Description
This HDMI to USB-C video capture device lets you record HDMI video to your USB-C, USB-A or Thunderbolt 3 computer. For hassle-free recording, you can install the HDMI capture device by simply connecting it to your computer. The capture device features USB Video Class (UVC), a video capture standard that’s natively supported by Mac, Windows and Linux. Unlike other capture devices that require proprietary driver installation, UVC based capture devices install automatically for a truly plug-and-play solution. Also, with this recorder you’re not limited to the included software; you can use any third-party software that uses UVC compatible frameworks such as Quicktime or DirectShow. Record 1080p video at 60fps (frames per second) from your Windows PC, gaming console, camera (and more) so you can save, share or edit your content. Capture meetings, presentations, conference calls and security footage directly to your computer. Stream video over the web using Twitch™ or other third-party streaming platforms. With the included software or third-party UVC compatible software like Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), you can live broadcast video over the internet using third-party video streaming platforms. The UVCHDCAP is backed by a 2-year StarTech. br>Note: This device is HDCP compliant, and will not capture copy protected video, such as Blu-rays or the video output of Mac computers. However, this device will capture video to Mac computers and will capture non-encrypted video.
From the manufacturer
Record video and audio to your Windows or Mac computer using this USB-C video capture device
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Easy to set up, easy to captureFor hassle-free recording, you can install the HDMI capture device by simply connecting it to your computer. The capture device features USB Video Class (UVC), a video capture standard that’s natively supported by Mac, Windows and Linux. |
Capture HD video at 1080p 60fpsRecord 1080p video at 60fps (frames per second), to save your content so it can be shared, stored, or edited. Capture meetings, presentations, conference calls and from security equipment directly to your computer. |
Stream your 1080p contentStream your video over the internet using Twitch or other third-party video streaming platforms. With the included software or your own third-party UVC compatible software like Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), you can live broadcast video over the internet using Twitch or other third-party video streaming platforms. |
TIG –
HDCP issue: device cannot capture video from a source Mac.Recording from a PC worked fine. Unfortunately I needed this to record video from a Mac, and that’s where I ran into major problems.I had to call Startech for support. After some troubleshooting and a return call the next day, their engineers confirmed that the device cannot capture *from* a source Mac, only *to* a connected Mac from some other device like a gaming console or a PC. There is an issue with HDCP (High Definition Content Protection) being enabled all the time from a Mac’s HDMI output, regardless of whether protected content is displayed on screen. The Startech will not display a picture if there is an HDCP-enabled signal on the chain.
Adam Smith –
Video tearing and lagWorks some of the time but then the video starts to aggressively tear and get lagged.
J –
Works well with a few caveatsThe media could not be loaded.
For the most part, this is a great little device and works extremely well. However, there are a few caveats in regards to this device. Therefore, I cannot give it a full 5 star rating. There are other devices that offer as much as this device or more for less of a price tag than this one does.USB:Comes with both a USB 3 cable and a USB C cable. I cannot attest to how it functions over USB C as I do not have USB 3. Though I am sure it will likely work well.First thing to note is that you have an older system (I am running a i7-3770K and a GTX 1080), you will either want to run this on its own dedicated USB 3 bus or purchase a USB card specifically for this. It may have also only been a quirk with my system. When attempting to run this capture device with another device that uses a bit of bandwidth, it would lock up within a few minutes. Making stream completely impossible to use.However, once it was on a separate USB bus from that device, it ran smoothly and have had no issues since.Another issue I have run into is audio interference. I am not entirely sure how this is occurring since it should be a digital input and may be dependant on my setup. But every so often I will hear static when playing a game. It is not very often and usually lasts a very short amount of time. So it is pretty negligible.HDCP:This device does NOT strip HDCP. That means if you are trying to stream a device that requires HDCP, you will be unable to do so.You can work around this by getting something like an active (powered) HDMI switch (I doubt a simple passthrough switch will work) which will bypass HDCP. These switches are more common now and are typically fairly cheap.The software that you can download from the website is very basic, it gets the job done but could use some improvements. There is very minimal to no configuration with this software. If you are serious about streaming and want to add layers, webcam and other things, skip this software and download OBS.What I like about the software, however, is also what I dislike. It is very simple and just works. If I just want to play a game, and not stream, I would rather use this software over OBS. It is simple and also requires no configuration to just use for simple gameplay. Launch the application, start your game, and go.That being said, I have also noticed that there is little to no delay on my computer which makes it great for playing from my computer rather than outputting to a TV or monitor which is what I typically prefer. For those that need absolute littlest of delay, there is an HDMI output so that you can pass through to a TV or monitor. Though I honestly cannot see any delay and have put 2 monitors side by side. One displaying the passthrough and the other from the startech software on my PC.It also has an audio input as well. I assume this is for microphone input but I am not certain. I have a usb microphone so I was unable to test its functionality.Overall, I think this is a great device and really like it a lot. The image quality looks superb and the installation was quick, simple, and plug and play. Just simply use the software of your choice or the StreamCatcher software from their site and you are good to go.Edit: Amazon’s compression has wildly downgraded the quality of the video. So I have now included a snapshot from streamcatcher to show the quality of picture you get when streaming. Looks fantastic!
C. Okamuro –
Nice form factor, unfortunate 1080p limit. Conditionally Recommended.I have used software and hardware capture solutions for decades (I even had Video Toaster and Dazzle setups!), but the last several years have mostly relied on software capture. That’s been fine when my source is the PC, but it hasn’t been ideal otherwise… time for the StarTech.com HDMI to USB C Video Capture Device.I used the StarTech.com HDMI to USB C Video Capture Device in Windows 10 with VirtualDub. I didn’t bother using any of my other capture-capable applications because the UVC API layer should be the same for all of them. I did not have any issues when staying within the envelope of what the device is supposed to do. There weren’t any installation/setup, heat, or stability issues, and I couldn’t be happier with the actual function of the device.I do have a few observations:I’ve recently used a similar device from Elgato. The Elgato has a USB dongle form factor while the StarTech is packaged as a break-out box. I MUCH prefer the break-out box packaging, as it is equally friendly to both PCs and laptops, and doesn’t feel as though it’s going to disengage from a port or inadvertently break something.It’s a little weird for there to be a 1080p capture limit, even if it’s at 60fps. My feeling is that 4k capture, or 120fps 1080p capture should be the FLOOR for capability at this point. 1080p was good enough for an off-camera RTM for my DSLR, and it’s probably fine for most people’s needs, but the lack of 120fps capability limits this device’s use with high-speed cameras. The lack of 4k (even at 30fps) limits the ability to use this with even capture equipment that’s several years old.The last thing is HDCP… the StarTech will capture “protected” video. The main issue is that many devices that aren’t playing DRM content will still use HDCP. I got around it with an HDCP remover that I normally use with an older projector, but it’s potentially another piece of equipment that you’ll need.I used this with 4k camcorders, 2 DSLRs, the cloned output from a Windows PC, and the output from a Raspberry Pi. I can honestly say that I didn’t have any operational problems with it. As long as you understand what this device will and will not do for you, you should be happy with your results. Conditionally recommended.
Andy in Washington –
Needs Some Good Hardware to Support ItI wanted to make “archive” copies of an occasional TV show to watch at my convenience, and figured I’d give this device a shot. Results were mixed, but I did manage some success.=== The Good Stuff ===* Based on previous experience, I already knew to use a HDMI splitter, since most of these devices seem to improve the HDCP signal. I won’t even mention what splitter I use, because I have two identical ones, but one gives a much cleaner picture than the other, so these devices are sort of hit or miss.* My first at capturing content was on my laptop. It has an I7 processor and a USB3 port. That worked, after fiddling around with the settings for bit. I was able to capture a clean video signal, but had occasional audio breakup and some minor sync issues between video and audio. The end product was watchable, and to be honest, no worse than some streaming content that I already pay for.* Setup was mostly easy. Your technophobe grandmother isn’t going to make this thing work, but if you have a modest understanding of how computers and AV signals work, you should have some success.* As a last resort, I tried this out on a desktop system that is equipped with a firebreathing I9 processor, and a PCIe bus with a USB card on that bus. This thing is fast, and it was able to produce clear and pretty well synched results.=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===* I wouldn’t call this device plug-and-play. I spent the better part of a day messing around with it, but did finally get good results, even at 1080i. I never did get any 1080p or 4K results, these seems to downgrade to 1080i…although I believe that it is what the device is spec’d for.* The results seemed very dependent upon what hardware was used with it. A super fast computer, and just the right splitter made all the difference- although I am not real sure what the governing factors were. In the end I had a setup that worked, and that was enough of an effort.=== Summary ===This is sort of a “bleeding edge” technology device. By that, I mean your results can be very good, but it will require a certain bit of luck and fiddling around to find the right mix of settings, support hardware and technique. Luckily I enjoy this sort of challenge, but if you are are hoping to plug it in and have perfect results, you will need a bit of luck.
M. Hill –
StarTech USB Capture Device for HDMI VideoMy intended use for this audio and video capture device was to save demonstrations of software and other video streams to my Windows and Mac computers. I connected the unit to my Windows PC using the provided USB-C cable, and then attached an Android tablet to the port marked –HDMI In– using the included HDMI cable.Then I plugged a microphone into the 3.5 mm port labelled–Audio In—in order to record a voice-over track along with the captured video. I needed to configure the device to change the audio input setting from HDMI to microphone.The company provides UVC Utility software for that purpose for Windows, Macs, and Linux operating systems on the website. Details for configuration are contained in the well-written and detailed Instruction Manual. As an optional check on the transmission, I connected a standard HDMI cable (not included) to the port labelled–HDMI Out–and plugged the other end into an LED monitor.According to the Instruction Manual software is required to store the incoming video as a file on the computer. The Guide provides instructions for downloading a free application for Windows, named StreamCatcher from their web site. Capture software is not provided for Mac or Linux, but the Guide indicates that any software that supports the UVC (USB Video Class) standard will work. Macs come with QuickTime software that works with UVC.I started the StreamCatcher software, which displays the tablet screen on the monitor. By clicking the red button at the bottom of the program window recording commenced. Then on the tablet I started an app and selected all the menu items while simultaneously explaining my actions by speaking into the microphone.When finished demonstrating the tablet app, I again clicked the red button which stopped recording and saved an MP4 file to the PC internal storage. It generated a name corresponding to the date and time it was saved. Using the default bulk method, the file was a little over 10 MB per minute.To record a live feed from a tablet camera the connection is the same as the above process but the camera app needs to be started on the tablet. Aim the camera, press the red button on the PC and the results are recorded. The files created are slightly larger, about 15 MB per minute.I next disconnected the tablet then connected a laptop computer to the capture device that was playing a video and using the same method created a recording. The quality of the resulting video appeared identical to the original when played from the stored file, which was also about 15 MB per minute in size. I repeated the above using Nero Video software instead of StreamCatcher and visually the videos appeared the same with only minor differences in file size.I repeated the same captures on a Mac Mini, using QuickTime software that came with the macOS operating system, with similar results except the files were stored as QuickTime movies (.mov suffix) instead of MP4, and were slightly smaller in size.This device functioned without issue to record streaming audio and video from the HDMI devices I tried. I did try to record from protected devices like DVD and Blu-ray players but it didn’t work at all. It is excellent for recording what I am doing on a tablet or computer with my own voice annotation, so I can either play it back later to refresh my memory, or send it to others for instruction.
Roger Wilco –
Smile – Your on Captured Camera!Well, no… it’s not like that at all, but it sounded good :)The Star Tech Video Capture device is a hit or miss device…. it may or may not work as expected for you….& the only way to know for sure is to give it as try, IMO you have a 75% – 85% chance of success as this device is just a little bit behind the curve for what is required for universal/multiplatform compatibility…. it comes close, but not is quite on the cutting edge.I tried this VCD on a total of 7 platforms, both PC’s & laptops…. & had success with 1 laptop & 2 PC’s – a custom gaming rig, an aging Asus tower & my Lenovo laptop…. both of these are older systems, running on Windows 7 & the Lenovo on 8.1I think it is possible I could have made a break-through & gotten the VCD to work right with another laptop had I persisted… but I already had success with 3 of my systems & 3 is more than I really need/quite enough.The PC was a plug n play experience… the Lenovo required installing StreamCatcher.The video replay quality is very good – close to perfectIMO it is worth trying it out to see if it works for you – IF you have more than one system to try that is….. because that raises the odds of achieving success.& it IS really great when it does work, I use it to record video game play for sharing with friends … I have been wanting to be able to do this for years so it is kind of like a “dream come true” for me lol …. pretty lame I know but true :)IMO this StarTech video capture device is pretty nice – but they could lower the price … 4 Stars –
ut158 –
Plug-n-playMy setup:Windows 10 machineConnection via USB 3 (direct to computer)Source: XboxPassthrough to TVCapture software: the “included” StreamCatcher (free download from StarTech’s website)I simply plugged everything in and the drivers automatically installed. I went to the website and downloaded the software (this was the hardest part–I couldn’t find it at first. TIP: it’s under “SUPPORT”) and installed it. Then I fired up the XBOX and capture a few minutes of play time. The audio is all in sync and everything looks great.I also tried this on a Windows 7 box with other (very old) 3rd party software. I couldn’t get the audio to work at all. Perhaps I need to download the UVC Utility and change the settings in there. Since it works great on my main computer, though, I don’t really want to mess with it. StreamCatcher on this computer couldn’t capture video OR audio. Nothing showed up. I twiddled with all kinds of settings, but couldn’t get it working. I should point out, though, that my security software on that machine popped up several times saying it was blocking this and that. I unblocked everything it said it was messing with, but I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t causing problems still.If I didn’t have the Windows 10 box, I’d be mad–I can’t get it to work at all. But, since Windows 7 is nearly end of life, then perhaps it isn’t fair to be too harsh with it and I’m going to focus more on the fact that it worked flawlessly on Windows 10. I’d give 4.5 stars if I could.
Robert –
Works well on MacBook Pro, but the 32-bit software will not work on the next OSX versionFirst, the good news. This works very well on my 2018 i9 MacBook Pro. The bad news is that the StarTech software that is used to interface to the video capture device is 32-bit and not 64-bit. This is not an issue in terms of speed as it operates well and captures video at full 1080p with excellent depth of density and color.I am running Mac OSX Mojave version 10.14.4. After downloading the software I got the following error message“uvcTools.app” can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer. To install it, one must go to the Security and Privacy panel in the General section at the bottom you will get the notice that uvcTools.app was blocked. Press Open Anyway and you can install the software. Apple does not want users to install unauthorized software, but you can override the block to install this software. And the software works well, although it uses a windows-like interface instead of a Mac-like interface. But who cares.I was impressed with the quality of the HDMI recordings. I had no issues with recording but, as others noted, could not record from Mac generated HDMI output. I love the ability to record my X-plane aircraft carrier landing failures at 1080p.So the only issue is that the current software will not run on the next release of Mac OSX (10.15) because Apple has decided to no longer support 32-bit applications. A bad decision to be sure, but one we Mac users all have to live with.
Reasonable Reviewer –
[Update-2] Works on one system out of the seven I tried to pull fromI received this StarTech HDMI Video Capture Device specfically to write a review. That said, I try to be honest and open in all my reviews.(Please see the enclosed pictures.)[Update-2] I docked a star from 4 to 3 because for the video that was captured, the audio was terribly out of sync. Like a couple of seconds off. So, even for the old XP system, the capture was not good, and I simply could not get it to work with any other system.I love the idea though, and I am hopeful that an eventual Bios update for the device will fix its extremely picky approach to captures as well as the quality issues.[Update-5May2019] I was able to get on with Tech Support. They were unable to help though they did spend about 45 minutes going over system configuration, fault codes, etc. Still, no results.That said, I had tried five different systems as input to the capture device. Finally, my old, now obsolete Win XP system had an HDMI port, and miracle of miracles, I was able to pull video off of that in a form that I was able to capture.This allows me to do some things, but only items that I might be pulling off of a now obsolete system.The manufacturer needs to update the firmware on this device to allow capture from common items to include video recorders, i-systems, PlayStation, XBox systems and BluRay players. Otherwise there is not a lot that you can do with this.The device is nice and comes with handy cables. As predicted, it set-up without additional software on each of three Windows systems.[Previous Review Follows]That said, my video programs – all high-end, Pro-sumer NLEs – were able to recognize the device, but could not received any video or audio from it. [Update: one out of seven systems allowed the video to be captured]After trying three separate computers with very high end video cards, I tried different video sources, a nice Blu-Ray player and my Sony pro-level HDMI video camera. I confirmed that a signal was going through (see one example in the photos), but no love from the capture device to the computer.Then, I downloaded the StarTech video capture software.It also recognized the device, but it was unable to capture the video on any of the three computers.Truth in lending, I was not able to find any way of contacting support, but the message I got back from Microsoft in each case was “incompatible hardware, contact manufacturer.” I would guess that is simply does not work.The last product I received from StarTech took a lot of work to make it functional too, and I finally got it to work on my venerable Win XP system. Alas, some of the tweaks you were allowed to make to drivers and settings eight years ago are no longer available to non-Microsoft folks today.I was really looking forward to using this device for all kinds of projects too. I am most disappointed.I revised this again to two stars. I see that the price on this has gone to nearly $200, and it absolutely does not work.