StreamLive Pro

My capture card shows a black screen or has no sound

Capture card black or silent in the browser studio? Usually another app holds it, the HDMI source is protected, or the card's sound was not picked. Checks in order.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read

When a capture card shows black in the browser studio, the most likely cause is outside the studio: another program (OBS, the card maker's app, a video call) still holds the card, or the HDMI source sends nothing the card can read, such as a protected console picture or a camera without clean HDMI output. When the picture is fine and there is no sound, the cause is almost always the microphone choice: the card's audio is a separate device, and it has to be picked for that tile.

How to add a card in the first place: Connect an HDMI capture card to the browser studio.

Symptom, likely cause, fix

Steps

1. Check the source without the computer. Connect the HDMI source to a TV or monitor. If the TV shows nothing either, the problem is the source or the cable.
2. Free the card. Close OBS, the card maker's app, Zoom, Teams and other tabs. A capture device can usually be open in one program at a time.
3. Plug the card into the computer itself. Not a hub, not a long extension. When it is detected, the studio refreshes its lists and shows Detected with the card's name.
4. Add it again. Open Add input, press Camera, press Refresh, pick the card. Cards from some makers take up to 5 seconds before the first picture; the studio says so while it waits.
5. Remove protection from the source. A console may protect its HDMI output. Elgato explains HDCP and how it blocks capture: What is HDCP (checked 5 November 2026). The PlayStation 5 steps are in Stream a game console to many networks with a capture card. A camera needs clean HDMI output: Use a DSLR or mirrorless camera for live streaming.
6. Pick the card's sound. On the tile press Choose microphone and pick the card's audio device in Microphone for this input. The choice is remembered for that camera in this browser.
7. Check that the source sends sound over HDMI. Some cameras and consoles send their sound elsewhere, for example to a headset on a controller. Then the card has no sound to give.
8. Check what viewers hear. A camera's sound is heard on air only while that camera is on air: Sound in the browser studio: levels, mute and noise filter.

Sound slightly out of sync with the picture

The studio has no audio delay setting. The usual cause is picture and sound from different devices: the picture through the card and the sound from a separate USB microphone. When the microphone is on the camera, take the sound through the card instead, so both travel together.

When to contact support

If the card shows a picture in another program, the browser lists it, and the studio tile stays black after you add it again, write to [email protected]. Send the card's name as the browser shows it, the computer and system version, the browser and its version, what the HDMI source is, the time you tried, and a screenshot of the studio.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my capture card work in OBS but not in the browser?

Most often OBS is still open and holds the card. Close OBS completely and add the card again.

Why is my PlayStation black through the capture card?

The console protects its HDMI output with HDCP. Turn HDCP off in the console's settings, as its maker or the card maker explains.

Why is there no sound from my capture card?

The card's audio is a separate device. Pick it with Choose microphone on the tile, and make sure the source sends its sound over HDMI.

Can the studio fix a delay between sound and picture?

No, there is no delay setting. Take the picture and the sound from the same device when you can.

Does StreamLive Pro support my capture card?

Cards that appear to the computer as a USB camera usually work. We do not test or recommend specific models.

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