How to Record mClassic or RetroTINK Scaler Output and Avoid HDCP Passthrough Gotchas

A retro scaler or mClassic does not send an encrypted signal. That is the first thing to understand. The problem is your capture card. It enforces HDCP 2.2 even when the source, a RetroTINK 5X-Pro or an mClassic, outputs no HDCP at all. This mismatch triggers a handshake loop. Your recording software shows a black screen. Or worse, it creates a 1080i file with combing artifacts. Fix the signal chain between the scaler and the capture card, and both problems disappear.

The capture card expects a handshake that never comes. A scaler like the RetroTINK 5X-Pro has no HDCP chip. It sends the video without encryption. The capture card sees the missing handshake, tries to re-negotiate, fails, and tries again. This cycle repeats every few seconds. The result is a blinking black screen in your recording software.

Insert a device that strips the handshake requirement from the capture card's end of the conversation. A lag-free HDMI splitter or an EDID emulator like Dr HDMI sits between the scaler and the capture card. It presents a compliant handshake to the capture card while passing the unencrypted video from the scaler. The Shmups Forum capture card list documents which splitters work. The consensus: a powered HDMI splitter with HDCP 1.4 compatibility is the cheapest solution.

What the mClassic Actually Outputs

Know what the dongle sends before you connect it. The mClassic, from Marseille Inc., accepts up to 1080p input and outputs up to 1440p at 60 Hz, or 4K at 30 Hz and below. The output is HDCP-free, as confirmed by the manufacturer. The colour space defaults to 4:2:2 YCbCr, which can soften edges on retro text. Change this to 4:4:4 RGB via the Marseille mobile app. You must connect the mClassic via Micro-USB to update firmware and change settings.

Fix the Elgato HD60 S Misdetection

Connect an mClassic directly to an Elgato HD60 S, and the Elgato misdetects the signal as 1080i. It records with combing artifacts. This is a tested, documented failure: the Elgato HD60 S reads the EDID metadata from the mClassic and misreports it as interlaced. The fix matches the handshake loop fix. Insert a lag-free HDMI splitter between the mClassic and the Elgato. The splitter forces a clean 1080p60 handshake that the Elgato locks onto.

The RetroTINK 5X-Pro outputs a clean 1080p signal. Some capture cards read the EDID incorrectly and record a 1080i file. This is not a scaler fault. It is a metadata handshake issue. The capture card reads the EDID from the scaler, interprets the signal as interlaced, and applies a deinterlacing algorithm that introduces combing artifacts.

Fix it with an EDID emulator like Dr HDMI, which presents a fixed EDID to the capture card. Or switch the RetroTINK 5X-Pro to output 1080p60 with a forced EDID profile. The Shmups Forum capture card list has a thread on the RetroTINK 5X-Pro and Elgato HD60 X combination. It confirms that a powered HDMI splitter with EDID emulation resolves the issue. If you use a budget USB capture stick that treats 240p as 480i, the RetroTINK output is already clean. The stick's chip will still misdetect it. The only fix: replace the capture stick with one from the Shmups Forum list that supports 240p input.

A lag-free HDMI splitter is the single most important component in a retro capture chain that includes a scaler and a capture card. The splitter takes the output from the scaler. It sends one copy to your display for zero-lag gameplay and another copy to the capture card. It also strips HDCP handshake requirements and fixes EDID metadata misreports, because it presents its own EDID to both devices.

How to Choose a Splitter That Works

Use a powered HDMI splitter that supports at least HDMI 1.4 and HDCP 1.4. Do not use a passive splitter. It will not fix the handshake loop and will degrade the signal. The Shmups Forum capture card list recommends specific models from Monoprice, Kanex, and Sewell tested with the RetroTINK 5X-Pro and mClassic. Expect to pay between 150 and 300 HKD for a working model from an electronics shop in Sham Shui Po's Golden Computer Centre.

What Breaks With 240p Sources Treated as 480i

Budget USB capture sticks treat any 15kHz signal as 480i video. Feed them a 240p source from a RetroTINK or OSSC, and the stick applies a destructive deinterlace. It discards half the vertical resolution and adds combing artifacts. The result looks like a smeared, flickering image. No post-processing can fix it.

The OSSC, a line multiplier with no framebuffer, outputs 240p at 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x line multiplication. A budget capture stick will still treat this as 480i if the OSSC is set to 480p output. Use the OSSC's 960p or 1152p output modes instead. The stick may detect these as progressive. This only works if the stick supports those resolutions. The Shmups Forum capture card list has a column for 240p support. Only a handful of sticks pass the test.

The Elgato HD60 S misdetects the mClassic output as 1080i in a tested, repeatable failure mode. This is not a rare edge case. It is the default behaviour when connecting an mClassic directly to an Elgato HD60 S. The misdetection causes combing artifacts on moving objects and a soft, interlaced look on static text. The fix, as documented on the Shmups Forum capture card list, is to insert a powered HDMI splitter between the mClassic and the Elgato. The splitter forces a clean 1080p60 handshake. The Elgato then records correctly.

This signal chain fix suits the capture and streaming hobbyist who needs to split a retro scaler output cleanly to both a lag-free play display and a capture card without degrading either. It also suits the Hong Kong apartment gamer with one display and one capture card who cannot afford to have either fail mid-stream. If you are a PC gamer trying to upscale old 3D PC titles, or a modern gamer wanting better anti-aliasing on a PlayStation 5, this is the wrong page. The single thing that most often goes wrong: buying a passive HDMI splitter that does not fix the handshake loop and wastes an hour of troubleshooting.