What is a (elgato) cam link for?

[Fedeoeae]

What does it actually do, besides it being taking an hdmi input and turning it into usb? Can't you just hook the camera through hdmi directly?

[LstpersonalOF]

No You Cannot Connect A Camera Thru The HDMI Input On a Computer because its not a input its an output and the camlink is what is better know as a capture card they connect your video signal and convert it to USB for something the computer can understand and can go to the elgato software or any third party software like obs,slobs,vmix,wirecast,etc.

 

[PlayStation 2]

Because you want an actual answer, I'll give you one: its main purpose is what you described: a simple HDMI to USB capture card intended for camcorders and DSLRs. You are right: it doesn't serve many purposes that a regular capture card wouldn't. It's really intended to make life easier for you to either use your computer to record video from a camera or to make it easy to use said camera as a webcam.

[sub68]

9 hours ago, Fedeoeae said:

Can't you just hook the camera through hdmi directly?

no that doesnt work

the camlink just takes camera output and makes it interrupt able to make it a webcam

[Fedeoeae]

thanks for all the replies. Btw, why don't they just make the HDMI ports 2-way? Would it be difficult for the manufacturer or do they just not care?

[LstpersonalOF]

they generally dont care because their products are design to output and not input as me and some people already mention but i have never seen a combined input/output HDMI personally have not seen it 

[GDRRiley]

2 way HDMI would be way more work and a pain. it wouldn't be all that hard for a GPU maker to do it but that means using PCB or die space