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Jeremy Miller photo
Thailand, Bangkok
1 Level
670 Review
47 Karma

Review on gofanco PRO-CaptureSDI - SDI Video Capture Card: Capture and Stream 3G/HD/SD-SDI Signals over USB 3.0 at 1080p @60Hz, with SDI Loopout. Ideal for Live Broadcasting from SDI Camera by Jeremy Miller

Revainrating 3 out of 5

The included cable is bad; Doesn't work on PS4. Support went out of the way! May work in other use cases.

First of all I would like to say that despite the issues with this device, Gofanco's support has been just OUTSTANDING and went out of their way to help and get me up and running - even sending me a replacement to test - but Unfortunately, the box currently has problems that still need to be fixed. They are working on it and have stated that they can fix it with a future firmware patch and I'll be sure to update this review when I get a chance to test it. It's for their outstanding service that I can even give them three stars for something that doesn't really work properly. When I first got the gofanco PRO-CaptureHD4K, I couldn't record anything with it. Drivers are installed but OBS/Skype/Manycam etc. never display an image. PS4 Pro was my goal. I contacted Gofanco support and they were very helpful but couldn't isolate the problem. They sent me another device and it had the same issues. After TEN hours of testing, I accidentally got something working because I lost the included cable and instead used a USB cable from SIIG Superspeed USB 3.0 to SATA 2.5" Enclosure and connected SNES Classic Edition to Gofanco box was because it was easier to test. THE SUPPLIED USB CABLE DOES NOT WORK! This has been tested on at least 7 different PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 10 using cables from 2 different instances of this device. What seems to be happening is that an additional driver (Composite USB device?) loads when using a SIIG hard drive cable, which does not load when using the included cable. Even when it works, the options dialogs are always grayed out, making troubleshooting the box as a whole very difficult. But the bad USB cable that came with it was only half the problem, Gofanco's box could only hold the SNES Classic Edition and not in every resolution. and couldn't display a direct signal from either of my two PS4 Pros, with or without VR. I later found a workaround: when I connected the Monoprice Blackbird Scaler Box, I was able to capture the PS4, but even with that it was still distorted in certain situations (e.g. the main menu page for the PS4 Bullet Girls Phantasia, as in one of the attached photos shown). Also, I wouldn't have to use a $70 scaling box just to get a $150 box that does what it should do without it. So what works? HDMI pass-through at 4K resolution works as expected, although the PS4 signal isn't showing through the PC. The packaging is very nice and professional, the build quality is good, the box is solid metal although the edges are very sharp. It comes with a full color instruction manual - a rarity these days. I wasn't originally planning on writing a review until the issue is resolved, but Revain's incentive to review the review early does some justice for all the time I've spent getting it working. - and I wish there were reviews or information about this device so these issues are not so time consuming. I hope this information can help someone or give them pointers on how to get the device working in their use case. I have used gofanco's 4K HDR splitter with great success so I know they can do amazing things and believe they can fix the problems one day and hopefully I can shoot directly from PS4 with this box. Pictures: 1 . Box closed 2. Box opened 3. What do you see in Windows/OBS if it doesn't work/USB drivers are only partially installed4. Some video distortion even after passing the PS4 video signal through Blackbird Scaler5. SNES Classic is the only one that worked outright; Frame from successful OBS footage.

Pros
  • Few competitors
Cons
  • Nothing here