AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra GC553 – 4K60 HDR Pass-Through, 4K30 Capture, Low Latency for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch, Windows 11/macOS 10.13

I'm writing this review primarily because none of the other reviews seem to cover using the device on macOS, which is what I bought it for. This is for the GC553 connected over USB-C with an Apple Thunderbolt cable as the Mac instructions suggest. I have the device connected to a 2018 Mac Mini, which obviously doesn't meet the system requirements AVerMedia provides but that's fine because I'm not using their software. I took my chances going in knowing this was a standard USB Video device and figured if the Mini can encode 4K30 in realtime via hardware then why would I need discrete graphics? As it turns out, I was right and it works fine. The official software provided for the device can't even capture a stable 1080p30, which is expected since it's just encoding in software. But it can apply firmware updates and change settings. OBS can't do hardware encoding on the Mini either, so that's not very good either. The good news is that any app that can do video capture + hardware encoding on a Mac works perfectly. The easiest option is Quicktime Player, which comes with macOS. Quicktime Player offers two quality settings, High and Maximum. High is 720p, maximum is 1080p. Both capture at a flawless 60fps with no dropped frames. Unfortunately QuickTime Player doesn't let you capture at 4K. I don't know how many capture apps for macOS support both hardware encoding and 4K devices, but I found a 3rd party app called SwiftCapture and purchased that. It can capture 4K30fps directly to H.264 on the Mac Mini flawlessly, no dropped frames. This is exactly what I wanted and it confirms that the official system requirements are just a limitation of the official software and you probably can use the capture device on any mac with USB-C as long as it supports hardware encoding. Note that I use this specifically for capture to files only. I haven't looked to see if any 3rd party streaming app supports the hardware encoder on the Mac Mini. OBS doesn't as of version 23.2.1. You can still use that anyway but the framerate will be choppy since it's not hardware encoded. As far as the product goes, I was impressed by the size. It's much smaller than the HD PVR that I used to capture component video previously. And the fact that it is USB powered is also nice. Set up was fairly easy, just connect it following the instructions and use the software on their website to update to the latest version. The only disadvantage I can see is that it doesn't seem to be capable of capturing 1440p60 unless the source device is outputting that resolution. When you have 4K content, I can capture in 4Kp30 or 1080p60 which is downscaled from 4K, but it doesn't let you capture the 4K downscaled to 1440p60. When you put the device into 1440p mode during 2160p video it just displays a message about resolution not being supported. In the software provided it seems the only way to capture at 1440p is to put the device into 4k30 mode but save your video as 1440p30. I'm not sure if it behaves the same way on Windows but it would be nice to be able to directly capture into 1440p even if the content was 2160p. Overall it's a great little device if you just want to do video recording from a Mac, especially if you don't use the provided software.

When researching this device I got bad information. Unlike the previous Avermedia LGP 2 this device does not actually limit the Switch 2's 4K HDR or its Linear 5.1 Surround sound. When using the previous device I actually had to play games in 4K without HDR and listen to them in stereo sound only. I have had no such issue with this device. I am running the Switch 2 through the device into my Marantz reciever (9.1 dolby atmos) and it sends the full 5.1 Linear surround signal. The Switch2 is limited to this ONE type of surround sound in the console's settings. So you need to make sure you can pass through this signal if you are using a surround system (may not impact headphones as much). The basic idea is that I did not want to sacrifice 4K, HDR or my surround set up in any way while playing the Switch 2. I was not willing to play in stereo or without HDR like the previous device forced me to do. Now what I am talking about is playing the Switch 2 uncompromised, not the quality of the recording. I am only recording in 1080 P and the recording itself may be in stereo. I did not test that but it sounds fine for youtube, and I dont want to record in 4K since it takes up alot of file space. So this did exactly what I was looking for. Again if you are using headphones it will probably sound good enough. Just be aware that using USB headphones will remove the sound data from the recording. You will likely need to use wired headphones connected directly to your stereo using a 9mm jack to avoid the issue. Thats what I do if I want to use headphones on Switch 2. My expensive headphones are USB only and wont allow me to record the audio for gameplay, just the video. Normally I run the console through my dolby atmos surround system, so its not a big deal. I got this device SOLELY to record the Switch 2 (but without compromising audio and video passthrough). I use the PS5 Pro and Series X's recording feature to record gameplay on external HDD's for those systems. The Switch 2 does not have a built in recording feature for long videos unfortunately. For PC gaming I use OBS on the PC to record that. This was my only solution for Switch 2 without compromising the pass through. The only issue is that you will need pretty good PC specs to run this device. My main work PC was not powerful enough, but the PC I use for gaming for overly capable so I am using that PC to record Switch 2. I just need to turn that PC on whenever I record Switch 2.

I never write Amazon reviews even if the product I've bought is absolute garbage, but I'm not kidding you when I say this capture card has caused me nothing but grief. I bought it over 3 years ago. At first, it worked completely normal. The setup was a bit painful but that's only because it requires so many cords going into so many ports. I was recording gameplay and the quality was pretty good. Fast forward a couple months later, I'm trying to use this card again. I plug it in, it begins flashing green. Huh, that's weird. Unplug it, plug it back in. It flashes again, constantly, and my pc isn't reading the card. I do this over and over again until I'm hit with luck and it works again. Until next time when I go to use it and it flashes green no matter what. It's been so long and I've been unable to fix this issue. Uninstalling drivers doesn't work. Changing the usb cord doesn't work. Plugging it into another pc doesn't work. This is apparently a known "defect" or issue but nobody says anything about it...lol Wasted almost $200 on something I can never use or return again.

Sometimes there is a problem with audio capture, but the software and the device itself operate at a good quality. Even if it is used for a long time, there is no problem because cooling is smooth. The only thing missing is that it supports only 4k to 30 frames, but there are not many platforms that support 4k broadcasting. It will be your best choice when you use reasonable prices and alternate equipment. However, if you want to edit high-quality video rather than real-time transmission, consider a built-in capture board.

I was quite impressed with the GC553 external capture card, even though we had a tough beginning to the relationship. First upon opening I tried to run it with a regular USB C to USB C cable because I had minimal USB A 3.1 ports available. No dice it only powered up but did not deliver data over this connection. You MUST use the provided cable or it wont work. Next I tried to upgrade the firmware to the latest version and had it fail twice, okay not normal. So I figured maybe power cycling the unit would help. This caused everything to go bad, the device no longer showed up as the correct name and instead showed up as "westbridge" and was not showing up as a capture device either so things were looking bad. After much hunting and emailing the company support line I was able to hunt down a little article on the support website called "GC553 Recovery Utility Steps" which had a nifty little application and guide to follow to reset the unit to factory firmware and make it show up correctly to windows again. (If needed go to AverMedia website under their support FAQ and search for GC553 Recovery and look under F/W Upgrade tab) So after recovering the device I was finally able to flash it to the latest firmware, the only thing I can notice is that the USB C side of the plug is a little loose when I hold slight pressure on the wire it will cause windows to keep making the device connected bonk noise repeatedly. So I guess the only advice is to be very careful with the provided cable as no other USB C cable will work with the unit. After that ordeal was over I was very impressed with the actual performance and capture of the device, compared to the old thunderbolt blackmagic intesnsity extreme I had been using I was now able to capture at full 2560x1440 with out having to use a scaler in my setup which eliminates another piece of hardware. So in short if you need a small and portable capture device, this is the best one as of Dec 2018. Just take care with the plug and connection on the device it self and make sure not to move or jostle it while updating firmware.

I am not highly familiar with this brand, although I had a VGA video converter from them a few decades ago that was decent. Looking for a replacement for my ElGato HD60 (which I'm giving a 1-star review), I found this on Amazon. I've not heard much about this unit, not seen many video producers or streamers talk about it, but I gave it a shot since I had so much trouble with ElGato. This thing performs excellently. The video quality is great and there is virtually no lag. I can play games in the preview window with no trouble. The unit is very compact and sleek, and I like that it only needs USB power. It works fine in OBS. I did have some sound buffering on my front USB port, but the rear USB port was fine, so try that if the sound isn't good. I will say that I haven't tried the 4K. I do think it's a shame this only supports 30FPS recording in 4K, and for gaming I would much prefer 60FPS HD, but this may be a useful product for someone needing 4K if 30FPS is enough.

ElGato has disappointed me severely in the past, with my HD having compatibility issues despite hours of troubleshooting. So I switched to AVermedia on the recommendation of my youtube friends and got their new 4Kp60 model. And the footage captured looks REALLY REALLY good. I was pleased with the saturation of the colors as well as the consistent quality of it per second. Other capture devices have given me occasional seconds of grainy picture, yet I haven't had that issue with footage captured with this device. And the best part? NO INPUT LAG. That passthrough gimmick is no joke. And virtually no input lag is a NECESSITY if you're serious about capturing footage that is accurate to your actual play skill and not indicative of your ability to compensate for split second input lag. I'd highly recommend it to those who want to get into youtube. Is it expensive? Yes. My working class butt couldn't buy anything like new full price games or computer parts for three months. But youtube video making is an investment, and it is most definitely WORTH the investment.

I bought this to: (1) Take advantage of 4K HDR pass thru (2) Record in 4k if I so desire. Pros It does pass thru 4K HDR to the monitor. I am using a Samsing 40" 4K LED HDR tv (UN40NU7100FXZA) with my XBOX ONE X. The XBOX recognizes the HDR capability of the signal pass thru to the tv. After a couple of minor adjustments the picture quality is very good, definitely a major difference between HDR and non-HDR. Set up is pretty simple, HDMI (2.0) in from the XBOX; HDMI (2.0) out to the tv, and usb 3.1 to the PC/laptop. Firmware update is downloaded and executed thru the connected PC. No separate offline or micro SD mode. Cons: Will not record in HDR mode even though RECentral allows that function. I don't know whether this is an issue with the software, hardware, or connection. Attempts to record with HDR active continually froze after a few minutes, regardless of resolution. Turn off HDR (button click in RECentral) and recording is fine. The product description describes using a USB 3.1 connection and analyzes one's PC to ensure enough processing power, RAM, and connectivity. My laptop has a 3.1 thunderbolt port as well as 3 3.0 USB A ports. The analyzer said my configuration would work. What was provided was a short usb C to USB A cable. Two problems with that (1) Cable was way to short for how I wanted to set up and (2) I would have to connect at USB 3.0 not 3.1. I initially thought that that was the reason my recording was freezing but alternately found that it was not necessarily the case. I can understand the USB A connection since many PCs don't have a separate "C" port for 3.1 but the short length I don't, especially since its predecessor the GC5513 has a longer cable. I invested in a USB C to USB C 6 foot Thunderbolt cable (not cheap) (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074DSYD7S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) which worked fine (at higher transmit capability) for providing me greater flexibility in laptop placement. It still didn't solve the HDR freeze issue. Bottom line: I like the improvement in the pass thru picture but feel like the unit and software need some more work -- note that the RECentral software is the latest "beta" version. For goodness sake provide a longer cable for the PC connection and make that 2 cables -- USB C to USB A and USB C to USB C!! Given the shortcoming I am still positive about the purchase. I have made a few connection and calibration adjustments to get the set up and pass thru that I want and the price point is actually pretty good, especially since the price just dropped $50. There are very few alternatives out there for 4K recording these appear to be much more expensive. Update: For some reason the audio lags about 2 seconds behind the video. Makes the recording unusable. I will be diving into this issue soon to try to sync the two. If not successful then this rating goes to one star and the device will become an expensive paperweight. Another Update (10/18/2019): I put this aside for awhile but went back to it after updating firmware and downloading the latest version of ReCentral4. The audio lag went from 2 seconds to 1 second but was still there! I was about to give up again but decide to try OBS Studio -- which was actually mentioned in a poorly worded FAQ on the Avermedia site. Glad I did. Just using default values in OBS, the audio was in sync with the video and I am currently using this capture device again. Amazing though that the company's own software doesn't quite work and doesn't have the ability to adjust audio to sync up with video. In fact the only option it does have is to increase the delay!! New bottom line: I can now recommend this in conjunction with OBS Studio software but be sure to do the firmware update.

I tried to save myself a few dollars buying a cheap capture card initially... What a nightmare. I lost 2 days of streaming trying to get it working. This card arrived this morning, within 5 minutes of plugging it in, I'm online & everything is working perfectly. Do yourself a favour & buy a reputable brand like this... The cheap junk is just that.

Graba a alta calidad y soporta los 120hz de la Xbox series, el único problema es que no tiene un puerto para conectar los audifonos y eso ocasiona que no pueda grabar el audio de mis amigos

The software is .. insanely slow and clunky. On a Windows machine (where this product worked, ish - see below) it took forever to install their utility, it constantly suggested a firmware update, then failed identifying the device it just told me to update.. Bad start. I did manage to update the firmware using a Windows VM, so maybe that's a fluke? But! I bought this to use it on Linux. UVC should make that easy, in theory. Unfortunately I couldn't make the device work on two entirely different Linux machines - it is detected but doesn't provide any output. After days of tinkering and seeing reports of other people with the same issue online I have to assume that I am out of luck, that this hardware isn't standards compliant and was therefore a giant waste of money for me. Exploring alternatives now

This one is worked for me. Was trying different not work for me as been very slow . After change this one is better .fast than other one and worked good.

WindowsのノートパソコンとMacのノートパソコンにセットアップしてみました。 Macは最後のintelマックですが全く問題無く使用出来ました。