What is USB Video Device Class (or UVC)?
USB Video Device Class, or UVC, is the protocol with which USB video devices agree to communicate to a computer. It's essentially a driverless standard that allows for software to interpret a video device regardless of manufacturer. Webcams are the most common UVC devices, and capture cards can only work with apps like Skype, Zoom, or other webcam-specific apps unless they, too, are also UVC-capable. Almost all of the devices we've listed here are UVC-compatible, a key component when looking for a good capture card alternative, especially in a work-from-home environment.