{"id":809,"date":"2020-06-11T15:30:42","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T13:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/next-hack.com\/?p=809"},"modified":"2020-10-07T08:46:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T06:46:10","slug":"a-20-vga-to-usb-capture-system-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/next-hack.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/11\/a-20-vga-to-usb-capture-system-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"A $20 VGA to USB Capture System (and more!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you ever had the necessity to capture HDMI to USB, you\u2019ll know that nowadays there are cheap HDMI to USB capture dongles available in Amazon, Aliexpress or Ebay<\/a>, that allow to record your HDMI stream to your PC, using OBS <\/a>or even VLC<\/a>. Be aware that most of these dongles are advertised as USB 3.0, but instead they are USB 2.0 only, so forget about 1080p @60Hz. Still, USB 2.0 is enough for some applications. These cards are sold under 15$, so, despite they are USB 2.0, they are worth a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 1. A low cost HDMI to USB capture device.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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However, if you need to capture a VGA signal (like we did, to capture uSVC <\/a>images), the situation is completely different. There are some VGA to USB dongles, or other VGA capture cards, but these are overly expensive, well above 100$ (sometimes above 200$) and some of them have a noticeable lag between input and output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is different from the ones we used to write: in this hack, we won\u2019t create anything from scratch, but instead, we will show a simple trick that allows you to reduce the cost <\/strong>of your VGA acquisition system by a factor 5<\/strong> at least. Furthermore, you\u2019ll get a more versatile equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very simple hack<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We already wrote that you can find cheap HDMI to USB capture cards<\/a> (note! HDMI -> USB, not the opposite, which is useless for this hack!). The trick is simple: buy one of these adapters, and also buy a VGA to HDMI adapter<\/a> (note: VGA -> HDMI, not the opposite, which is useless for this hack!). You\u2019ll also need to get an HDMI cable too (of whatever length) if you don’t have one spare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many VGA to HDMI adapters, but if you can afford some 8$ extra, we recommend buying one that also has an additional VGA output<\/a>. It is always useful to see in an actual monitor what you are recording, without having to check the recording software window on the PC screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 2. A VGA to HDMI + VGA converter. The additional VGA output might be useful in several cases.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Therefore, instead of having to purchase a VGA capture device (which can only do just that job), you need to buy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n