The Good
* Allows users to save recorded video as AVI, WMV, SWF, and FLV formats.
* Allows users to record whole screen, a specific window, or a custom region.
* Can record audio from microphone or speakers.
* Allows users to select if they want to include the mouse cursor in videos or not.
* Has the ability to input date and timestamps on videos.
* Gives users the ability to set X second(s) countdown timer before the actual recording begins.
* Can turn off screensavers and hardware acceleration while recording.
* Output videos can be resized to a specific resolution or left at the recording region resolution.
* Has the ability to automatically save videos using a naming scheme.
* Has the ability to schedule recordings.

The Bad
* Not 100% bug free:
o Users cannot click inside the recording region if "Show Selected Area" or "Show Recording Area during Recording" options are enabled.
o Does not properly record sound from speakers (at least not on my computer).
o ...and more.
* Sometimes the popup window to resume/stop/discard video recording shows up behind other open windows.
* No feature to highlight mouse cursor and mouse clicks.
* No video editing/modification features.

Free Alternatives
BB Flashback Express

For final verdict, recommendations, and full review please click here.

Ashraf  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+129)

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Recordzilla lacks a little Panache and some basic features. It is quite simple to use but basic. For example, you have to select a region whilst the window is open, it should either hide itself whilst you select or wait until you hit the record.

The main window has to be open to record, even for using the hot keys which makes the hot key function a bit pointless. The hot keys should work as they would with most systems. The ability to define the number of seconds countdown is nice but should really be an enhancement to the hotkey functionality (to move cursors to correct location etc) instead of a necessity (to close windows and get the screen in the position you want it in for recording).

There seem to be a number of bugs, including the redraw of the window. It wouldn't record audio streams playing with on screen video, not sure if that is just a missing feature or a bug, the sound was coming from the speakers and the audio settings set correctly for the card.

I think based on the features this won't be a keeper for me

Colin Wiffen  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+40)

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Video capture demands fast, efficient coding to get audio/video streams written to disk without dropped frames or problems with audio sync etc... VB [Visual Basic] is not up to the task, & unfortunately that's what Recordzilla uses. It also installs/uses the Windows Media Component setup [wmfdist.exe - 9/4/2003], at the same time dropping GdiPlus.dll in Windows' system folder -- with several versions available GdiPlus.dll should either be in the app's folder, or in Windows \ WinSxS, & not in the system folder where it becomes the default for every app that uses it. Recordzilla uses an older version of the Lame mp3 encoder, lame_enc.dll. And per the Recordzilla FAQ, you may have to disable video acceleration to use it. IMHO there are just too many better alternatives to bother with it... The old, free Windows Media Encoder 9 does screen capture [Google/Bing as it's no longer offered/supported by Microsoft]; you can download & install the Unreal "Screen Capture DirectShow source filter" http://goo.gl/fz73z & then you can use it with most video capture apps, including VirtualDub; here is a blog post about using the VH Screen Capture Driver with VirtualDub http://goo.gl/MTbKV , or just use the screen capture driver built into VirtualDub itself [instructions included in the program's help]; the free CamStudio's listed along with several other apps on videohelp.com's "Screen capture/Screenshots" page http://goo.gl/AYpLu ; search GOTD as several screen capture apps have been featured... prior GOTD offers include Ashampoo Snap -- besides the big sales Ashampoo's been running, a few weeks after installing their Snap 4 trial I got e-mails offering it for just less than $8, & it's a nice app. Bear in mind that capturing video from your screen or a video feed requires a fast codec that may or may not be included with capture software.

Recordzilla'a program folder holds 55 files, 2 folders, & takes up ~24 MB. Setup includes 16 files that *may* be installed to Windows' system folder [it does behave by not replacing files that are already there, so you may get less]. In XP Pro InstallWatch Pro recorded: "4908 registry entries added", but that includes the wmfdist.exe install.

What you want to record, & what you want to record it to or for determines to a big extent the software you'll use. If you're recording a tutorial, fps [Frames Per Second] isn't critical (meaning most apps will work), but you might want to look for additional features that can make it easier to do a better job -- here Camtasia is well known http://goo.gl/5m52M , & you can sometimes find older versions offered free. For recording gameplay, Fraps is popular http://goo.gl/8jtis . For capturing on-line &/or other types of video it's often best to start with what you want your final video to be, then consider your source video & work backwards... In a nutshell if your source isn't great quality, you want to try and record directly to the final format you're after -- every conversion or transcode takes it's toll, & if you start with poorer quality, there just isn't enough quality there to spare. You likely want to focus on finding a capture app (or app & driver combo) that can save your captured video directly to the desired format, with or without a separately installed codec for that format. For example you might use encoding apps from Real, DivX, or Windows Media Encoder 9 etc. for screen capture, because even when/if they're not ideal, if they can be made to work they do save video in their respective formats natively. OTOH if you've got enough original quality to make it through conversion -- And you don't mind the extra time/effort -- you'll almost always get higher quality results using a 2 step process, capturing as much data as possible 1st, then [after any optional editing] encode to your final format. Higher quality encoding, especially to something like the popular H.264, takes time. The problem with that approach is the initial capture codec. For regular video you can use mjpeg [usually pay-ware] or HUFFYUV [free], but many of them can start to fall down at higher resolutions, & you also have to find something that works with your editing software [if you plan on editing] & your final encoder. If for example you find one of the Quicktime formats or DivX ideal, then you have to find a capture app that'll capture to the Quicktime format or DivX. Note that while Windows itself includes "(Uncompressed RGB/YCbCr)", it's not the highest quality that name might imply -- it's not that uncommon for someone to try it & put up with much less quality thinking they can't possibly do better... you can.

mike  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+35)

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Installed ok on XP SP3, almost…

a) Does not respect your choice in “Start menu” folder. It creates its own anyway.

b) I have no “C” drive. It’s “E". Maybe that’s why I saw the “Error: path not found", when trying to record a window, before the app promptly closed. After choosing a custom output folder it did work.

Video .avi quality was ok, almost comparable to the free “Cam Studio", with the same (default) compressor.

One advantage over (my version of) Cam Studio is that in RecordZilla you can very easily choose a window as the region to record.

It did record sound, but my system has some virtual? sound output/capturing? device installed by another app. That's the device RecordZilla correctly identified and recorded with no problem.

Dan89  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+18)

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This will do for moderate video recordings, as Ashraf says it does have a few bugs/glitches mostly but for real pro video creation I stick with Camtasia Studio V6 or new v7+ as it is undoubtably & maybe even arguably the most professional video recorder / editor of it's kind. If all You want to do is record Your screen desktop actions with sound most of the video recorders available will do, some even have free versions:

Screen Steps

Screen Recorder Buddy

ScreenIT

VidToAVI

Desktop Video Recorder

RecADeskTop

so... You get what I am saying, Screen Steps has step recording that I really like but I usually just wanna record tutorials with sound, I have been working on my site ( see my website link ) to incorporate these recorded videos and screen caps into the "worlds" i create there, enjoy and happy holidays.

zZz~"Avid PC Enthusiast Since 1982..."

TIP:

1> Press PRT SCR / Sys Rq Key to CAPTURE Your screen, then
2> right click desktop create .bmp file or if You have it there .jpg
3> then open that newly created picture file immediately w/ "PAINT",
4> Use "PAINT's" Paste Button To paste the captured image into the file buffer, then
5> Save it to whatever format You wish, and to desktop if You wish.

I got in the habit of doing the above using what windows provides, and it cut down on system resources, time, efforts and all the mumbo-jumbo of capturing what I wanted & saving it fast, quick & easy.

Hope this helps just one long time or new pc enthusiast, that will be present enough for the year.

thanks & enjoy!

zZz

zZz  –  14 years ago  –  ¿Te ha parecido útil este comentario? si | no (+17)

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