12G-SDI

SDI Input

HDMI 2.0

Video Input

2160p60

Ultra HD Max

10-Bit

Color Depth

SDI Loop

Loop Output

TB4

Bus Powered

The Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G is a compact, single-cable Thunderbolt 4* capture interface that brings broadcast-quality 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 video into your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer — no external power supply, no rack required. It connects over one Thunderbolt cable, draws 15W from the bus, and captures Ultra HD up to 2160p60 from cameras, switchers, broadcast decks, and game consoles alike.

Whether you are archiving from legacy broadcast decks, capturing a live switcher feed, streaming with OBS or Wirecast, or pulling AI-processed video into DaVinci Resolve — the UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G handles it all from a device small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.

* Requires a computer with a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port.

Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G — compact Thunderbolt 4 12G-SDI HDMI 2.0 capture interface for Mac Windows Linux live streaming broadcast ingest Ultra HD 2160p60

Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G — 12G-SDI + HDMI 2.0 capture via Thunderbolt 4

Why Broadcast Engineers Choose the UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G

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12G-SDI Input + Loop Output

Single 12G-SDI input captures at all rates from 270Mb SD through 12G Ultra HD. The SDI loop output lets you pass the signal downstream without breaking the chain — ideal for monitoring or splitting to another device.

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HDMI 2.0 Input — Cameras to Game Consoles

HDMI 2.0 input captures from DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, broadcast cameras, and game consoles up to 2160p60. 8 channels of embedded audio, 48 kHz / 24-bit. Note: HDMI cannot capture from copy-protected sources.

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Thunderbolt 4 — Truly Bus Powered

One Thunderbolt 4 cable carries data and 15W of power. No AC adapter. Plug into any Apple Silicon Mac or Thunderbolt 4 / Thunderbolt 5 Windows and Linux PC and start capturing immediately.

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Live Streaming Ready

Compatible natively with OBS Studio, Wirecast, vMix, and Zoom. Capture from a switcher, camera, or broadcast deck and push straight to your streaming platform — no additional conversion hardware needed.

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Ultra HD Up to 2160p60

Capture full Ultra HD and 4K DCI up to 2160p60 via SDI. Multi-rate switching across SD, HD, 2K, Ultra HD, and 4K in the same capture workflow — one box covers every standard.

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16-Ch SDI Audio + 8-Ch HDMI Audio

16 channels of embedded audio via SDI and 8 channels via HDMI, both at 48 kHz / 24-bit broadcast standard. The full audio payload from your source comes into your NLE without a separate interface.

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HDR + Rec. 2020 — Hardware Colorspace Conversion

HDR static metadata packing with HLG and PQ transfer characteristics. Real-time hardware colorspace conversion between Rec. 601, Rec. 709, and Rec. 2020 — processed on the device, not the CPU.

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DeckLink API — Every App Just Works

UltraStudio Mini uses the DeckLink API, so almost all professional video and streaming software works natively. Install the Blackmagic Desktop Video driver, open your app, and your inputs are live.

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Mac, Windows and Linux

Full cross-platform support for macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 26 Tahoe or later, Windows 10 and 11, and Linux — using the same free Blackmagic Desktop Video driver across all platforms.

Capture from Cameras, Decks, Switchers and Game Consoles

The UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G is the input-only model in the UltraStudio Mini 12G family. It captures from 12G-SDI and HDMI in SD, HD, and Ultra HD — making it ideal for live streaming using software like OBS or Wirecast, archiving from legacy broadcast decks, or ingesting from cameras and game consoles into popular editing software. The included Blackmagic Media Express software gives you immediate capture capability without purchasing additional tools.

For AI image processing and live streaming workflows, the compact form factor and Thunderbolt 4 bus power mean you can set up a professional capture chain anywhere — at front-of-house, in a fly pack, or at a remote broadcast position — with a single cable from your laptop.

UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G supported resolutions — SD HD Ultra HD up to 2160p60 via 12G-SDI and HDMI

Extremely Fast Thunderbolt 4 Connection

All UltraStudio Mini models include fast Thunderbolt 4 with video capture plus power — all over a single cable. Thunderbolt 4 provides massive data speeds, delivering enough bandwidth to handle high resolutions, deeper bit depths, and advanced frame buffer formats including 4:2:2:4 and 4:4:4:4.

UltraStudio Mini uses the DeckLink API, so almost all professional video and streaming software works natively without configuration. Just install the Blackmagic Desktop Video driver, open your application, and your capture inputs are live.

Thunderbolt 4 single-cable bus-powered connection — UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G for Mac Windows Linux

Get True 10-Bit Broadcast Video Quality

UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G is designed to support the highest quality video capture. Most software supports capture to all popular video formats — Apple ProRes, DNxHD, and 10-bit uncompressed — so you are never locked into a single file format. 10-bit is the most commonly used television standard because colors can be represented with four times the precision of 8-bit video.

Working in 10-bit uncompressed ensures every captured frame is a perfect pixel-for-pixel clone of the original source — giving you the sharpest green screen keying, seamless VFX compositions, and superior color correction results in post.

Use Powerful Broadcast Graphics Tools

When creating broadcast graphics and titles, you will want to use the same tools graphic designers are already familiar with — so you get maximum creativity with no retraining required. The UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G works with Fusion, the visual effects software integrated directly into DaVinci Resolve, as well as Adobe After Effects and Photoshop. Fusion Studio is a powerful node-based compositing and VFX tool with full 2D and 3D environments, hundreds of effects, and deep integration with the DaVinci Resolve workflow. You can download and use Fusion free of charge inside DaVinci Resolve.

The included Blackmagic Media Express software lets you capture video directly into files that can be loaded into Fusion, After Effects, or Photoshop — giving your graphics team a clean, lossless source straight from the 12G-SDI or HDMI input.

UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G broadcast graphics tools — Fusion DaVinci Resolve Adobe After Effects Photoshop VFX compositing capture workflow

Compatible Software Applications

The UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G works natively with leading editing, live streaming, and ingest applications via the included Blackmagic Desktop Video driver.

DaVinci Resolve

Color / Edit / Ingest

Final Cut Pro

NLE / Editing

Adobe Premiere Pro CC

NLE / Editing

Avid Media Composer

Broadcast NLE

Fusion

VFX / Compositing

Adobe After Effects CC

Motion Graphics

Also compatible with: Wirecast, vMix, OBS Studio, Zoom, Cinegy Capture Pro, DevTek EasyMediaSuite, Glookast Capturer, Metus Ingest, Softron MovieRecorder, ToolsOnAir just:in, Burst Video WebClip2Go and [REC]Marker. Third-party support may vary — verify with your software vendor.

Who the UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G Is Built For

Live Streaming Engineers Broadcast Ingest Operators Archive and Deck Transfer AI Video Processing Workflows Remote and Field Production House of Worship Broadcast

Supported Codecs — Capture from 12G-SDI and HDMI

Codec Family	Formats	Best For
Apple ProRes	4444, 422 HQ, 422, 422 LT, 422 Proxy	High-quality capture from SDI or HDMI for Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve edit workflows
Avid DNx	DNxHD, DNxHR	Native Avid Media Composer capture and ingest from SDI broadcast sources
Uncompressed	8-bit 4:2:2 · 10-bit 4:2:2 · 10-bit 4:4:4	Maximum quality capture for VFX pipelines, green screen work, and color-critical post-production
HEVC / H.265	HEVC	Efficient high-quality capture for streaming and delivery review workflows
DPX	DPX	Cinema and VFX pipeline capture from broadcast 12G SDI sources
XDCAM	XDCAM EX · HD · HD422	Sony broadcast camera capture and archive ingest workflows
DVCPRO	DVCPRO50, DVCPRO HD	Legacy Panasonic format capture and archive transfer via SDI
Other	AVC-Intra · AVCHD · Canon XF MPEG2 · DV-NTSC · DV-PAL · HDV · Digital SLR	Mixed-source capture from cameras, decks, and game consoles via HDMI

Full Technical Specifications — Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G

Model	Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G
SKU	BDLKULSDZMINREC12G
SDI Video Input	1x 12G-SDI
SDI Loop Output	1x SDI loop output
SDI Rates	270Mb (SD) · 1.5G (HD) · 3G · 6G · 12G
HDMI Input	1x HDMI 2.0
SDI Audio Input	16 channels embedded — 48 kHz / 24-bit
HDMI Audio Input	8 channels embedded — 48 kHz / 24-bit
Computer Interface	Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)
Power	Bus powered via Thunderbolt cable — 15W, no AC adapter required
Compatible Hardware	Apple Silicon Macs · Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 Windows PCs · Linux
Operating Systems	macOS 15.0 Sequoia and macOS 26.0 Tahoe or later · Windows 10 (64-bit) and Windows 11 · Linux
Ultra HD / 4K SDI	2160p23.98–2160p60 · 4Kp23.98–4Kp60 DCI
Ultra HD / 4K HDMI	2160p23.98–2160p60 · 4Kp23.98–4Kp60 DCI
HD Standards	720p50/59.94/60 · 1080i50/59.94/60 · 1080p23.98–1080p60 · 1080PsF
2K DCI (SDI only)	2Kp23.98–2Kp60 DCI · 2KPsF23.98–2KPsF30 DCI
SD Standards	525i59.94 NTSC · 625i50 PAL
SDI Color Precision	8, 10, 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 (up to 2160p30) · 8, 10-bit YUV 4:2:2 (all standards)
HDMI Color Precision	8, 10, 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 · 8-bit YUV 4:4:4 · 12-bit YUV 4:2:2 (converted to 10-bit YUV 4:2:2)
HDMI Configuration	HDMI 2.0 supports Deep Color. HDMI input cannot capture from copy-protected sources.
Color Space	Rec. 601 · Rec. 709 · Rec. 2020
HDR Support	HDR static metadata packing · HLG · PQ transfer characteristics
Colorspace Conversion	Hardware-based real time
SMPTE Compliance	259M · 292M · 296M · 424M · 425M (A and B) · 2081-1 · 2081-10 · 2082-1 · 2082-10 · 2084 · ST2108-1
Hardware Frame Buffer	2vuy (8-bit YUV) · ARGB · BGRA (8-bit RGB) · Ay10 (10-bit YUVA) · r210 (10-bit RGB) · v210 (10-bit YUV) · R12B · R12L (12-bit RGB)
Software Included	Media Express · Disk Speed Test · LiveKey · Blackmagic Desktop Video Utility · Blackmagic driver (Mac and Windows) · Media Express · Desktop Video Utility · driver (Linux)
Operating Temperature	5 to 40°C (32 to 104°F)
Storage Temperature	-20 to 45°C (-4 to 113°F)
Relative Humidity	0% to 90% non-condensing
What's Included	UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G · Welcome wallet with QR code for software download
Warranty	1 Year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty

Ready to add professional 12G-SDI capture to your workflow?

Coremicro is an authorized Blackmagic Design reseller. The UltraStudio Mini Recorder 12G ships with full manufacturer warranty and support. Questions about compatibility with your cameras, switchers, or streaming setup? Our team works with broadcast gear every day.

Talk to a Broadcast Specialist

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