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Known Bugs and Limitations (from WikiBooks Article)
  • TerryBritton April 2010
    Known Bugs and Limitations

    Video/Audio sync and the Capture Frames Every __ milliseconds and Playback Rate settings:

    To get the Capture Frames value, divide 1000 (1 second = 1000 milliseconds) by the Playback Rate.

    For example:
    By default the playback rate is 20 and the Capture Every is 50, because 1000/20=50.
    A playback rate of 10 would need the Capture Every set to 100, because 1000/10=100.
    A playback rate of 25 would need the Capture Every set to 40, because 1000/25=40.

    CamStudio currently only accepts whole numbers for the options here, any decimal values will simply be ignored (eg: if you entered 33.333 for your playback rate, CamStudio will store it as 33).

    If you want to record video and audio at the same time, you will need to have values for the capture and playback rate with a product of exactly 1000 (eg: 100 for the capture frames and 10 for the playback as 100*10=1000).

    A capture frames value and playback rate that do not multiply wholly into 1000 (such as 33 and 30 mentioned in the example above) will cause the audio and video to become out of sync (33*30=990, not 1000).

    Installation [versions 2.0, 2.5]
    [This issue is being worked on currently in version 2.6 beta to make it compatible with Vista and Windows 7]

    "This application failed to start because MFC71.DLL was not found. Reinstalling the application may fix the problem."

    If you receive the above error message and reinstalling does not remedy the issue, try downloading MFC71.dll and copying it into the folder where you have CamStudio 2.0 or 2.5 Beta installed (eg: "C:\Program Files\CamStudio\").

    If you still receive the above error message when launching CamStudio, you can try copying the MFC71.dll into your “C:\Windows\System32? directory then rebooting your computer.

    Region > Window
    [This issue no longer applies to the 2.6 Beta version - it applied only to 2.5]

    When using the "Region > Window" capture setting, the captured area will have 1 extra pixel added to the right and bottom of the capture area. For example, if the window was 960x720, the captured area would be 961x721. Although these extra lines can easily be cropped off, this may cause problems with certain video compressor codecs. A rough work around for this would be to set the window size to be 1 pixel smaller in width and height then that you desire to capture at (eg, if you wanted 960x720, instead set the window size to 959x719).

    SWF Producer

    Similar to the "Region > Window" bug described above, the SWF Producer will also add an extra pixel to the width and height of videos being converted to SWF. A workaround is possible through the same means described above, reducing the dimensions to be 1 pixel less then the target resolution.

    File Size

    CamStudio currently cannot create avi files over 2GiB in size. Files over this size will likely be corrupted and difficult, if not impossible, to recover.

    Keyboard Shortcuts

    It is not currently possible to set just one keyboard shortcut to use with CamStudio. In order use the keyboard shortcuts, all of them must be set to different keys.

    Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Screencasting_with_CamStudio
  • TerryBritton May 2010
    I made a YouTube video describing how to fix the video & audio sync problem, available at my blog:
    http://screencasttutorial.org/18/best-settings-for-camstudio-to-sync-audio-and-video-28

    Terry
  • booklover May 2010
    "CamStudio currently cannot create avi files over 2GiB in size. Files over this size will likely be corrupted and difficult, if not impossible, to recover."

    Running the file through Virtualdub with the video set to Direct Stream Copy will overcome the 2GB AVI limitation. Audio defaults to Direct Stream Copy.
  • booklover June 2010
    Yes, VirtualDub has to be downloaded. It's free. Try http://www.virtualdub.org or there are other places to download it. SourceForge has it.

    Once VirtualDub is installed, open it and click on the File menu and select "Open video file." Assuming it's a CamStudio AVI file that's bigger than 2GB, go to the CamStudio program folder (I'm assuming you're using the 2.0 version that puts all the captures into the program directory/folder) and select the file you want VirtualDub to "operate" on.

    Sometime before you start VirtualDub to work on your file (you might want to make a copy of your file before opening it in VirtualDub just in case something goes wrong) you'll need to make a couple of changes to VirtualDub settings.

    In the "Video" dropdown menu select Direct stream copy (the default is Full processing mode). On the Audio menu Direct stream copy should already be selected since it's the default. On the "View" menu I like to check "Input video pane" and "Output video pane," although it's really not necessary. I do it so I can see that it's the file I meant to use. I also check "Show status window" although that too probably isn't necessary.

    When everything's set and you're ready, just click on "Save as AVI" or use F7. Before it actually starts to work, VirtualDub will ask you to name the file it will create. Whatever works for you, but being essentially lazy, since the input file's name and location is already there, I generally just put "VirtualDub" or some abbreviation of it as a prefix to the existing file name.

    So far the VirtualDub version of every "too big" AVI file that was unreadable with Windows Media Player or VLC or anything else I've tried has been fine -- Windows Media Player plays it perfectly. If there's any degradation of video quality, it's so small as to be virtually unnoticeable. In any case, it beats having a useless file!

    VirtualDub has an extensive help file, which I've glanced through, but so far I've just read what I needed to in order to do what I needed to. But for the things I've used it for, it's a great program and I imagine the other things it can do are just as good. Maybe someday I'll understand all it can do.

    Good luck. I'll be interested to hear how things go!
  • booklover June 2010
    lowellgeneral, what version of CamStudio are you using? I use the old one, 2.0. So far I haven't had CamStudio refuse to save the file, even if it exceeded 2GB. I just couldn't play the file CamStudio created. But I never captured as much as an hour at a time. That would produce a HUGE file. Is there any chance you don't have enough room on your hard drive? That's the only time I had CamStudio refuse to save a file -- before I realized how BIG video files, particularly AVI files, would be. My computer is several years old and doesn't have a very big hard drive. But moving many files -- particularly videos -- to external drives solved that problem.

    What Codec are you using? I mostly use the CamStudio one although I did experiment with others earlier.

    Do you remember or can you reproduce any of the error messages CamStudio gives you?

    I can't do it today, but maybe over the weekend I'll try to clear out enough space on my hard drive that I can capture an hour's worth and just pick something on the internet to capture and see what happens.

    Also, maybe Nick or other CamStudio experts will read these posts and suggest other solutions.
  • lowellgeneral June 2010
    I see what you mean, booklover. Once I get through all of the error messages, I am indeed able to save a file, but assumed it was completely corrupted, especially when I went into my editing software & couldn't view it there either.

    I have a ridiculously huge external drive, so file size is not an issue.

    I'm using the Camstudio codec. I guess the next step is to try downloading virtualdub & see what happens...
  • booklover June 2010
    "I have a ridiculously huge external drive, so file size is not an issue."

    If you're using the same version of CamStudio that I do (2.0), the size of the external hard drive isn't the issue. This version puts the data file it produces into the program folder. We can designate where the temporary file will go, but we have no choice of where the final file will go (several have mentioned this [being able to designate where the file will go] as an option that they hope will be in the later versions). I join them in that hope.

    It may already be there. I haven't tried any of the modified versions since from what I read they do not permit capturing audio from speakers; since all I use CamStudio for right now is screen captures at a particular website, capturing from speakers is critical for me.

    Since you're capturing such a long timespan, what's critical is that you have plenty of space on your Drive C, keeping in mind that while the temporary file is being created and then transformed into the final file you'll need probably at least twice as much space on Drive C as you expect the final file to require.

    It might be useful for you to experiment with creating smaller files (less than 2 GB) with settings that you eventually want to use and then see what happens. If all is OK with the smaller files, then try creating larger files (larger than 2 GB) and see what happens using VirtualDub.

    Good luck.
  • HightonRidley August 2010
    See quote below - is this really an issue for v2.5? WinFF reports an HD size of 1280x720 when the region is set to 1280x720.
    Puzzled of Plymouth ;)

    Quote:
    Region > Window
    [This issue no longer applies to the 2.6 Beta version - it applied only to 2.5]

    When using the "Region > Window" capture setting, the captured area will have 1 extra pixel added to the right and bottom of the capture area. For example, if the window was 960x720, the captured area would be 961x721. Although these extra lines can easily be cropped off, this may cause problems with certain video compressor codecs. A rough work around for this would be to set the window size to be 1 pixel smaller in width and height then that you desire to capture at (eg, if you wanted 960x720, instead set the window size to 959x719).
  • TerryBritton August 2010
    HightonRidley,

    Region > Window???? (That was broken)

    Or Region > Fixed Region?

    Terry
  • HightonRidley August 2010
    Ah, I didn't appreciate the subtlety - it was Region->Fixed I thought it applied to. Doh! Should read more thoroughly :)
  • TerryBritton August 2010
    HightonRidley,

    It's the thought that counts! Thanks!

    Terry
  • baron@barontayler.co September 2010
    Booklover -

    "So far the VirtualDub version of every "too big" AVI file that was unreadable with Windows Media Player or VLC or anything else I've tried has been fine..."

    I've changed the settings in VirtualDub to what you recommended, but I'm still confused as to how to run the oversize (4.5 gig) avi file through VirtualDub, since CamStudio created 2 files: a (4.5 gig) avi file for the video, and a (.45 gig) wav file for the audio. How do I merge them back together?

    Also, when I try to add the avi file to VirtualDub, the program crashes, and I get a window that says:

    An out-of-bounds memory access (access violation) occurred in module 'camcodec'...
    ...reading address 047A4000...
    ...while decompressing video frame 0 (VideoSource.cpp:2141)...
    ...while using input buffer at 046f0020-047a351f (VideoSource.cpp:2140)...
    ...while using output buffer at 05120080-0551c083 (VideoSource.cpp:2139).

    (I did send the whole error report to the VirtualDub dude.)

    So I'm completely confused.

    All help is appreciated.
  • booklover October 2010
    Baron, I just today saw your post. Sorry I didn't notice it before now, but I'm afraid I can't offer much help. When CamStudio captures videos that have sound, it does create a video file and a wav audio file, but only as temporary files. CamStudio merges them itself into one permanent file.

    So I've never tried to bring separate video and audio files into VirtualDub and have it do anything with them. As flexible as VirtualDub seems to me, it might be able to do something with it but I've never tried it since I've not needed to.

    I don't remember what operating system your computer is. And remind me which version of CamStudio you're using? Since all I've done so far is video captures, I'm still mostly using 2.0 since it does what I need done. I've tried 2.6 but have stuck with 2.0 since 2.6 doesn't fix the couple of things I'd have preferred be different.

    I don't know if it would be of any help to you, but I've found when I'm experimenting with CS settings, I'll change one thing and then find some video online to capture and see how it comes out and then keep experimenting. A couple of weeks ago I had managed to get the CS settings on my Windows 7 machine so goofed up that although it still recorded video OK, it wouldn't record sound. The XP machine did both fine. But by experimenting -- it doesn't take long -- maybe 15 seconds of recording -- to see if those settings worked. Finally, after rereading Woedge's post of quite some time ago, I found what I had goofed up.

    Again I apologize for not seeing your post before now and wish I could offer more suggestions. If you'd remind me of your operating system (W7, I think, but not sure) and what exactly your CS settings are, I'll try to help. Maybe something I discovered in unsnarling my W7 mess will help.

    Jo
  • kate1irwin1 March 2011
    Hi,

    I have tried running a larger file through virtualdub (copied above instructions!), the file opens and the sound is fine but the visuals don't come out.....any ideas?
    Thank-you,
    Kate.
  • booklover April 2011
    Kate, is there any chance that you didn't set the video to "Direct Stream Copy" before using F7 in VirtualDub to process your file? The audio defaults to Direct Stream Copy, but you have to set the video.

    Jo
  • DoubleYou September 2011
    I use a multitude of programs to save my larger than 2 gig files. Virtual Dub Mod is a lifesaver. Using ffmpeg at the command prompt with these settings fixes some of the bugs in the avi:

    ffmpeg -i "c:\file-path-to-video-file\filename.avi" -vcodec copy "c:\file-path-to-where-you-want-to-save-it\filename.avi"

    This doesn't reencode it, but is the equivalent of direct stream copy in Virtual Dub, except it fixes things that Virtual Dub can't.

    Sometimes when Camstudio goes over this big, the video will be divided in half, starting in the middle, and in the middle goes to the beginning. This can be fixed in Virtual Dub. Add the audio in Virtual Dub, direct stream copy your fixed video and it will be generally usable. Recompress it to completely fix it.
  • TerryBritton January 2012
    How did I miss seeing this post! Awesome fix, DoubleYou!

    Terry
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