Magewell Eco Capture SDI 4K Plus M.2

About this product

Sometimes the capture computer cannot be the end of the line: the same camera feed also has to reach a monitor, a recorder or a switcher. The Eco Capture SDI 4K Plus M.2 captures the signal and passes it on. It is a one-channel M.2 capture card with SDI loop-through, built on the small card format normally used for solid-state drives. It brings one SDI source, up to 12G-SDI, into a computer that has no room for a full-size PCIe capture card. SDI is the locking coaxial video connection used on broadcast cameras, and 12G-SDI is the version that carries 4K on a single cable.

What goes in

• One SDI input. It accepts SD, HD, 3G, 6G and 12G-SDI, with input resolutions up to 4096×2160 pixels. This is a full 12G input, so one card suits whichever of those rates your source uses.
• Standards. SD, HD, 3Ga, 3Gb, 3Gb-DL, 3Gb-DS, 6G and 12G, in RGB 4:4:4, YCbCr 4:4:4 or YCbCr 4:2:2 at 10 or 12 bits.
• Audio. Up to eight mono channels of embedded audio at 48 kHz, carried on the video cable.
• Cable runs. A built-in cable equaliser supports up to 430 m for SD-SDI, 200 m for HD-SDI, 110 m for 3G-SDI, 50 m for 6G-SDI and 30 m for 12G-SDI. Keep the 12G figure in mind when planning an installation.

What comes out

• Loop-through. A second connector passes the incoming SDI signal on to another device, such as a monitor or a second recorder, so the card can sit in the middle of a signal chain.
• Uncompressed video to your software. The card hands frames to the computer at resolutions up to 4096×2160. 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 720 megapixels per second), which keeps the load off the computer’s 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), so you can match what your software expects.

Standard BNC sockets on your case

An M.2 card is too small to carry BNC sockets, the usual SDI connector. The card has miniature MMCX coaxial sockets instead, one for the input and one for the loop-through, and it comes with 32 cm MMCX to BNC cables. You fix the BNC ends to the case and connect normal SDI cables to them.

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, VirtualDub, OBS, XSplit, vMix, VidBlaster and Wirecast. It is also compatible with Magewell’s own Capture Express, Bridge for NDI and Plugin for Premiere.
• Room to grow. Several cards can share one computer, so you can add channels later. A 16-position switch on the card sets its number.
• Power and heat. Maximum power consumption is about 7.16 W, which is high for an M.2 slot, so allow for airflow. The operating temperature range is 0 to 60°C. The card is built to work continuously, 24 hours a day.

Where it sits in the range

The Eco Capture 12G SDI 4K Plus M.2 is the other 12G-SDI card in the family. It has four input connectors, so it also accepts dual-link 6G and quad-link 3G signals, and it is specified for PCIe Gen3 x4. Choose this card when you want loop-through, and that one for multi-link 4K. For several HD sources on one card, see the Eco Capture Quad SDI M.2. The whole family is on the Eco Capture range page.