How to Reduce the Size of Recorded Video Files When Recording Games (NVIDIA Codec)
If you are using the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec by default, the recorded file size may be very large.
Click the Codec menu in oCam to check whether you are using the NVENC H.264 codec, as shown below.
In the oCam Codec menu, click Hardware Encoder Settings.
The Hardware Encoder Settings window will appear as shown below. You can reduce the size of the recorded video file by changing the options highlighted in the yellow box.
First, let's look at how to reduce the size of the recorded file using variable bitrate.
( Rate Control must be set to 1-PASS VBR. )
The Quantizer value can be set from 1 to 51.
The lower the Quantizer value, the better the video quality, and the higher the Quantizer value, the lower the video quality.
In other words, the recording quality is defined by the range from the minimum Quantizer value to the maximum Quantizer value.
For example,
If the minimum Quantizer value is 1 and the maximum Quantizer value is 13, the recording quality range is 1 to 13.
If the minimum Quantizer value is 1 and the maximum Quantizer value is 51, the recording quality range is 1 to 51.
If the minimum Quantizer value is 13 and the maximum Quantizer value is 51, the recording quality range is 13 to 51.
In conclusion, to reduce the size of a recorded video file, increasing the minimum and maximum Quantizer values will lower the recording quality and reduce the file size.
You can adjust the Quantizer values depending on your needs, as follows.
If you want to maintain the highest recording quality while lowering the quality at certain points to reduce the size of the recorded video, set the minimum Quantizer value to 1 and set the maximum Quantizer value to a higher number depending on how much you want to reduce the quality.
( Example: Minimum Quantizer: 1, Maximum Quantizer: 30 )
If you want to maintain medium quality while lowering the quality as much as possible at certain points to reduce the size of the recorded video, set the minimum Quantizer to 26 and the maximum Quantizer value to 51.
For reference, the minimum Quantizer value cannot be greater than the maximum Quantizer value.
That is, the minimum Quantizer value <= the maximum Quantizer value.
Caution: If you set both the minimum Quantizer value and the maximum Quantizer value to 1, the recorded video file size will become extremely large, so do not use this setting.
The default values in oCam are a minimum Quantizer value of 1 and a maximum Quantizer value of 13, and we recommend setting them within the following range.
Minimum Quantizer >= 1 and Maximum Quantizer value >= 13
Next is how to reduce the size of the recorded video file using constant bitrate.
Change Rate Control to 1-PASS CBR and then set the average bitrate.
The higher the average bitrate, the better the video quality. The lower the bitrate, the lower the video quality and the smaller the recorded file size.
Finally, there is a method that uses a fixed Quantizer parameter.
Set Rate Control to 1-PASS Fixed Quantizer Parameter.
Unlike VBR, there is no concept of minimum and maximum Quantizer values, and the quality is set using a fixed Quantizer value.
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Setting the Codec - Selecting an External Video Codec (VFW)
oCam is a simple and intuitive screen recording program that offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features, making it a useful tool for everyone from beginners to IT professionals. In particular, oCam supports a variety of codecs so users can record with the quality and settings they want. Among them, using external VFW (Video for Windows) codecs such as x264vfw or Xvid allows for a more flexible recording environment. Below is a detailed explanation of how to set up and use external codecs in oCam.
How to Set Up an External Codec
To use an external codec in oCam, you first need to go to the program's codec settings menu. On the main screen of oCam, click the Codec menu located at the top or in the settings menu, and a pop-up window related to codec selection will appear. This pop-up window provides options for choosing built-in codecs and external codecs, and here you should select the external codec option. Please note that external codecs support only the AVI container format. This is because the AVI format has excellent compatibility with VFW-based codecs.
When you select the external codec option in the pop-up window, a new settings window will open. This window includes a checkbox labeled 'Use External Codec,' and you need to enable this checkbox to configure an external codec. After checking the box, click the combo box at the bottom of the window to display a list of VFW-based external codecs installed on your computer. For example, if codecs such as x264vfw or Xvid are installed, you can choose the one you want from this list. After selecting a codec, click the OK button to save the setting.
Recording with an External Codec
Once the codec setup is complete, the external codec you selected will be applied automatically when you start recording in oCam. The x264vfw codec provides a high compression ratio and excellent image quality, making it suitable for high-resolution video recording, while Xvid is useful in a variety of environments thanks to its relatively small file size and stable performance. You can choose the appropriate codec based on the type of content you want to record. For example, you can choose x264vfw for high-quality gameplay recording, or Xvid if you want to minimize file size.
The recorded video will be saved in AVI format, and the image quality and file size will vary depending on the characteristics of the selected codec. Therefore, when using an external codec, it is a good idea to check and optimize the codec settings in advance, such as bitrate and frame rate. Some codecs provide a separate settings window where you can adjust detailed options, so using that when needed can give you more satisfying results.
Disabling the External Codec
If you no longer want to use an external codec, you can easily revert the setting. Go back to the Codec menu in oCam, select the external codec option, and then clear the 'Use External Codec' checkbox. Once the checkbox is cleared, oCam will automatically switch back to the built-in codec that was previously in use. Built-in codecs are generally easier to configure and are suitable for users who do not want more complex settings. Even after switching back to a built-in codec, recording quality remains stable, and you can still get optimized results based on oCam's default settings.
Advantages and Precautions When Using External Codecs
The biggest advantage of using external codecs is that you can fine-tune image quality and file size exactly the way you want. In particular, codecs such as x264vfw can save high-quality video in relatively small file sizes, which is a major benefit for users working with high-spec content. On the other hand, the relevant codec must be installed on your computer, and some codecs can consume a large amount of system resources, so your hardware specifications should be taken into account. Also, due to the nature of the AVI container, compatibility may be more limited than with other formats such as MP4, so it is worth keeping this in mind if you plan to edit or share the recorded video afterward.