Computer Screen Capture

[Lunchbox]

I need to convert a Flash show to an AVI file. I thought of it will be cool to record the output from my laptop equipted with SVideo out to the AV-in of HV20 to record in 1440x1080.

I got my hope high. It does record only to DV resolution. Bummer!

[neocastillo]

Are you using Windows or OSX?

For windows I recommend Camtasia: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp
Great Little program

And for OSX Snapz Pro is top notch: http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/

[leucopogon]

I was wondering about this old problem and whether it exists for the HV20. I know that in the past when filming computer screens (and tv's too?) with camcorders you usually encountered a dreadful scrolling band on the computer screen. Is this a problem with the HV20 as well or can it be overcome?

[Worley]

Two reasons why this happens - the devices are running at different frequencies, or the two are not in sync.

First one: I'll assume your in NTSC land. Your monitor is refreshing at, say 75 Hz, but the HV20 is running at approx 60Hz, therefore you will see a band (which reveals the vertical "flyback" of the electron beam in a CRT monitor). The solution is to run the monitor with the same frequency at the HV20 - 60 Hz (50Hz in PAL land).

Second one: even at the same frequency you may see the band because the two devices started running at different times. This usually happens when they are using different power sources - the monitor is using the mains electricity, and the HV20 is using a battery. The best way to overcome this is to ensure that both devices are running from the same power source, so plug the HV20 into the mains.

However, if both devices are DC rather than AC, this may not work.

Hope this sheds some light...

[SenorKaffee]

The easiest way is to use LCD screens. If you need to record CRTs, it should help to play with the shutter speed. 1/100 or for a 100Hz or 50Hz setting, 1/120 for a 120Hz or 60Hz setting.

If there is nothing on the screen to record, what can the camera do? ;)

[Ian-T]

I'll just sort of echo what Worley and SrK mentioned. I actually filmed my LCD the other day and it displayed no problems...looked just about as good as the original content straight out of the cam. And of course adjusting the shutter will help when doing this with a CRT. When viewing htrough your viewfinder while adjusting the shutter speed you can see it dissapear in real time (or get worse).

[Lunchbox]

I remember GL2 has such feature to tune the frequency to avoid those scrolling pattern on monitors.

instead of shooting directly to the screen, i did it either way,

1. connect the S-video output from my laptop (built-in) thru an adapter bought from Radio Shack to the AV IN of HV20.

2. Using Camtasia to record everything and output to AVI file.

Camtasia gives much better screen quality but you do need a fairly powerful PC if there're lots of things going on to capture.

[Lunchbox]

Oh, there's also Windows Media Encoder. Free to download. It has the capability to record screen activity to a WMV file.

[Pom16/10e]

Hi, here's my experience :

-If you want to film an LCD monitor : no problem, but match the screen color calibration to that of your lighting : I use 3200k professional tungstel halogen lights, so i use a colorsync profile (mac) for the monitor, with the white-point set to 3500k (wich is the closest you can get) this way white on the screen will appear yellowish to your eyes but almost white to the cam (if you don't match the white point and shoot with the cam's white balance set to tungsten, screen will appear very blue-ish)
OR shoot with white balance set to daylight (or manually white balance the cam to your screen)

-For CRTs or TVs : shoot progressive at 25p (or 24p if ntsc). This way you won't have any frequency mismatch problem since every frame recorded will last longer than the CRT's refreshing time. The white balance issue also applies here the same way.

[SenorKaffee]

@leucopogon
Do you want to make a kind of "screencopy" or do you just have computer screens in the scene?

[24Peter]

FWIW - I've shot my computer screen (Dell 24" LCD) and my 32" LCD HDTV without issue. However on my plasma HDTV I noticed flickering (no scan lines obviously but it did flicker). I was shooting in 24p 1/48th on all of them.

[leucopogon]

Thanks for all the replies,

I haven't even got a camera, I was just wondering if this was an issue with the HV20. Thanks for all taking the time to answer my question. I'm trying to glean as much information as possible to decide whether I will take the plunge and buy this camera, or not.

At the moment, I'm thinking there are too many issues with it to justify forking out almost $2000 (Aussie dollars). I'm concerned about the wobble (rolling shutter issues), the lack of a night-shot IR mode, lack of L-ANC, lack of full manual exposure control (without the jury rigged workaround), and most importantly, the lack of an underwater housing.

I think I'll wait and see what comes out for Christmas and see if the necessary modifications have been made.

Cheers everyone

[OneDayWealth]

Hi Folks.

First 2 warnings:
1) I just brought two HV20s last night so I am (at this point) the least experienced user on here.

2) I have virtually no editing experience - yet.

So I'm going to ask a few really dumb questions. Please be gentle.

I spent a lot of time last night searching through this pretty good forum to try to find the answer to my simple solution but the hours are starting to drag on so I figured after a pretty good effort at trying to find the answer I figured I may as well just ask.

I teach a specific stock market strategy and I want to make some Training DVDs. I will be standing in front of a white board doing my thing but I will also be referring to my computer to demonstrate Excel spreadsheets, basic computer setup and also a lot of website how to so I'll be showing myself clicking on websites and signing up, scrolling...etc - I'm sure you get the drift.

I've signed up for Bill Myers Hot To courses and on his watch list of what sort of Camera to buy was this huge list...


Check Feature Description
MiniDV format Must be MiniDV format.
This refers to the type of tape the video is recorded on. Do not choose any other format. Do not invest in a camcorder that records to DVD.

External mic jack
Needed so you can plug in external microphone. A must have. If the camcorder does not have an external microphone jack, it probably won't have many other features you'll need. Check for the external mic jack first, if it isn't available, choose another camcorder.

Headphone jack
Needed so you can wear headphones to check the audio being recorded. A must have. If the camcorder does not have a headphone jack, it probably won't have many other features you'll need.

1394 (aka firewire or I.link) connection
Needed so you can send and receive digital video between camcorder and computer. A must have.

Analog video in/out
Needed so you can convert and record analog video to MiniDV format through camcorder. This is very useful if you need to convert footage from other formats, or need to export MiniDV format to analog. A must have.

S-Video in/out
Needed so you can record input from computer screens. . Must have

1/4" or larger CCD
The CCD is the element that captures the video, and in most cases, the larger the CCD the higher resolution the video. Avoid the 1/6" or smaller CCDs.

10X Optical zoom (minimum)
Optical zoom is needed for closeups - digital zoom is almost worthless. 10X is the minimum. 12 to 18X is better.

Remote control
Needed so you can operate the camera while sitting in front of it. Allows you to start the record, zoom, pause, etc. Extremely useful.

Manual white balance
Needed so you can get correct colors under any lighting conditions.

Manual focus
Should have ability to turn off auto focus and rely on manual focus. This prevents see-saw motion of lens when objects in the scene move.

Manual exposure control
The ability to turn off automatic exposure control and set the exposure manually avoids the problem of unintended exposure changes due to movement or reflections during presentation. And manual exposure control allows you to light up a under lighted set.

Ability to turn off AGC
AGC is audio gain control which automatically adjusts the sensitivity of the microphone based on audio recording level. When turned on, AGC will raise mike volume during quiet segments, causing background noise to be heard. You will want the ability to turn this off.

Side or top loading tapes
If you will be shooting video on a tripod, it helps to be able to load video tape without removing the camcorder from the tripod. This is only possible if the camcorder has top or side loading tapes.

Steady shot
A system for steadying the image as you shoot. Sensors in the camcorder send motion feedback information that shifts the image slightly to reduce small, jerky movements. It doesn't compensate for bad camera work, but it can help smooth out a shot when you can't stay perfectly still.

Size matters
Cameras that are too small can be difficult to hold, difficult to find the control buttons, and generally have smaller LCDs and optic systems. Look for a medium size camcorder. Avoid the smallest.



My advice . . .

Stick with name brands (Sony, Canon, Panasonic)
Look at manufactures 'pro' or 'industrial' line of camcorders
Avoid buying a used camcorder
Avoid paying for features you'll never use
Avoid ultra-compact camcorders
Avoid gray market camcorders
Purchase from a reputable dealer (ie B&H Photo)
In most cases, you will end up with two camcorders. A main one, that should have the features listed above, and a second unit you'll use to supplement footage shot with the main camcorder.

A second camcorder can also be used to capture video from the computer (via svideo connection), and during the editing process to dump video to the computer (via the firewire connection).

The good news - quality camcorders are quite affordable, and can last many years. Just use the above chart when you begin your shopping process.




As you can see, the HV20 is perfect except for one thing...S-Video in. I just could not find a camera that had S-Video in any more without paying 5,8, or $14,000 so I decided on the HV20 as the salesman assured me that I would be able to capture my computer with the connections available.

I have a powerful enough computer (3.4Ghz P4) 1.2TB of HDD, 4GB (lol) matched RAM and a GeForce 7800 Dual head with S-Video outlet running Vista Ultimate. I also have a 2007 HP Pavilion DV9000 (GeForce 7600) running 2007 Vista Ultimate install and 2007 Toshiba Satellite P100 (GeForce 7900) running XP Pro. All three of these machines were chosen for their power so I'm pretty sure I'm ok as far as Video power goes.

My problem is that I'm not sure how to get my computer displaying on the camera so I can record it as I go along. I also have Camtasia and I've used it many times to do online flash style tutorials (so I guess I'm not that new to editing after all - but I'm a true backyarder with an inquisitive streak). I've tried every combination of cable I have found. The GeForce cards come with a variety of outputs. I can take some pics for you all if you like so I can show you what I have to use but I've got a feeling that you are going to tell me what I need. I've tried connecting through the headphone style composite yellow plug thingy (I believe the manual calls it the STV-250N Stereo Video Cable using the GeForce adapter to pull just a Video signal (no audio) and I've tried the CTC-100/S Component cable as well because I have an S-Video to component cable as well that (seems to) attach to plug into the back of the GeForce card.

This cable has many leads coming out of it. I'll list them here...
From the S-Video style male plug that plugs into the back of my GeForce 7800 Video Card I get 6 choices...

Blue RCA style female - labeled "PB/Video Out"
Red RCA style female - labeled "PR Out"
Green RCA style female - labeled "Y Out"
White S-Video female - labeled "S-Vid In"
Black S-Video female - labeled "S-Vid Out"
Orange RCA Female - labeled "Comp In"

I also have an HDMI outlet on my HP 9200 and of course an S-Video out as well. The S-Video out on my GeForce card (on the desktop - 7800) has 3 rows of pins (in a round plug format) and a black face. The HP laptop seems to have 2 rows and a square receptacle at the bottom (in a round plug format) but the Toshiba's S-Video outlet has a yellow face and seems to only have two rows of plugs.

In any case, I've set AV --> DV to "On" and I'm staring at the system diagram on page 94 but I've just not been able to get the PC to appear on the camera. Should I even expect it to? Are many of you laughing right now? That's cool (I was laughing at the start as well) but if anyone could point me to a post where I can sort this out or give me a cable I need to buy or use I would be very grateful as I've already spent over 12 hours trying to figure this out and I hate spending more than 5 minutes not making progress so I've been very patient with myself so far.

Thanks for listening. Now I'm listening.

Bill

[Terfyn]

As I understand it, the HV20 will record HDV through the Firewire connection (IEEE-1394) (p70) The HV20 will convert AV to DV to record on another device.
You could use CamStudio to record the spreadsheets and mix your video on an NLE

[OneDayWealth]

Thanks.

So I need the optional firewire cable. I've got firewire on my PC but not a 4 pin to 6 pin (only 6pin to 6 pin on a portable hard drive). I'll try to find one tomorrow (Sunday).

Has anyone had any experience capturing computer screen outputs with a HV20 yet? I'm expecting that the camera will show everything I would see on my monitor and if I press record it will capture it in glorious high resolution and I'll be able to use it in my how-to videos. Is this the case? I'm reading frantically trying to find how to do this without an S-Video input but any shortcuts, threads I should read...etc would help save me some time.

I'm off to try to figure out what software I need to be using to take maximum use of these terrific cameras. Adobe or Sony I'm guessing. Might also look at Ultra for Chroma Key. Suggestions or directions accepted.

[Terfyn]

As I suggested above, you will only be able to capture HDV/DV to tape via the HV20.
My suggestion was:- download CamStudio and record your spreadsheet screens in your computer as an AVI file. Import this to your editor and combine it with the DV from theHV20.
The HV20 is a camera first but with an HDV/DV dub option included. So if you can provide the required DV signal through a Firewire connection then you can record monitor screens onto tape.
I suggest you keep the recording of the monitor screens in the computer and then add to the final DVD with footage from the HV20.
I use Pinnacle Studio 11.1.1 and find that very good for simple editing.

[OneDayWealth]

Yes and thanks. My point is that the cable is not included I hear you with the Camtasia and I have it and will use it but I want to have one camera hooked up permanently to my PC. The problem with Camtasia is that it doesn't output clearly on TV which is why I wanted to capture it purely with the camera. I may also want to implement a video fader for easier (faster) production so I need to get digital video mixer and with that I will be able to cut manually from my white board to the computer.

Thanks for the tip on Pinnacle. I'll check it out.

[Erik Bien]

You'll need the FireWire cable in any event to get your camera footage into the computer for the edit.

[tcindie]

You can set camtasia to use better settings, depending on the power of your computer.

If you're using a laptop, or a desktop with an LCD monitor, you should be able to focus the camera on it and record without any issues.. LCD doesn't have the sync issues you run into when trying to shoot a CRT monitor.

The only other way I can think of that you'd be able to capture the screen with the camera would be to use something like a composite video out from the computer hooked to the a/v input on the camera, then follow the instructions in the manual to record from the a/v jack -- I'm not in a position to look it up at the moment, but it should be something like "analog to digital recording"

[Terfyn]

The point of AV to DV, in the HV20, is to convert the AV signal to DV to record on a third device, such as a DVD recorder, with a Firewire connection. So you can't use the camera as a recording device in AV to DV.
I tried CamStudio and recorded a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet page. I then downloaded the recording into Studio 11+. The picture was B***** awful but the idea worked.
Next stage is to Either work on CamStudio to find the right settings OR find a better version of an internal VGA recorder.

[OneDayWealth]

Ok, well I bought the Firewire cables 4-->6 and 4-->4 and as you guys have just mentioned (I'm not being notified by hv20.com when there is a reply) it won't work that way. I see blue screen on the camera. I appreciate you guys helping someone as green as I am but I'm determined to get a successful outcome. Apparently Bill Myers will show me how to get Camtasia to look good on TV but I want to just record straight and use that. That's why he suggested the camera MUST have S-Video in. I hope I haven't made a mistake (in this regard) with this camera. Surely, there would be an alternative that better than S-Video.

My illusion is that it would be better that way but if I have to do it the long way by by recording then synching I will do it. It's just that I bought the second camera exactly for this purpose and although I'm sure it'll come in more than handy (who doesn't want an extra camera to shoot with - or even as a spare?).

With Camtasia, we saved the recorded sections as straight uncompressed AVI files and tried every single compression and setting - nada. It all looked crap and broken. One of the problems are the fonts. When they are large enough (I used windows magnifier for those sitting at the back of the class) it was ok but I couldn't possibly do the who lesson in the magnifier. I'd have people throwing up in their lounge rooms within 10 minutes.

So today I'm out shopping for a better solution. Could it be that no vga signal actually exits the firewire port of my computer. I can understand a video signal coming from my VGA card but from the firewire port?

I'm definitely looking for a way to get an AV signal into the camera but I've tried that already from the GeForce card. It has a dongle that converts the S-Video to a single (yellow RCA) video out but I still get nothing on the camera. Maybe I'm not using the camera correctly? I'm trying to follow the instructions but all I get is hours of staring at the manual, checking cables (you should see my room!...cables running in every direction - no floor space left at all, boxes and packages strewn all about - it's like Christmas but no one can figure out how to switch on the toys).

Perhaps there's a better dedicated VGA card I can use just for this purpose? My S-Video on the GeForce isn't like a normal (yellow) 4 pin version. This one's got an extra row in the middle (perhaps to carry sound?). I did find a cable yesterday that seems to be a VGA port (like a video card) on one end (to plug straight into where you would normally plug a monitor in in) that has red green and blue on the other end. I bought it because I saw the RGB cable that came from the DV port but alas when I got it home I realised my folly as they were both males and now after reading the posts above I realise why.

However, if I can get a converter from RGB to straight RCA style Video I can get the AV in to recognise it.

Just as an aside. On page 66 in the first diagram (connection style 2) it mentions that the CV150(or250)F DV cable is capable of receiving a video signal from a TV or other digital video source with a DV (IEEE1394) output. On page 70 (as mentioned above) it is possible to recored from other digital video devices but is my firewire port outputting a Digital Video Signal? Or even is the S-VGA from my GeForce 7800 GTX card outputting anything at all (let alone a digital video signal).

Is there a dedicated Digital Video signal generator that outputs to Firewire?

Erik, I thought that my USB cable that comes with the camera would do that. I tried importing some videos into (don't yell at me) Microsoft Movie Maker (until I decide what software I'm going to use). It detected something. It was rewinding and had controls for the camera in the software which worked on the camera but when it had finished it said there was an error and that perhaps I should check to make sure that the tape wasn't blank. Bummer.

Today, I'm on the phone to Canon to see what they say. All help and suggestions are appreciated. Thank you everyone.

[OneDayWealth]

Just got off the phone to Canon support (after waiting for 30 minutes on hold...sigh). They went and talked to some other people and they say it's not possible.

Anyone want to buy a Brand new never used still in box 2 days old HV20?

[Terfyn]

As I understand it, you want to produce a DVD? of screen pictures and camera shots - is that correct?
If so, why do you want to use the camera to record from the monitor when there are direct to HD recorders available - I am getting better results from CamStudio now. OR set the screen shots up as stills (jpeg) files to import into your NLE with the camera shots.
I have not tried CamTasia but CamStudio works OK.

[Lunchbox]

I wanted to help but the post is realllllllllllly lengthy. You might want to be more precise in asking your question.

[OneDayWealth]

Taky, thanks for your extremely useful comment.

[Halsu]

With Camtasia, we saved the recorded sections as straight uncompressed AVI files and tried every single compression and setting - nada. It all looked crap and broken. One of the problems are the fonts. When they are large enough (I used windows magnifier for those sitting at the back of the class) it was ok

...and there's the problem. DVD:s are of very small resolution compared to computer screens (720*480 or 720*576 pixels depending on TV system).

If you try to cram a regular high resolution computer screen into this small TV resolution, your normal sized fonts will be unreadable. Recording to camera will not help, probably the opposite.

I'd say you will be best off by recording with camtasia and doing enlargements of areas of interest.

This also helps with another problem - if you have too small detail on your screen capture (especially one pixel lines) they will flicker notoriously when watced on TV. Enlarging portions of camtasia capture should help this too, as the single pixel lines will also enlarge,

[OneDayWealth]

Thanks.

Yes, that's what's been discovered. It's pretty clear that it won't do what I want.

[Lunchbox]

I have done it many times capturing screen from computer to DV-AVI. My Dell laptop output SVideo only so I bought an adapter to convert the yellow RCA to SVideo at Radio Shack.

Steps,

- Set the desktop resolution to 1024x768 (or 800x600 for bigger text).
- Hook up the output from laptop to the AV-in in HV20.
- Switch the camera to playback mode.
- Activate my laptop external display (to clone mode, not extended desktop)
- Change the settings in HV20 menu to activate the AV-in port.
- Load a tape, then record the screen activity.

The output is in Standard Def 720x480 quality. Desktop text are all blury. But it records well on Powerpoint slides or Flash movies.

[j1ggastyle]

Hello - I'm looking for a program or tool that will enable me to record a webcam session with another webcam user(Split Screen). Any ideas?

[Lunchbox]

Not sure about if it's what you are looking for, Camtasia is one. and there're a bunch of tools from techsmith can do that too.

http://www.techsmith.com/

[j1ggastyle]

Hello - I'm looking looking for a program that can record a Skype type session video and audio together

[net]

Web conferencing (http://www.google.com/search?q=web+conferencing&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)


Web conferencing software freeware (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=41h&q=web+conferencing+software+freeware&aq=f&oq=&aqi=)

[Shadow_7]

In linux there's v4l options to record from webcam sources. Mainly at the source, not the receiving end. The skype agent might allow some sort of full logging, I haven't checked. At a minimum you can record your X session and anything that's on screen will get recorded. Assuming a system capable of that amount of throughput. And having all of the parts to make a whole. It's possible.

[Keprotica]

Sorry if someone has addressed this before. I searched around and didn't see my question, so if it is answered elsewhere, feel free to direct me to it.

I noticed while reading my HV30's manual that I can hook up to a TV or "digital video source" in order to capture material directly onto the tape. My question is: Is it possible to do this with a computer screen? I would attempt to answer the question by experimentation, but I don't have my firewire cord with me. I'd like to have footage of a cursor navigating a certain web page I'm making a commercial for. Any other tricks to capture this sort of material would also be welcome. Thanks.

[koolpenguin89]

Does your monitor or video card have a composite output?

Dylan

[CycleWriter]

Please post to the proper subforum, thank you.

An HV will accept almost any input via the A/V jack. I assume you are trying to record your desktop for instructional purposes. If your video card supports output via an RCA composite output, then this is possible.

[Janke]

Provided, of course, that the computer can output the correct video standard...

A monitor signal can have almost any frequency and number of lines, but I don't think the HV camera will accept anything but NTSC (or PAL if a PAL model).

So, you will have to set the computer's display settings accordingly.


CW: "Almost any input"??? Can you exemplify, please?

[Lunchbox]

It will work and it will accept as standard definition video only. I have done it a couple of times and the video quality is just okay. You should consider buying the software Camtasia. That's made for this purpose.

[Seo]

A tip for these type of vids: if you have to work with a low rez output, animate the camera to follow what you're doing (keep movement to a minimum) and keep the movements simple. Enable motion blur; it'll look a lot better.

[CycleWriter]

CW: "Almost any input"??? Can you exemplify, please?

I meant that with the right cable and/or adapter, it can capture analog or digital outputs providing they are of a proper format.

[MilkyStay]

I need to convert a Flash show to an AVI file. I thought of it will be cool to record the output from my laptop equipted with SVideo out to the AV-in of HV20 to record in 1440x1080.

I got my hope high. It does record only to DV resolution. Bummer!

Here you are:
good flash to video converters - Flash to Video Encoder (Wind.), Macvide FlashVideo Converter (Mac);
good screen recording tools - Screen VidShot (Wind.), Macvide ScreenCap (Mac).
Hope that helps! :hv20-smilie24:

[CycleWriter]

Please check the dates before responding to a post. The question you quoted is almost 2 years old and the OP has since found an answer.

[Lunchbox]

I actually appreciate new response to my old questions now I have other alternatives to look at.

[CycleWriter]

No problem, I just don't want a newbie with 2 posts suddenly resurrecting a bunch of old posts because he doesn't look at the thread dates.:hv20-smilie84:

[listenpreis]

hey

so ...I'd like to make some kind of summary:

it's possible to capture with the HV20 (what about HV30?) the PC Screen - BUT only if the graphiccard is able to playout in PAL / NTSC (DV) resolution - this would mean only ATI cards would be able to work with the HV30 (since it's the only manufacturer that supports PAL/NTSC output resolution with omega drivers - NVIDIA does not!). - right?

What about DVI out (PC) --> HDMI in (Cam) - would this be a solution? and what about HDMi (PC) --> HDMi in (Cam) - does this work in SD only or in HD as well? I saw that almost all new notebooks have a HDMI output - so would this be possible to use [maybe as well only with an ATI gfx chip?]

I would really like to buy the HV30 - so I'd have a cam + capture ability combined.

To CamTasia: I tried this tool - but it's not working for me because my PC outpowered by the apps I'm using (VJ tools) so the captures with this software stutter - not of any use.

Thanks in advance for any helpfull information

[CycleWriter]

The HDMI on the HV is an output only.

[Lunchbox]

Most video cards or laptop has RCA output or SVideo output. You can connect it to the AV in to HV30 for capturing (for sVideo, you will need to get an adapter to convert to RCA). I believe dekstop resolution has to be at 800x600. It doesn't matter if it's NTSC or PAL. Final video is SD only.

As CW said, HDMI on HV30 is for output only.

I have an older version of camtasia that won't work in Vista. So I installed it to XP Pro and run the capture program there. Works well for me. Don't expect to get high resolution without stuttering.

[listenpreis]

it does definately not well if you're running a tool that needs all resources... but this is good news that it's possible to capture from 800x600. even though it'd be great to capture higher resolutions.. but well can't have anything I guess.

thanks so far.

[MilkyStay]

Please check the dates before responding to a post. The question you quoted is almost 2 years old and the OP has since found an answer.

Oops :eek: Sorry!

[jimmy2011]

If you want to record screen video with high quality, you should use some screen recorder to help you. Personally, I think the one I used did the job very well. It can help me record everything displayed on my computer desktop as video, and the video is the same as the original video. So, I often use it to help me record video of desktop. Or if you also want to get the video to standard video format, it can help you capture video to avi, so that you can export it to your portable device or upload to some video sharing website.

*** Admin Note: External link removed ***

[jmorton]

Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 is free. When you install and it asks you for the activation code just click Next.
It's really good.

Check out YouTube first:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGQe5eJpqnY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V9l1GrzTBU&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL7BF2F939BE717617

Then to download:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=24601

[Lunchbox]

Thanks for sharing that link. It seems a good free program I have been looking for =)

[jmorton]

Thanks for sharing that link. It seems a good free program I have been looking for =)

I tried to upload a video but for the past several months I keep getting an error.

So here is a link to a video I made using the free version of Expression Encoder Screen Capture and Rendering out to a .wmv file.

I then imported the .wmv file into Premiere Pro CS3. Unlinked the audio and cleaned it up in SoundBooth. Then reimported the audio back into my PP3 project. Then I edited the video and added an opening graphic with some minor effects. Then I outputted my project to uncompressed .avi. Then using this uncompressed .avi of my project I then used PP3 export to make this small .wmv video. The uncompressed .avi file was something like 22GB. This nice looking .wmv file is about 37.6MB. I used average bitrate of 1500 and peak bitrate of 2250.

Here's the link to the video called, "Welcome to BulletProof":
http://www.kingkonglomerate.com/videotutorials.html

[jmorton]

Then I outputted my project to uncompressed .avi. Then using this uncompressed .avi of my project I then used PP3 export to make this small .wmv video. The uncompressed .avi file was something like 22GB. This nice looking .wmv file is about 37.6MB. I used average bitrate of 1500 and peak bitrate of 2250.

I was in error: you don't need to export to uncompressed .avi first. You just need to use the proper bitrates in PP3 export to get an excellent .wmv output from your edited original Expression Encoder screen capture .wmv video file.

[Bob Sanders]

Thanks for the link. Seems to be what I was looking for as well.