diff --git a/services/capture/src/capture-manager.js b/services/capture/src/capture-manager.js
index 60cf556..d225dd5 100644
--- a/services/capture/src/capture-manager.js
+++ b/services/capture/src/capture-manager.js
@@ -689,9 +689,16 @@ class CaptureManager {
     // (which would otherwise abort the video/audio outputs and produce nothing).
     const ff = ['ffmpeg', '-y', '-hide_banner', '-loglevel', 'warning', '-stats'];
     // SDI input is interlaced; yadif then split into the master + preview taps.
+    // When there's an HLS dir we split the decode into the master ([vhi]) and
+    // the H.264 preview ([vlo]); with no HLS dir, split=1 (master only) so no
+    // split output is ever left unconnected (deltacast growing master had no
+    // HLS dir, leaving [vlo] orphaned -> 'split output 1 (vlo) unconnected').
+    const filterComplex = hlsDir
+      ? '[0:v]yadif=mode=1:deint=1,split=2[vhi][vlo]'
+      : '[0:v]yadif=mode=1:deint=1,split=1[vhi]';
     const ffArgs = [
       ...inputArgs,
-      '-filter_complex', '[0:v]yadif=mode=1:deint=1,split=2[vhi][vlo]',
+      '-filter_complex', filterComplex,
       // (a) MPEG-2 422 elementary video → "$VF"
       '-map', '[vhi]',
       ...GROWING_VIDEO_ELEMENTARY_ARGS,
@@ -982,7 +989,7 @@ exit "$BMXRC"
         framerate,
         audioChannels,
         outPath: growingPath,
-        hlsDir: (sourceType === 'sdi') ? sdiHlsDir : null,
+        hlsDir: (sourceType === 'sdi' || sourceType === 'deltacast') ? sdiHlsDir : null,
         videoCodec,
         audioMap,
       });