Magewell Eco Capture HDMI 4K M.2

4K HDMI Capture from an M.2 Slot

The Magewell Eco Capture HDMI 4K M.2 captures a single HDMI source at up to 3840x2160 resolution via an M.2 slot on the motherboard. No PCIe card slot required. At £276, it brings 4K HDMI capture into compact systems, embedded hardware, and builds where M.2 is available but PCIe expansion is not. It is the single-channel HDMI 4K option in Magewell's Eco Capture M.2 range: affordable 4K ingest in a form factor most buyers have never seen used for video capture before.

Understanding the M.2 Form Factor

The M.2 connector is the same interface used by NVMe SSDs. It is present on virtually all modern motherboards and is increasingly common in compact and embedded systems that have no PCIe card slots. Magewell's Eco Capture M.2 cards use the PCIe lanes carried by the M.2 interface to perform video capture. The physical card is roughly the size of an NVMe SSD stick. Installation is identical to fitting an NVMe drive: insert at an angle, press flat, secure with a single retaining screw. There is no PCIe card bracket, no slot cover to remove, and no large card to seat. The card sits flat on the motherboard in a standard M.2 key slot.

What It Captures

The Eco Capture HDMI 4K M.2 accepts a single HDMI input at up to 3840x2160. It handles standard resolutions below 4K as well, making it compatible with HD sources on the same card without requiring a separate device. FPGA processing manages colour conversion and scaling on the card, minimising CPU load on the host system. The card presents a single capture device to the host OS.

When to Choose This Card

• Compact production PCs, NUC-style systems, or mini-ITX builds with M.2 slots but no available PCIe expansion slots
• Embedded computing systems that need 4K HDMI ingest in a minimal physical footprint
• Servers where PCIe slots are fully utilised for other purposes but M.2 slots remain available
• Portable production rigs in compact chassis where physical card clearance is a constraint
• Development and integration projects that need 4K capture capability without a dedicated PCIe slot

How It Compares to Other Eco Capture M.2 HDMI Options

The Eco Capture Dual HDMI M.2 (also £276) provides two HDMI channels, each up to 1080p60, in the same form factor. If you need two HD channels rather than one 4K channel, that is the card. The Eco Capture HDMI 4K Plus M.2 (£570) adds 4K60 capability, HDR support, and an HDMI loop-through output, making it the top-of-range single HDMI M.2 option. The HDMI 4K M.2 at £276 covers 4K capture without the premium for 4K60 or loop-through, for buyers whose sources output at 4K30 and whose monitoring is handled elsewhere.

Software Compatibility

Compatible with vMix, Wirecast, OBS Studio, Adobe Premiere Pro, and FFmpeg. Supported on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server; Linux kernel 3.x and above; and macOS 10.14 and later.

StreamKit and UK Purchasing

StreamKit is an authorised UK Magewell reseller. The Eco Capture HDMI 4K M.2 carries Magewell's three-year warranty. UK orders ship free. UK technical support is available for pre-sales specification advice, including guidance on M.2 slot compatibility and PCIe lane availability for 4K capture on specific hardware platforms.