Skip to content

Getting Started

This section walks through plugging the Pengo HDMI Grabber in for the first time and getting it working on each major OS.

Page Audience
Hardware setup Anyone — read this first
Windows (PotPlayer) Windows users
macOS (VLC/QuickTime) macOS users
Linux Linux users (this wiki's specialty)

Before you plug anything in

  1. Use the USB cable that came in the box. It is, per Pengo, a "proprietary unique cable." No hubs. No replacements. (A short USB-A→USB-C adapter at the computer end is fine.)
  2. Plug into a USB 3.0 port (blue inside, or marked SS/10). USB 2.0 will technically enumerate but you'll get frame drops.
  3. Make sure your source isn't HDCP-protected (Apple TV, most streaming sticks, Blu-ray, etc.) — protected content shows as black on a non-HDCP display path.
  4. Set your source to 1080p, not 1080i. The grabber does not support interlaced signals.

Top of unit with cable

See Hardware setup → for the physical wiring and what each cable does.