220-1101 Question 295
Single answerCapture cardA technician is setting up a desktop PC for a content creator who wants to record gameplay from a separate game console at 1080p using streaming software on the PC. The console outputs video over HDMI, and the monitor must still display the gameplay with minimal delay while recording. Which component should the technician install in the PC to meet this requirement most effectively?
- A
An internal HDMI capture card with HDMI input and pass-through output
- B
A dedicated sound card with optical audio input
- C
A second GPU with additional HDMI ports for the PC
- D
A TV tuner card that supports coaxial input
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best answer is an internal HDMI capture card with pass-through. In real deployments, a capture card is used when a PC must record or stream video from an external device such as a console, camera, or set-top box. HDMI pass-through is important because it lets the user play on a monitor with minimal delay instead of relying only on the preview window in capture software, which can introduce latency. This aligns with common vendor documentation and best practices from capture hardware manufacturers: use HDMI input for the source device and pass-through for the display when low-latency monitoring is required. A GPU adds display output for the PC but does not accept console video input, a sound card only addresses audio, and a TV tuner is for broadcast television sources rather than HDMI console capture.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A capture card is designed to ingest video from an external source such as a game console and present it to the PC for recording or streaming. A model with HDMI input and HDMI pass-through allows the console signal to be sent to the monitor with very low latency while the PC captures the feed. This is the practical solution for recording external HDMI sources.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A sound card can improve or add audio input/output options, but it cannot capture HDMI video from a console. Someone might choose this if they focus on the recording aspect and overlook that the main requirement is external video capture, not just audio.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Adding another GPU gives the PC more display outputs for the computer itself, but it does not capture an HDMI signal coming from an external console. This distractor reflects the common misconception that any HDMI port can function as an input, when most GPU HDMI ports are output-only.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A TV tuner card is intended for receiving television signals, typically through coaxial or similar broadcast/cable connections, not for capturing HDMI output from a game console. It is plausible because both tuner cards and capture cards handle media signals, but they serve different purposes.