Are you curious about best codec for screen recording? Or about the best video codec for screen recording? In the world of technology, just about everything is moving towards digital. That includes voice, images, audio and video. With this being the case, it goes without saying that video is becoming an increasingly popular way to communicate information. However, it goes without saying that video can also be a lot more difficult than one might think to transmit and even more difficult to actually make look good.
These days most of the online users are looking for tools or software that can help them to record a video in their PC. For example, if users want to share his/her gaming experience, then he/she can record it through joy game recording system.
Best video codec including top codecs list and test results, how-to contents on Android/iPhone screen recording and video editing, looking for the best codec video format to suit your needs? You can use this top best video codec list as a reference.
As we’re aware, the codec is important for screen recording or video, audio recording. If a codec doesn’t work fine, we’ll facing some trouble when play it back on our computer. Now, here are the top audio video codecs based on our experience, you can choose the most appropriate one for your project.
How to Choose the Best Video Codec for Recording
What is the best video codec for game recording, video recording, and screen recording?
- If you use a high-compression codec, you can get a small video file, but the encoding speed might be slower.
- If you use a high-quality codec, you can get the best quality video, but the video file size might be larger.
- If you use a high-speed codec, you can reduce CPU usage, but the video file size might be larger.
So, you have to choose the best video codec by yourself to meet your recording needs.
Comparison of video codecs – Size, Quality and Speed
The table below shows the file sizes, video quality and codec speed
(Recording time: one minute, Video resolution: 1920×1080, FPS: 30, Quality: 80).
| Codec | Size | Quality | Speed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEVC (GPU) | 33.5 MB  | Better | Fast | Better than H.264 at compression (NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync video) |
| H264 (GPU) | 34.2 MB | Better | Fast | Best codec for most users (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE, Intel QSV) |
| H264 (High 4:4:4 lossless) | 217 MB | Best | Fast | Lossless video codec Much smaller than YV12 or RGB24 |
| Xvid | 52.9 MB | Good | Normal | Best codec for most users |
| MPEG-1 | 38.8 MB | Good | Normal | Better compression ratio than Xvid |
| Motion JPEG | 420 MB | Normal | Fast | Best codec for video editing software |
| YV12 | 5,210 MB | Best | Faster | Lossless video codec |
| RGB24 | 10,400 MB | Best | Fastest | Lossless video codec |
- Comparison of codec speed: RGB24 (Fastest) > YV12 > Motion JPEG > Xvid > MPEG-1 (Normal)
- H.264 may be faster than Motion JPEG with high performing computers.
1. Hardware accelerated H.264 codec (GPU): Best codec for advanced users
The hardware-accelerated H.264 codec allows the users to record the target with high speed, high compression ratio, and excellent quality. Usually, the H.264 codec is not suitable for real-time video recording because it uses much more system resources and the codec speed is much slower than others. However, the hardware accelerated H.264 codec solves the issue with the codec speed. The speed of hardware accelerated H.264 codec (Nvidia® NVENC™, Intel® Quick Sync video, AMD VCE) may be faster than Motion JPEG with high performing computers.
* Summary: If you can choose H.264 encoder in Bandicam, choose “H.264“.
2. Xvid: Best codec for most users
Xvid is used in many other applications/hardware and has gained great popularity. Most CD/DVD players, Smartphones, SmartTVs and media players support the Xvid codec. So it will be one of the best video codecs for most users. The Xvid codec is faster than MPEG-1 (Xvid uses lower CPU usage than MPEG-1).
* Summary: If you can’t choose the H.264 encoder in Bandicam, choose “Xvid“.
3. MPEG-1: Better compression ratio than Xvid
MPEG-1 is the most widely compatible lossy audio/video format in the world. Most media players and YouTube support the MPEG-1 codec. The MPEG-1 codec offers a good quality of video and uses much less CPU than other codecs. (The quality of MPEG-1 is similar to Xvid.)
* Summary: If you want to get smaller videos than Xvid, choose “MPEG-1“.
4. Motion JPEG (MJPEG): Best codec for video editing
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG or MJPEG) is a video format in which each video frame is a JPEG image, therefore, each frame is a keyframe, so you can edit the recorded video easily. (Motion JPEG will be an ideal codec for most users who want to edit the recorded streaming video in Sony Vegas (or Adobe Premiere Editor).
* Summary: If you want to edit the recorded video with a video editing program, choose “Motion JPEG“.
5. YV12: Best quality video codec (lossless)
The video quality is better than MPEG-1/XVID because YV12 doesn’t compress the video. However, the file size is much bigger than MPEG-1/XVID (The file size is smaller than RGB24).
* Summary: If you want to get the best quality videos, try “YV12“.
6. RGB24: Best quality video codec (lossless)
The video quality is better than MPEG-1/XVID because RGB24 doesn’t compress the video. However, the file size is much bigger than MPEG-1/XVID (The file size is bigger than YV12).
* Summary: If you want to get the best quality videos, try “RGB24“.
7. External Codec
If you want to get better quality videos or make smaller videos, you could try the [External Codec] option in Bandicam.
You need a high-end computer to use an external codec because most external codecs use much more system resources than Bandicam’s internal codecs.
The table below shows the file sizes when Bandicam records a 1920×1080 resolution video for one minute. (FPS: 30, Quality: 80)
| Codec | Size | Quality | Speed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| External: x264 | 135 MB | Better | Normal | Best codec for a high-end computer (High quality, Smaller files, Recommended) |
| External: Xvid | 315 MB | Good | Normal | Best codec for DivX/Galaxy Smartphone |
| External: Lagarith | 1,400 MB | Best | Normal | Recommended codec for video-editing (High quality, Lossless video codec) |
To use an External codec in Bandicam, visit https://www.bandicam.com/faqs/vfw-x264-xvid-divx-h264-codec/
* Summary: If you have a high-end computer, try the “External codec” option in Bandicam.
Tips for Creating High Quality Screen Recordings
Follow these practical tips for to create high quality screencast recordings.
1. Create an outline before recording
You may be tempted to just wing it, but even making just a rough outline forces you to organize your thoughts and design a “roadmap” for your screencast. There’s no faster way to lose your audience than rambling or jumping back and forth between thoughts. Making a script will also reduce your “ums” and “ahs”.
2. Record in a quiet environment
There’s nothing more frustrating that getting five minutes into a recording only to be interrupted by a slamming door or a barking dog. Also consider eliminating loud fans, road or train noise, or humming that can sometimes results from florescent lighting.
3. Practice once or twice before recording
Nobody can make a perfect screencast on the first try. While you certainly don’t want to over-rehearse, going through your talking points once or twice will help you speak more smoothly (e.g. you won’t have to struggle to find the best word or phrase during your recording).
4. Close out all other apps and tabs
This will do two things: 1) free up your computer’s processing power so that your screen recording software can run more smoothly and 2) eliminate the possibility of distracting notifications.
5. Grab a glass of water
If you’re recording a long screencast or do multiple takes, your mouth will quickly get dry. And trust us…your viewers will notice.
6. Test your recording software
If you record a 5-minute screencast only to realize the audio wasn’t picked up, you were speaking too loudly/softly, or your settings weren’t right, you will pull your hair out. We don’t want you to pull your hair out.
7. Only record what you need
If the content of your screencast is contained in one tab or application, there’s no need to record your entire desktop. Only recording what you need will get rid of unnecessary “visual noise” and reduce your video’s file size. If you’re using Kaltura, you can choose to your entire screen or just a portion of the screen.
8. Clean up your recording space
If your recording will include your computer’s desktop, either as you demonstrate something in the OS or just switching between applications, you may want to tidy it up all those icons you’ve been leaving lay around.
9. Add a second monitor to the mix
Connecting a second monitor to your computer gives you more control and a bigger capture area. You can choose to capture a whole screen while keeping your recording controls, notes, and other resources on the screen not being recorded. It’s also a quick way to get a clean recording space.
10. Record with standard dimensions
In most cases, you’ll want to record with standard dimensions to make sure it displays correctly on video hosting sites like YouTube and doesn’t have black bars around the edges. If you are capturing a portion of your screen with Kaltura, consider selecting the “Select area” option, choosing a capture size and then resizing your content to fit the capture area.
11. Tell your viewers what you’ll cover
Before you get into the meat of your presentation, give your audience an idea what they’ll learn. This will help them get oriented and know what to be listening for. If you don’t do this, they’ll be unsure where you’re going and won’t know what’s important and what isn’t.
12. Keep it short
It’s no secret that video length is negatively correlated with engagement. These days, our attention spans drop off a cliff after 2-3 minutes. If you must record longer screencasts, consider breaking it up into separate, more focused segments.
13. Embed your webcam wisely
While embedding your webcam is a nice way of making your screen recording more personal, it can be overdone. Remember, your viewer will most likely be watching your face whenever they see it. This is great for introductions, explanations, and other moments when there isn’t much on-screen action, but could be distracting during the meat of your screencast. Also consider if including your webcam will decrease the reusability of your recording. Finally, if you’re including your webcam, look around at the space you’ll be capturing behind you. Does it send the message you want it to?
14. Speak slowly
Rehearse once while consciously speaking more slowly than you regularly do. Then when you record, slow it down even more. Seriously. We’re all naturally inclined to speak more quickly when we’re giving a presentation. Plus, a viewer can always speed up playback in the player if they prefer.
15. Don’t worry if you make a mistake
Depending on the context of the video, it’s totally fine to slip up once or twice. It makes you seem more like a real human! If you make a large mistake that you don’t want in your final video, don’t end the recording. Pause for a few seconds and start that segment over. Then cut the mistake out after you’re finished recording. If you’re using Kaltura, you can crop your video and cut out clips using the in-browser editor.
16. Use a good microphone
Screencasts with poor audio quality are hard to listen to. The good news is that you don’t need an expensive, fancy microphone. Simply using a basic USB headset with a built-in mic is much, much better than simply using your computer’s internal microphone.
17. Zoom in
Don’t assume that your audience will watch your video in full screen (in fact they probably won’t). This is especially true if you’re recording a web page with small text or complex software such as Microsoft Excel. Find and use the zoom control in the content or tool you are displaying. Your audience will thank you.
18. Use annotation tools
Kaltura Capture includes annotation tools for tab recordings that allow you to focus a spotlight on your mouse, draw with a pen tool, and more. These tools can be tremendously helpful for directing your viewer’s eyes where you want them to go.
19. Cut out dead moments
There’s no reason for your audience to watch you filling out a form, typing something, or waiting for a website to load. Simply cut it out of your video after you’re finished recording. You can easily do this in Kaltura using the in-browser editor.
20. Don’t be afraid to pause
If you need a second to gather your thoughts, think about how you’ll present your next point, sneeze, or go to the bathroom, just pause! If you’re using Kaltura, press Control+Shift+R to pause or resume your recording.
Conclusion
Screen recording has become very popular in recent years, so many people are doing it and sharing on popular video platforms such as YouTube or other sites. I have researched the best codec for screen recording to see if I can find something that actually works for recording your computer screen.
Screen recording is a useful feature that only comes with the expensive screen video recorder software. An affordable alternative to the professional screen video recording software is using the built-in Microsoft Windows features.