Best standalone HDMI recorder

Updated 2026-11-12 · Pick: ClonerAlliance UHD Pro, $289.50 on Amazon (checked 2026-11-12), buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T1PT4P4?tag=dealectric-20

Short answer. The best standalone HDMI recorder for most people is the ClonerAlliance UHD Pro: it records HDMI input to a USB drive or microSD card without a computer, and records a 4K60 console source at 4K30, where the ZowieREC 4K drops it to 1080p60.

Searched as: standalone HDMI recorder record USB storage without PC ClonerAlliance AVerMedia EZRecorder 330 Atomos Ninjastandalone HDMI recorder record HDMI input to USB SD card without PC 2026

How this table was made: each figure comes from the maker's own US product page or manual, or from the reviewer named next to it, checked 2026-11-08. Dealectric does not test units itself. Rows with a Buy link are products Dealectric lists: the links are affiliate links, and their codes are re-tested in the brand's own cart every day (last check 2026-11-13).

What the differences mean

• 4K30 vs 1080p60. 4K30 records twice as many pixels per second: 3,840 × 2,160 × 30 = 248.8 million, against 1,920 × 1,080 × 60 = 124.4 million. 1080p60 gives smoother motion, while 4K30 gives more detail.
• Hours per card. A 128 GB card holds 1,024,000 megabits. At 50 Mbps that's 1,024,000 ÷ 50 ÷ 3,600 = 5.7 h (UHD Pro, UHD Halo, UHD Pro Max, ZowieREC). At 30 Mbps (RecDual) it's 9.5 h, and at 20 Mbps (HD PVR Pro 60) it's 14.2 h. These figures leave out audio, so real recording times are a little shorter.
• Long recordings. A 1 TB USB drive at 50 Mbps holds 8,000,000 ÷ 50 ÷ 3,600 = 44.4 h. The UHD Pro takes external hard drives up to 8 TB, which is about 356 h at that rate. At the ZowieREC's 12 Mbps default, a 128 GB card lasts 1,024,000 ÷ 12 ÷ 3,600 = 23.7 h.
• 4K60 vs 4K30 at the same bitrate cap. The UHD Halo and UHD Pro both top out at 50 Mbps. That gives each 4K60 frame 50 ÷ 60 = 0.83 Mb, against 50 ÷ 30 = 1.67 Mb per frame at 4K30. You get smoother motion but less data in each frame.
• The cheapest 1080p option. The HD PVR Pro 60 ($129.90) costs $143.50 − $129.90 = $13.60 less than the RecDual Dongle. The RecDual adds a USB-C DisplayPort input.

Your source and need	Fits
PS5, Xbox or PC at 4K60, and you want 4K files	UHD Pro (records 4K30); UHD Halo if you want 4K60 files
Camera sending 4K30 or 4K24, or recording straight to a NAS	Zowietek ZowieREC 4K
1080p60 is enough and price comes first	Hauppauge HD PVR Pro 60
Pocket size, or phones and laptops over USB-C	ClonerAlliance RecDual Dongle
ProRes or DNxHD files for editing, at 1080p	Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle HD

What each recorder does with a 4K60 source

Passing 4K60 through to the TV and recording 4K are two different specs. Every recorder here except the HyperDeck Shuttle HD accepts 4K60 and sends it on to the TV, but the file each one writes differs:

• ClonerAlliance UHD Pro: ClonerAlliance says “4K@60fps video sources can be recorded at up to 4K@30fps”, with 4K60 passthrough at under 90 ms. It's the lowest-cost recorder here that keeps a console's 4K picture in the file. buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T1PT4P4?tag=dealectric-20
• ClonerAlliance UHD Halo: the maker's spec table lists recording at 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps, with HDMI and USB-C DP inputs and passthrough under 50 ms. I found no independent test of the 4K60 recording, so that figure rests on ClonerAlliance's spec. buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GF1CYDCV?tag=dealectric-20
• Zowietek ZowieREC 4K: Zowietek's knowledge base says 4K60 and 1080p120 inputs loop out unchanged, but “recording and streaming are downgraded to 1080P60.” Its 4K30 recording only applies when the source itself sends 4K30 or 4K24, as many cameras do. At $199 it's the cheapest recorder here that records 4K files from those sources, and it can also record to a NAS. $199: https://dealectric.com/go/zowietek-zowierec-4k-hdmi-video-recorder
• ClonerAlliance UHD Pro Max: records up to 4K30, plus a 4K24 cinematic mode, with 4K60 passthrough.
• RecDual Dongle, HD PVR Pro 60 and AVerMedia EzRecorder 330: all three record 1080p60 files from a 4K source. Hauppauge lists a “4K to 1080p60 downconvert in hardware”. The EzRecorder 330G is listed at $179.99 but out of stock at AVerMedia's US store. AVerMedia also says the EzRecorder 330 doesn't support USB flash drives and that drives over 2 TB must be split into partitions of 2 TB or less.
• Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle HD: takes HD formats up to 1080p60 only.

Before you connect a console. ClonerAlliance (for the UHD Halo, UHD Pro Max and RecDual), Hauppauge and AVerMedia each state that their recorder won't record HDCP-protected sources. On a PS5, AVerMedia's FAQ says to turn off “Enable HDCP” under Settings › System. A Blu-ray player always outputs HDCP over HDMI, so none of these will record it. HDR needs turning off too: ClonerAlliance says the UHD Pro captures in SDR and tells PS5 and Xbox owners to set the output to SDR, and it says the UHD Halo, UHD Pro Max and RecDual don't support HDR.

Not recommended

Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle HD if your source is 4K. It costs $575 at Blackmagic, $575 ÷ $129.90 = 4.4 times the HD PVR Pro 60, and also stops at 1080p60. It has no 2160p input, so a 4K console would have to be set to 1080p output first. It's only worth it if you need ProRes or DNxHD files for editing.

Sources

• ZowieREC 4K: 4K60 and 1080p120 inputs loop out, recording drops to 1080p60 — zowietek.com
• ZowieREC 4K: up to 4K30 or 1080p60 recording, max 50 Mbps, microSD/USB/NAS — zowietek.com
• ZowieREC 4K: 12 Mbps default bitrate — zowietek.com
• ZowieREC 4K: $199 at Zowietek store, 2026-11-08 — zowietek.com
• UHD Pro: 4K60 sources recorded at up to 4K30, H.264/H.265, MP4/TS, 8–50 Mbps, USB flash 512 GB / HDD 8 TB / microSD, under 90 ms passthrough; 2-year warranty, 90-day money back counted from delivery (read 2026-11-08) — www.cloner-alliance.com
• UHD Pro: captures in SDR; set PS5 or Xbox output to SDR — www.cloner-alliance.com
• UHD Halo: 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps recording, 8–50 Mbps, USB 3.0 + TF card, no HDCP, no HDR, under 50 ms passthrough; 2-year warranty, 90-day money back counted from delivery (read 2026-11-08) — www.cloner-alliance.com
• ClonerAlliance: 2-year warranty term for replacement; prepaid US return label within 90 days of receipt (read 2026-11-08) — www.cloner-alliance.com
• ClonerAlliance refund policy: 90-day return window, item unused in original packaging (read 2026-11-08) — www.cloner-alliance.com
• UHD Pro Max: up to 4K30 recording, 4K24 cinematic mode, 4K60 passthrough, 8–50 Mbps, external hard drive to 8 TB, no HDCP, no HDR; $295.80 at maker store — www.cloner-alliance.com
• RecDual Dongle: 1080p60 recording, 4K60 passthrough, 30/16/4 Mbps, microSD only, HDMI + USB-C DP in, no HDCP, no HDR; $143.50 — www.cloner-alliance.com
• HD PVR Pro 60: 4K down-converted to 1080p60, 8/12/20 Mbps standalone, SD 4–512 GB, about 16 h per 128 GB card, no HDCP recording — www.hauppauge.com
• HD PVR Pro 60: $129.90 at Hauppauge's North American webstore — streameez.com
• HyperDeck Shuttle HD: H.264/ProRes/DNxHD, 157 h H.264 per 1 TB, $575 — www.blackmagicdesign.com
• HyperDeck Shuttle HD: HDMI standards up to 1080p60; Ultra HD listed only for the 4K Pro model; $575 — www.blackmagicdesign.com
• EzRecorder 330: 1080p60 recording, 4Kp60 passthrough, no USB flash drives, 2 TB partitions, no HDCP — www.avermedia.com
• EzRecorder 330G: $179.99, out of stock at AVerMedia's US store — shop-us.avermedia.com
• PS5 HDCP on by default, turn off under Settings › System; Blu-ray HDMI always HDCP — www.avermedia.com

Published 2026-11-06; updated 2026-11-12. The buy links are affiliate links; see the disclosure. Corrections welcome at [email protected] or /feedback.