Repository navigation
Guide‐MSC Menu
Version: v6.0.0+ · Applies to: The MPV-SW-Capture ASS overlay
MSC Menu is a graphical overlay built into MPV-SW-Capture that lets you control every capture function from a single visual interface. It replaces the classic mpv nested menu with a Smart-TV style design drawn as an ASS overlay.
With this menu you can:
- Navigate every section (Quick Options, SHADERS, SHAPES, CROPS, BEZELS, WINDOW, CAPTURE, VIDEO OPTIONS, AUDIO, HELP, TOOLS) with mouse or keyboard.
- Control Volume and Audio Boost with draggable sliders.
- Apply shaders, shapes, crops and bezels with a single click.
- Trigger screenshots and video recording directly from the menu.
- Change the interface language on the fly (English ↔ Spanish ↔ Japanese).
Right-click anywhere in the mpv window, or press ESC on your keyboard.
- Brand and version: current MPV-SW-Capture version.
-
Capture device: short name of the active device (preceded by 🎮). Truncated with
...if it is too long. -
Video status: compact resolution label (
720p,1080p,4K,8K) and current FPS. The 📺 icon turns green when there is a signal and amber when there is none (no signal). -
Audio status: active audio backend (
WASAPI AUDIOorFFPLAY AUDIO) with a clickable audio icon that toggles mute/unmute. It mirrors the mute button next to the Volume slider. -
Language badge (
EN,ES,JP, …): current language. Click to cycle to the next available language. - TAKE SCREENSHOT button: takes a screenshot and closes the menu. Same behavior as the Take Screenshot card in the CAPTURE section.
- RECORD VIDEO button: toggles video recording and closes the menu. Same behavior as the Record Video card in the CAPTURE section.
-
Pin 📌 (Always On Top): keeps the window always visible above everything else. It changes color and size depending on its state:
- Off, no hover: dim color, base size.
- Off, hover: white color, hover size.
- On, no hover: amber color, large size.
- On, hover: amber color, hover size (no visual jump on click).
- Close button (X): closes the menu. Grows by 50% and turns dark red on hover.
11 sections, each with a badge showing how many cards it contains:
| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| ⚡ Quick Options | Quick actions + audio sliders |
| 🎬 SHADERS | Upscaling and effect shaders |
| ⬒ SHAPES | Geometric distortions (curvatures, keystones) |
| ✂ CROPS | Crops for NSO consoles |
| 🖼 BEZELS | Decorative bezels per console |
| 🪟 WINDOW | Size, position, rotation |
| 📸 CAPTURE | Screenshots and video recording |
| 🎞 VIDEO OPTIONS | ICC, Deband, Deinterlace, Interpolation |
| 🔊 AUDIO | Volume control, boost and output mode |
| ❓ HELP | Check latest version, open website, and more |
| 🧰 TOOLS | Bezel, Video, Stream managers + installers |
- Tabs (when the section has them): click or use ← / → to switch.
- Cards: click to run the option.
- Sliders (Quick Options and AUDIO): drag with the mouse or use the arrow keys.
- Effective gain indicator: shows the combined result of Volume × Boost.
- Active state: the accent border marks where the cursor is; the ✓ checkmark in the bottom-right corner of a card marks which option is currently active. Both are independent — the border follows you, the checkmark stays on the active card.
- Section description: a short line at the bottom of the content area that explains what the current section (or tab) does. It updates automatically when you switch sections or tabs. Sections without a description simply do not draw this line.
- 🗑️ CLEAN ALL: full reset. Clears all shaders, shapes, crops and bezels, and also restores:
- Window size → 1.0x
- Window position → centered
- Rotation → 0°
- Border → off
- Title bar → off
- Always On Top → off
- Video aspect override → 16:9
- Deband → off
- ❌ Close MPV-SW-Capture: closes mpv.
Below the sidebar footer, the content area shows two permanent hint lines:
-
KEYBOARD:
[ARROW KEYS] Move. [ENTER] Apply. [TAB] Change to next section. [ESC] Close menu. -
MOUSE:
Click any section to choose an option.
The default section. Provides quick access to options that live elsewhere in the menu, plus the two audio sliders at the top (Volume and Audio Boost).
Groups:
- CAPTURE: Take Screenshot, Record Video, Clean ALL.
- HELP: Check Latest MSC Version, Open MPV-SW-Capture Website, MPV-SW-Capture Discord, Hide OSD Messages, Info Stream.
- SETTINGS: Change to Auto ICC Profile, Switch Language, Keep Menu Open.
Take Screenshot, Record Video and Info Stream close the menu after running. Clean ALL here is the same as the CLEAN ALL in the sidebar.
💡 Keep Menu Open disables the 3-second auto-hide cycle (see section 4.11) so the menu stays visible while you tweak shaders, shapes, crops or bezels in real time. Its state persists across sessions.
Grouped into 4 tabs:
- 4K: 1080p→4K Fast, Adaptive, NVScaler.
- TV: VHS, CRT Aperture, Trinitron, Royale Kurozumi, Royale Intel, Gizmo, Hyllian, and more.
- VideoGame: Handheld Dot Matrix, GB LCD, GBA, CRT Arcade (Lottes), GTU-v050, and more.
- Special: Broken LCD TV, LCD Dust, Inverted Colors.
Loose items: Only Sharpen, Clean Shaders.
Curvatures (CRT Curvature, Wide Barrel, Super Curvature, Rounded Corners), Distortions (Tilted, Keystone, Pinball Perspective), and Clean Shape.
Crops specifically for NSO consoles: N64/GC, NES, SNES/GEN, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, Genesis. Includes a Special tab and Clear Crop.
Grouped by console: NES(Famicom), SNES/GEN, GB/GBC, GBA, N64/GC. Includes Fit Full 16:9 to Bezel and Clear Bezels.
5 tabs:
- SIZE: 0.5x to 2.0x, Fullscreen, Mini Mode.
- POSITION: 9 screen positions (Top Left, Top Center, Top Right, Center Left, CENTER, Center Right, Bottom Left, Bottom Center, Bottom Right).
- ROTATION: Rotate Clockwise, Rotate Counter-Clockwise, Reset Rotation, Mirror Mode.
- OTHER OPTIONS: Window Border, Title Bar, Remove ALL.
- WINDOW EXTRAS: Always On Top, Stretch Window, Mini Mode.
- 📷 Take Screenshot
- 🔴 Record Video (configurable duration)
Both close the menu after running.
- VIDEO: Change to Auto ICC Profile, Fill Screen.
- OTHER OPTIONS: Toggle Deband, Toggle Deinterlace, Motion Interpolation.
The same two sliders as Quick Options, plus three tabs:
- All: Vol +10%, Vol -10%, Mute/Unmute, Vol 100%, Vol 50%.
- AUDIO BOOST: Boost +25%, Boost -25%, Boost 150%, Boost 200%, Boost 300%, No Boost (100%).
-
AUDIO OUTPUT MODE:
- FFplay Low Latency
- WASAPI Audio Plugin (default since v5.1.0)
- WASAPI Audio Plugin Diagnostics
- Restart WASAPI Audio Plugin
The AUDIO OUTPUT MODE tab lets you switch the audio backend on the fly. The engine change applies without restarting mpv.
- Check Latest MSC Version
- Open MPV-SW-Capture Website
- MPV-SW-Capture Discord
- Hide OSD Messages
- Info Stream
Info Stream closes the menu after running.
- MANAGERS: Open Bezel Manager, Open Video Manager, Open FFPlay Stream Helper, Open Stream Menu.
- INSTALLERS: Run INSTALLER, Run SETUP.
Auto-close behavior: SHADERS, SHAPES, CROPS and BEZELS hide the menu after applying a card and reopen it 3 seconds later, so you can see the effect on the video. Audio Boost options do the same so the slider reflects the new value. This behavior can be disabled globally from Quick Options → SETTINGS → Keep Menu Open.
Two independent gain stages. The exact signal path depends on the active audio backend.
WASAPI Audio Plugin (default since v5.1.0):
- Both video and audio are handled inside the same mpv process.
- Volume is applied inside mpv.
- Boost is applied inside the native plugin.
- No
ffplayprocess is involved.
FFplay Low Latency (fallback):
- Signal path: Capture card → ffplay → SDL → WASAPI session → system volume.
- Boost is applied inside ffplay.
- Volume is applied on the WASAPI session.
Common to both backends:
- Volume (0–100%): attenuates the current backend's output.
- Boost (100–400%): amplifies the captured audio before Volume. It can genuinely amplify beyond the original source level.
The final result is boost_factor × volume_factor:
| Volume | Boost | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | 100% | 1.00x (+0.0 dB) |
| 100% | 200% | 2.00x (+6.0 dB) |
| 100% | 300% | 3.00x (+9.5 dB) |
| 50% | 300% | 1.50x (+3.5 dB) |
| 50% | 400% | 2.00x (+6.0 dB) |
The indicator below the sliders shows the result with a color:
- Gray (≤ 2.0x): normal.
- Green (2.0x – 3.0x): noticeable.
- Amber (≥ 3.0x): high risk of clipping.
Best practice: leave Volume at 100% and raise Boost slowly until you hear the first distortion, then back off a little. Raising Volume cannot undo clipping that already happened earlier in the chain.
When you hover the cursor over the left edge of the mpv window, a floating sidebar appears with two vertical sliders:
- VOL: Volume.
- BST: Audio Boost.
This sidebar can be enabled or disabled from the Stream Menu (hover_volume.txt). While it is active, window dragging is temporarily disabled to avoid conflicts.
Available: English (en), Spanish (es), Japanese (jp)
- Open the menu → Quick Options → SETTINGS.
- Click 🌐 Switch Language.
- The subtitle shows the target:
→ EN,→ ES,→ JP, etc. - The menu, OSD messages and header update instantly.
You can also click the language badge in the header to cycle to the next available language without opening the Quick Options section.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Move cursor |
| ← / → | Move horizontally / change tab |
| ENTER | Apply option |
| TAB | Next section |
| PGUP / PGDN | Previous / next section |
| ESC | Close menu |
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| WHEEL UP/DOWN | Scroll |
| Hover over card | Highlights it |
| Click on card | Runs the action |
| Click on sidebar | Switches section |
| Click on tab | Switches tab |
| Drag slider | Adjusts the value |
| Click on 📌 | Toggles Always On Top |
| Click on 🔊 | Toggles mute/unmute |
| Click on 🔄 | Refreshes the audio state |
| Click outside / X | Closes the menu |
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| The menu does not open | The menu may be locked. Check the Lock Menu state (from the Stream Menu: yellow = locked) and unlock it, then try again. |
| The menu does not open (not locked) | Update MPV-SW-Capture to the latest version. Reinstall all files if needed. |
| Volume does not refresh when opening | Wait a few seconds — the overlay retries up to 8 times. |
| Boost slider does not refresh | Switch section and come back, or wait 3s (auto-reopen). |
| The menu closes every time you apply a shader / shape / crop / bezel | That is the auto-close behavior. Enable Quick Options → SETTINGS → Keep Menu Open to disable it. |
| The audio icon does not respond | Make sure the cursor is on the 🔊 icon specifically (it has a larger hitbox than the glyph). |