# Any video capturing software with "black box" feature? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 4, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957 "2012-12-04T14:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/1 "2012-12-04T14:30:14Z")
I want to record myself playing games online, but I don’t want to rewatch the whole video to keep special moments. Is there a software that, when I press a button, saves the last 30 seconds of my screen? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/2 "2012-12-04T14:34:51Z")
I think that would require time travel. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/3 "2012-12-04T14:43:09Z")
No, it just requires something continuously recording but recording over the stuff you don’t choose to save. Fraps will do this (you set it up into options and then hold down the record key for several seconds - when you press the record key again, it keeps the last X seconds plus keeps recording from there on). The videos you record this way will be uncompressed and take up a large amount of hard drive space and it will impact the performance of your game if you don’t have a beefy computer, but it works. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/4 "2012-12-04T14:50:38Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I think that would require time travel. Not really. My HTPC automatically records the last ten minutes or so of broadcast TV to a temp file in case the phone rings at an inopportune time, but of course that means it needs to be recording uncompressed video continously so that might cause the gameplay to lag. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/5 "2012-12-04T14:53:28Z")
Oh, it does? I’ll have a look then. It’s not mentioned as one of the features. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/6 "2012-12-04T14:57:12Z")
Fraps will only record so far as a 4gb file will hold - fraps still clings to an outdated max file size to support legacy systems and I’m not sure if you can override it. Uncompressed video at high res might only be 20-30 seconds for that file size, lower res video would last longer. Haven’t tested it. Edit: The uncompressed part is uncomfirmed, saw a forum post that suggests it’ll be the same rate as normal fraps, which is typically ~2 minutes at 1080p. I can run a test if you need to if you’re deciding whether to get fraps or not. Other recording programs may have this feature though. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/7 "2012-12-04T14:58:25Z")
There are two programs I know of that are used a lot for WoW, not sure they’ll work for what you want. Fraps > **[FRAPS show fps, record video game movies, screen capture software](https://fraps.com/)** > > Fraps can show your frame rate in games! Fraps performs video capture, screen capture and can benchmark your fps! Supports both DirectX capture and OpenGL capture! and Bandicam > **[Screen Recording Software: capture anything on your PC screen - Bandicam](https://www.bandicam.com/)** > > Bandicam is the world's most advanced screen, game and webcam recording software. Try our free recording software to capture all you want on your PC! ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/8 "2012-12-04T15:16:16Z")
Ok I tried fraps can’t figure out how to start recording. Will try again tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-video-capturing-software-with-black-box-feature/642957/9 "2012-12-04T15:21:56Z")
Set the record button (default f12) and to do buffered looping recording, hold it down for a few seconds. The overlay indicator (if you have it set) will turn purple, then when you press it again it will turn red (this means it’s recording both the buffered footage, and what’s happening right now) and pressing it again ends the recording.