Livestreaming with your Sony a5100 a6000 | $30 Capture Card

[@ArronPrescott]

UPDATE - You can remove the on screen display for a clean image without cropping by going to SETUP> HDMI Settings > HDMI Info. Settings change this to OFF UPDATE 2- Imaging Edge Webcam app has been released by Sony allowing you to use some Sony cameras as a webcam with no capture card. Here's my video on how to do it - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6WWhqqBj9iapK8

[@EvilTaco]

this doesn't work for A6000 as far as I know

[@jasper5463]

@@EvilTaco no it doesn’t

[@edxtech]

Amazing! This UPDATE is also extremely helpful because it turns off the auto focus box around your face that is seemingly impossible to make go away when recording.

[@lazyeyegamerz8027]

@@EvilTaco too bad :(....worked for my a5100 thow :)

[@Polarbear00713]

Doesnt work for the 6000. Like cmon Sony.

[@sanderbos]

I happened to do exactly this for my A5100 just last week. Apart from the HDMI info thing already mentioned here now, I think an even more important tip: Switch to a movie shooting mode! Even though you do not record a movie, the preview piped out through HDMI improves dramatically when you switch from say intelligent auto to Movie mode Program Auto.

[@Aemilindore]

Can you keep the camera charging through the micro USB while we do this?

[@sanderbos]

@@Aemilindore No not with an A5100, I think A6300 and up can be charged over USB while being on but that is a completely different price-range. The battery in A5100 will last for nearly two hours though in this mode (so just being in standby for video output is way more power efficient than when actually take photos or videos), so if you have three batteries like I have you can livestream for a long time. And then there are these special mock batteries that you can plug into power directly (as discussed in this video I think), but as just said just regular batteries can give you a long screen time..

[@Aemilindore]

@@sanderbos thanks a lot!

[@MMRCx]

this comment should get a lot more likes, it took me half day until I found your comment that i need to change to movie, from Manual.. i didnt understand why but in OBS i had a pretty poor image, while when i hit record on the cam, and recorded something, upload it to pc, it looks crystal clear.. but in OBS, record, re-watch, trash.. after i switched to movie mode everything improved, thanks!

[@Ayrichu]

Dude, thank you for that advice! That has helped me dramatically when trying to figure out why my Capture in OBS was really grainy unless I was recording manually on the camera itself, and now it's all good and amazing!

[@paduz]

There is a setting on the camera that let's you remove all the settings on the camera, you don't need to lose resolution and crop it out

[@kamilchosta5526]

On a6000? What is it?

[@denzel1x822]

@@kamilchosta5526 is called clean HDMI, just go to your Sony settings and turn off HDMI Live View if I’m not wrong, the Grid as well, off.

[@kamilchosta5526]

Thank you!

[@lovesong252]

Thanks for this streaming advice video for Sony cameras. Overheating issue: my Sony A6000 (connected to a $20 usb capture card like the Elgato cam link) was overheating quite badly even though I had a dummy battery, set to movie mode, Airplane mode set to off... My solution (which works well so far - no overheating): 1. I DIDN'T set it to movie mode, used manual mode (so the live view is like I'm taking a photo). My thinking is that it's just showing the view - not possibly trying to process some video 2. removed the SD card 3. Set finder/monitor to "view finder" 4. File format "mp4" 5. Aspect ratio 16:9 6. Focus mode: manual focus (perhaps the AF may cause some overheating) 7. Steady shot "off" - camera on a tripod - so unnecessary 8. MF assist "off" 9. I have a small, quiet battery operated fan pointed at the area behind the monitor screen 10. Pulled the monitor screen away from the camera body 11. used dummy battery 12. Airplane mode "off". I have also been able to run the camera for more than 30 minutes (that's because I'm not in movie mode I think). My overall thinking was to minimise any unnecessary in camera processes and to physically cool the camera.

[@henRYANand]

I have this super weird issue with the a6000 whereas everytime I start my camera, it displays a 'no images to view' section. I then need to press the 'camera roll' icon in order for it to go to my camera mode. I have my camera in 'movie mode'.. so I have no idea what is wrong :(

[@brandonlee8312]

Arron, I legit have the same camera (a5100) and the same capture card I purchased off Amazon!!! You and KZbin knew I needed this!!! Thank you so much for doing this!!!

[@ArronPrescott]

Glad I could help!

[@viniciusferrigo4792]

@@ArronPrescott As i already had a Sony Nex 5t, i watched your video and then bought me the battery, the cable and the capture card. Set everything at OBS, and... well, the image i've got is TERRIBLE, unusable, totally ruined by grain/noise, EVEN in good natural light conditions. What may have i missed? Is it some configuration i'm missing, or the problem is with the live feedback this particular camera model send to the lcd, making it grainy/noisy and there is nothing i can do about it? When i take a photo or record a video there is no grains/noise, it only happens to the live feedback showing on the lcd, which is pretty much what is going to the capture card via hdmi... Any thoughts?

[@maqui1814]

There is 1080p@60 brown/coffee colored version of this card. You can find on aliexpress for as low as 8-11$.

[@AlexandruNicolae1]

When I try to add it to the obs, it shows me the black image, I don't know what to do with it

[@Booyar]

I made it but my sony a5100 only shows old tv color bars in the preview...

[@MovewithJenna]

5:35 instead of re-cropping the texts out of your frame, is there a way to get rid of letters and frame marks on your live streaming? I teach a pilates class live streaming, so I want to have no letter on my screen! (usin Sony 5100a)

[@ArronPrescott]

You can remove the on screen display for a clean image without cropping by going to SETUP> HDMI Settings > HDMI Info. Settings change this to OFF

[@nadeena]

Best video I've watched in a while

[@dragoscolumbeanu1357]

hello, i have a question, i have a sony a5100, and i try to use it for streaming, but when the cam its in the room with the computer and with my 240 hz monitor, i get 3 horizontal lines on display, any ideaa what can i do?

[@stepahin]

Hey I'm looking for cheap mirrorless camera for a webcam. What I'm worried about 5100 is if the mac software can control the shutter/ISO/aperture settings from the mac without touching the camera? Just a few clicks if the light has changed. Is it possible?

[@Prizkilla]

im using a dmc lx15 , im just getting rainbow screen when trying to record the livefeed. rip monies

[@ArronPrescott]

Try switching to video mode with the camera already connected to the capture card, some times thats all it takes to fix this issue.

[@postghost6536]

can i use this to just live veiw but record the video to the sony a6000 not the laptop

[@brytonnudzor6425]

Same question

[@winethirsty]

thank you so much for this well done explanation I had so much trouble with my a6000 because I did not understand how the a6000 is unique

[@VXVirtuoso]

Can anyone help!! I was using this fine no issues then one day it stopped.. I got a new streaming card.. nothing.. new camera nothing... is there a setting that disables live play to tv?

[@GrowWithWill]

Could you use an a6000 with a Camlink to record footage without an SD card for KZbin? Or would you not want the quality reduction?

[@ArronPrescott]

You certainly could, but you would experience loss in quality. Probably not as bad if you're using the camlink, but it won't look as good as recording directly to to an SD card.

[@GrowWithWill]

@@ArronPrescott thank you

[@leinnyjimenez9544]

I read that with the sony a5100 you gotta transfer the image and videos from the camera to the computer through a cable, and for that you have to download an app in your computer and in fails most of the time and that you can't transfer your images using the SD card... Is that true? I wanna buy this camera, but I want to know some things before like the wireless connection, also some people say it doesn't work, and when you use full frame lenses you lose the autofocus... Please, and thank you! I really love your videos about this camera.

[@leinnyjimenez9544]

Wanna know how actually it works...

[@maqui1814]

Just plug SD card from your camera to you PC and copy the images. The app can transfer images using wi-fi, you can also change the resolution of those files.

[@sanderbos]

I always connect the camera with a USB cable with my Windows computer, and then it shows up as 2 drives in Windows. But the connection possibilities are actually quite extensive, so whatever you heard about 'failing most of the time' is probably not true. On my Android phone I get the photos of my camera wirelessly, has never had any problems (used that about 50 times now), what I do find interesting is that you cannot transfer videos from the camera to your phone. With respect to the autofocus on full frame lenses, do you already have lenses that you want to use? And if so e-mount lenses or other connections? Because I think it depends on the individual lens and in case it's not e-mount it depends on the lens+adapter combination. But if you don't have lenses yet, I would always get one that is APS-C e-mount specific lens (even though they are not the cheapest).

[@shraddhafinearts]

how long can we live stream using this method?

[@WatchaPinasTV]

Hi! I tried this but my camera will not focus. I use sony a7iii and in continues Autofocus and on wide, center, flexible spot and it will not focus. Any tips? Thank you in advance!

[@Aemilindore]

Can I keep the camera charging while I use this method? the Sony A6000?

[@Godisgreat12347]

Could you show how to do this in streamyard

[@christiankyle8613]

How do i fix the rainbow bars?

[@indianjedi]

Hi, does it not heat up for long shoots?

[@hahahaqwrty]

Uppp!!! Its my question as well.. what ive heard, it will heat up when it reach around 30 minutes for recording.. but live streaming is different than recording.. but i do want to know if it heats up or not when it shoots for live streaming

[@Charzyoo]

Hey ik this is a late msg but my camera keeps freezing or shutting off altho i can see that the cam is still on but in the live or tiktok studio or obs is laggs and frezzes and never works again mind helping? thank you

[@musitudeplays5636]

Got the same camera and card and I'm only getting about 10fps from it on my screen. Not sure why. I also have the Elgato and that works fine.

[@ArronPrescott]

That's strange I've not noticed any issues with frame-rate, I seem to be getting the advertised 30fps. Do you have the camera in movie mode when using the capture card?

[@musitude7121]

@@ArronPrescott Yes the camera is in movie mode. It was an issue with my settings in SLobs. I followed an online guide and changed them and it works great. Your channel has been a big help in guiding me for my stream setup dude. Thanks and keep up the good work. I think a lot of us benefit from it.

[@DJBilbo]

Why you dont change the Camera Settings in OBS? This is really Import, to have the best Quality!

[@Ohley]

Say we can livestream with these cameras, but it will automatically shut down within 15min because it needs to cool down. Mine is a5100 and i cant use it longer for straight 15min vlogging huhuh

[@ArronPrescott]

It will take much longer than 15mins to overheat, if at all. Because you don't record the footage in camera you're cutting out the main process that causes the camera to overheat. Using the dummy battery also helps keep the camera cooler.

[@AirwaveMusic]

Leah Corporal did a full 60’ call on skype with the a5100 and acap card np. I record my DJ sets from the 5100 monthly now and the a5100 is never overheating

[@sanderbos]

As the others are saying there is no overheating because you are not recording so no processing is going on the camera. Even more, it actually does not use up that much battery. I bought a fake battery that you can plug in directly into power as also presented in this video, but I sort of regret that because you can actually live stream for close to two hours on one regular battery.

[@Pr0noTrigger]

Sander Bos you can’t just keep the micro usb cable plugged in to keep the battery charged?

[@sanderbos]

@@Pr0noTrigger That depends on what camera you have exactly. The A5100 that I have and its bigger brother the A6000 cannot be charged over USB while using them, they only charge while turned off. But later cameras like the A6300 can be charged over USB while using.

[@aLboOGieZ]

Plot Twist, Sony Imaging Edge Software with webcam support works on ILCE-5100 (a5100) but still not the a6000. I own the a6000😑😑

[@capcase3293]

Can you do this with a Sony NEX 7

[@miklosnemeth8566]

Today the same HDmi capture card costs only 9.99 euros. The dummy usb battery is 25. My understanding is that with HDMI you will have 1080p30 with 4.2.2 along with audio. The USB cable with Imaging Edge Webcam is a lot more inferior and NO audio.

[@necipoguzvideos301]

Thanks for video. Can you tell me which mic you used to record this video ?

[@malissl6031]

i have the a6000 and i think the same capture card from amazon. I did exactly the same as you did in the video, but it doesn´t work. When i put the cable in the kamera, my display gets black and when i choose the USB Video in my OBS, there is no signal. Is my capture card broken? Or is there something in my Setup that i have to change? Please help me 😭

[@javierpiles5833]

No Luck here. I bought aparently the same capture card. a 5 meters long HDMI cable, and I can't get the image from the camera. :(

[@Indilicious999]

Hi, how do we remove focus point on camera screen

[@funplaymix7710]

A webcam will turn on / off automatically. How do you make sure the a6000 turns on/off automatically as soon as you open/close zoom w/out having to manually flip the switch to on/off.

[@richtube410]

So what camera setup are you using for your video now?

[@ArronPrescott]

Either using the Sony a5100 or a6000 to film my youtube videos.

[@richtube410]

@@ArronPrescott Thanks. It is really clear. Wouldn't have imagined that good. My old a5000 won't cut it...

[@miguelserrano725]

@@ArronPrescott what lens are you using in this video?

[@tdannichols]

Hi, I just subscribed today. I’m buying 3, maybe 4 A5100’s And you’ve been very helpful. I’ve a question. If I’m using the A5100 directly to a Atem Mini Pro do I need a capture card? I’d think not because that’s built into the Atem but I don’t know.

[@peterthomson7050]

Hi there, can you help? How do I get an HDMI output without all the info ie battery life et all and have a clean stream picture. Best regards, from Pete.

[@warwickpoole]

Arron, I was able to get my a5100 to work in zoom with the latest version of Imaging Edge. It works fine, no hardware support required.

[@LariTheWarrior]

Really??

[@Xboxjaypro3]

Are you sure? We’d all appreciate confirmation.

[@TylerRayHamblin]

Yea hard for me to believe this because it isn’t working for mine

[@saintcastle]

Thanks for the video. Its helped me out and explained why my A6000 wasnt working with the imaging edge software. It simply just wont work. so 2 hours of trying to get it to work was put to rest cuz you said it wouldnt work when other vids said it would but there is no option for the A6000 on the site for Imaging edge software. looks like im buying a cheap capture card like you. THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THIS UP AFTER LOTS OF STRESS AND HOPING I DIDNT BUY THE WRONG CAMERA AT $650.

[@ArronPrescott]

Glad I could help! It's frustrating that the a6000 isn't compatible but at least a capture card can be used for a low cost work around.

[@saintcastle]

@@ArronPrescott I’ve had an El Gato HD 60S for years but it was never used cuz my internet wasn’t good plus I wasn’t streaming or recording video on pc. I was using my PS4 6 years ago. Recently we acquired 80mbps and 9 months ago I made my own pc and I’ve been upgrading my rig and setup ever since. To us a DSLR as a webcam is a banger. Can you suggest how to cut the background out of my video commentary? The background is nasty and I can’t move my setup. Thanks again for all you do, 20 seconds off your video helped me so much. I guarantee you’ve helped thousands with your content. Keep doing what you do and thanks for your time. I know your a busy man and I hope we can be friends in the future.

[@Neddlysan]

So I have literally done this with the a6000. Same Usb capture device and all and I cannot get feed from the camera. Select the USB video as an input device and I get that multicolored default display in OBS. Any tips?

[@alexstievenart]

Half press the shutter button. Works for me. Might be you need to do it twice because sometimes it defaults to playback.

[@indrakomara9828]

sorry sir , can u help me , it does'nt work on my sony a5100 , after we chose a usb videos there , the screen blank

[@amberwoodstudio]

How do you get rid of the focus square for live stream?

[@ArronPrescott]

You can remove the on screen display for a clean image without cropping by going to SETUP> HDMI Settings > HDMI Info. Settings change this to OFF

[@amberwoodstudio]

@@ArronPrescott thanks 👍

[@helloojean3474]

i have this camera for videos and now I have school online and don't want a webcam TYSM for this video

[@musitude7121]

Arron, I have a question about alternate lenses for the Sony A5100. I'm not a fan of auto focus when using it as a face cam as I tend to change position quite a bit with leaning forward and back and I find the auto-focus is a bit jittery even when I sit still. But when I set it to manual focus I find the depth if field with the stock lense that comes with the camera is super shallow. It seems to be about only 5 to 10cm. Ideally I'd like a lens for the A5100 that has about a 120cm manual setting depth of focus. I'm not too fussy about whether the background is in focus or blurred but it would be nice to have the option of both but not sure if a lens with a 120cm depth of field would give the option of both.

[@sanderbos]

I happened to see your comment while responding to another comment. If you want as much depth of field as possible (so a big of area of things in focus), do you know that you have to make the aperture value as big as possible? With narrower aperture (so bigger values) you get less light in the lens but more in focus. You can try switching to Aperture Priority Movie recording mode and set the aperture to a fixed high value. Of course, with the kit lens you can only go to 5.6, so not very narrow (my very cheap not suitable for webcam 50mm lens can go to f16 for instance, but then you get almost no light in the lens). What focus modes have you tried, because I do use auto-focus for web cam mode, AFS-C continuous autofocus to be exact. And make sure the room is plenty bright so the focusing works better.

[@musitude7121]

@@sanderbos Thanks Sander. I actually returned the A5100 and got the Sony ZV-1. Taking some lessons so learning a bit about aperture. I'm using two Elgato Keylights on my face so will have plenty of light so I'll experiment with F4 or up to 10 and see what Focus field I get.

[@joonajks]

Can you still use auto focus live streaming?

[@ArronPrescott]

Yes Autofocus can still be used while livestreaming!

[@joonajks]

@@ArronPrescott thank you!

[@joonajks]

@@ArronPrescott Should the Sony camera be on manual or video mode for live streaming?

[@TheOracleOfApollo]

If you are streaming will the camera shut off? like it does when you record for 30 mins?

[@jayceelambii2073]

You need a dummy battery which is essentially just a normal battery with a AC cable connected to it for constant power, otherwise yes it will turn off/die eventually.

[@ksurwt9744]

under rated channel ..i wonder what is the reaon for low sub ?

[@VictorineBihTakwe]

I use A5100 this is amazing news

[@Nikolas_kloudas]

Such a great video! I really need a camera for streaming and i was looking to buy the 5100 cause so many people told me great stuff about this but isnt it old?, with arround 400-500 euros what camera would u suggest me to take for streaming? Should i go on the 5100 sony? Or do u have any other suggestions?Really waiting for your answer!

[@SilverKing3578]

ΝΙΚΟΛΑΣ ΚΛΟΥΔΑΣ Get the X-T20, a6000 or a6100. All these cameras are excellent for streaming.

[@HappyHands.]

Wait wait wait.... Micro usb to HDMI cable???? or micro HDMI to HDMI cable??

[@ThePhilharmonicStudios]

Hi Arron recently I used a5100 for a video work , I did not watched the video in other device as I got a day ago , today I saw it there is "Date and time" mentioned in the video is there is way to remove it ?

[@PanchiArmani]

i have the Sony Alpha 5100, and just bought the Elgato hd60 Capture card. i got the Normal to Mini HDMI kabel, i did everything you say, i cant get my sony 5100 window on OBS. I want to live stream from ps4 to PC, and record myself while doing it on Twitch. I did try multiple things but i cant get it fixed even through i got everything i need. ps: i do noticed that i have a memory card that i cant use on XAVCS i bought the PRO version from Sandisk its here tomorrow, maybe thats the problem i dont know it anymore!!!

[@semblancesmilerecords9429]

i'm having the same issue, did you solve it?

[@edwinalzate4994]

I have a box around my face at all times like a square following my face...How do I get rid of it?

[@ArronPrescott]

You can this for by going to SETUP- HDMI Settings- HDMI Info. Settings change this to OFF

[@dakshindustries]

Did u sync the audio ?

[@ArronPrescott]

Yes I record the audio separately and sync in in my editing software.

[@christianmotos]

Why use a dummy battery when you can just plug in the usb charging adapter that came with the camera?

[@ArronPrescott]

Unfortunately you cannot charge and use this camera at the same time. Making a dummy battery a good way of getting around this.

[@Geeko12]

i think this card is not needed , the picture quality is similar to direct cable connection using sony image capturing software.

[@joedwelheimparcon4506]

Hello sir, how about in the zoom meeting? Can I use it for my a6000?

[@ArronPrescott]

Yes, you can definitely use this card with a6000 for zoom meetings!

[@diegobrownthegoodfairy9941]

@@ArronPrescott but how do you get the aspect ratio right in Zoom, please?

[@Rocnuts]

Hi Arron, G'day from Australia. I have the a6000. I'm keen to get it set up for zoom meetings. I have bought a cheap cam link card on amazon. I bought a cheap HDMI to mini HDMI and followed your instructions with no luck. The card got good reviews so I know it worked for others. I've tried having it in movie mode. I don't have a dummy battery. I guess I can try and return the cam link and try another one. Any other ideas?

[@javierpiles5833]

same here ;(

[@EstherOngenda]

Great Video! Do you have any tips or tricks on how to minimize the image quality from looking overly sharp? No matter what aperture, frame rates etc that I use, my image looks super sharp to the point that all thet I have particles and jagged lines :( I use streamlabs to stream on twitch so any help or output settings would help. I also have the same cheap capture card. I have an HP gaming PC

[@EstherOngenda]

My twitch is estherpester just in case you want to see what the camera quality looks like

[@nicoarcenas]

Omg that capture card is $6 from here in the PH. Sweet.

[@RaGeBeatbox]

It works with the program you just need to setup de camera go to setting -> to usb settings -> set it on PC remote and it's fixed good luck everybody

[@VaidasLungis]

Omg what a great advice to crop image. I have Sony a5000 and it is impossible to get the clean hdmi output. I did think about cropping. Thanks!

[@ernestjohntamana9046]

Wow this is awesome. Thanks. I use A6000

[@TheJASDrummer]

Have you had any overheating issues streaming?

[@PaoloGiannandrea]

There are a couple of not great free alternatives: - On Windows digiCamControl allows you to live feed from wifi and it provides a webserver (that you can transform into a webcam with other free software). Not great if you have only one wifi on your pc (but I used it with an usb hotspot from my mobile connected to wifi) - On Linux gPhoto2 works via usb and you can also convert it into a webcam with other free software It's probably better just to use these cheap usb acquisition software instead but if you just want to try it's good enough...

[@ArronPrescott]

Completely agree about these alternatives. I tried a couple out, and considered including them in the video but in the end, they were either massively unreliable or far too low quality or frame rate. Thanks for your comment!

[@Nikolas_kloudas]

Hi there , im About to start streaming on twich and i got my sony 5100 , as it seems i need a capture card , would you still suggest me this one? My bugdet is arround 40 dollars

[@funkiEst]

You don't need it !!! you can directly stream through USB as a webcam if you install the Imaging Edge Webcam driver !!! you're wellcome

[@Nikolas_kloudas]

TalbotShip the a5100 does not support it

[@ArronPrescott]

Check out this video where you can using the imaging edge Webcam app on the a5100 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6WWhqqBj9iapK8 the quality isn't as good as a capture card, but it's a good start!

[@funkiEst]

ohh thank you, i needed to know this, for a capture experinent im involved now i need the highest quality and i was wondering about the results of this cheap captures card, i'm ordering one :D thank you

[@funkiEst]

@@Nikolas_kloudas yes it does, im using it, but as Arron says, it delivers great quality but not as good as the hdmi one.

[@howtoreviewanything2615]

I have been using my gopro for streaming and has worked very well with that capture card !

[@nathan-sg7cu]

that exact card is like 3-4 usd here in the Philippines :3

[@floatingrabbit3556]

JUst what I was looking for. Thanks.

[@Jake_Fowler]

Very helpful video. Thank you, kind sir

[@EasyGuitarLessonsFree]

A5100 amazing

[@chris_wall]

Great video, thanks very much.

[@justatiger6268]

Thank you so much for solving my problem!

[@kotkaseriale4461]

Thanks that was helpful :D

[@lazyeyegamerz8027]

Good video :D....thanks! :D

[@johnwalker5206]

Perfect, thanks!

[@musitude7121]

I recently bought the Eglato Camlink here in the UK for £120 to use with my Sony A5100 but then also saw a review for the cheaper version so bought one for £27.99. Based on your review it seems the only difference is the fps as the Sony A5100 can't do higher res than 1080p anyway. So I have to decide to pay £92 'more' for the Elgato to get 60fps or save £92 and accept a limit of 30fps. As I am only using it as a desktop streaming camera with little motion it seems the better option to keep the cheaper one and return the Elgato and save a significant amount of money.

[@musitude7121]

By the way, I was only getting 5fps with this at first so thought it was a dud but I had to change the settings in StreamLabs OBS and it works great.

[@natural2]

Thanks!! It’s on sale for $20

[@peterthomson7050]

oops , I just found the answer lower down in the comments. Best. P.

[@SagieSmalls]

Thank you !

[@kamilstanek03]

Thank you

[@bersh_ua]

wow, realy thank u

[@donotreportmebro]

wait... that's insane quality drop

[@LalaGamingVN]

In VietNam, we buy that capturecard with 10$ :D

[@didiudoaffah4359]

A5100 is still expensive

[@MarkOakleyComics]

My theory is that the ground-breaking chip running these super cheap capture cards was lifted from Blackmagic Design's ATEM Mini and whisked out the back door of a Chinese factory. BMD puts up the engineering money and criminals benefit. It's just a cynical theory, but my money is on "industrial piracy." My innocence was soured by "Lepin".

[@ArronPrescott]

Interesting theory! It does seem odd that a whole host of these cheap capture cards have exploded onto the market at the same time. Ultimately lower prices are better for the consumer (if the quality is high) but I can see why you suspect foul play.

[@thenullco]

It's not a groundbreaking chip, though. It's just an HDMI to USB converter. You could buy a smartphone to HDMI converter almost ten years ago... same technology. Neither BMD or Elgato/Corsair have exclusivity of this chip. You could pick up this chip set at any market in Shenzhen. Big companies charge big bucks, smaller companies offer cheaper alternatives.

[@MarkOakleyComics]

@@thenullco The technology is old, but this appears to be a refinement requiring a great deal less data bandwidth. All the previous capture cards from Avermedia and Elgato capable of moving this amount of video data at this low a latency required USB 3, but this dongle is doing the same thing, faster than even the current best capture cards, in a fraction of the bandwidth, over USB 2. So somebody is clearly doing something new, at least in terms of PC video capture. -If, as you say, these video processor chips have been available for a long time, then one wonders why nobody has capitalized on them until now, laboring under much less efficient systems for so long.

[@thenullco]

@@MarkOakleyComics The low latency on this model is thanks to the MJPEG compression. The trade-off being a noticeably soft image with visible aliasing on solid colours. An easy signal to pump down USB 2.0. There's a great video from EposVox looking at this particular device. Alternative devices that promise 1080p and 4k 60hz may well need USB 3.0 and the compression in those devices certainly won't be as harsh as MJPEG. It could even be a 'raw' feed.

[@funkiEst]

Hey wait a minute, this video needs an update !!! why anybody seems to talk about the Imaging edge webcam driver to use the sony a as a webcam ? it works perfect, i can't even tell if the image quality is different than the one you get through HDMI ! and, in addition to this... it's even possible to use both outputs at the same time !!! haha... the only extra output i have left to try simultaneously is the wifi remote one but i think i dont want my a5100 to explode yet :D... try the USB stream if you haven't yet and maybe you'd like to make a video about it ! (i've found a little bug when USB connecting, it's better when the camera mode on any photo one and once is connected to the capture app such as VLC then switching the camera mode to video, which is essential to transfer high quality and not just preview quality video)

[@ArronPrescott]

Not to worry, since I released this video, the Imaging Edge Webcam app was released(which is why I hadn't mentioned it here) here's my video all about it - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6WWhqqBj9iapK8

[@funkiEst]

@@ArronPrescott Oh sorry, i havent seen it before, of course you've made that other video :) i'm learning a lot from your videos, i've actually bought the cheap HDMI capture device and i'm just trying it now for the first time :) trying some other software instead of VLC to see if there is a difference, i'll try with the one you are using in this video, OBS, thank you !

[@relaxvideo3d]

Atomos Connect!

[@Mariska9943]

I bought that for 9 euros on aliexpress

[@ArronPrescott]

Wow great price!

[@josephchristoffel]

Thank you!