Magewell Eco Capture Dual HDMI M.2

About this product

A lecture recorder, a meeting room PC or a kiosk often needs two pictures at once, a camera and a laptop, and has only a spare M.2 slot to put them through. The Eco Capture Dual HDMI M.2 is made for that. It is a two-channel M.2 capture card, built on the small card format normally used for solid-state drives. It brings two HDMI sources into a computer that has no room for a full-size PCIe capture card, such as a mini PC or an embedded system. It is a two-channel 2K capture card.

What goes in

• Two HDMI inputs. HDMI 1.4a (and DVI 1.0) on both, each with embedded audio, so sound arrives with the picture on one cable.
• Resolution. Input resolutions up to 2048×2160 pixels, through a 165 MHz HDMI receiver. That covers HD and 2K sources. For a 4K source, see the single-input 4K models below.
• Audio. Embedded HDMI audio, up to eight channels per input through Magewell’s SDK.

What comes out

• Two capture channels. Each input appears to the computer as its own capture channel, so software can use the two sources separately, for example a camera and a presenter’s laptop. That lets you record or switch between them as you choose.
• Uncompressed video to your software. The card delivers both sources uncompressed. Your software then handles encoding, recording or streaming.
• Processing on the card. Scaling, de-interlacing, colour format conversion and frame rate conversion are done in the card’s own video pipelines (about 180 megapixels per second), which keeps the load off the computer’s processor. That matters in a mini PC with a modest processor.
• Formats. 8-bit capture formats in 4:2:0 (NV12, I420, YV12), 4:2:2 (YUY2, YUYV, UYVY) and 4:4:4 (V308, IYU2, V408, BGR24, BGR32), at capture resolutions up to 2048×2160, so you can match what your application expects.

Standard HDMI sockets on your case

An M.2 card is too small to carry HDMI sockets. On this version (Magewell part number 11510, our SKU 115100000) the card has two small 20-pin JST SHD sockets, and it comes with two 31 cm cables that each end in a full-size HDMI type A socket. You fix those sockets to the case and plug normal HDMI cables into them, so users see ordinary HDMI inputs. A second version (part number 11514) with flat ribbon cables and adapter boards is a separate SKU.

Fitting and setting up

• The slot. The card fits an M.2 2280 Type M slot with PCIe (Gen2 x4). It is the standard 2280 size, 22 mm wide and 80 mm long. Choose an M.2 slot that provides PCIe; slots that only take SATA drives are for storage. Check the host computer’s manual before ordering, or ask us.
• Drivers. Magewell supplies a Windows and Linux driver and an SDK, so install the driver as part of setup. Recommended systems are Windows 10/11 and Windows Server 2016/2019/2022/2025 (x86 and x64), and Linux on x86, x64 and ARM with kernel 2.6.35 or later.
• Software you already use. Works with VLC, OBS, XSplit, vMix, Wirecast and other DirectShow or V4L2 software. It is also compatible with Magewell’s own Capture Express, Bridge for NDI and Plugin for Premiere.
• Power and heat. Maximum power consumption is about 4.17 W. The operating temperature range is 0 to 40°C, worth checking for a small sealed case. The card is built to work continuously, 24 hours a day.

Where it earns its place

Choose it when you want two HDMI sources in a small computer and would rather keep any full-size slot free. One M.2 slot does the work of two single-input cards. For a single source at up to 4096×2160, see the Eco Capture HDMI 4K M.2 (30 fps) or the Eco Capture HDMI 4K Plus M.2 (60 fps). For two SDI sources, see the Eco Capture Dual SDI M.2. The whole family is on the Eco Capture range page.