EOS M50 only outputting 480P through HDMI port

[Locking_Nut]

Hello everyone,

Frustrating issue this. I'm attempting to use my M50 (firmware 1.1) for some video capture via an Elgato Cam Link 4K into OBS.

Setup seems to work normally and the camera connects and generates picture - but only at 720x480 (or 720x576 in PAL video mode). Nothing I have tried so far has successfully raised the resolution, whether it's manually setting the output to 1080p in the camera settings menu (and toggling HDR on and off), or manually forcing the OBS Cam Link capture dialog into a higher resolution (I've tried 1920 x 1080, 1920 x 1200 and 1920 x 1280, none work). The only available preset option when "Custom" is selected in the Camlink dialog are either 720x480 or 720x576 - depending on whether NTSC or PAL video is selected in the camera setup menu.

Connecting the camera to two different television sets' HDMI inputs also gives the same low output resolution whether 1080p output is selected or not.

Anyone any pointers? One obvious questionmark is whether the micro-HDMI to HDMI cable I'm using is faulty in some way. It shouldn't be - it's brand new and rated for 4K60, and I don't have an alternative to try, nor do I have any other devices with a m-HDMI output to test it with.  

Any pointers most welcome - thanks in advance for reading 🙂

[deebatman316]

You bought a stills camera that can record video for 29 minutes & 59 seconds. So its NOT a video camera those are taxed differently. Those cameras have more systems in them to keep the camera from overheating. Also 720p/ 1080p may be limited to Canon's own EOS Utility software which explains why its not allowing 720p/ 1080p output. I haven't used that software to confirm or deny such thing. 

[deebatman316]

No where in the video did the person ever state that the video output would be HD whether that be 720p or 1080p. Just that disabling AF would clear the screen of the extra info on it.

[Locking_Nut]

"No where in the video did the person ever state that the video output would be HD whether that be 720p or 1080p. Just that disabling AF would clear the screen of the extra info on it."

Rofl, are you being deliberately obtuse/trolling or are you genuinely this slow on the uptake? The author of the video didn't have to say that the output would be in HD, because he was actually filming most of the feature with his M50 and the output from it clearly and visibly *is* HD. It's certainly miles better than the clearly downsampled output I'm currently getting from mine.

You also acknowledge that you don't know how the EOS webcam driver works. The answer is that even in the 'free' mode it defaults to 720p over USB2 (with 1080 available if you pay for it) - thereby debunking your earlier theory about the camera's video pipeline being technically limited to 576/480.

And again quit wasting electrons with the dissemanation about the 29 minute recording limit when I've already told you very straightforwardly that I don't care about that. Again, for want of repetition, you have no idea how that fits into my proposed usage model - which, funnily enough, only requires shooting for a few minutes here and there using hardware I've already got.

[Stephen]

Hey, Locking_Nut!

I'm not a tech, but I have dabbled with gear that is very similar to yours. I've used various EOS models with HDMI to USB capture devices and have never seen them bottlenecked like this. I wonder, could it be your software or hardware on your computer causing the Elgato to "max out?" Are you able to try your setup on a different computer? Maybe even like you originally suspected, try a different cable? The cables aren't super special, but you want a decent one that can push *all* the data possible. If you have a cable that's misrepresented in its specs, it may not actually be able to handle the full stream from the camera. If your Elgato is a USB device, be sure you're connecting it to the FASTEST USB port available. Not one that's plugged into a hub, if possible. 

I hope this helps point you in the right direction!

[Locking_Nut]

Hey Stephen, thanks, a constructive response! 🙂

Unfortunately I've already tried connecting the camera direct to the HDMI inputs on two televisions (one 4K, one 1080p), and a monitor *and* an HD field video recorder, and in all cases the output is 480 or 576P - dependent on the status of the PAL/NTSC setup menu video selection in the camera.

The Cam Link is connected direct to a USB port on the PC that has no bandwidth contention over the PCIe bus, and I've also tested it connecting the output of my laptop to it - and that came straight up in full 4K, so definitely no problem there.

Like you I'm thinking of the cable as one potential problem area. It shouldn't be an issue as it's brand new and rated to handle the bandwidth, but I have another on order. If that doesn't help I'll try resetting the camera and see what that does.

I did immediately find one similar thread on here earlier (albeit with a different camera model). It's interesting to see how that thread developed (😉) but the bottom line again was that there was a positive solution. There are are a couple of other similar ones concerning the M50 elsewhere on the web too - but with no obvious solutions that I haven't already looked at.

Thanks again for the suggestions - we'll see what develops when new cable turns up. 🙂

[Stephen]

You know, now that you brought up the T7i thread, it got me thinking about when I actually have seen this in the past - and it was when the display limited the camera's output. Because HDMI is a 2-way communication, the camera can see how much it should be outputting to the "monitor," and if the monitor only supports SD, it will only output SD. Once you've gotten a new cable, and you've connected your camera to a 4K TV see if it registers as 4K. 

You might also try to reach out to support to see if they have any quick tips for you. I don't know the ins and outs of how support works in the UK/Europe (I don't want to assume where you are, but the PAL settings tell me you're not in the US), but our team is very well-trained.

[Waddizzle]

Did you notice that the menu screenshot you posted shows HGMI output as disabled?

I am sorry to this.  You have the wrong camera for 4K output over HDMI.  You have the wrong camera for “Clean HDMI” output.  If your video shows something different, then I suggest that you rewatch your video more carefully.  Or, contact the content creator about the details of his setup.

[p4pictures]

Can you plug the camera & cable in to a Tv and see what resolution it reports that it's being fed with? If the Tv thinks it's getting 1080p then it suggests that it's something about the Camlink / OBS rather than the hardware - especially as the other guy in the video you linked seems to have it working as you want. If the TV is only shows 720 then it could be cable or camera. I would also try to see what you get when you playback a still or movie clip from the card and see if that runs at 1080p as that would then indicate that the cable is not at fault. 

Although it's not exactly the same I use an EOS 80D with the HDMI fed in to a Blackmagic Design ATEM mini and as long as I use video mode and turn the AF off then I get a clean feed from the camera at 1080p. The EOS 80D also won't do clean HDMI officially. 

[Locking_Nut · Accepted solution]

Well well, @Stephen and @p4pictures, thanks much for the suggestions and input. Problem now solved, and the cause *was* the micro-HDMI to HDMI cable. Swapped to a different one and the camera now defaults to 1920x1080P output to every device I've connected it to - including the Cam Link. The menus and on-screen display sit within the 16x9 frame as expected, and I'm now exactly where I want to be in terms of clean output once the OSD and autofocus are disabled.

So for anyone reading this thread in future, if your camera is stuck at artificially low resolution via HDMI like mine was, check your cable. Even though the one I was using was rated well in excess of Full HD data rate, it clearly isn't (or is somehow mangling the EDID data) and will be going back to the supplier tomorrow. Oh, and if anyone on this forum tells you that high resolution output on this camera is not supported, they're demonstrably incorrect. Keep working at the problem and you'll get it fixed 😊

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