OBSCAPTURE CARD
What is a capture card and how to use one in OBS
What a capture card does, whether you need one, how to wire it up and add it to OBS, HDCP on PlayStation, and the fixes for a black capture screen in OBS.
Short answer
Before you start
- The console or second PC you want to capture
- The capture card and the USB cable it came with
- Two HDMI cables: console to capture card, and capture card to your TV or monitor
- OBS Studio on Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 13 or newer
- The card maker's own capture app, for testing the signal outside OBS
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Step by step
- 01
Know what a capture card actually does
Elgato Help: capture card inputs and outputs ↗You want to stream your PlayStation and OBS has no Capture Console button. That's the gap a capture card fills. It has three connections that matter.
HDMI In takes the signal from the console or other source. HDMI Out sends that same picture in real time to your TV or monitor, so you play as normal. USB sends the captured video to your computer. OBS picks it up as a Video Capture Device, the same source type you'd use for a webcam.
What you should see: You can find the HDMI In port, the HDMI Out port and the USB output on your card, each one labeled.
- 02
Work out whether you need one
OBS Knowledge Base: Sources Guide ↗Gaming and streaming on the same PC? You don't need a capture card. OBS grabs the game directly with the Game Capture source, which on Windows is built for hardware-accelerated games (on a Mac, the equivalent source is macOS Screen Capture). That's what Nicole uses in her 10-minute OBS setup video (in Spanish).
Playing on a console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch)? Then yes, because the console isn't inside your computer. Running two PCs, one for gaming and one for streaming? Then yes as well.
What you should see: You know which case you're in: same PC (use Game Capture), console, or two PCs (use a capture card).
- 03
On a PlayStation 5, turn off HDCP first
Elgato Help: HDCP and capture devices ↗HDCP is copy protection that rides along on HDMI. Capture cards can't capture a signal with HDCP on, and according to Elgato the PS5 ships with it enabled. Leave it on and OBS shows black.
Connect the PS5 straight to your TV, without the capture card. Per Elgato, go to Settings, System, HDMI and switch off Enable HDCP. Menu wording can vary with the console's firmware, so if you don't see HDMI, look for the Enable HDCP toggle under System. PlayStation itself confirms the PS5 supports HDMI capture devices once HDCP is disabled in Settings. On a PS4, per Elgato, it's under Settings, System. Nintendo Switch and Xbox One have it off by default, but apps like Netflix turn it on, so restart the console if the picture stays black.
What you should see: In the PS5's Settings, System, HDMI menu, the Enable HDCP toggle is off.
- 04
Plug the cables in the right order
Elgato Help: Troubleshooting No Signal ↗Run the HDMI cable from the console into the card's HDMI In port. Run a second HDMI cable from HDMI Out to your TV or monitor. Then connect the card's USB cable to your computer, using the port type the maker asks for (some models need USB 3 to capture at full resolution).
Use the HDMI cable that came in the box. Elgato says signals like 4K60 HDR or 1440p at 144 Hz need a Premium High Speed cable rated for 18 Gbps, and a slower cable can cause a black picture or flickering.
What you should see: With the console on, your TV shows the game through the capture card with no dropouts.
- 05
Add the card in OBS as a Video Capture Device
Nicole Rojas | YouTube | 4:27 ↗Open OBS, select your gameplay scene, click + under Sources and choose Video Capture Device. Give it a name you'll recognize, like PS5 Capture, and click OK.
In the window that opens (the option names here are OBS's Windows ones, and they may differ on a Mac), pick your capture card from the Device list. It's the same source Nicole uses to add her webcam in her 10-minute OBS video. Here you just pick the card instead of the camera.
What you should see: The preview in the properties window shows your console's picture.
- 06
Set resolution, buffering, audio and color
OBS Knowledge Base: Video Capture Sources ↗On Windows, check four settings in that same window (on a Mac, the names and options may differ). Resolution/FPS Type: leave it on Device Default, and if that doesn't work, the OBS guide says to switch to Custom. Pick a resolution the card doesn't support and the source shows nothing. Buffering: OBS notes that Disable helps if you see a delay.
Audio Output Mode: keep Capture audio only. With that option you won't hear the console on your computer unless you use OBS Audio Monitoring. Color Range: sets the range the card outputs, and it's the setting to change if the picture looks washed out or too contrasty (see the troubleshooting section).
What you should see: After you click OK, the source shows the game moving, and the card's meter in the Audio Mixer bounces with the game sound.
- 07
Make the picture fill the canvas
Nicole Rojas | YouTube | 3:03 ↗If the game shows up small, drag the red corner handles out to the edges of the canvas. Nicole does this with her game capture and points out that thin lines at the sides mean you're cutting off part of the picture.
If the image looks stretched or squashed, right-click the source, then Transform, Reset Transform. To trim black bars, hold Alt while you drag one side.
What you should see: The game fills the whole scene in the preview, with no black bars or lines down the sides.
- 08
Play on the TV, then sync your camera and mic if needed
Elgato Help: video and audio delay in OBS ↗Don't play while watching the OBS preview. The picture reaching your computer can run a little behind, especially on USB cards that compress the video. That's why passthrough exists: HDMI Out sends the picture to your TV in real time.
Add delay only if your face and voice end up ahead of the game. Some older cards need about 200 ms, per Elgato, which documents it for one of its compressing USB models and says it varies with resolution and setup. If your card adds almost no delay, skip this step. For the camera, right-click it, choose Filters and add Video Delay (Async). Note that delaying a video source also delays its own audio. For a separate mic, open Advanced Audio Properties from the Audio Mixer and put the value in Sync Offset. Record ten seconds of you clapping on camera and adjust until it lines up.
What you should see: In your test recording, the clap looks and sounds in sync with the game audio.
- 09
Black screen in OBS? Work through it in this order
Elgato Help: OBS Studio setup ↗The black screen, every capture card owner's rite of passage. Go from most to least likely. First, console HDCP (step 3). Second, make sure no other app has the card open. Many cards (for example Elgato's HD60 S+) can only be open in one program at a time, so check your model and close the maker's capture app. Third, in OBS (Windows) right-click the source, choose Properties, click Deactivate, wait 10 seconds and click Activate.
Still black? Delete the source and add it again. After that, check the console is plugged into HDMI In and that its output resolution is one your card supports. And that's it: the console is in OBS, HDCP is handled, and you've got a plan for the next time the screen goes dark.
What you should see: The source shows the game again in the OBS preview and on the TV.
If something does not work
- The TV looks fine but OBS shows black from your PS5
- That's HDCP, which Elgato says the PS5 has on out of the box. Plug the console straight into the TV, go to Settings, System, HDMI (per Elgato, and the menu can vary with firmware) and switch off Enable HDCP. Then route it back through the capture card.
- The maker's capture app shows a picture but OBS doesn't
- The card works, but two apps are fighting over it. Close the maker's app, then in OBS (Windows) right-click the source, choose Properties, Deactivate, wait 10 seconds and Activate. If it doesn't come back, delete the source and add it again.
- The picture flickers or the card says No Signal
- Reseat both HDMI cables firmly and use the cable that came with the card. Elgato doesn't recommend HDMI 2.0 cables longer than 6 feet. If it keeps happening, lower the console's resolution or frame rate. Cheap HDMI cables have strong opinions about 4K.
- Game audio is missing or comes out on another track
- Open the source properties (on Windows) and set Audio Output Mode to Capture audio only. If it's on one of the Output desktop audio options, OBS sends the device's audio out through your system default device, and your viewers hear it from the Desktop Audio track instead of the card's own meter. To hear the game yourself, use the TV or OBS Audio Monitoring.
- The picture looks washed out or too contrasty
- Open the source properties (on Windows) and change Color Range. Elgato suggests Default or Limited for consoles. If you're capturing a PC, you may need Full.
Test before you go live
- Console HDCP is off and you've confirmed the picture reaches OBS.
- No other app has the card open while OBS is running.
- You play on the TV or monitor connected to HDMI Out, not on the OBS preview.
- Your camera and mic line up with the game in a test recording.
- Game audio comes in on a single track and doesn't get mixed with another in the Audio Mixer.
- You know the Deactivate and Activate trick in case the picture drops to black mid-stream.
Cómo configurar OBS para streaming en 10 minutos
Related video from Nicole (in Spanish) ↗Common questions
What is the purpose of a capture card?
It moves video from a device that isn't your streaming computer, like a console or a second PC, into that computer over USB or PCIe. OBS then treats it like any other video source. The HDMI Out port lets you keep playing on your TV with no delay at the same time.
How do I set up a video capture device in OBS?
Click + under Sources, choose Video Capture Device, name it, and pick your card in the Device list. On Windows, leave Resolution/FPS Type on Device Default and keep Audio Output Mode on Capture audio only (Mac option names may differ). If the preview stays black, check HDCP first.
What's the difference between USB and PCIe capture cards?
A USB card is external and plugs into any computer with the right port, laptops included. A PCIe card sits inside a desktop PC. For one of its internal models, Elgato credits the PCIe connection with a low-latency preview.
Do I need a capture card to stream PC games?
Not with one PC. On Windows, OBS captures the game directly with Game Capture. On macOS 13 or newer, use macOS Screen Capture instead. You only need a card when the game runs somewhere else, like a console or a separate gaming PC in a two-PC setup.
Does a capture card work on a Mac?
OBS offers the Video Capture Device source on Windows and macOS (the options this guide describes are the Windows ones), and the current OBS release needs macOS 13 or newer. On Linux the equivalent source is Video Capture Device (V4L2). Check that the card maker supports your operating system too.
Can I stream Netflix or a movie through a capture card?
No. Apps like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video always switch HDCP on, and capture cards can't capture that signal. DVD and Blu-ray players over HDMI are the same.
Can I connect a capture card to a phone?
This guide is for OBS, and the official OBS download page only offers Windows, Mac and Linux versions. So using a capture card with OBS takes a computer. If a card promises to work with a phone, check the maker's instructions.
What is the best capture card for streaming?
It depends on what you capture. Check that it supports your console's resolution and frame rate, has passthrough if you want to play on the TV without delay, and that the connection suits your computer. We don't recommend models or prices here, because they change constantly. Check the supported resolutions on the maker's page.
