Magewell USB Capture HDMI Gen 2

About this product

A camera with an HDMI output can be the picture on a video call or stream, but the computer needs a way to receive it. The USB Capture HDMI Gen 2 is that way in: an HDMI to USB capture device that takes one HDMI signal and passes it to a computer over USB. The computer then sees the picture and sound as a video source that streaming, recording or conferencing software can use. It is the straightforward HDMI model in Magewell’s USB Capture family: one input, one USB connection, nothing else to plug in.

What goes in

• HDMI. One HDMI 1.4a input, taking up to 2048×1080 at 60 frames per second in 4:4:4 colour. That covers 1080p60, which is what most cameras, laptops and vision mixers send, so it suits the equipment you are likely to own already.
• Audio. Sound embedded in the HDMI signal arrives with the picture, on the same cable. The input accepts up to eight channels of 24-bit audio at up to 192 kHz, and up to two channels are passed to the computer.
• Need more connections? For an HDMI loop-through to feed a monitor at the same time, or 3.5 mm audio sockets, see the USB Capture HDMI Plus.

What comes out

• To the computer. Uncompressed video over USB in YUY2, UYVY, RGB24 or RGB32 format, in the size and frame rate your software asks for.
• Capture sizes. Capture goes up to 2048×2160 with frame rates up to 120 fps. The input takes up to 2048×1080 at 60 fps, and the device scales or converts that when your software asks for a larger size or higher rate within those limits.

Where it earns its place

The device can crop, scale up or down, de-interlace (turn an interlaced picture into full frames), change aspect ratio, convert colour format, convert frame rate, and flip or mirror the picture. This is FPGA-based processing with zero CPU usage. In plain terms, the conversion work is done inside the device, which frees your computer for the software you are running. Scaling makes the picture fit the size you ask for, using the detail in the source, so the camera can stay on its usual setting when your software asks for a different size.

• Custom EDID. EDID is the information a display gives a source about what it can show. This device lets you set your own, which helps when a source picks the wrong resolution.
• Power. It runs from the USB port with no additional power source, drawing about 2.5 W at most (0.5 A at 5 V). One cable to the laptop is all it needs.
• Size. 92.2 × 40.2 × 12.3 mm, small enough to live in a laptop bag or behind a camera. A 63 cm USB 3.0 cable is in the box.
• Status light. An LED shows whether the input signal is locked, so you can tell at a glance that the source is being received.

Setting it up

• Driver-free. The USB Capture family installs without a driver and detects the input automatically. Connect the source, plug the USB cable into the computer, then pick the device in your software.
• USB port. The connection is USB 3.0. It is compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 as well.
• Operating systems. Windows 10 and 11 (and Windows Server 2016 to 2025), Linux with kernel 2.6.35 and above on x86, x64 and ARM, Mac OS X 10.9 and above, macOS 10.12 and above, and Chrome OS.
• Software. It works with Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, VLC, OBS Studio, XSplit and QuickTime Player, plus other DirectShow, V4L2 or AVCaptureSession software, so you can carry on with the software you know.
• Settings and firmware. Magewell’s free USB Capture Utility shows and changes the capture settings and upgrades the firmware.

Where it sits in the range

This is the compact, single-input HDMI model, and the one to choose when all you need is a camera or laptop on the computer. The USB Capture HDMI Plus adds an HDMI loop-through and microphone and headphone sockets, and accepts a 4K input. The USB Capture HDMI 4K Plus captures at 4K. For SDI sources there is the USB Capture SDI Gen 2. The whole family is on the USB Capture range page.