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How to Record HDMI without a Capture Card on Your PC

Record HDMI without a Capture Card

Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 02:18 am

Now, you may be interested to record HDMI footage from a Blu-ray player or a game console.

You know that you can use an HDMI capture card to record games or videos.

But can you record HDMI without a capture card on your PC?

It seems possible.

What is Your Laptop HDMI Port For?

Most computers, especially laptops come with HDMI ports.

Since you have an HDMI port, you can connect your game console or another HDMI device to your laptop. Then use video capture software like OBS Studio to capture the video, can’t you?

Sadly, you can’t.

Many mistakenly believe that the HDMI port on a computer CPU or a laptop is HDMI in.

This means it can’t receive an HDMI signal. You can’t connect your Blu-ray player to your laptop and watch movies on it.

Laptop computer HDMI out port

Your laptop HDMI port is actually HDMI out. You can connect your laptop to a TV or a projector and get to view your laptop screen on an external display device.

Connecting Your Game Console to Your Laptop HDMI Port

Similarly, you can’t connect your game console through the HDMI port of your computer to display your game.

Since your computer can’t receive an HDMI signal, there’s no way you can use a video capture software like OBS to record HDMI without a capture card.

You would need a capture card because it comes with HDMI in, which receives the HDMI signal and sends it to the PC.

There’s an exception though.

Record Xbox One Game on Your PC without a Capture Card

Still, if you intend to record an Xbox One game on your PC you can do it without a capture card.

Here are the steps on how to go about it.

You would need Windows 10 to install the Xbox companion app, a relatively fast Internet connection, and two Ethernet cables long enough to reach your router (Wifi is not recommended) to minimize video lag.

Of course, you’ll need video capture software like OBS.

Watch the video below for detailed instructions on how to record HDMI gameplay without a capture card.

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