How to Improve Recording Video and Audio Quality in oCam
How to Improve Video Recording Quality
By default, oCam uses the
MPEG-4 video codec.
The MPEG-4 codec, which is used by default, provides medium-level video quality by nature. However, it is set as the default because it is suitable for recording on low- to mid-spec computers, does not use a hardware encoder, and offers good software compatibility ( it can be played in most video players ).
If you have an NVIDIA graphics card ( GTX 600 series or later for desktops, or GTX 650M or later for laptops ) or if your CPU performance is high, you can improve video quality by recording with the NVENC H.264 encoder or the Open H.264 encoder.
As shown below, click the Codec button in the oCam main window and select either NVIDIA NVENC H.264 ( your graphics card must support it, and if it does not, an error will occur and recording will fail when you start recording ) or the Open H.264 codec to record.
For the Open H.264 codec, you need to set Recording - General - Quality to Very High in the settings to get the best video quality, as shown below. ( In the case of the NVIDIA NVENC H.264 codec, the settings below do not apply. You can change its settings from Codec - Hardware Encoder Settings in the oCam main window. )
* In the case of the Open H.264 codec, setting the quality to Very High provides good video quality, but it uses a lot of CPU resources, so frame rates may drop significantly when recording games. If your system performance is not sufficient, we recommend using the MPEG-4 codec.
* In the case of the NVIDIA NVENC codec, because it is a hardware encoder, it causes almost no frame drops during game recording and offers the best recording performance among all built-in codecs in oCam. If your graphics card supports it, using the NVENC codec is the best option.
* When using the NVIDIA NVENC codec, some games use a large amount of GPU memory, and encoding also uses a large amount of GPU memory, so recording may fail if GPU memory is insufficient.
* The MP4 container was used in the example above, but it can also be used with MKV, M4A, MOV, and AVI containers.
How to Improve Audio Quality
By default, oCam uses the
AAC audio codec ( 192 kbps ).
To change the sample rate or bitrate of the audio codec, click the Codec button in the oCam main window, then click Audio Codec Settings.
Then the following window will appear.
As shown in the image above, the supported audio codecs are AAC, MP3, MP2, WMA, and Flac.
Personally, I recommend using the AAC codec because it is the most widely used and offers the best compatibility.
You can improve audio quality by changing the bitrate or sample rate.
For the AAC codec, the maximum supported bitrate is 512 kbps, and the maximum sample rate is 96000 kHz.
If you want to record losslessly, you can use the Flac codec, but the recording file size may become large.
To change the audio codec you want to use for recording, click the Codec button in oCam, select the container you want ( for example, assuming you are using MKV ), and then select a codec in that container that includes the audio codec you want before recording.
Today's News/Tips
How to Fix Severe Lag When Editing Videos in Adobe Premiere
When recording a normal screen with oCam, there is usually no major problem, but when recording games, the average bitrate of the video file may be set excessively high. A high bitrate provides high-quality video, but it can cause severe lag when editing the file in editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro. To fix this, you need to lower the bitrate. Below is a detailed explanation of how to reduce the bitrate and improve editing performance.
1. Adjusting the Bitrate When Using a Built-in Codec
If you are using oCam's built-in codec, you can reduce the bitrate by lowering the quality setting. Follow these steps:
1. In the oCam main window, click 'Tools' in the top menu, then select 'Options'.
2. In the Settings window, go to the 'Recording' tab and check the 'General' section.
3. In the 'General' section, find the 'Quality' setting and lower the quality by adjusting the slider. The lower the quality, the lower the bitrate, which reduces the file size and decreases lag during editing.
4. Click the 'OK' button to save the settings, then try recording again.
2. Adjusting the Bitrate When Using an NVIDIA Codec
If you are using an NVIDIA hardware codec, you can adjust the bitrate directly. Follow these steps:
1. In the oCam main window, click the 'Codec' menu and select 'Hardware Encoder Settings'.
2. In the Hardware Encoder Settings window, set 'Rate Control' to '1-PASS CBR' (Constant Bit Rate).
3. Lower the 'Average Bitrate' value to a lower setting (for example, 10 Mbps or less). A lower bitrate reduces file size and improves editing performance.
4. Save the settings, restart oCam, and then start recording.
3. Re-encoding with an External Encoder
If you want to reduce the bitrate after recording in high quality without a major loss in image quality, you can record a high-quality video with oCam and then re-encode it using an external encoder program. For example, you can use PotPlayer or HandBrake. The method is as follows:
1. Record the video in your desired high-quality setting with oCam to create the video file.
2. Run PotPlayer or another encoder program, and load the video file recorded with oCam.
3. In the encoder program, re-encode it with a lower bitrate setting (for example, 5 to 10 Mbps) to create a new file.
4. Import the re-encoded file into Adobe Premiere Pro for editing. This method helps reduce file size and editing load while preserving as much of the original quality as possible.
Using the methods above, you can resolve editing issues caused by a high bitrate when recording games. If you are using a built-in codec, lower the quality setting. If you are using an NVIDIA codec, set CBR and a lower bitrate, or create an optimized file through re-encoding to achieve a smoother editing environment in Adobe Premiere. After changing the settings, make a test recording and check the result.