How to change output codec for recording?

[wojtekk]

Hey guys

I do realise that VLC has plenty of command-line options, but I hope there's other way of doing this, rather than going through endless strings of commands... I want to achieve simple thing: to change the video output codec when recording from webcam through the Capture Device. At the minute, files are too big for what I want to do with them. I am quite surprised after not being able to find this option anywhere...

I am using Windows 7, with pretty much all the standard codecs installed.

Please, help. Thank you very much!

Wojtek

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Use convert dialog.

[shmerl]

Sorry for raising the old topic, but it's kind of very related so I didn't want to start a new one. I can change codecs / containers through convert dialog when capturing the webcam, but how can a default profile be set, which can be used with "record" button without going through all those dialogs again? Is it possible at all? If not, I can file a feature request.

[mederi]

Perhaps it is possible to customize the "Record" button:
Tools > Preferences > Show settings = All >
> Input/Codecs: [ ] Prefer native stream recording (When possible, the input stream will be recorded instead of using the stream output module)
> Stream output ... ?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

By design, the record button cannot change the codec. Changing the codec would be intricate, lossy and potentailly very slow.

[mederi]

O.K. and what is the above mentioned option good for? What does it do? I do not quite understand the explanation in its tooltip. Thanks.

[shmerl]

By design, the record button cannot change the codec. Changing the codec would be intricate, lossy and potentailly very slow.

I see, thanks. I didn't realize that record produced an AVI with raw video. Then I can just take that and encode into something else without losing quality.

But it still can be good to use the "convert" option with a given preset but accessible with one click button (saves time of going through all of those dialogs, if you for example always prefer certain codecs). May be it can be implemented separately from record? Some kind of "custom record"? I think it would be useful.