Magewell Expands Renowned USB Capture Product Family with New 4K/60fps Model

Plug-and-play USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro brings 4K HDMI signals at 60 frames per second into software over USB interface with outstanding ease and reliability

Magewell‘s USB Capture family has long been the gold standard for professional video capture devices, earning a reputation for being the easiest and most reliable way to bring video and audio signals into software for live streaming, video conferencing, medical imaging and more. Magewell has expanded the renowned product line with the unveiling of a new model that captures video sources up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second — the USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro.

The new model will be demonstrated alongside other Magewell innovations in stand 7.A44 at the IBC2024 exhibition in Amsterdam from September 13 to 16.

Magewell’s compact USB Capture devices enable computers including laptops to capture high-quality AV signals through a USB interface, with no additional power source required. The new USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro offers everything that users love about the existing USB Capture HDMI 4K Plus model, while leveraging 20Gbps USB transfer performance on compatible host systems to enable the capture of 4K video at higher frame rates and color precision.

When used with a host computer that has a 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface, the USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro can capture HDMI inputs up to 4096×2160 (including 3840×2160 Ultra HD) at 60fps with 4:4:4 chroma fidelity. The device is also compatible with lesser-performance USB 3.2, USB 3.1 and USB 3.0 interfaces for capturing lower video signals (such as 1080p60 or 4K at 30fps 4:2:0 over 5Gbps USB, or 4K at 60fps 4:2:0 with 10Gbps USB), with the capture capabilities dependent on the host USB connectivity and operating system.

The USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro features driver-free setup and automatic input signal format detection for true plug-and-play operation, with support for Windows®, Mac®, Linux® and Chrome® operating systems. In addition to extensive software compatibility through the UVC specification, an SDK is available for third-party developers to leverage the device’s unique features — such as the new ability to capture 10-bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) signals — in their software.

The USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro supports embedded HDMI audio, plus an analog audio input and stereo headphone output. HDMI loop-through connectivity simultaneously sends the source signal to a monitor or projector without needing a splitter. Built-in FPGA-based video processing provides high-quality deinterlacing, up/down conversion and image controls while maximizing host system CPU availability for third-party software.

For users who wish to manually fine-tune the operation of the USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro, Magewell’s free USB Capture Utility software lets them configure capture parameters, upgrade the device’s firmware, view detailed status information and more. The newest version of the utility, which also supports earlier models in the USB Capture family, adds the ability to turn the device’s audio capabilities on or off — helpful when using it alongside other USB audio hardware — and to customize the name the device appears as in third-party software.

“We’re proud of the role that our USB Capture devices have played in customers’ transition to software-centric AV solutions, and we’re thrilled to expand our portfolio with the USB Capture HDMI 4K Pro,” said James Liu, VP of Engineering at Magewell. “Combining the portability and plug-and-play convenience of the USB Capture family with support for capturing 4K video at 60 frames per second opens up new use cases in live production, immersive presentations and more.”