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ClonerAlliance UHD Pro Review: A Standalone HDMI Recorder for Android TV Boxes

by Steven B. Combs, Ph.D. Topic: Gadgets

It’s the VCR my Android TV boxes never had. The ClonerAlliance UHD Pro records an HDMI source to a USB drive with one button, and it doesn’t need a PC in the path. I tested recording with a vSeeBox Elite Ultra, and I used a Digibox D6 Max for the OBS streaming test.

ClonerAlliance UHD Pro recorder with its blue H.264 status ring lit

Full disclosure: ClonerAlliance sent me the UHD Pro free for review. It was a product exchange with no payment, and ClonerAlliance did not see this post before it was published. Links in this post are affiliate links, so I may earn a commission if you buy through them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Other ClonerAlliance Recorders

These are the boxes I use when the source is analog. See Better Boxes for VHS and Retro Capture.

Accessories

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Resources

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Check out the supporters page to learn about my supporters and how you can join our community. If this post saved you some time, you can also leave a tip.

COMPANION YOUTUBE VIDEO

Title: Archive, Capture, and Stream with the ClonerAlliance UHD Pro.

Archive, Capture, and Stream with the ClonerAlliance UHD Pro Archive, Capture, and Stream with the ClonerAlliance UHD Pro

This video is on my modern tech channel, @retroCombs-tech.

VIDEO ERRATA

As of October 2026:

  1. Bitrate units (about 5:02). I said “16 to 20 megabytes per second.” The manual’s unit is megabits per second. On my revision the maximum is 20 Mbps. (Manual v1.0.2)
  2. Renaming files (3:24). I said you can’t rename on the device. That’s true for my original unit. The current revision renames from the remote (File, then Rename). (Manual v1.1.0 FAQ)
  3. USB capture port (6:58). I called it micro-USB, with 1080p60 as the capture maximum. That’s true for my revision. The current revision uses a USB-C 3.0 “To PC” port. (Product page, manual v1.1.0)
  4. Scheduling (5:20). Three time ranges is correct for my revision. The current revision allows up to five and adds a Time Zone setting. (Manual v1.1.0)
  5. Firmware (5:54). The public firmware page doesn’t list the UHD Pro, and the KB says to update only when support tells you to. “No feature updates” is true for my original unit. The current revision adds an on-device Firmware Update menu item. The file still comes from support. (Firmware policy, firmware downloads)
  6. Dimensions (1:52 overlay). The overlay said 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.75 in, 8.5 oz. The manual for my revision says 4.6 x 4.6 x 1.1 in, 8.5 oz. The current revision lists 9.45 oz, with the same footprint. (Manual v1.0.2, manual v1.1.0)
  7. Bitrate low/high ranges (4:44). What I said on camera (Low 4K 12–16, HD 8–12; High 4K 16–20) matches the manual’s H.265 and H.264 columns. No correction. See the table in Bitrate and File Size.
  8. File-size options (5:05). 16GB/3H, 4GB/3H, and 2GB/3H match the manual. Those numbers are the maximum size of one file, not the whole drive.
  9. Latency (2:43). I described the pass-through as no lag. The published spec is under 90 ms on the product page and under 100 ms in the KB. I didn’t measure it with a clock. (Product page, KB)
  10. Brand name. I said “Cloner Alliance” as two words. The official style is ClonerAlliance, one word. This post uses one word. Older posts on the site still use two.
  11. Video description. The description says “Affilate Links,” and “My Other Reviews: ClonerAlliance Box Pro” points at https://youtu.be/WVmw1CoG5fM. That video is the SuperBOX S7 Pro deep dive. My Box Pro videos are hUhrYNQCODY and dyCbBL9jkvQ. This post uses those links.
  12. Heat (3:24). I said the USB port gets hot. The manual only says the unit “may become warm.” I’m leaving my observation in Heat as a test result, not as a spec.

UPDATES SINCE THE VIDEO

ClonerAlliance has updated the UHD Pro since my unit shipped. Based on the current product page and user manual, the newer revision moves the “To PC” port to USB-C 3.0, raises the maximum bitrate to 50 Mbps, lets you rename files from the remote, allows up to five schedules plus a Time Zone setting, and adds a Firmware Update menu item. I haven’t tested the newer revision, so everything below describes my original unit.

ClonerAlliance has also released a separate model, the UHD Halo. My video on it is coming soon to @retroCombs-tech (details below).

  My unit (original) Current UHD Pro (per ClonerAlliance)
To PC port micro-USB USB-C 3.0
Max bitrate 20 Mbps 50 Mbps
Rename on device No Yes
Schedules 3 5, plus a Time Zone setting
Firmware Update menu No Yes
Weight 8.5 oz 9.45 oz

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

The box has the recorder, the remote, a barrel-jack power supply, an HDMI cable, a micro-USB cable, and the full user guide.

DESIGN AND PORTS

My unit is 4.6 x 4.6 x 1.1 in and weighs 8.5 oz, from manual v1.0.2. The HDMI IN and OUT ports are mounted upside down relative to a typical player. The front has Line In, Line Out, Mic, a USB storage port, and the H.264, Snapshot, and Stop buttons.

Front panel of the ClonerAlliance UHD Pro with Line In, Line Out, Mic, and the H.264, Snapshot, and Stop buttons

On my revision the status ring shows the codec. Blue means H.264. Green means H.265. That’s the side-indicator table in the original manual.

POWER AND THE REMOTE

The remote has no power button. The unit uses a push switch, and it takes about 15 seconds to boot.

Tip: A smart plug, including one tied to Home Assistant, gets around the push switch. That’s how I power mine. I don’t have an affiliate link for a specific plug, so I’m not linking one here.

SETUP WITH AN ANDROID TV BOX

The path is simple. The source goes into HDMI IN, the TV comes off HDMI OUT, and the drive goes in the front USB port.

Note: Plug the USB drive or TF card in before you power the unit on. If the drive isn’t seen, power off, insert it, and boot again. (Manual FAQ)

ONE-TOUCH RECORDING: H.264 VS H.265

Pick the codec with the front button or the menu. One press starts recording. I didn’t see a pause before the file started. H.265 makes the smaller file. H.264 plays on almost anything I plug the drive into.

Note: The codec choice needs storage connected. Without a drive, the button doesn’t switch modes. (Manual FAQ)

From the bitrate table, H.265 is about 25% lower than H.264 at the same Low or High setting. I use H.264 when the file has to play on an older TV or editor.

PASS-THROUGH AND LATENCY

On my set I didn’t notice lag between the source and the TV. The published spec is under 90 ms (product page) or under 100 ms (KB). I didn’t measure it.

On my revision, a 4K60 input passes through and records at 1080p60. A 4K30 or 4K24 input can record in 4K. That’s the resolution chart in the original manual.

Tip: For a 4K movie, set the player to 4K24 or auto frame rate so the file matches the content. The current listing also says to turn HDR and Dolby audio off on the source while recording. That note is written for the current model, so I treat it as a maybe on older units. (Manual FAQ, product page)

FILES: FINALIZING, PLAYBACK, AND NAMING

The file finishes writing after you stop the recording. Mine played in QuickTime on a Mac with no conversion. On my unit the names are REC_001.mp4 and so on, and there is no rename command on the device. The current revision can rename from the remote.

Tip: If you rename a file on a computer, keep the REC prefix, and keep IMG on snapshots. The original manual says the UHD Pro will not play the file back without that prefix.

HEAT

On long recordings, the USB storage connector on my unit gets hot. The body of the recorder stays warm. That’s my test result. The manual only says the unit may become warm. It doesn’t call out the connector.

BETTER BOXES FOR VHS AND RETRO CAPTURE

The UHD Pro is HDMI only. It has no analog input and no aspect-ratio control, so it is the wrong box for VHS tapes, camcorders, or retro computers. I’m not going to describe a converter workaround. These are the boxes I’ve used for that job. The notes below come from my own videos, not from a port-by-port spec sheet.

Affiliate links for these three are in Other ClonerAlliance Recorders.

THE ON-SCREEN MENU

The menu has five items: Record settings, Schedule settings, System settings, Video playback, and Photo playback.

BITRATE AND FILE SIZE

Record Settings on the UHD Pro, set to H.264, Low, Always display REC, and a 16GB/3H file size

These rates are from the original manual, in Mbps. Low and High are the menu settings. Each cell is 4K, then 1080p, then 720p, then SD.

Setting H.264 H.265
Low 4K 16 / 1080p 12 / 720p 8 / SD 4 4K 12 / 1080p 8 / 720p 6 / SD 4
High 4K 20 / 1080p 16 / 720p 12 / SD 8 4K 16 / 1080p 12 / 720p 8 / SD 4

The file-size options are 16GB/3H, 4GB/3H, and 2GB/3H. Each one is the maximum for a single file. Recording continues in a new file. MP4-Cloner on Windows can join them, and so can any editor.

Tip: FAT32 caps a file at 4 GB. exFAT and NTFS split at about 16.7 GB, or at 3 hours. Use exFAT for long recordings. Drives over 2 TB need exFAT, or they need to be partitioned. (Manual FAQ)

The Record Settings screen also has Always display REC, a time watermark, and loop recording. I didn’t cover those on camera.

Tip: Turn Always display REC off if the REC badge on the TV bothers you. The manual describes it as a TV-output option. I have not checked whether that badge is burned into the file, so I won’t claim that it is.

Tip: Loop recording ON overwrites the oldest files when the drive fills. OFF stops recording when the drive is full. (Manual)

SCHEDULED RECORDING AND THE CLOCK

My unit can record Once or Every Day, with up to three time ranges. There is no network connection, so the clock does not set itself. Set System time by hand before you make a schedule. The current revision adds a Time Zone setting and allows five ranges.

Tip: Set the clock before you make a schedule. A schedule built on the default clock will fire at the wrong time. (Manual)

FIRMWARE

ClonerAlliance’s public firmware page does not list the UHD Pro. The KB says units ship with current firmware and that you should not update unless support tells you to. Support sends the file when you ask. My unit reports K.3.07.202106171500 and has not had a feature update. That “no feature updates” line is about my original unit, and it is still true for that unit.

The current revision’s manual adds a Firmware Update item in the menu, described as being for the latest features and improvements. The file still comes from support. (Firmware policy)

SNAPSHOTS AND PHOTO PLAYBACK

The Snapshot button saves a JPG. You view it on the TV under Photo playback.

PC CAPTURE MODE: OBS STREAMING TEST

The micro-USB port marked “To PC” shows up on macOS as a UVC/UAC device named “CA-989UP UVC”. I didn’t install a driver. In OBS, add a Video Capture Device and pick CA-989UP UVC. On my revision that input is 1920x1080 at 60 fps. I streamed a Digibox D6 Max through it. The on-screen menu does not appear over USB.

OBS Studio on a Mac capturing a Digibox through the UHD Pro

The KB steps, shortened:

  1. Connect the “To PC” cable to the computer.
  2. Open OBS and add a Video Capture Device source.
  3. Choose CA-989UP UVC.
  4. Set the resolution. On my revision, 1920x1080 at 60 fps is the capture mode.

Tip: The on-screen display stays on the TV. It does not show up in the USB picture. (Manual)

On a USB-C-only Mac, a USB-C to Micro USB adapter handles my unit’s micro-USB “To PC” port. The link is in Accessories. The current revision’s port is USB-C already, so that adapter is for the original unit.

TROUBLESHOOTING

  • Black screen, “Unsupported content,” or an error message. The source is sending HDCP-protected video. ClonerAlliance products don’t capture that. The manual and the official blog describe this as expected, not a defect. (Official blog)
  • Smart TV apps won’t record. A TV is a display, not a source. Use an external stick or box. Antenna and smart-TV apps are listed as unsupported sources. (Product page, official blog)
  • The top LED blinks blue and green. There is no input, or the input resolution isn’t supported. Check the source output against the resolution chart. (Manual)
  • The side LED is off, or the drive isn’t detected. The unit doesn’t see storage. Plug the drive in before power-on and reboot. (Manual FAQ)
  • The recording splits into several files. That’s the file-size limit: 4 GB on FAT32, about 16.7 GB or 3 hours on exFAT and NTFS. Join the parts with MP4-Cloner on Windows, or with any editor. (Manual FAQ)
  • Judder on 4K movies. The source frame rate doesn’t match the content. Set the player to auto frame rate or 4K24. (Manual FAQ)
  • The device doesn’t appear in OBS or Device Manager. Reconnect the USB cable and look for “CA-989UP UAC” or “CA-989UP UVC”. (Manual)

VERDICT

The UHD Pro is a straightforward HDMI recorder for an Android TV box. It is not the box I reach for when the source is retro or analog. Those jobs are in Better Boxes for VHS and Retro Capture. I love mine and I use it regularly.

On October 24, 2026, the official store listed it at $278.50, down from a $349.99 list price. Prices change. (Official store)

rC Tech banner: Check out ClonerAlliance capture gear. See current price (affiliate link).

UHD HALO: COMING SOON

Coming soon: ClonerAlliance UHD Halo. ClonerAlliance’s UHD Halo is a separate standalone recorder that lists 4K60 recording, an HDMI 2.0 input, a USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode input for phones, tablets, and laptops, and 65W pass-through charging for the connected device (ClonerAlliance specs). My video on it is coming soon to @retroCombs-tech.

SOURCES

Checked October 24, 2026:

CONCLUSION

That’s the UHD Pro I have: one button, a USB drive, and an HDMI path from an Android TV box to the TV. The newer revision changes the PC port, the bitrate ceiling, and a few menu items, and I haven’t tested that revision. The UHD Halo is a different product, and the video for it isn’t up yet.

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