User driven content is an important feature in the upcoming console generation. With both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 offering features to share, capture and stream gameplay from the console, it’s a direct acknowledgement of the ever growing online gaming community.
One early concern was the inclusion of High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) on both consoles. A feature present on the PlayStation 3, it has caused users and content creators of the platform to utilize HDCP strippers or the component (lower quality) output to record footage; a feature not present on the Xbox 360.
Earlier this evening a rumor started circulating via Machinima’s “Inside Gaming Daily” show stating that the PlayStation 4 would not allow game capture via external recording devices due to these HDCP restrictions. These same restrictions have been confirmed to not be present on Microsoft’s Xbox One.
This is oddly contradictory with what lead system designer Mark Cerny had to say on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” During a on-air interview, Cerny confirmed that the share function present on the PlaySation 4 controller would allow content to be uploaded to “YouTube, or Ustream or Facebook.”
Now, clearly the share function and external capture devices are two separate things, but if true, this restriction would put a huge damper on what seemed to be a forward thinking, progressive Sony. That being said, external capture companies have already came out and claimed that their devices will work; example being Hauppauge:
We talked to Sony and Microsoft people at the recent E3 show, as per now it looks like Xbox One and PS4 will both work with HD PVR2. However, as we just saw for Xbox One, specs could change to what we know right now. Neither Xbox One nor PS4 are released today, so we can’t test and confirm yet.
Regardless of the final specs on the Xbox One and PS4, there will always be a way to use these new gaming consoles with our great HD PVR video recorders. For example HDMI to component video convertors are available on the market already today which would work with any model HD PVR or HD PVR 2. (source)
Be sure to check out the source of the rumor here, as well as Mark Cerny’s on-air interview here.
A hot topic for anyone who does YouTubing or serious streaming. I’m interested to see what both companies wind up doing for their consoles.