USB Capture SDI Gen 2

The Magewell USB Capture SDI Gen 2 is the most compact and portable SDI capture device in the USB Capture family — the straightforward choice when a single SD, HD or 3G-SDI source needs to be captured into any Windows, Mac, Linux or Chrome OS computer quickly, reliably and with minimal hardware. At just 92.2 × 40.2 × 12.3mm — the same compact footprint as the HDMI Gen 2 — and drawing only 2.5W from the USB port, it is the smallest and lightest SDI capture solution Magewell makes. Connecting via a standard MCX to BNC adapter cable included in the box, it accepts SD/HD/3G-SDI signals at up to 2048×1080 60fps from cable runs up to 150m, and presents immediately as a capture device to any DirectShow, V4L2 or AVCaptureSession application with no drivers required. With onboard FPGA processing handling all scaling, de-interlacing and format conversion at up to 160 Mpixels/s entirely off the host CPU, the SDI Gen 2 is the field engineer’s and remote producer’s companion — grab it, plug it in, and capture. Supplied by iView Data, authorised UK Magewell distributor, with full UK warranty and same-day dispatch from UK stock.

Core Functions & Capabilities

• SD/HD/3G-SDI Capture — Plug In and Go: Accepts SD (ST 259), HD (ST 292), 3Ga, 3Gb-DL and 3Gb-DS SDI signals at up to 2048×1080 60fps 4:2:2 10-bit via the included MCX to BNC adapter cable, and presents immediately as a capture device to any compatible software on any supported operating system — no driver installation, no configuration, no setup required before first use. Signal format is auto-detected on every connection.
• 150m 3G-SDI Cable Equaliser: The onboard cable equaliser supports SDI cable runs up to 150m at 3G-SDI — enabling the device to be placed at the laptop or workstation end of a long existing SDI run from a remote camera or router output, without any distribution amplifier or reclocking device at the source end. This is the longest cable run of any model in the Gen 2 tier.
• 160 Mpixels/s Onboard FPGA Processing — Zero CPU Load: All scaling, cropping, de-interlacing, aspect ratio conversion, colour format conversion, frame rate conversion, flip and mirror processing runs entirely on the device’s FPGA — the host computer CPU is completely uninvolved, leaving full system resources for streaming, encoding and all other workloads regardless of capture resolution or frame rate.
• Capture at up to 2048×1080 and 120fps: Captures 1920×1080p and 1280×720p at standard broadcast frame rates up to 60fps, with the onboard pipeline supporting up to 120fps at 1280×720p for high-frame-rate monitoring and slow-motion workflows — all via standard USB 3.0 with no additional hardware required.
• 8-Channel SDI Embedded Audio: Captures up to 8 channels of SDI embedded audio from the source signal — delivering full embedded audio from broadcast cameras, vision mixers and router outputs without any additional audio hardware or external capture.
• USB Bus-Powered at just 2.5W: The lowest power draw of any SDI capture device in the range — matching the HDMI Gen 2 at 2.5W maximum from the USB port. Completely reliable in any USB 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 2.0 port on any laptop or workstation, with no risk of power-related issues in low-power or bus-managed USB environments.

Key Features

• MCX Body Connector — BNC via Included Adapter: The device uses a compact MCX connector on the body rather than a full-size BNC — keeping the physical dimensions to an absolute minimum. The included 33cm MCX to BNC cable connects to any standard BNC SDI infrastructure. A longer MCX to BNC cable can be used if a greater reach from the USB port is needed.
• Smallest SDI Capture Device in the Range — 92.2 × 40.2 × 12.3mm: Identical footprint to the HDMI Gen 2 — the most compact SDI capture dongle Magewell produces. Sits flush against any USB port with minimal protrusion, fits in any pocket or cable pouch, and adds negligible weight to any field kit.
• Universal OS & True Driver-Free Operation: Works plug-and-play on Windows 10/11/Server, macOS 10.9+, Linux (x86, x64 & ARM, kernel 2.6.35+) and Chrome OS — no driver installation required for basic use on any supported platform.
• Broad Software Compatibility: Compatible with Zoom Rooms, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, OBS Studio, XSplit, VLC, QuickTime, GStreamer and all DirectShow, V4L2 and AVCaptureSession applications — including vMix and Wirecast.
• MWCapture SDK: Full SDK for Windows, macOS and Linux enables custom integrations, OEM development and direct API access for enterprise and developer deployments requiring programmatic capture control.
• USB Capture Utility: Free software for capture parameter configuration, device name customisation, audio on/off toggle (from Rev B firmware onwards), firmware upgrade and diagnostics on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Ideal For

• Live Streaming — SDI Camera or Switcher to Laptop: The simplest possible SDI capture setup — connect any SD, HD or 3G-SDI camera, hardware switcher output or broadcast router to a laptop via the included BNC adapter cable and stream live to any destination via OBS, vMix or Wirecast. No loop-through needed, no power supply, no drivers.
• Remote Production — SDI Signal to Software: Plug a laptop into any 3G-SDI feed at a venue, stadium, house of worship or corporate AV installation up to 150m away and capture directly — making it the most deployable SDI capture solution for roving engineers, remote producers and on-site technical staff who need SDI capture from whatever machine they have with them.
• Video Conferencing — SDI Broadcast Camera on Zoom & Teams: Use any SDI broadcast camera as the video source on Zoom Rooms or Microsoft Teams — delivering dramatically sharper, more professional video quality on client calls from any laptop or workstation without specialist AV hardware beyond the device and the BNC adapter cable.
• Broadcast Monitoring — SDI Feed into Software: Connect to any SDI monitoring point — router output, multiviewer feed or camera output — and capture to OBS, VLC or any DirectShow application for on-screen confidence monitoring, recording or stream analysis from a laptop, without interrupting the existing signal path.
• Education & Lecture Capture — SDI Camera Sources: Capture SDI lecture cameras and production switcher outputs into lecture capture software or OBS for recording and hybrid classroom delivery — the compact form factor making it practical to leave permanently plugged in at a lectern or capture workstation.
• Field Kit & Travel Production: The SDI equivalent of a universal capture dongle — small enough to live permanently in a laptop bag or road case alongside BNC cables, ready to capture any SDI source encountered anywhere, on any machine, with no setup overhead.

USB Capture Family — Which Model Is Right for You?

HD capture — no loop-through needed

HD capture — with loop-through & analogue audio

4K capture — USB 3.0 (up to 4K30 capture)

4K capture — USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (true 4K60 capture)

Multi-source switching

Magewell Part Number: 32070. Full technical specifications are available on the Specifications tab above. MCX to BNC adapter cable (33cm) included. Supplied by iView Data, authorised UK Magewell distributor, with full UK warranty and same-day UK dispatch.