Capture cards aren't cheap, especially if you want to record or stream footage at high resolution and frame rates. Even the best capture cards (opens in new tab) can cost you upwards of $ 200. So if you don't have that kind of money, why not try making your own for just a small fraction of that? That's what one DIYer did.
YuzikiHD built the “YuzukiLOHCC Pro (opens in new tab),” an HDMI to USB 3.2 video capture card (identified by Hackaday (opens in new tab)) that uses the affordable MS2130 HDMI to USB HD video and audio acquisition chip on a USB 3.2 device controller. Following their instructions can be tricky, as buying one of the chips seems like a project in itself now, but it's a cool project nonetheless.
The YuzukiLOHCC Pro has two HDMI ports for input and output and a USB Type-C port for connecting to your computer. If you've ever used a Elgato Game Capture HD 60 S (opens in new tab), is a similar design. Like that card, it can stream and record footage from a game console, computer, or camera at 1080p at 60 frames per second. It just won't cost you $150.
According to the project's GitHub page, this chip can support HDMI up to 4K at 30Hz. It also supports several other resolutions. (Sorry, no 1440p.)
There is a video (opens in new tab) YuzukiLOHCC PRO in action on Twitter, streaming Splatoon 3 gameplay from a Nintendo Switch to a PC. The first thing you'll notice about the footage is that there's very low latency, which isn't surprising since it's using USB 3.2. If you're using USB 2.0, you'll see a noticeable delay from source to output of at least a few seconds.
YuzukiLOHCC Pro with Splatoon3, Loop out, Capture and Streaming pic.twitter.com/RD7mNjNIQxOctober 5, 2022
The DIY device works on any operating system; Windows, Mac, or Linux. Most importantly, it works with third-party video capture software like OBS Studio or FFmpeg. Not bad for something that will end up costing less than a pizza.
How much less? Just $ 10. The only problem is that tracking down an MS2130 chip to build your own might be a problem if you live outside of China. You can try to find one at Taobao (opens in new tab) (which requires a free account to search) or try your luck at a local electronics store like this one Twitter user (opens in new tab). Your third option would be to contact the manufacture (opens in new tab)one (opens in new tab)teacher (opens in new tab) directly to order the chip, but you probably don't plan to build them in mass. It's possible that the chips will become more widely available in the future.
