PDA

View Full Version : Video quality and Full Screen capture



skypilotpete
09-27-2009, 08:33 PM
I have just tried out RVC for the first time because I can't use RMC on one of my favourite sites because of the source changing to a secured format - so I am trying out RVC.

Before I purchase the program I have some questions which relate to the achievable quality through RVC.

The main purpose I would use RVC for is to capture high quality streamed video in order to burn it to DVD and watch it on my TV.

I assume that in order to do this at a decent quality I would have to capture the full screen. However, I see in the instructions that users are advised to keep the window to be captured at one quarter or less of the desktop.

I tried capturing full screen video, but as soon as RVC started recording, the video being captured started stuttering and freezing. I assume this is because I have an older Pentium 4, 2.99 GHz machine with 2Meg of Ram, whereas the instructions advise a dual core processor.

I am considering purchasing a new quad core machine - can anyone tell me:

1) If RVC records in full screen mode, and the source video is of reasonable quality, will the resultant file be good enough to burn to DVD and watch on a TV (not HD)? (If I could capture these same files with RMC, I know the quality would be fine for this purpose.)

2) Any suggestions as to the desirable specs for a computer that can do a good job of capturing full screen, high quality streaming video?

stream-recorder.com
09-27-2009, 10:12 PM
Try to record at one quarter of your desktop using MPEG-2 format.

"Reasonable quality" is always subjective. IMHO it is a good idea to make a test. You can burn a DVD using a DVD-RW disc or you can create an image of a DVD on your hard drive and see whether the quality is good enough for you.

carlobee
10-01-2009, 08:18 PM
^^ That's right.. plus you were mentioning of buying a new quad core unit. so that would be fine. Couple it with a good ram. around 4 gb or higher that's the standard nowadays.

http://storeyourpicture.com/images/signature_videoStreaming.jpg

stream-recorder.com
10-01-2009, 10:31 PM
If you want to buy a new quad core only to record online videos, then it might be better to buy DVDs instead.

Also I suggest not to buy a PC with Vista, Windows 7 is much better.

bucknerwh
10-02-2009, 01:54 PM
I have a slow computer (even slower than the original poster in this thread), but I would like to try and use RVC in some capacity anyway since I bought the software bundle.

Do you have sense which parameter has the largest impact on smooth playback? Should I display a really tiny window (say, 1/8 screen) and increase the frame rate, or have a normal window and a really low frame rate? Does it matter if I raise or lower the resolution the graphics card is displaying?

Could I get better results if I captured the audio and video separately and put the feeds together afterward?

I know it varies from system to system, but I'm just trying to get a feel for which system processes interfere most significantly with video capture, and I thought you probably have a better understanding than I will have from simply doing trial and error.

I understand this is kind of a vague question, but if there are any tips you have for working on slow systems, I'd appreciate the input.

Thanks!

bucknerwh