This page describes how to record the playout to a file. You can record with or without a stream. Because the program encodes the picture once and uses it twice, a recording next to a stream needs almost no extra processing.
The settings
These settings are under Settings → Outputs, when the type is Stream / recording:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Recording folder | The folder for the files. Choose it with the … button beside the field. If no folder is set, REC does nothing. |
| Recording format | MKV (survives a crash), MP4, MOV or MPEG-TS. |
| Also save as MP4 afterwards | Copies the recording to an MP4 when the recording stops. Not available when the format is already MP4. |
| Record while streaming | STREAM also starts and stops the recording. A recording that you started yourself continues. Off by default. |
Why MKV
You can read an MKV file up to the point where it stops. After a power failure or a crash, you therefore still have everything that was recorded until that moment. An MP4 file that was not closed correctly cannot be opened at all.
Why an MP4 is still useful
MKV is the safe format, but editing software, upload forms and people who ask for a copy all expect an MP4.
Also save as MP4 afterwards solves this. It copies the finished recording to an MP4 without encoding it again, which uses disk space and a little time, but the quality does not change. The original MKV remains, so you have both: an MKV that survives a crash, and an MP4 to give to others.
Starting and stopping
Use REC on the playout’s transport bar. When Record while streaming is off, the recording is independent of the stream, so you can record without streaming, stream without recording, or start the recording first and the stream later.
The recording is also independent of the cue list. It records what the playout sends out, until you stop it.
Practical notes
Check the disk space. One hour at a normal bitrate uses a few gigabytes, and a full disk stops a recording in the middle of a service.
Record to a local disk and copy the file afterwards. A recording to a network share depends on that share for its whole duration.
Check the folder before the show. If the folder no longer exists, or the current user cannot write to it, you cannot correct this afterwards.