Is there a way to turn a laptop into an external recording device?

Question

I have a laptop that I recently purchased that I hardly use simply due to the fact that my Desktop is so much better. I was wondering though, is there a way to somehow connect my laptop to my Desktop (or even xbox) and use the laptop as a recording device? The laptop is quite good, here are the laptops features:

• Intel core i5 processor
• 4GB RAM
• 1TB HD
• Nvidia GT 520M graphics card

So, is it possible? I am happy to install a custom OS for this, or custom software.

Solution

Assuming you want PVR/DVR capability (e.g., to record audio+video output by your computer or Xbox), you'll need to attach a video capture device to the laptop. Keep in mind that you will not be able to capture HDCP-protected content at full HD resolution, even over HDMI.

You can also try to use software such as https://github.com/rdp/screen-capture-recorder-to-video-windows-free running on your desktop to stream it to VLC, ffmpeg, or gstreamer running on the laptop.

Comments

[rob]

To clarify, are you wanting it to work like a VCR/DVR which records audio and video coming from some other device?

[GoodPie]

Yes, Similar to a PVR

[GoodPie]

Yer, I mean similar to a PVR, but without actually buying a capture card, rather turning the laptop into a capture card...

[rob]

The laptop's HDMI, DVI, or VGA ports can only output video; they cannot be used as inputs. You could use the laptop's integrated webcam (if it has one) or an external webcam for capture. Your only other option without buying a capture card would be to use software to record a video stream transmitted over the network by another device such as your desktop (which I mentioned in my answer), an IP camera, or your Xbox (if it can be so configured).

[GoodPie]

I was kind of talking about turning my Laptop into a capture card, if that is even possible. I was just wondering whether there had been software or even a Dedicated OS developed for this.

[rob]

Walk me through the steps, from the beginning. What type of cable (if any) are you using? What is each end plugged into? For example, are you hoping to plug one end of a VGA cable into your laptop's VGA output and the other end into your desktop PC's VGA output? Or are you recording a video feed over a webcam or over a network stream?