Magewell USB Capture SDI Plus
3G-SDI to USB 3.0 with SDI loop-through and discrete audio — professional broadcast SDI capture with monitoring.
- 3G-SDI loop-through output — SDI signal passes uninterrupted to downstream equipment (monitors, switchers, recorders) while being simultaneously captured to USB
- Discrete 3.5mm audio input — embed external audio sources independently of embedded SDI audio for clean, professional sound capture
- Captures SD-SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SDI at up to 1080p60 — covering the full range of professional SDI broadcast signal formats
- Driverless UVC operation — works immediately on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS without any driver installation
- Bus powered via USB — no external power supply needed for fully portable SDI capture in field and studio environments
- Magewell SDK support for custom software development and enterprise broadcast system integration on all major platforms
SDI Capture Without Breaking the Signal Chain
Professional broadcast environments depend on uninterrupted SDI signal chains. A studio camera feeds to a production switcher, a character generator, a monitor wall and recording systems simultaneously — breaking this chain to insert a capture device is not acceptable.
The USB Capture SDI Plus solves this with its 3G-SDI loop-through output. The incoming SDI signal passes straight through to your existing downstream equipment while the device simultaneously converts it to USB video for capture, streaming or conferencing. The SDI infrastructure operates exactly as normal.
This is the fundamental difference between the SDI Plus and the SDI Gen 2 — and the reason the Plus is specified in any professional SDI broadcast environment where signal chain integrity must be maintained.
Discrete Audio for Broadcast Quality
Broadcast audio typically comes from a mixing desk, audio console or dedicated audio interface — not directly from the SDI embedded audio. The USB Capture SDI Plus includes a 3.5mm discrete audio input that allows an external audio source to be embedded into the USB capture stream, bypassing or supplementing the embedded SDI audio.
This is particularly useful in news desk environments where presenter audio comes from a separate microphone system, in sports venues where commentary audio comes from a separate feed, and in event productions where audience audio needs to be combined with camera audio.
For HDMI sources with loop-through requirement, see the USB Capture HDMI Plus. For 4K SDI capture, see the USB Capture SDI 4K Plus and SDI 4K Pro.
Compatible Software Guide ↗| Video Input | |
| Input Connector | 1× 3G-SDI (BNC) |
| Supported Standards | SD-SDI (SMPTE 259M), HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M), 3G-SDI (SMPTE 424M) |
| Max Input Resolution | 1920×1080 @ 60fps |
| SDI Loop-Through Output | |
| Loop-Through Connector | 1× 3G-SDI (BNC) |
| Loop-Through Signal | Re-clocked SDI pass-through |
| Signal Chain Impact | None — downstream equipment unaffected |
| Audio | |
| Audio Input 1 | Embedded SDI audio (2-channel capture) |
| Audio Input 2 | 3.5mm TRS discrete audio input |
| Audio Capture Standard | UAC (USB Audio Class) — driverless |
| Video Capture Output | |
| USB Interface | USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (5Gbps) |
| Capture Standard | UVC (USB Video Class) — driverless |
| Uncompressed Formats | YUY2, UYVY, NV12, I420 |
| Power & Connectivity | |
| Power Source | Bus powered via USB |
| Max Power Consumption | < 4.5W |
| Product Information | |
| SKU | 32050 |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Price (ex-VAT) | £287.00 |
| Availability | In stock — UK warehouse |
Specifications sourced from Magewell product documentation. Contact us to confirm suitability for your specific application.
The SDI Plus is specified wherever professional SDI signal chains must remain intact during capture — broadcast studios, news operations, sports venues and installed SDI environments.
Broadcast Studio Integration
Insert capture capability into existing studio SDI infrastructure without disrupting the signal chain. Camera feeds continue to reach production switchers, monitoring systems and downstream equipment while also being captured for IP streaming or recording.
News Desks & Live Journalism
News operations with SDI camera infrastructure can capture presenter and location feeds for clip creation, archive and web streaming alongside live broadcast. The loop-through maintains the SDI feed to the broadcast chain unchanged.
Sports Commentary & Analysis
Capture SDI feeds from commentary box cameras and studio cameras used in sports production for real-time analysis tools, social media clip creation and post-match review systems, while maintaining the primary broadcast signal.
Production & Playout Monitoring
Operations and master control rooms can capture confidence feeds from playout systems for quality monitoring software, compliance recording and technical analysis using a single device that maintains the signal path.
Clinical AV Systems with SDI
Installed healthcare AV systems using SDI cameras in procedure rooms and lecture theatres can add software capture capability without modifying existing SDI routing matrices or monitor signal paths.
University Broadcast Studios
Higher education broadcast journalism programmes using SDI cameras can add capture capability to student editing workstations without disrupting the studio signal infrastructure used for live teaching broadcasts.
Government & Institutional Broadcast
Installed SDI systems in parliamentary chambers, courtrooms and government broadcast facilities can have discrete capture capability added without modifying the existing approved SDI infrastructure.
Systems Integration — SDI Environments
AV integrators and broadcast engineers can specify the SDI Plus as a loop-through capture point in SDI signal paths. The Magewell SDK enables integration with broadcast control systems and automation platforms.
Broadcast Software Development
Developers building ingest management, automated recording or SDI monitoring systems can use the Magewell SDK for direct SDI capture access on Windows, macOS and Linux without disrupting the SDI signal chain.
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