Recording Gameplay Footage from PC

[darkdestiny]

Hi, I would like to post a question. If this post is in the wrong place,

Recently, I find that recording gameplay footage off my laptop has a problem. I tried using a software recorder called Bandicam, & when I start up my game (which requires high graphics), the gameplay appears to be lagging badly (around 7-15 fps), & the video appears a bit more smoothly, but still lagging. Note that no other programs other than my recording software is on, & I maximize my processing power by using Game Booster.

As a near-perfectionist who wants to provide good gameplay footage for my viewers, I am trying to find a way to make the recording smoother. Here are my stats:

Notebook: HP Pavilion dv6-6144vt
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i7-2630M (2GHz)
Graphics Card: Nvida Radeon HD 6490M / Mobile Intel HD Graphics
Sound Card: IDT High Definition Audio Codec / Intel(R) Display Audio
RAM: 4GB DDR3

I have been considering several options, like upgrading my RAM (my laptop is capable of taking up to 8GB). I even thought about using HDMI cable to connect to my Panasonic HDC-SD80 (my laptop has a HDMI cable), but I have checked several sites and found that I might not be able to use this method.

Any kind of help and advise is appreciated!

[Baldrick]

Have you tried fraps also?

[darkdestiny]

I used to be a user of Fraps, but the lag is worse than Bandicam. I know both are still being compared but I like Bandicam due to usage history.

I would like to say that the video is already lagging a bit (a video shown in the game had a video-audio problem where the audio plays about 2x faster than the video (2.5-3x when Bandicam is recording).

So should I go for a RAM upgrade to increase the game smoothness?

[jagabo]

A RAM upgrade isn't likely to help. What resolution are you playing at? Are you capturing at that full resolution? What frame rate are you trying to record at? Are you using some kind of compression codec? Which one?

As an experiment, lower your screen resolution to something low -- like 800x600. Try recording that at 30 fps. If that works fine you can try higher resolutions and higher frame rates.

Optimally, you want to record with a high speed, low compression codec like UT Video Codec, HuffYUV or MJPEG. Then compress that file later with a high compression codec like h.264 or Xvid. High compression codecs generally require lots of CPU power so you can't use them while recording. I would leave the audio uncompressed while recording too.

HDMI to your camcorder isn't likely to work. The HDMI port on your camcorder is almost certainly just an output for connecting it to a TV.

[darkdestiny]

A RAM upgrade isn't likely to help. What resolution are you playing at? Are you capturing at that full resolution? What frame rate are you trying to record at? Are you using some kind of compression codec? Which one?

As an experiment, lower your screen resolution to something low -- like 800x600. Try recording that at 30 fps. If that works fine you can try higher resolutions and higher frame rates.

Optimally, you want to record with a high speed, low compression codec like UT Video Codec, HuffYUV or MJPEG. Then compress that file later with a high compression codec like h.264 or Xvid. High compression codecs generally require lots of CPU power so you can't use them while recording. I would leave the audio uncompressed while recording too.

HDMI to your camcorder isn't likely to work. The HDMI port on your camcorder is almost certainly just an output for connecting it to a TV.

Just what I want to hear, thanks!

The FPS that I record at is roughly 8-15 fps depending on the scenario of the gameplay, like if there's big explosions the fps is lower.

I will work on the resolution when I got time. But the current resolution I'm running is full screen, at 1360X738. I have tried 720p in Windows mode but it worked out worse.

Tried 800x600 and the graphics turned out smoother. Haven't tried updating yet, but I will do that later today when I have the time.

And as much as I like to put it at 720p and 1080p on Youtube, 800x600 will appear grainy. But if it helps to smoothen the gameplay, I'll be glad.

Bandicam's recording format are as follows:

Video
Size: Full Size
FPS: 30
Codec: Motion JPEG
Bit Rate: 4000 kbps (fixed)
Quality: 80

Audio
Channels: Stereo
Frequency: 48kHz
Codec: PCM
Bitrate: 192kbps (fixed)

Please note that some options are fixed at the moment.

EDIT: I will post up a footage later to show my initial recording test I did a few days ago, if required.

[jagabo]

Make sure your laptop isn't set in a power saver mode. You want the CPU to be running at full speed all the time. Run Task Manager in the background while playing/recording. What does it show for CPU usage?

[darkdestiny]

Make sure your laptop isn't set in a power saver mode. You want the CPU to be running at full speed all the time. Run Task Manager in the background while playing/recording. What does it show for CPU usage?

Can't check right now. But the battery settings are in Game Mode (I use Game Booster when I play my games). Will post the info up later. But are there other things I need to find out?

[olyteddy]

There's a new kid on the block. Mirillis Action! Might be worth a look.

[darkdestiny]

I have been around for a while, occasionally coming back for answers. But I'm still new in recording high end graphic games.

[olyteddy]

I hope my slang 'new kid on the block' didn't confuse you. I've added a link to my previous post for a low impact screen recorder. It's called Action!

[darkdestiny]

Ok... You did confuse me there... But I'll check it out in a bit.

[darkdestiny]

Tested out the other resolutions, and I have managed to find one that somehow works (with a little lag though). The resolution size is 1024x768. The fps on Bandicam actually reads about 10+ to 20+ range while recording, & 40 fps when there's a black screen in between cutscenes.

Just a quality test here:

[Nicole418]

I found software which is suitable for recording games. It is easy to handle and works well. It enables you to record your games with sound. there is no time limitation for recording. all the items could be pre-set. the playback is also in good condition.

[darkdestiny]

Was having a little trouble with Mirillis Action, but after a conversion my video editing software, Premiere Pro, was able to read the video without problems. Good thing it records the mic too, so I don't have to open Audacity to record my voice for live commentary.

@Nicole418: I wonder if it records mic too. Currently my stereo mix cannot work for recording.

[Nicole418]

yes, you are entitled to record withh system sound, microphone or both. the files will be saved in wmv format, you can convert them to the format directly, if necessary.

[Nicole418]

Was having a little trouble with Mirillis Action, but after a conversion my video editing software, Premiere Pro, was able to read the video without problems. Good thing it records the mic too, so I don't have to open Audacity to record my voice for live commentary.

@Nicole418: I wonder if it records mic too. Currently my stereo mix cannot work for recording.

yes, you are entitled to record with system sound, microphone, or both.

[darkdestiny]

yes, you are entitled to record withh system sound, microphone or both. the files will be saved in wmv format, you can convert them to the format directly, if necessary.

Alright! As long as it can record in uncompressed & HD, it'll be worth checking it out.

[darkdestiny]

After about a month of fiddling around, I think Action is a little hard to manage. Plus while recording gameplay, my video freezes for as long as 30 minutes, even though I was playing in the game just fine.

Might switch back to Bandicam until I manage to get the problem resolved or get another recording device.

[Cauptain]

Sorry for long time to response.

For any PC try DXTORY. the best program to record PC games.

No 4Gb limit used on FRAPS. I record 600GB file...PERFECT play and edit.

This tool has a feature that you can split the file record on up to 3 hds for better performance and then join only in a video clip.

This feature has solved many problems with my friends who use notebook to capture

You can use their own codec or test other more common.

Always use the UT VIDEO CODEC YUY2 mode, faster. You can record at a lower resolution than the playing, you can write to the window, you can do everything with this program.

Look this post: http://forum.outerspace.terra.com.br/showpost.php?p=8891290&postcount=33

Check your MP to treasure.


Claudio

[darkdestiny]

Sorry for long time to response.

For any PC try DXTORY. the best program to record PC games.

No 4Gb limit used on FRAPS. I record 600GB file...PERFECT play and edit.

This tool has a feature that you can split the file record on up to 3 hds for better performance and then join only in a video clip.

This feature has solved many problems with my friends who use notebook to capture

You can use their own codec or test other more common.

Always use the UT VIDEO CODEC YUY2 mode, faster. You can record at a lower resolution than the playing, you can write to the window, you can do everything with this program.

Look this post: http://forum.outerspace.terra.com.br/showpost.php?p=8891290&postcount=33

Check your MP to treasure.


Claudio

Thank you for the suggestion. Just a few questions about this program:

1. Is it capable of recording both in-game audio & microphone?
2. What video format (mp4, avi etc.) does this record in?

I will return to using Bandicam for now.

[Cauptain]

Thank you for the suggestion. Just a few questions about this program:

1. Is it capable of recording both in-game audio & microphone?
2. What video format (mp4, avi etc.) does this record in?

I will return to using Bandicam for now.

1 - Yes. You can record 2 "sound sources" at sametime.
2 - AVI



Claudio