Magewell Eco Capture Quad SDI M.2

Four Independent SDI Channels from a Single M.2 Slot

The Magewell Eco Capture Quad SDI M.2 provides four independent SDI capture channels from a single M.2 slot on the motherboard. Each channel supports SD-SDI, HD-SDI, and 3G-SDI, each is processed by its own dedicated FPGA, and all four operate simultaneously from separate sources. At £539, it is the highest-density SDI capture option in Magewell's M.2 range. For broadcast ingest in space-constrained deployments where four SDI sources need to be captured and PCIe slots are not available, this card is technically significant.

Four SDI Channels from a Connector Designed for an SSD

This warrants a clear explanation for engineers encountering M.2 capture for the first time. The M.2 interface carries PCIe lanes through the motherboard. Magewell's Eco Capture M.2 range uses those lanes for video capture, in a card physically the size of an NVMe SSD stick. The Quad SDI M.2 puts four complete SDI signal chains into that format, each with its own FPGA processing pipeline. There is no PCIe card slot involved. No bracket. No slot clearance required. The card installs with a single retaining screw in a standard M.2 key slot.

A four-channel PCIe SDI capture card occupies a full-height or low-profile PCIe slot, requires card clearance inside the chassis, and adds meaningful physical volume. The Quad SDI M.2 delivers the same channel count in a fraction of that footprint, sitting flat on the motherboard and adding almost no volume to the system.

What It Captures

All four channels operate independently, each supporting the full standard SDI signal range:

• SD-SDI for legacy standard definition broadcast sources
• HD-SDI for HD signals up to 1080i/720p
• 3G-SDI for 1080p60 and dual-link HD in a single coaxial cable

Each channel has its own FPGA for colour conversion, deinterlacing, and scaling. There is no shared processing between channels. All four can run simultaneously at full performance without contention.

Who This Card Is For

• Broadcast engineers building multi-channel SDI ingest into compact or embedded servers where PCIe slots are unavailable or already allocated
• AV integrators deploying four-source SDI ingest in small chassis that cannot physically accommodate four PCIe capture cards
• Mobile production units and flyaway kits where physical space and system weight are operational constraints
• Organisations adding multi-channel SDI capture to systems with M.2 availability but fully occupied PCIe expansion slots

Eco Capture vs Pro Capture for Multi-Channel SDI

Magewell's Pro Capture PCIe cards provide 24/7-rated, multi-channel SDI capture with the full professional driver feature set. For permanent broadcast infrastructure where uninterrupted 24/7 operation is a hard requirement, Pro Capture PCIe remains the primary recommendation. The Eco Capture M.2 range is the right choice when physical constraints make PCIe impractical. For space-constrained, embedded, and compact deployments, the Quad SDI M.2 delivers four-channel SDI capture that would otherwise require four separate PCIe slots or be impossible entirely.

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. All four channels present as independent capture devices.

StreamKit and UK Purchasing

StreamKit is an authorised UK Magewell reseller. The Eco Capture Quad SDI M.2 carries Magewell's three-year warranty. UK orders ship free. UK technical support covers pre-sales specification advice and post-purchase queries, including M.2 compatibility and PCIe lane count guidance for specific server and motherboard platforms.