Video recording is available to users on all plans! The ‘Record Audio and Video’ mode enables both video viewing and video recording. The ‘Record Audio, Show Video’ mode enables video viewing but turns off video recording.
In this article:
Viewing Video
How video viewing works:
You and your guests can see each other during the call if either the ‘Record Audio and Video’ mode or ‘Record Audio Only, Show Video’ mode is enabled and everyone has a camera selected and turned on.
Video is streamed in 360p so that guests have minimal wait times at the end of the call for their files to upload.
If recording the video as well, the actual video recording quality is higher than the video streaming quality.
Recording Video
How video recording works:
Video is recorded if the ‘Record Audio and Video’ mode is enabled.
Zencastr currently supports a maximum of 12 total participants (1 host + 11 guests) on a recording when all participants are connecting from computers or laptops that meet the system requirements.
Video is recorded per participant in the maximum resolution allowed by each participant’s camera and the host’s Zencastr plan.
The maximum resolution for each plan is:
Standard: 1080p
Grow, Scale, and Business: 4k
Example: If you are on the Standard plan and have a 1080p camera and ‘Record in Maximum Quality’ enabled in your settings and your guest has a 720p camera, then your video recording will be in 1080p while your guest’s video recording will be in 720p.
Zencastr uses Variable Frame Rate (VFR) aiming to capture at 30 frames per second.
As video is recorded per participant, your video recording and each of your guests’ video recordings will be saved in separate files.
Video files are in MOV format and contain an audio track in addition to the video track.
Downloading Video Files
When you stop the recording, you and each guest keep the Recording Page open until you each see a “Success” popup or dialog.
After the Success popup displays for each guest, they can individually close the Recording Page on their computers or you click Hang Up Call to end the call for all guests.
On the Recording Page, in each user track you see a MOV button.
Click a button and a popup displays the MOV file(s).
Click the file you want in the popup and it downloads to your computer.
Repeat for each user’s files.
Turning Cameras Off
If some guests do not want to be shown on video, you as the host can turn off cameras as guests enter the Recording Page or guests can individually turn their cameras off before they enter or as they enter the Recording Page.
Turning Off Cameras As the Host
On the Recording Page, you locate the user tracks below the video preview.
Click the camera icon on your user track and your camera is turned off.
Click the camera icon on each guest’s user track and their cameras are turned off.
❗️ Once a guest’s camera is turned off, only they can turn it back on again by re-clicking the camera icon in their user track in the Recording Page. The host cannot turn a guest’s camera back on. This is for privacy reasons.
Turning Off Camera As a Guest
On the Recording Page, the guest locates their user track below the video preview.
The guest clicks the camera icon and their camera is turned off.
Note: The guest can also turn off their camera before entering the Recording Page via the green room.
Related Questions
Can I share my screen on Zencastr? Can I record a screen share on Zencastr?
At this time, Zencastr doesn’t support screen sharing. We hope to in the future.
How can I record audio only?
Select the ‘Record Audio, Show Video’ mode or ‘Record Audio, No Video’ mode before recording.
Can I use video viewing without recording the video?
Yes, select the ‘Record Audio Only, Show Video’ mode before recording.
Why do I/my guests look blurry/pixelated in the video preview?
Video is streamed in 360p to save bandwidth for uploading the recorded files. Streaming in 360p helps to reduce your guests’ wait times at the end of the call. The video recordings themselves are in high-definition. The actual resolution of each participant’s video recording depends on their camera’s resolution and settings.
What frame rate are the local videos recorded at?
Zencastr uses Variable Frame Rate (VFR) aiming to capture at 30 frames per second (FPS). However, frame rates can be lower if camera specs are low, when recording in dark environments, and/or when a participant’s computer hardware (RAM and GPU) is not robust.
Is there a time limit to record? Is there a maximum number of minutes or hours that I can record?
All paid plans include unlimited audio and video recording with no time limits. There are theoretical recording limits. But we have yet to meet the top limit of recording time.