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Mar 10, 2023

What Is Clean HDMI Output? How to Set It Up on Your Camera

If you want to learn more about clean HDMI output and how to set it up on your

If you want to learn more about clean HDMI output and how to set it up on your camera, this guide will help.

When you plug your camera into a monitor or capture card via HDMI, do you see all the display information like shutter speed, audio levels, ISO, and more? In many cases, you only want to see the video feed and none of the display information, so here is how to set up a clean HDMI output on your camera.

Clean HDMI is camera output over HDMI that does not display overlays such as settings or audio levels. In short, it allows you to export over HDMI what would otherwise be recorded as a normal video.

Here is a camera without a clean HDMI output and all display settings present:

Here is a camera with clean HDMI:

In any scenario using your camera as a webcam or connecting to a larger monitor, you generally want the video feed and nothing else. This is especially useful for creators who live stream using their cameras alongside a capture card, filmmakers using a larger monitor to better preview shots with their team, or even families sharing home videos on their TV.

There are certainly scenarios when you may not want a clean HDMI output, too, such as if a photography or film crew needs to see all the camera settings being used from a distance. However, it's important to know how to adjust these settings.

Find your camera's HDMI settings and disable any setting that resembles HDMI Info. Display, as setting names may differ from camera to camera or company to company.

On the Sony a6600, hit the Menu button, go to the Setup section, and open HDMI Settings.

Then, set HDMI Info. Display to Off to set clean HDMI. To re-enable outputting your settings via HDMI, simply set the same setting to On.

For most cameras, you can follow the same guidelines for finding the setting, though the exact names or setting directions may differ.

While a clean HDMI output is relatively niche need, it certainly allows you to unlock more ways to use your camera. It's important to know how to make full use of your gear!

Andy is a creator, marketer, and writer. His most recent employment was with AVerMedia as community manager for creator operations, handling all things social media, influencer relations, and more—if you have any questions related to webcams, capture cards, or similar devices, he's the one to ask! Technologically, he is passionate about making the most of his gear, including his full-fledged Apple ecosystem (with a Windows gaming PC), and finding new, unexpected ways of using his devices, such as streaming tools for productivity. Some of his additional interests include making content on his YouTube channel, improving his photography skills, learning languages, running, and making music, specifically the Ocarina, with his ensemble Ocabanda.