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How to Record Losslessly Using x264vfw

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Before getting started, you must install the x264 codec in advance. If you do not know how to install it, please refer to the Help section.


Click the Codec menu in oCam, then click the External Codec menu item.

Select Use External Codec, choose the x264vfw codec, and then click the Settings button.


Using the default x264vfw settings as a base, change the parts highlighted in the yellow box in the image below as shown.



 


The following settings need to be changed. 


Preset - Ultrafast ( Set this to improve encoding speed. The file size may become larger, but if you choose other options, significant lag may occur. )

Profile - High 4:4:4 ( The default profile may cause quality loss, so change it to High 4:4:4 for lossless encoding. )

Keep input colorspace - Keeps the color space of the internally received input buffer.  ( If you use other options, encoding may fail. )

Rate control - Single pass - lossless - Change this for lossless encoding.


Click the OK button to apply the settings.


When recording 64-bit games, the settings are applied to x264vfw64 for 64-bit, so run x264vfw - Configure x264vfw64 from the Start menu and configure it in the same way as shown above.


If you record with the above settings, the video will be recorded losslessly. One important point is that if you want to play back the lossless video without quality loss, you must change the settings in your video player.


Below is how to check a lossless video using PotPlayer.

Run PotPlayer, then click Preferences ( F5 ).


In the Preferences window, 


click Video - Color Space/Attributes on the left, then in the Color Space group box on the right, select Convert manually if possible - Default output color space. ( If you do not configure this, even if the recording is lossless, the screen colors may still be altered during playback. )


Click OK, then play the video recorded losslessly.


At this point, press Ctrl + F1 in PotPlayer. As shown below, the output format of the video codec must be displayed as RGB(32 Bits).


Also, in the playback information under the File Information tab, the following properties must match as shown below.


Format profile                 : High 4:4:4 Predictive@L3

Color space                    : RGB

Color range                    : Full

Matrix coefficients            : RGB


Please note that Windows Media Player does not play this properly, and preview thumbnails will not be displayed in Windows Explorer.

All articles

Getting started
  1. oCam Quick Overview of Key Features
  2. How to Record Your Screen with oCam
  3. What is the oCam portable version, and is it okay to install it?
  4. How to Capture Images with oCam
  5. How to Record Gameplay
  6. Differences in the Paid Version of oCam and How to Register the Serial Number
  7. How to Install oCam in a Different Location
  8. oCam Basics: A Beginner's Guide to Screen Recording on Windows
Settings
  1. How to Resize the Recording Area in oCam
  2. oCam Advanced Settings - Recording - General Tab
  3. oCam Advanced Settings - Recording - Game Tab
  4. oCam Advanced Settings - Recording - Resize
  5. oCam Advanced Settings - Sound
  6. oCam Advanced Settings - Capture
  7. oCam Advanced Settings - Animated GIF
  8. oCam Advanced Settings - Hotkeys
  9. oCam Advanced Settings - Mouse Cursor Effects - Click Effects
  10. oCam Advanced Settings - Mouse Cursor Effects - Highlight Effects
  11. oCam Advanced Settings - Mouse Cursor Effects - Cursor Size
  12. oCam Advanced Settings - Save
  13. How to Reset oCam Settings (When the oCam Main Window Is Not Visible)
  14. How to Change the File Name of Saved Recordings, Audio Recordings, or Captures
  15. How to Ensure Recorded Videos Can Be Recovered Even If the App Is Force-Closed During Recording
  16. How to Add a Custom Watermark to Recorded Videos
  17. Tips for Precisely Adjusting the Recording Area Window
  18. How to Move the Recording Area While Recording
  19. Where Are Recorded Video Files Saved, and How Can I Change the Save Path?
  20. How can I prevent the oCam main window from being included in the recording?
Quality & codecs
  1. Using external codecs - using x264.
  2. How do I record in ultra-high quality (lossless)?
  3. How to Set Recording Quality (From High Quality to Low Quality)
  4. Setting the Codec - Choosing a Video Codec
  5. Setting the Codec - Selecting an External Video Codec (VFW)
  6. Setting the Codec - Adjusting Audio Codec Quality
  7. How to Reduce the Size of Recorded Video Files When Recording Games (NVIDIA Codec)
  8. How to Set the Frame Rate Mode - VFR (Variable Frame Rate) or CFR (Constant Frame Rate)
  9. FAQ About Variable Frame Rate (VFR) and Constant Frame Rate (CFR)
  10. Download Useful External Codecs
  11. How to Improve Recording Video and Audio Quality in oCam
  12. How to Use the x264vfw External Codec
  13. How to Record Losslessly Using x264vfw
  14. How to Use an External Codec - Xvid
  15. What Are Codecs and Digital Container Formats?
  16. What Video Codecs and Container Formats Are Supported?
Audio
  1. How to Record Audio Only with oCam
  2. How to Record Microphone and System Audio
  3. What to Do If the "WASRecord: pAudioClient->Initialize failed. (hr=0x80070005)" Error Occurs
  4. How to Record Microphone Audio While Recording Video (Windows XP)
  5. How to Record Microphone and Computer Audio Together While Recording (Windows Vista, 7, 8)
  6. How to Record Audio When Using a USB Audio Interface
  7. How to Record Exactly What You Hear While Recording
  8. Useful Tips for Microphone Recording in Windows 7 or Later
  9. What to Do If There Is No Sound During Recording (Windows XP)
  10. What to Do If Sound Is Muffled or Too Quiet During Recording (Windows XP)
  11. The "Failed to initialize sound library." Error Appears When Recording Starts
  12. The "The endpoint device is already in use." Error Appears When Recording Starts
  13. How to Fix Audio Coming from Only One Speaker During Microphone Recording
  14. What to Do If the Sound Becomes Louder or Distorted When Playing Recorded Videos in PotPlayer
  15. How to Fix Audio Sync Issues When Editing in Adobe Premiere
  16. Can I record only the computer's system audio and save it as an MP3?
Troubleshooting
  1. How to Fix Severe Lag When Recording Games in Nox App Player
  2. How to Fix the Black Screen Issue After Recording in Windows XP
  3. What to Do If an Error Occurs When Running the oCam Installer
  4. What to Do If the "Failed to url_fopen" Error Message Appears and Recording Does Not Start
  5. What to Do If the "Failed to av_image_alloc" Error Appears When Starting Recording
  6. oCam Closes Automatically a Few Seconds After Launching
  7. How to Fix the Issue of 7 Days to Die Not Being Detected for Game Recording (Anti-Cheat Related)
  8. What to Do If Minecraft Crashes as Soon as You Start Recording with oCam (NVIDIA Graphics Card)
  9. How to Fix Severe Lag When Editing Videos in Adobe Premiere
  10. What to Do If the "Failed to get path of 64-bit Common Files directory" Error Occurs When Installing oCam
  11. How to Fix the "Error while writing video frame (error=-28)" Error
  12. The System Becomes Sluggish During Recording
  13. If Avast is installed, please disable the DeepScreen feature.
  14. What to Do If Chrome Blocks the Download with "Blocked by Chrome because it's dangerous."
  15. What to Do If the "Cause: failed to avio_open(error=-13)" Error Occurs During Recording

Programs

  1. oCam
  2. SecretFolder
  3. CapturePlus
  4. VirtualDVD

Another helpful tip

Setting the Codec - Choosing a Video Codec

oCam is an intuitive and lightweight free software tool that allows users to record or capture their screen, making it suitable for a wide range of users from beginners to IT professionals.

It is also a screen recording and capture program with a simple interface and powerful features, making it useful for gameplay recording, online lectures, tutorial creation, and simple screenshot capture. Thanks to the intuitive buttons on the main screen, even beginners can use it easily, while advanced users can create an optimized recording environment through detailed settings.



 

Codec Settings and Video Containers

When you click the "Codec" button on the main screen of oCam, a settings window appears where you can choose the video container and video codec. This settings window is designed to let users freely adjust the recording file format and quality. The video containers supported by oCam include the following formats:



MP4: The most widely used video format, offering excellent compatibility and reasonable file sizes.

MKV: A multimedia container that supports high-quality video and various codecs. (A container that can continue playback even if recording is interrupted partway through.)

M4V: A format optimized for compatibility with Apple devices.

MOV: A QuickTime-related format suitable for users who prefer high-quality video.

WMV: A Microsoft video format mainly used in Windows environments.

FLV: A Flash-based video format often used for web streaming.

AVI: An older format that is still compatible with a wide range of software.

TS: A streaming format suitable for high-definition broadcast recording.

VOB: A format mainly used for DVD video.

By supporting such a wide range of containers, users can choose the file format that best fits their platform or purpose.


Supported Video Codecs

oCam provides a variety of video codecs to help optimize recording quality and performance. The supported video codecs are as follows:


NVIDIA NVENC H.264: A high-efficiency codec that uses hardware acceleration and delivers excellent performance on systems equipped with NVIDIA graphics cards.

Open H.264: An open-source H.264 codec that provides high compression efficiency and good quality.

MPEG-4: A widely used codec with excellent compatibility across many devices.

Microsoft MPEG-4 Part 2 and Part 3: Codecs optimized for Microsoft environments.

Windows Media Video 8 (WMV8): Provides efficient compression on Windows-based systems.

MPEG-2: A codec suitable for DVD-quality video.

MPEG-1: An older format that is still useful on lower-spec systems.

FLV: A codec specialized for Flash video.

In particular, the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec uses the hardware encoder built into NVIDIA graphics cards to minimize CPU load, allowing smooth recording with almost no lag even during demanding tasks such as gameplay recording. However, this codec is only supported on certain NVIDIA graphics cards or higher, so recording may fail if your graphics card does not support it. For that reason, it is important to check your system specifications before selecting this codec.


Audio Codecs and Additional Features

oCam supports not only video recording but also audio recording, allowing you to capture sound together with screen recordings. The supported audio codecs are as follows:


AAC: Offers high sound quality and efficient compression, and is compatible with most modern video containers.

MP3: The most widely used audio format, offering a good balance between file size and sound quality.

MP2: An audio codec often used for broadcasting and DVDs.

WMA: A Microsoft audio format optimized for Windows environments.

FLAC: A lossless audio codec that provides high-quality sound close to the original source.

With these audio codec options, users can adjust the sound quality of recorded videos as needed. For example, you can use AAC for clear lecture audio or MP3 for gameplay recordings to maintain a good balance between quality and file size.


GIF Support

oCam also supports GIF format, which is useful for users who want to create short and lightweight animated files. When you select GIF mode, an animated GIF file is created instead of a video file, making it suitable for sharing on social media or creating simple tutorials. Since GIF files can be large and are not ideal for high-resolution video, it is best to choose this format according to your needs.


Things to Keep in Mind

There are a few things to keep in mind when using oCam. In particular, if you use the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec, you should always check your hardware specifications first. If you select this codec on an unsupported graphics card, recording may fail or errors may occur. It is also important to make sure you have enough storage space and system resources when recording in high resolution or for long periods.


Conclusion

oCam is software designed to make screen recording and capture easy for anyone through a simple interface and powerful features. It supports a wide range of video containers and codecs, and hardware-accelerated recording with the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec in particular delivers excellent performance even for demanding tasks. With support for audio codecs and GIF creation as well, oCam is a versatile tool that can be useful in many different environments, from individual users to professionals. If you carefully choose the codec and settings that match your system specifications and intended use before starting a recording, you will be able to get the best results.

OhSoft - ohsoft.net

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