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Tips for
recording streaming movies Tips for
recording streaming movies Streaming
movies typically broadcast at 720p (HD Basic resolution) or 1080p (FHD
Standard resolution), with dimensions (resolution) of 1280x720 or 1920x1080
pixels. Premium subscriptions may offer 4K (UHD) broadcasts, but these are
usually encrypted and cannot be captured via screen recording. The
native frame rate is generally between 23.976 and 24 frames per second (fps),
giving a cinematic feel. Some content streams at 25 or 30 fps, while
specialized high-frame-rate videos can reach 50 or 60 fps, though 24 fps
remains the standard for most of the catalog. For
1080p Full HD (Standard/Premium), typical bitrates range from 3 Mbps to 7
Mbps, depending on the complexity of the content. For 720p HD (Basic),
bitrates usually fall between 1.5 Mbps and 3 Mbps. Audio bitrates for 5.1
surround sound often run at 640 kbps, while Dolby Atmos can reach up to 764
kbps. You
can check the stream’s native frame rate and resolution by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D while watching it in a web browser. (Data
sourced from AI search) IMPORTANT
NOTE: when recording the Chrome browser using D3D at 2K/4K Fullscreen, 30
fps, QSV (as reported by users on PC/laptops with no NVIDIA) No
such trouble on PC/laptops with NVIDIA drivers. For
displays set to 1080, 2K, or 4K, there is no need to record 1080p or 720p
videos played in Fullscreen if the computer does not support your required
frame rate. Additionally, when recording streaming movies there may be no
need for using frame rates in excess of 24 fps. Below are some
recommendations: (1)
Use the ‘Get video’ option from the WM Capture main screen to
automatically detect the frame of a moving video playing on your screen. The
video screen coordinates are then applied to recording, whether using CAP or
D3D modes. Note that this automatic video frame detection relies on motion
detection and only works on moving parts of the video. You can manually
adjust the markers if detection is inaccurate. (2)
Resize the
movie video to 720p or 1080p. 720p videos can be recorded at 60 fps using CAP
mode formats such as MP4/H264 or MPEG-2 on most modern laptops and desktops.
D3D mode can also be used at 60 fps or higher. (3)
Movies played on Fullscreen 2K/4K display – refer to the note above regarding the
Chrome browser. D3D mode is recommended for recording videos played on 2K/4K
Fullscreen displays. WM Capture 10v12 recording modes WM Capture is a versatile video
capture and recording software designed to easily record streaming movies and
videos from popular websites. Unlike many other recording applications, WM
Capture offers detailed explanations of every feature you might be using.
Although it is not primarily intended for game recording, it can still record
many computer games, delivering high-quality video and frame rates reaching
up to 100 fps. Various tips are provided to assist with game recording on
systems that have NVIDIA hardware as well as those that do not. D3D mode is the recommended
recording mode particularly on Windows 11. It supports recording high-motion
videos, 2K or 4K movies, also video games at frame rates up to 60 fps while
keeping CPU usage low. Use the D3D mode: when your
computer screen resolution exceeds 1920x1080 (HD), when recording the Chrome
browser (or Edge) on Windows 11, when capturing video games, or whenever you
want to record motion videos at higher frame rates (30, 60, or more) CAP (Screen Capture) mode is a
screen capture option which works on all Windows versions, newer or older
computers. It can record high-quality HD videos when Quick Sync is enabled,
which is available on all Windows 10 and 11 machines. It can also be used
with 2K or 4K resolution screens but slower
computers may experience reduced frame rates. Use the CAP mode: for HD
display resolutions 1920x1080 (HD) or lower, any Windows version (including
XP, 7, 8), any Windows computers (Intel or AMD), whenever an ultra-high
motion video recording is not a main requirement. BCK (Background) mode is an
advanced option of the CAP mode; it is the recommended recording mode for
Windows 10 but can also be used on Windows 7 and 8. It is no longer
compatible with the Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers on Windows 11.
This mode can deliver performance similar to D3D when recording browser
videos with lower CPU loading. It performs best when Intel Quick Sync is
enabled, available on all Windows 10 and 11 systems. BCK mode is the only
recording option that allows: Use BCK mode: (Windows 10 or
lower Windows versions) - capturing windows that are obscured by
other windows, rendering the recording window invisible (Shame on Microsoft and Google
for disabling the Windows features necessary to support the BCK recording
mode on Windows 11 after over 10 years of use.) For computers with both Intel
and NVIDIA GPU’s read the instructions for settings up the D3D and Capture
modes (under Options, NVIDIA Control Panel setup. ). WM
Capture_10v12 – main screen buttons 1.
Get video – automatic detection and marking the coordinates of the video
window to be captured (see below). This method works only for videos with
motion. 2.
Settings – configure settings for the selected mode, D3D settings fro D3D mode or CAP settings for Screen Capture mode. 3.
Video modes – select a recording mode (D3D or Screen Capture) 4.
Record – start/stop recording 5.
Play – play the last recorded video 6.
View – open the list of recorded files; here you can select the video player
used to play the recordings 7.
Still – take a snapshot of the marked area of your screen 8.
Hide – used only when the Background mode is enabled to hide the recorded
video while using the desktop for other open windows; works only with the CAP
mode 9.
Mark video – manually mark the screen area you want to record; must be used
any time you change monitors 10.
Mute – used to mute the microphone when Dual Audio mode is used with the CAP
mode 11.
Audio – shows the audio sources used to play or record audio Simple
recording – Direct 3D (D3D) mode NOTE:
on NVIDIA systems, use our recommendations as a guide for setting up the
NVIDIA Control Panel (open Options, NVIDIA Control Panel setup hints) NOTE:
on multiple monitor systems, WM Capture supports two monitors placed side by
side, aligned at the top as shown in Windows Display settings image. 1.
Open WM Capture – on a dual monitor system click Options, click Monitor select and scaling and choose
the monitor you like to use for recording 2.
Open D3D settings – if the dialog Recording modes is visible click D3D;
otherwise click Mode select then click D3D 2.
Click Mark – on D3D settings dialog click Mark, check/adjust recording window
coordinates or click Get Video on WM Capture main screen to get the
coordinates of videos with motion 3.
Select video encoder – QSV-GPU, QSV, NVENC (on NVIDIA system), set up
Quality, Show small information panel 4.
Click Test – run a 5 second test (only needed once) 5.
Start Recording – click Record or push the start/stop key (Alt+3, Ctrl+3,
Shit+3 or F8 default) 6.
Stop Recording – push the start/stop key (Alt+3, Ctrl+3, Shit+3 or F8
default) Simple
recording – Screen Capture (CAP) mode NOTE
: on a NVIDIA system WM Capture must open on the computer primary display (a
laptop display for example). On a multiple monitor system, recording can be
done on either one of the two monitors, 1 or 2. No
special settings or performance characteristics of your computer are required
for this mode. Windows 7 to 11, newer or older computers can be used (learn
more under Details below). Open
a video and pause the play. 1.
Open WM Capture – The image of the marked capture area of your screen is
shown in a small Preview window on WM Capture main screen (if the preview
option is enabled in Settings). 2. On
a dual monitor system – open Monitor select and info from Options or Settings
– Select the recording monitor. 3.
Mark the video area – You can do this in two ways: · Manual – click Mark Window button. 4.
Begin recording – click the Record button – The marked screen area is now
recorded, and the Preview window shows what is recorded. 5.
Stop/Pause recording – click Stop or Pause – Once recording begins the Record
button turns to Stop, and the Play button turns to Pause. Playback
recording – click Play or View – The default video/audio player is VLC Media
Player if this app was found in your computer. You can change this to Windows
or another default player. If
you’re happy with your recordings you can stop here. However, we recommend
taking a look at the the Enhanced recording
settings below, the User Guide or the Quick Guide for more and better
recording options offered by WM Capture. Recording videos and movies – D3D Window mode NOTE:
on
NVIDIA systems, use our recommendations as a guide for setting up the NVIDIA
Control Panel (open Options, NVIDIA Control Panel setup hints) NOTE:
on
multiple monitor systems, WM Capture supports two monitors placed side by
side, aligned at the top as shown in Windows Display settings image. 1.
Open WM Capture – on a dual monitor system click Options, click Monitor select and scaling and
choose the monitor you like to use for recording 2.
Open D3D settings – if the dialog Recording modes is visible click
D3D; otherwise click Video modes then click D3D setup 2.
Click Mark –
this checks that the recording coordinates correspond to the intended area of
your screen. Verify or modify the recording window coordinates, select
Fullscreen or click Get Video on WM Capture main screen to get the
coordinates of videos containing motion. 3.
Select video encoder – QSV, QSV / CPU, NVENC (on NVIDIA systems), set up
Quality, Show small information panel. For systems without NVIDIA, QSV / GPU
is the recommended encoder. 4.
Click Test – run
a 5 second test (only needed once). 5.
Start Recording – click Record or press the start/stop key (Alt+3,
Ctrl+3, Shit+3 or F8 default) 6.
(Optional) Audio device warning – ensure that the WM Capture audio
recording device matches the audio device used by the media player (web
browser). 7.
Stop Recording – push the start/stop key (Alt+3, Ctrl+3, Shit+3 or F8
default) Recording games – D3D Game mode NOTE:
The
suggestions provided below mainly pertain to games played in Fullscreen mode.
For Windowed mode games, refer to the points mentioned above. 1.
Before setting up the game mode – in D3D Settings window make sure all the steps
outlined above are successfully done. It is important to pay attention to all
warning messages, particularly on NVIDIA systems. 2.
Click Fullscreen – if game window size is not known and the game runs
in Fullscreen mode ; otherwise enter the game window size as 0,0, (width,height)
3.
Click Game mode – this setting turns off all warning messages, the
Preview window, the Small information panel, and also removes the “always on
top” option for the WM Capture interface. 4.
Close the D3D window, open Game – wait for the game to complete the setup 5.
Start recording – press the start/stop record key; you should hear a
beep indicating recording has started.
a) if a second beep follows within 20
seconds this indicates a recording failure, often because the selected video
encoder could not be correctly configured or the game restricts recording b) if the recorded file size is zero,
recording is automatically aborted after 20 seconds; WM Capture interface
becomes visible if the game allows it 6.
Stop recording – press the start/stop button again or allow the
recording to stop automatically if a timeout is set. 7.
Close game – press Alt + Tab to exit the game unless there is an
alternative method provided by the game. To
return to the Window mode, click Game mode, click Options, Additional
settings and details to reset the other options. Schedule
recordings (simple setup) Simple
Scheduler setup example Here
is a straightforward schedule for recording a movie event where a streaming
movie plays in your web browser without needing mouse clicks or delays to
begin playing the broadcast. We recommend using the main monitor for
recording scheduled events. Keep
the D3D Setup window and the example window on your screen during the setup
(position these windows at the edges of your screen without closing them). 1.Open the media player (or a web browser), play then
stop the media (movie, video, etc.). 2.Click Options, Open Scheduler, select Close
browser when recording times out 3.Click again Options, Open Scheduler, click Open
now 4.In the Schedule events window that opens
click New, click No on the Message Box, the Scheduler setup window
opens; you can view here the recording coordinates 5.Paste the URL in the URL/File path box 6.Enter a file name, enter a recording time (say 00:01:00),
select a browser name under Program name (Chrome) 7.Click Set current time then click RUN to
start the scheduled recording (before running, close the example window) This
straightforward example demonstrates how to configure a scheduled timed
recording for the present moment, a chosen time of day, or a daily
recurrence. Quick Sync set up on NVIDIA system Intel Quick Sync encoder used for the Screen Capture mode cannot be
installed on a NVIDIA monitor system, however it can be used with D3D
recording mode under the name QSV or QSV-CPU. Below are the recommendations
for Setting up the Quick Sync encoder for Screen Capture mode. Open NVIDIA Control Panel Single monitor Dual monitor – see Notes Note 1: To
enable Quick Sync encoder on a NVIDIA dual monitor system, WM Capture
must open on the computer primary display (a laptop display for example).
Recording can be done on either one of the two monitors. Note 2. NVIDIA NVENC encoder for Screen Capture (CAP)
mode cannot be set up on the current WM Capture version. (available
with WM Capture 10v12 and Window 11, 10) Windows 11 and 10 now support
rerouting audio devices for different applications, allowing each app to use
its own audio output. For instance, one app can play sound through the
speakers while another plays and records audio via headphones, with both
audio streams operating independently. Keep in mind that the Windows
“Default” device shown in the 'Sound' settings only applies to programs that
have not been rerouted to other audio devices. With this feature, WM Capture can use
the Google Chrome Canary browser to record video and redirect the audio to
headphones or another silent audio device, while Google Chrome plays audio
through the speakers without affecting the recording (see Settings, Help, WM
Capture recording hints – Update 10004). You can also manually reroute audio
using the Windows Volume mixer. On Windows 11, right-click the speaker icon
on the taskbar and select 'Open volume mixer.' On Windows 10, go to Settings
> System > Sound > Volume mixer (see Settings, Help, WM Capture
recording hints - Update 10002). WM Capture uses the 'Audio reroute'
dialog to reroute audio for WM Capture itself, and a second media player like
the Google Chrome Canary browser. Windows saves these settings, so this
process only needs to be done once. To use this feature, connect headphones
to your computer (these can be USB or Bluetooth) to create an additional
Windows audio device, or use the VB-Audio app. In WM Capture, go to Options >
Reroute audio/video The Audio reroute dialog opens, listing
all available, enabled, and ready audio playback devices on your system. Use
this dialog to reroute WM Capture and a second audio player to a chosen audio
device only (this does not assign audio devices to other Windows apps). The
selected device can be silent (like Headphone) or audible (like Speaker). The
dialog also displays the current audio device assigned to WM Capture and the
name of the second player (browser). ·
Set up the first player's audio device (if needed) Click Windows Sound and ensure the
Default device is the one you want, such as Speaker (Realtek (R) Audio) for
audible output or Headset (AirPods) for wireless headphones output. This
device will play the first audio while WM Capture records the second. This
selected Default device will only be assigned to the apps that use the
Default device. ·
Choose the second audio device from the list
(headphones or speakers) and click Reroute. To reset audio: ·
If you set a silent audio device for WM Capture and
the second player, you can switch them back to audible output by reopening
the Audio reroute dialog and selecting the audible device (e.g., Speaker) for
both WM Capture and the second player. ·
To revert all Windows audio to the default device,
open the Audio reroute dialog, click on Apps Volume, and then in the System
> Sound > Volume mixer window that appears, press the Reset button. ·
To choose a default audio device (such as Speakers
or Headphones), open the Audio reroute dialog, click on Windows Sound, pick
the audio device, and then click Default. Keep in mind that this sets the
default device only for applications that use the Default device.
Applications configured as described above or set manually will remain
unchanged. NOTE: When changing modes from CAP to
D3D you should reroute audio again if rerouting was never done before for the
D3D mode. Video and Audio rerouting – setup information (available
with WM Capture 10v12 and Window 11, 10) 1.
Laptop with external monitor ·
Set up a second audio/video player (for example,
Chrome Canary, Opera, or Brave browsers) and ensure that both the first
player (for example, Google Chrome, Edge browsers) and the second player can
play video with audible sound. ·
Click the top bar of the second player window to set
focus; WM Capture will display its name.
·
Move one of the player windows to the second
monitor. ·
Connect headphones, then in WM Capture’s Options
menu, select the audio reroute option.
·
Play and record the second player window while the
first player is running. 2.
Single screen computer (Windows 11) Follow the procedure above but instead
of moving one of the players try to fit both players on the same computer
screen. (see https://wmrecorder.com/video_audio_recording.htm)
. You can also use WM Recorder app YTV Clone from wmrecorder.com to arrange
the windows. 2.
Single screen computer with Background mode (Windows 10 or Windows 11 with
Firefox browser) IMPORTANT
NOTE: The details provided below mention
Chrome Canary as the secondary player, but Firefox or other browsers may also
be utilized. This feature allows you to record
(capture) both video and audio while simultaneously playing other video and
audio through your computer’s screen and speakers without any disruption. The
required steps and components are described below. ·
Install Google Chrome Canary browser The Canary browser will be used for
recording, while your regular Chrome browser will handle playback. Navigate
to Options, then Google Chrome Canary, and install the Canary browser. ·
Use Background mode (to hide the recording video
from computer screen) This mode is required to run the
recorded video without disrupting the playback video. Go to Options and
switch to Background mode. ·
Connect headphones to your computer (these can be
USB or Bluetooth) or use the VB-Audio app.
This device will play and record
silenced audio, allowing the Chrome browser or other apps to play audio
through the speakers simultaneously. ·
Reroute audio
This step only needs to be done once;
Windows will remember the configuration. Go to Options and select Reroute
audio to open the Audio reroute dialog. Refer to the Help file for details. Additional alternative methods for
playing and recording video and audio simultaneously are available at https://wmrecorder.com/video_audio_recording.htm How to get
the best recordings with WM Capture 10 (CAP mode) Below
is how you can get the best quality recordings with WM Capture. More details
in the User Guide. 1. Use
the H264/MP4 video format Open
Settings, open the dropdown list Video Format, click H264-AAC (MP4). In the
dialog window that opens click Quick Sync/MP4. 2. Disable
graphics acceleration Open
Settings, Help, Useful tips, Disable browser acceleration follow
instructions. Note: you may not be able to screen capture streaming movies if
you don’t disable graphic acceleration in your browser. 3. Use
the D3D mode (in most cases) Note
that graphics acceleration must be disabled on every web browser utilized. Open
Video setup, click D3D, or open Options, D3D recording setup 4. Use
Background mode whenever feasible - Firefox is the only web browser that
supports this mode for recording videos and movies. 5. Use
Picture in Picture (PIP) for playback and recording (whenever feasible, see
above) Open
Options, click Picture in Picture (PIP), click Play, click Record 6. Use
the Scheduler to setup daily recordings WM
Capture 10 can schedule recording of multiple movies in a row, daily
recordings of different video and audio events or anything you need to record
when you're not present. Open
Settings, Tools, Scheduler 7. Reroute
video/audio recording (not available in all versions) Use
the recording browser to play video, hide video using Background mode, silent
audio using headphones and play other videos/audio with your Chrome or Edge
browser. No video or audio interference between the two browsers. Open
Options, Reroute audio, Setup audio devices 8. Use
Dual Audio Record
video with or without its own audio and add other audio streams like a
microphone or other audio sources connected to your computer. As an example,
play and record a webinar, cast your computer screen to a TV then add your
comments from your Bluetooth headphones/microphone. Open
Settings, Audio setup, Dual Audio. The
Background mode (BCK mode) ·
Background mode (BCK) is an advanced screen capture
technique introduced by WM Capture in 2012. The content of your screen is not
copied pixel by pixel instead, Windows video stream is intercepted and
processed. Therefore, the video image does not need to be visible. It can
either be covered by other windows or completely hidden. Using
Background mode, you can generate a picture-in-picture (PIP) window to view
or record a video while simultaneously using the screen for different tasks. ·
Besides offering the highest recording quality,
Background mode must always be used when recording 2K or 4K videos and, to
get higher frame rates (up to 100 fps). Background mode works best with Intel
Quick Sync available on Windows 10, Windows 11 and some Windows 7 computers
and Nvidia NVENC. ·
Background mode enables recording a video through
hidden (invisible) windows while simultaneously watching another video, with
the recording audio redirected to a silent audio driver, such as a pair of
USB or Bluetooth headphones. Click Options on WM Capture
main screen to enable the Background mode. NOTE: As of June 2025,
Microsoft and Google have disabled the Windows features required for
Background mode to work with the Chrome Canary browser, the Chrome browser
and the Edge browser. However, Windows 10, 8, and 7 remain unaffected as well
as some Chromium web browsers. Tips for using the Background mode (BCK mode) Background
mode must be used when you record 2K and 4k videos and/or use the computer
screen for doing other things while recording. In Background mode the
recording window can be covered by other windows without obscuring the
recording. Note also that WM Capture main screen is not visible in recording
even if it overlaps the recorded video window. Here is how to become familiar
with this technique. ·
Disable graphics acceleration in your web browser
(see below Troubleshooting). ·
Make sure WM Capture detects a window name. The
prefix (BCK) is added to the name. ·
Do not minimize the recorded window while recording.
Video stream is disconnected when you do this. ·
Use the Hide/Show button on WM Capture main
screen to Hide or Show the recording window. · Set the
Video Preview option under Settings, Tools, Video options to open the Preview
window on WM Capture main screen. Play a video and mark the video window to
be recorded using the Mark Video or the Get Video buttons. The
video window marked area should be visible in WM Capture Preview window. If
not, see below 'Background mode cannot be set up'. ·
Avoid having multiple windows open. If the window
you want to record is a browser tab, drag the tab out of the browser or set
the tab as a new window in the browser. ·
Use the Brower button from WM Capture main
screen to open another browser instance while recording. Troubleshooting -
Background mode cannot be setup ·
A black or white image of the marked window shown in
WM Capture Preview window indicates that the window cannot be captured in
Background mode. If this is a browser window, try to disable your browser
graphics acceleration and make sure WM Capture detects the window name. If
this issue persists switch to regular Screen Capture mode. ·
The message "No window selected for Background
recording" is displayed. In this case there may be no visible window
except the desktop on the screen. If a window is present, click the caption
(top) bar of the window or restart WM Capture. ·
The window name was not detected and no message is displayed. This could happen if you switch the video to
full screen while WM Capture is recording. You need to start playing the full
screen video first then click the Record button or the Record hotkey to begin
recording. Tips for
disabling video acceleration Google
Chrome: open
a new tab in Chrome, copy text below Microsoft
Edge: open
a new tab in Edge, copy text below Mozilla
Firefox: open
a new tab in Firefox, copy text below Brave: open a new
tab in Brave, copy text Internet
Explorer Windows 7 (where available): Disabling acceleration is usually not required . Open
Tools, Internet options, Advanced, check ‘Use software rendering instead of
GPU’, restart computer. VLC
Media Player: must be running on Windows GDI mode (under Tools,
Preferences, Video) or use VLC version 2.2.4) Windows
Media Player: Background mode cannot be setup Internet
Explorer Windows 8, 10: Background mode cannot be setup Simple
Scheduler setup ·Before opening the Scheduler, open browser, open the
video you want to schedule, maximize browser window, mark the video area,
copy URL from browser address bar. ·Open the Scheduler, select a browser name from the Program
Name dropdown list, type a file name under File Name. Make sure
"Maximize" box is checked on the Schedule recordings window. ·Paste URL in the Scheduler URL/File Path
(right click text, Select All , Delete, Paste). Close browser now. ·Check one of the Repeat options, click Set
Current Time, set the recording start time and duration ·Click Save Schedule to save settings and
click Scheduled items to open the Scheduled events list. ·Double click item in the list then click RUN. Scheduler
is now waiting for the scheduled time to trigger a recording. (if you want to
start right away, click Set Current Time then Run) Enhanced
Scheduler setup ·Click Test URL to reopen browser and play the
video. This test allows the Scheduler to find the full name of the browser
window. You can also find if you need to setup a click and a delay time for
the clicks (see User Guide) ·Click Get Position button if you need to
resize the video marked area and to save the video parent window size and
position (see User Guide). Close the browser after this. Set
the Click/Dbl Click and the Delay times (see
User Guide) |