Magewell USB Capture SDI 4K Plus
Bring a 4K SDI camera into your laptop at up to 30 frames per second, while the loop-through keeps your monitor or mixer fed.
- ✓SD, HD, 3G and 6G-SDI input, up to 4096×2160 at 30 fps (4:2:2 10-bit), so one device covers your HD and 4K SDI cameras
- ✓SDI loop-through passes the signal on to a monitor or other equipment, so you can capture without breaking the chain
- ✓Captures 4K at up to 30 fps, or 1080p and 720p at up to 90 fps
- ✓3.5 mm line in for analogue audio and 3.5 mm line out for the SDI audio, so you can add a sound desk feed at the device
- ✓USB 3.0 to the computer with no separate power supply, which keeps a location kit light
- ✓Driver-free installation on Windows, Linux, macOS and Chrome OS
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Magewell USB Capture range
Plug-and-play HDMI, SDI, DVI and 4K capture over USB. Your computer sees the device as a webcam, so it works in OBS, vMix, Zoom, Teams and other software with no drivers to install.
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Professional cameras speak SDI; laptops do not. The USB Capture SDI 4K Plus bridges the two for anyone who needs a 4K SDI source in software on an ordinary computer. It is a small external SDI to USB capture device: it takes an SDI video signal from a camera or other professional source and delivers it to a computer over USB 3.0, so that software on the computer can record it, stream it or use it in a video call. SDI is the single-cable, locking-connector video standard used in broadcast and live production.
What goes in
- SDI video. One BNC input that accepts SD, HD, 3G and 6G-SDI. The largest signal it accepts is 4096×2160 at 30 frames per second, 4:2:2 10-bit, which is what a single 6G-SDI cable carries.
- Need 4K at 60? This model is built around 6G-SDI and 4K at up to 30 frames per second. For 4K at 60 frames per second over SDI, see the USB Capture SDI 4K Pro.
- Audio. Up to eight channels of audio embedded in the SDI signal are accepted, so sound arrives on the same cable as the picture. There is also a 3.5 mm line input for analogue audio.
- Cable length. The input handles 6G-SDI signals sent over up to 75 m of cable, so the camera can be at the far end of a hall while the computer stays at the desk.
What comes out
- To the computer. Video at up to 4096×2160 or 3840×2160 at up to 30 frames per second. At 1920×1080 and 1280×720 it can deliver up to 90 frames per second. Audio reaches the computer as two channels at 48 kHz, taken either from the SDI signal or from the line input.
- SDI loop-through. A second BNC passes the incoming signal on, at up to 4096×2160 at 30 frames per second, so a monitor, recorder or vision mixer can be fed at the same time. You add capture to an existing SDI chain instead of splitting it.
- Line out. A 3.5 mm line output carries the audio from the SDI signal.
Where it earns its place
- The device does the picture processing. It can crop, scale up or down, de-interlace, change aspect ratio, colour format and frame rate, and flip or mirror the picture before it reaches the computer. The USB Capture family’s processing is FPGA-based with zero CPU usage, so your computer stays free for the software you are running. Scaling makes the picture fit the size your software asks for, using the detail in the source.
- Choice of formats. Video is delivered as NV12, I420, YUYV, UYVY, RGB24 or RGB32, whichever your software requests.
- Made to stay on. The device can work continuously, 24 hours a day, which suits an installed capture position.
- Pocket-sized. At 110.7 × 56.8 × 17 mm it travels in a camera bag with the laptop.
Setting it up
- Installation is driver-free, with automatic input detection. Connect the SDI source and the supplied USB 3.0 cable, and the computer sees a video and audio source.
- It takes its power from the USB connection, about 4.3 W at most, so there is no separate power supply to carry.
- It works with Windows, Linux, macOS and Chrome OS. Compatible software includes Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, GStreamer, VLC, OBS Studio, XSplit and QuickTime Player, so you can keep the software you already use.
- Magewell’s USB Capture Utility is used to check and set capture parameters.
- USB 2.0 is supported as well. Use a USB 3.0 port for 4K, because it carries far more data.
Where it sits in the range
This is the SDI model for 4K at up to 30 frames per second. If your source is HDMI, see the USB Capture HDMI 4K Plus. If you need 4K at 60 frames per second from SDI, see the USB Capture SDI 4K Pro, which uses a faster USB connection. All models are on the USB Capture range page, and Compare Models shows them side by side.
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Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Up to 30 frames per second, over 6G-SDI. For 4K at 60 frames per second from SDI, look at the USB Capture SDI 4K Pro.
SD, HD, 3G and 6G-SDI, up to 4096×2160 at 30 frames per second in 4:2:2 10-bit, so it works across HD and 4K SDI sources.
Yes. It has one SDI loop-through output, at up to 4096×2160 and 30 frames per second, which keeps a monitor or mixer fed while you capture.
Neither. It runs from the USB connection, using about 4.3 W at most, and installation is driver-free.
Windows 10, 11 and Server 2016 to 2025, Linux with kernel 2.6.35 or later on x86, x64 and ARM, Mac OS X 10.9 and macOS 10.12 or later, and Chrome OS.
It accepts up to eight channels of audio embedded in the SDI signal, has a 3.5 mm line input for analogue audio, and a 3.5 mm line output carrying the SDI audio. Two channels at 48 kHz are captured to the computer.
The capture device and one USB 3.0 cable, 63 cm long. Bring your SDI cable and you are ready to connect.
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