When we first reviewed the Elgato Gaming 4K capture card, we mentioned that the card didn’t support HDR pass-through at the time. Seeing how was the first gaming based 4K capture card, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. However, as time went on, more and more games started supported HDR and suddenly gamers started asking for HDR support to be added. So as of yesterday, Elgato announced that the 4K 60 Pro will now support HDR pass-through.
With this update, we’re adding HDR10 pass-through support to 4K60 Pro. Provided you have an Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PS4 or PS4 Pro and a HDR10 capable TV, you can now play in and experience HDR while capturing or streaming in SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) thanks to our built-in tonemapping. If you want to learn more about HDR, we’ve written up some details here.
To enable HDR pass-through, open the settings of 4K Capture Utility, go to the device tab, activate the checkbox labeled “Enable HDR pass-through” and follow the prompts. If after installing 4K Capture 1.2 you do not see the option to enable HDR pass-through, your 4K60 Pro does not feature the new HDR capable hardware. We will, free of charge, replace your existing 4K60 Pro to one that is capable of HDR pass-through.
However, there’s a catch. If you were an early adapter (like us) and purchased your capture card prior to July 2018, then your card doesn’t support this ability. You see, Elgato started shipping newer versions of the 4K60 Pro that had HDR support baked in. Meaning that you’re out of luck… or are you? Thankfully, Elgato has set up a trade-in program where you send in your 4K60 Pro and they’ll replace it with a newer card. More information regarding the trade-in program can be found here.
For those who did pick up their card after July 2018, then you won’t need to do anything else. Just download the updated 4K Capture Utility (version 1.2) and it will get you squared away.
Please keep in mind that this does NOT provide HDR recording support, only the ability to pass-through the signal.
