This comprehensive guide (for beginners-intermediates) covers one of the best ways to record gameplay (either while you're playing, or from replays), and upload them to Youtube.

Please read through the whole thing before starting any steps to avoid causing yourself trouble.

What You'll Need
(anything that you don't understand here will probably be explained later)
1: A computer (I know PCs work, I'm pretty sure this device works on Macs too, but this guide is for PC) that has a USB 2.0 port and a Microphone in jack
2: A capture device of some sort (this guide will be using a KWorld DVD Maker USB, an excellent choice for a capture device)
3: The appropriate cables to hook either your TV (preferential) or your game system up to the capture device.
4: Software for capturing, editing, and encoding Video and Audio

Total: ~ <$50

Step 1: Getting What You Need
1: You probably already have the computer part.  This can be either a laptop or a desktop.  This device is amazing in that it works w/ laptops, so if you're capturing vids from a tournament or smashfest, you can just bring along your laptop, and record a bunch of matches.

2: I highly recommend http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100112 this device.  (the KWorld DVD Maker USB 2800 does a superb job of capturing high quality video that works on almost all computers.  You can get it from a variety of places including where i linked to, or Amazon.  This product comes with a CD with a Driver on it.  I highly recommend only installing the driver.

3: Some TVs have a port on the back called A/V out or TV out.  This will be a composite video output (the standard port (RCA) output -- often colored yellow, white, red --).  This output is frequently labeled as a square or TV with an arrow pointing from the "screen" outwards.  If your TV has this, the GREAT! this is the best method you can use: it can then even be used to record anything that plays on your TV.  What you'll need now is a "Composite Video Cable" that's "male to male" (meaning it has pins on both ends of the cord, not a hole on either end).
If your TV doesn't have an A/V out, don't fret.  You'll just need to invest in 1 or more "RCA splitters" or "RCA Y-Cables".  These allow you to split the source of any audio or video to two destinations (your TV and your capture device).  If you get 1 splitter, you'll only be able to record video.  2 afford you video + mono sound, and 3 afford you video and stereo sound.
If you're just interested in recording replays, then you don't need to buy anything for this step.

4: The Software that I (and many other smash videographers use) is called VirtualDub or "VDub". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualDub).  This software is free and facilitates all parts of the A/V capture, editing, and encoding that you'll need.  You can download it from here: http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/
You'll want to pick the most current (towards the top) "stable" version that is either 32-bit or 64-bit, depending on your operating system.
I also Highly reccomend getting the Combined Community Codec Pack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Community_Codec_Pack), a software that allows you to save Video in a wide variety of formats.  You can Download that here: http://www.cccp-project.net/download.php?type=cccp
Make Sure you install VirtualDub before the CCCP



NOTE: From here on, This guide only deals with the hardware and software that I recomend, as it would be impossible to go into this much depth on all availible methods


Step 2: Making Connections

First start off by pluging the Capture Device's USB cable into an open USB 2.0 port on your computer. 

Next Plug the audio jack from the capture device into you computer's Microphone in Jack (possibly located on your sound card).

Now here comes the part where it depends what type of connection to your source you have.

If your TV has A/V out and you have a Male to Male Composite A/V Cable:

Plug the Composite A/V Cable up to the corresponding ports on your TV's A/V Out connection (Video is Yellow, Left Channel is White, Right Channel is Red), and the other end into you capture device (ensuring that each of the colors matches the TV's)

If you have 1 or more RCA splitters:

Plug the yellow end of your game system's A/V cable into the female (hole) end of a splitter.  Plug one of the Male ends into your TV (yellow), and the other into the capture device (yellow).

If you only have 1 splitter, then you're done.  If you have 2:
plug the second splitter into the white end of you game system's A/V cable, and put both ends ot the splitter to the capture device (white and red).  Plug the red end of your game system's A/V cable into the white port on your TV, and set the game to Mono Sound (not stereo).

If you have 3 splitters, attach one to each end of your game system's A/V ou, and one male end (from each) to the corresponding TV port and the other to the corresponding capture device port. (Make sure the game is set in stereo sound).

If you're just recording replays:

Plug each end of you game system's A/V cable into the corresponding plug on the capture device.

Step 3: Capturing the Video

Open up VirtualDub.  Choose File>Capture AVI...
Choose Video>Video Source>Video Composite

Now go to Video>Compression
Choose the "DivX" codec (it will be listed with a version number afterwards), click OK.

OPTIONAL STEP: sometimes you may have issues with the video being kind of "liney" (with horizontal lines).  If you do, Choose Video>Enable RGB Filtering.  Net go to Video>Filters...
Click Add
Choose deinterlace
Select "blend fields together"
click OK

go to Audio>Audio Source, and select the appropriate audio input (you may need to try a few to see which one is the right one).

go to Audio>Raw Capture Format
Choose PCM: 44100Hz, Stereo, 16-bit

go to Audio>Compression
Select "LAME MP3" on the left
on the right, select "44100 HZ 128 kbps cbr, stereo

go to File>Set Capture File (or F2)
Select a location to save the videos to.  I recommend making a new folder for each session of video capture, as you're likely to end up with a bunch of individaul videos for each game.

When you're ready to capture, press F6

To stop capturing, press Escape.

Note: when you close VDub, most of these settings stay, but the "filters" setting does not.

Step 4: Editing the Video

A common way to capture video is to do all the capturing in one sitting in one file, and then go back and split up the individual games into their own video file (this is also rather necessary by youtube's BS 10min max rule). 

Once you have your video file captured (containing a bunch of games/ replays), Open VDub, and open the video file. 

Choose Video>Direct Stream Copy
Choose Audio>Direct Stream Copy

Now, by either dragging the time indicator, using the arrow keys, or using alt+arrow keys, find the beginning of a match you want to save, press the home key.

Find the end of the game, press the end key.

Now that that game is selected (ensure it's under 10min if you want to upload it to youtube), press F7 or File>Save As AVI

Choose a file name and location.  The standard file naming convention for smash vids is SSBM/B/64 Player1Name (Character) vs Player2Name (Character) #, with the player names in order of their controller slots, and # being a sequential number to ensure files have different names.

Repeat this process for each game you would like to save.

OPTIONAL: Delete the large file you captured to to save hard drive space

Step 5: Uploading the Video to Youtube

If you don't already have a Youtube account, make one.  One that co-aligns with your AiB/SWF ailias is usually a good idea.

Once logged in on Youtube, Click "Upload" on the upper left of your user profile (there are multiple ways to get to the upload page). 
From here, click "Use Multi-Uploader" on the right side.  This option is better, even if you only have one vid, since it gives you a progress meter.
(if it prompts you to install google gears, you must do so).
click add videos, and choose the games you want uploaded, then click "Upload All Videos"
Once all are uploaded, click clear (so you don't leave garbage in your upload queue for next time).  After a few minutes, your vids will be available on youbue, where you can find links to them in your "My Videos" section.

Step 6: Linking them to AllIsBrawl

Once your videos are on youtube, you can link them on Allisbrawl and have them attached to your profile!

Hit the Dropdown arrow next to "Videos" and select "Add a Video"
If you're uploading just one vid (i.e. a combo vid, or you just have one match) select "A Single Video" otherwise (if you're uploading tourney vids, a set you played against your friend, etc...) choose "Multiple videos"

Now choose the appropriate game and game mode, then press "Continue >>"

If you're uploading "Multiple Videos" Enter a title and description for this set of videos (i.e. "M/BAA Melee Singles" & "All the games from the awesome recent tournament hosted by SCOTU").  Click "Continue >>"

Now copy the url for your youtube video (you can get these from your youtube profile>My Videos), and paste it into the box entitled "Youtube Link".  This should automatically update the title and description.  Select the appropriate video type and offer an optional direct download link (if you're hosting the file in high res on something like megaupload).  Go ahead and add who was playing in the matches so people can get a link directly to those player's AiB profiles.  Press "Continue >>"

For a video album, continue adding as many vids as you want.

Thank you for taking your time for this guide, SCOTU. This will certainly help people. Can't wait for it to be done.

Does the KWorld device work with Vista? I'm asking because I just purchased a capture card online like 5 minutes ago that's supposed to work well with Vista but if this one is recommended by a member of the community I'd rather get this. A quick response would be highly cherished.

Yes, it works with vista, that's what I use, (the really ****ty software that comes with it is not vista compatibile, but that software is ****ty anyways, and i explain how to use better software anyways lol).

Ah, well thank you very much good sir.

I think this should be stickeyd because it's one thing that people ask a lot how to do, and a lot of people need to know how to do it nowadays.

Stickied.
This is not the way I do it but it seems like a great alternative. To record replays I usually just hook up my Wii directly to my computer, and to record gameplay footage I just record to a VCR and capture later.

This sounds strange but how long is the cord from the tv to the usb end.

This would be vary helpful as I have a desktop and it is about 21 ft form my tv.

I can always move my desk and computer but...

Well, the chord from the capture inputs to the usb is maybe about 4 feet, but if you're not just hooking your wii directly into this (i.e. playing on the TV at the same time), you'll need an extra normal male/male Composite Video cable as well, which they sell at various lengths for not very much money (~$10), and you should easily be able to find a cable of the right length.

Ok thanks :D

Yes I will be playing at same time so tv hook up is a must

Ensure your TV has an A/V out port, or you'll need RCA splitters too

It only has input but that means i have to buy splitters right?

Well actually there is this thing we have that we used on a tv without A/V input and it connected and madean A/V input and output.

Could that work?

although that doesn't make any sense in the least as how that could work, if it does in deed turn it into an A/V out, then it should work.

Some questions:

1) I've heard the DVD maker usb's quality is dependent on the computer you use. My laptop is 1.79GHz and has 896MB ram... is it likely to work correctly? (no dropped frames, etc).

2) My TV doesn't have A/V OUT and I'd like to capture while playing on my TV. From what it sounds like, I'd need at least two splitter cables to capture video+mono sound... but what type of RCA splitter cable to be exact? There seems to be M to M, M to RCA, M to F, etc.

3) Are there any examples of the video/Audio quality the KWorld DVD Maker USB captures?

1) It does do all processing on your cpu (not hardware accelerated). A CPU speed means nothing without the processor family (it's only a comparison withing processors with the same architecture - i.e. a core2 quad 1.0ghz will easily out perform a 2.4ghz p4). Ram doesn't really matter too much so long as anything you'll run at the same time doesn't go into the page file. If your cpu is newer than a p4 then that'll easily be fine

2) you need to connect the male end of the system's av cable to the female end of the capture chord. You'll need a female>2xMale

3)most things on my youtube/ ankoku's youtube were captured using these methods (scotu42, AnkokuSmash)

Thanks for the help; I took a look at some of you and Ankoku's videos on youtube and if viewed in high quality they look really good, so that put my skepticism about quality to rest. ( http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=edcHLJBup04 and http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=bncy0d86DNc&feature=channel_page for example, in case anyone else is wondering )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's some more information about my CPU, taken from AIDA32:

CPU Properties
CPU Type Mobile AMD Athlon 64, 1800 MHz (9 x 200)
CPU Alias ClawHammer-512
L1 Code Cache 64 KB
L1 Data Cache 64 KB
L2 Cache 512 KB (On-Die, Full-Speed)

CPUID Properties
CPUID Manufacturer AuthenticAMD
CPUID CPU Name AMD Turion(tm) 64 Mobile Technology ML-32
CPUID Revision 0F42h
Extended CPUID Revision 0F42h
Platform ID CCh (Socket 754)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does that provide enough information about the CPU to tell if this laptop would be able to record without problems?

Nice read IMO

hm, while your cpu might be a bit old, i think it should be fine for this, although you might have to capture in a less compressed format and then re-compress as you split the individual games.

I run a 3 year old 3.4GHz P4, and it doesn't even come close to having issues (unless i try to capture straight into h.264; such a mofo codec of win and hard to do), so your cpu should probably be fine (although at most requiring an additional step to shrink filesize)

updated to include linking vids from youtube to Allisbrawl

Okay; thanks for all the help SCOTU, I really appreciate it ^^