PS4’s next update allows you to turn HDCP off and capture with external devices via HDMI

Written by Brandon Hofer on March 19, 2014

News: Sony has revealed some plans they have for upcoming firmware updates including the ability to record with external devices.

We recently reported that firmware 1.62 was released for the PS4 and now Sony’s European blog is discussing what we can expect from the next “major” update in a few weeks. The upcoming update will add in a rich video editor with a simple tool that will allow you to personalize your video clips and you will also be able to export to and save the videos and screenshots you create by pressing the “Share” button to a USB drive. Additionally, this update will finally bring the ability to turn HDCP off which will allow you to capture video from an external capture device via HDMI.

Once this update arrives you will have many more options to share those epic gaming moments. Personally speaking I use an El Gato capture device which has been hooked up to my Xbox One but now I’ll get to plug it in to my PS4 as well and capture some great moments from some of Sony’s exclusive titles. There is also more coming in this update, however, Sony is being coy and essentially telling us to “wait and see” what else will be in this update.

Additionally, as part of a separate system software update in the future, they will be adding the ability for Twitch broadcasts to be archived. The broadcasts will also be provided with a higher resolution of 720p. They didn’t mention whether you would be able to get 1080p, however, that seems like it would be the logical step. What do you think about these changes coming to the PS4? What other changes would you like to see in future firmware updates?