Open Other > SDI/HDMI

Documentation Documentation - English
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Opens a professional video capture device from Blackmagick Design that provides SDI or HDMI inputs. These devices are either PCIe cards installed in a desktop machine or Thunderbolt peripherals to be used with Macs and high end Windows laptops.
This allows Shotcut to record from external sources instead of importing media files.

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What SDI / HDMI capture is

SDI (Serial Digital Interface) and HDMI are standards used to transmit uncompressed digital video from cameras, mixers, or playback devices.

Typical sources include:

  • Broadcast cameras
  • Video switchers
  • External recorders
  • Playback decks
  • Professional capture cards (PCIe or external)

Shotcut accesses these devices through the system’s capture framework and underlying drivers.

Scope and behavior

  • Requires * Blackmagic Design SDI/HDMI capture hardware

  • Device availability depends on:

    • Installed capture card
    • operating system driver support
    • If no supported device is detected, the Device field may appear inactive.

  • Opens as a live video in the Source player

  • At this point you can confirm things are working, audio/video levels, and microphone & camera placement

  • Use the Export panel to record to a file

  • This cannot be used as the input for Timeline > Record Audio

Controls

Device

Selects the SDI/HDMI capture device.

  • Displays only supported capture cards

  • May be inactive if:

    • No compatible card is installed
    • Drivers are missing or inactive

This control is unrelated to display screens or monitors.

Signal mode

Defines the expected video signal format.

Options include:

  • Detect Automatically
  • HD formats (720p, 1080i, 1080p)
  • SD formats (NTSC, PAL)
  • UHD formats (2160p / 4K)

Each entry specifies:

  • Resolution
  • Scan type (progressive or interlaced)
  • Frame rate

Signal mode explained

Detect Automatically

Shotcut asks the capture device to detect the incoming signal format.

This is the most convenient option, but:

  • Not all cards support auto-detection
  • Detection may fail or misidentify the signal

Manually selected modes

When a specific mode is chosen:

  • Shotcut expects the input signal to exactly match

  • Mismatched settings can result in:

    • No video
    • Garbled image
    • Capture failure

Manual selection is often required for older or simpler cards.

Warning note:

Not every card model supports automatic signal detection, and not all cards support all signal modes.

This is a hardware limitation, not a Shotcut limitation.

Typical use cases

  • Live capture from professional cameras
  • Ingesting output from video mixers
  • Recording SDI feeds from broadcast equipment
  • Capturing HDMI output from external devices
  • Studio or live production workflows

Usage notes and tips

  • Verify the exact output format of the source device.
  • If auto-detect fails, select the signal mode manually.
  • Ensure the capture card supports the chosen resolution and frame rate.
  • SDI and HDMI audio handling depends on the capture card.
  • Test capture before long recordings.

Limitations

  • Requires dedicated capture hardware
  • Hardware and driver dependent
  • Incorrect signal mode prevents capture
  • Not suitable for consumer webcams or displays
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