Gear Drop: 5 Good (and in-stock!) HDMI Capture Devices
Gear Drop: 5 Good (and in-stock!) HDMI Capture Devices
Perhaps you can identify with the following scenario:
You need to get your service online, and you’re ready to start going live instead of recording.
You’ve found a camera, microphone, lights, and you’ve got all the software installed and ready to go.
You go to plug your camera into your computer and start changing lives… and then nothing happens. It doesn’t work.
Nothing comes through, no matter what you do, and even though the camera works fine.
What happened?
If this is you, or someone you know, then there’s a very simple explanation: HDMI ports on computers are one-way only. Surprise!
So, how can you get around this?
HDMI capture cards.
These simple devices have a female HDMI slot on one side, and a male USB on the other. The HDMI from your camera comes in, gets converted to USB, and then goes into your computer in a readable format.
Prior to March 2020, the primary market for these devices were vloggers and corporate accounts running lots of virtual meetings, plus some churches who wanted a simple one-camera online feed.
Fast-forward to summer 2020, and nearly every small and medium-sized church wanted one of these in a bad way. The only high-quality ones were made by Blackmagic Design, who quickly ran out of inventory around mid-May.
The cheaper alternatives were unreliable and introduced lots of video lag, making them no better than just using a cheap USB webcam.
Finally, around Labor Day, a whole new batch of HDMI converters started hitting the market. Curiously, the Blackmagic Mini Recorder was recently made unavailable, so i’m expecting a newer version to be released in the near future (that, or they just gave up trying to fulfill everyone’s backorders).
Below, i’ve listed the best HDMI capture cards for live-streaming. These are all capable of at least 1080p HD throughput and are designed for demanding live environments.
5 Good HDMI to USB Adapters for Live-Streaming
*these devices are in-stock on either B&H Photo or Amazon as of the publishing date of this article. Prices may fluctuate based on availability.
Elgato Cam Link 4K - $129
This is B&H’s #1 seller, and for good reason: Getting 4K throughput for this price is hard to beat. It has a standard USB 3.1 Type-A connector, so you’ll need an adapter if you’re using Mac, and at least USB 3.0 on your PC laptop.
Magewell USB Capture HDMI (Gen 2) - $299
This device accepts up to 1080p60, and has built-in hardware scaling if you want to stream at a different resolution than you’re recording to.
Blutec 4K HDMI to USB 3.0 Video Capture - $129
Able to receive video in up to 4Kp30, but only outputs at 1080p60 max. Connects via standard USB 3 Type-A, so you’ll need an adapter if you’re using Mac.
IOGear HDMI to USB-C Adapter - $91
Can receive video up to 1080p60, and built-in with a USB-C connector. Does come with an adapter for standard USB 3.0 if you’re running PC, so you’ve got everything you need in the box.
Pengo Technology 1080p HDMI to USB-C Grabber - $89
Can receive up to 1080p60, and comes standard with USB-C (though a USB 3 adapter is included).
If you want to use your camera to Zoom with, record short videos to directly into your computer, or just have a better-quality livestream feed with one camera, these HDMI converters will make a big difference.
Don’t get too carried away, though - if you want to hook up multiple cameras, it’s probably better to look at dedicated hardware video switchers instead.
*Note to readers: If you purchase something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a commission. This does not affect the gear that we recommend, and none of our gear reviews are sponsored.
