little companion for gamers on the go and a fantastic entry point for amateur streamers. File sizes are kept relatively small and will certainly aid those who plan to record lots of gameplay. As an example, recording 15 minutes of Forza Horizon gameplay took up approximately 1,5GB. An impressive feat given the quality of the recordings.

Available for £159,90 inc vat., the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable definitely deserves your attention if you want to start a streaming channel or even a gaming channel on YouTube or similar websites.

Pros:

• Very easy to use software suite.
• One click stop/start functionality.
• Option to record onto an SD Card from any of the three big consoles and PC's.
• Great quality recordings.

Cons:

• Expensive when compared to free alternatives such as FRAPS.
• No option to directly connect USB headphones.

KitGuru says: a very capable capture card in a small package, but held back by its high price.

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