Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Work in Progress / Video Capture Utility

Author
Message
WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 07:10 Edited at: 23rd Apr 2012 17:40
I'm currently working on a video capture utility that should hopefully come in useful for a few people here. The first version will be just a basic version, which allows you to select a running app and will allow you to save the avi as either un-compressed or compressed avi video file with a few more options, ie frame capture speed.

There are a few video capture utilities out there but they either have a timed capture limit on them or a water mark in the video unless you pay the full price. So I looked into it myself. he he he

If you like the idea then please let me know. I should have a fully working program very soon.

Here's a quick screen shot of the WIP which should be finished in the next day or two:



This community has done a lot for me so here's something back...

RELEASE V0.1 attached to this post. And it's only 22Kb!

Note: "Microsoft Video 1" is probably the fastest video compressor and the best to use at the moment. ffdshow is also the best to use for encoding recordings as DivX or Xvid.

All comments at this point appreciated... Thanks...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!

Attachments

Login to view attachments
TheComet
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 18th Oct 2007
Location: I`m under ur bridge eating ur goatz.
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 09:22
This is a great idea! So from what I understand you're streaming the DirectX output directly to an avi file? I think that's how fraps does it as well. It's very fast.

The only downside with that technique is you can only record one application. Would it be possible to also add a mode where you can record the entire desktop?

TheComet

MrValentine
AGK Backer
13
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Dec 2010
Playing: FFVII
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 11:39
Ahh finally a WIP on this

WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 13:16
Yeah, there will be an option to either select a window or the entire desktop. I've just got up after 3 hours sleep and getting back onto it.

The first version won't be using DirectX just yet as I still need to polish that code to get it fully working. However you can select from any of the codecs that are installed on your system. Some of the codecs only seem to work with specific sizes of bitmaps I may check that out and resize the bitmap so that even DivX and XVid will work. Even so, I've got the CPU blitting a 'HELL OF A LOT' faster than the BitBlt function now as I've optimised the cache perfect for 'ghosting' the copy operation, ie, down to almost 3 cycles per pixel copy, and on another thread, so that the DBP window is hardly affected in terms of slowing it down... That with a few other optimisations. (When other software boasts such things, that's all they do)

Ah well, got some coding to do and I'm putting off doing the lawn to finish this...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!
Pincho Paxton
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 8th Dec 2002
Location:
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 13:55
Recording games has always been a struggle even with Fraps. I will certainly give this a try.

Seppuku Arts
Moderator
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 18th Aug 2004
Location: Cambridgeshire, England
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 22:32
This seems like a pretty neat project.

Admittedly, this is the main reason why I like the project idea:
Quote: "There are a few video capture utilities out there but they either have a timed capture limit on them or a water mark in the video unless you pay the full price. So I looked into it myself. he he he"


I know, I'm a cheapskate. But good luck with this.


WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 16th Apr 2012 22:42 Edited at: 16th Apr 2012 22:43
It's very almost finished for the V0.1 version. Just coding the last few file checks but it's working. I'm hoping (I'm on a time limit here, coding vs having an anti-coffee drink for a change) to have this ready for this evening.

@Sepp - Same here... I must enter umpteen competitions to win laptops and PC's every few days. So far not won even a 50p off coupon... I'm dreading the day when I make something worthwhile and I get to the point were I can sell it for a few pennies. Then I'll have to mug the missus and purchase DBP and GDK.

The GUI so far: (keeping you all in suspenders for a tad longer)



EDIT: And it works just fine with XVid codec...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!

Attachments

Login to view attachments
MrValentine
AGK Backer
13
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Dec 2010
Playing: FFVII
Posted: 17th Apr 2012 01:46
Would be great if Forum contributors got freebies from TGC

WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 17th Apr 2012 03:46
Ah MrValentine I see you're still around on the forums... I guess seeing as you're here, you can try this out when it's done...

Capturing was okay until I messed up and forgot to backup my old code... Problem solved though (drop box is a god send).

Unfortunately the anti-coffee has took over and the anglians (aliens to normal people) have taken over.

In the meantime, ideas:

1. Simplex noise update: noise and normal calcs.

2. Threaded 2D blitting on the CPU from image to image. (saves GPU load and increase app speed)

3. erm.. darn it forgot already...

Any ideas? Throw them my way... The easy ones I'll try and handle. he he

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!
WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 17th Apr 2012 18:26 Edited at: 17th Apr 2012 18:27
RELEASE V0.1 attached to the first post. Please let me know if there are any problems. Thankyou...

EDIT: I've found a slight problem with the milliseconds between the frame counts. I'll try my best to get it fixed ASAP...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!
WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 17th Apr 2012 21:13
First bug fixed. The Fileselector is now using the SaveFile instead of OpenFile... Whoops

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!
MrValentine
AGK Backer
13
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 5th Dec 2010
Playing: FFVII
Posted: 23rd Apr 2012 01:13
WHIP! WHIP!

coming along well I see WLGfx...

can you perform n threads?

so maybe ake use of 2 threads for the video? like if a user [cough me cough] had a quad core cpu you can allocate the last 2 threads [as game may utilise top 2] something like that... well just more than 1 thread in other words :p

will try it out soon... just got 140 emails to seek through...

TheComet
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 18th Oct 2007
Location: I`m under ur bridge eating ur goatz.
Posted: 23rd Apr 2012 13:36
Is it me or can I not save anything? Or maybe it's not recording. A simple explanation on how to use it would be helpful.

TheComet

WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 23rd Apr 2012 15:43 Edited at: 23rd Apr 2012 15:46
Yeah, soooo sorry TheComet...

Refresh windows list - refreshes the list of open app on the desktop. (Select one of these)
Select file - Select the for example test.avi

Click start and it will offer you the codec window, select the codec to use (I recommend Microsoft Video 1 for being the fastest, but ffdshow works the best for divx and xvid). Click okay and it will start recording the apps window to an avi file...

When you re-activate the Video Capture window, the recording will pause, Continue carries this on and Stop finishes it and it ready to play in media player...

TODO LIST:

. Release the Device Context before handing data over to the codec (this is causing the app that being recorded to lag and not record in real-time)
. Move the codec selection window into a preferences selection instead.
. A few minor dialog fixes (the milliseconds edit control and the file name edit control need updating actually in the code)
. Find a way of recording real-time audio. (Should be dead dead easy)

I'll post here once they're done...

EDIT: Some codec will not encode video... DivX and XVid doesn't on my machine but ffdshow does...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!
TheComet
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 18th Oct 2007
Location: I`m under ur bridge eating ur goatz.
Posted: 23rd Apr 2012 16:47
Quote: "Click start and it will offer you the codec window"


Ah, there's my problem. That window never shows up... I'm using a laptop:



I'll try it on my desktop when I get home.

TheComet

WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 23rd Apr 2012 16:53 Edited at: 23rd Apr 2012 17:43
Hmmm. I wrote it on my laptop, but then again I have the (just checking), oh can't find it in the start menu, but I think it's the k-lite codec pack standard installation.

I should have the real-time fixed this afternoon. Just helping the missus out with shopping and other boring stuff.

EDIT: Just uploaded one fix. Moved the releasing the Device Context so the recorded app doesn't lag as much. I've also been playing around with the ffdshow codec a bit more and it works on most of them from DivX to WMV encoders.

TODO: Trying out multi-threading encoding. Fingers crossed, although I don't expect great results on my laptop...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!
gwheycs62egydws
14
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 17th Aug 2009
Location: The World
Posted: 9th May 2012 09:16
hi

glad to have found this posting

video capturing on any system wile other things are going on
can rile slow things down from what I have seen

to move side ways - is to move forward
Since a Strait line gets thin fast
gwheycs62egydws
14
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 17th Aug 2009
Location: The World
Posted: 9th May 2012 09:18
Just a thought

has any one got DBP to run the exe with all the settings ?

to move side ways - is to move forward
Since a Strait line gets thin fast
WLGfx
16
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 1st Nov 2007
Location: NW United Kingdom
Posted: 12th May 2012 00:52
I've not been back to the source code for this yet. There's a couple of things I need to do to it but started work on my new plugin. Wow, I'm getting side-tracked all the time especially now with 5 projects on the go... possibly more...

Mental arithmetic? Me? (That's for computers) I can't subtract a fart from a plate of beans!
Warning! May contain Nuts!

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-03-29 15:16:23
Your offset time is: 2024-03-29 15:16:23