As many live streaming platforms emerge, Live video has become a major source of entertainment and learning to for many people. With so much interesting content available on live streaming platforms, there must be a time when you wish to download or record streaming video on a computer. If so, use the best streaming video recorders introduced below to record live streams on PC. They can be helpful in recording live streaming videos from YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook as well as live TV shows from popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more.
Movavi Screen Recorder
To save live streaming videos from the Internet on PC and Mac, Movavi Screen Recorder is the optimal choice. To grasp this screen recorder doesn’t require a steep learning curve as the recorder provides an easy-to-understand and intuitive interface and a smooth user experience. And it is a versatile screen recording tool that can meet most of your demands. Here are some essential features that make it perfect for recording live streaming video.
- Supports recording streaming videos with system audio;
- Task schedule. You can set up the specific start and end time for your recording. And the screen recorder can automatically end when the live streaming show is over.
- Provides the Lock and Record Window mode that can only record the screen of the application window without capturing other screen activities;
- Captures screenshots of streaming videos while recording and export them to multiple formats, including GIF;
- Supports sharing video recordings to social media such as Facebook and Instagram.
It only takes 4 steps to record a live video.
Step 1: Download and Launch Movavi Screen Recorder
Download and install a suitable version on your computer. Launch the program and click to open Screen Recorder.
Step 2: Customize Settings for Recording and Output
From Video Recorder, you can select to record full screen or record custom region. Click on Advanced Recorder, choose the Lock and record window, and then you can choose the specific program window that you want to record from a drag-down menu.
If you need to schedule a recording for a TV show or live sports event, click on the Task Schedule button and set the start time and stop time for the task. The recorder will automatically save the streaming video once the task is finished.
Click on the Settings icon and go to Preference, here you can select the path, format, quality to save the streaming videos. The output video can be exported as MP4, MOV, AVI, GIF, and more.
To record an online video, you may want to disable Show Mouse Cursor so that the recorder won’t capture mouse actions in the video. After the setup, click OK to return to the recording window.
Step 3: Recording a Live Video
Once you’ve adjusted all the settings, open a live streaming video, and then play the video and click the REC button to start recording. By default, the screen recorder will show a 3-second countdown before recording.
While recording, you can add annotation, take a screenshot and save or share it on social media.
Step 4: Preview, Edit, and Save Streaming Video
After recording, you can view the recorded video. Movavi Screen Recorder also has a built-in editor that can trim or cut unnecessary parts.
Camtasia
Camtasia is another professional screen recorder integrated with advanced editing features. Not just recording live stream videos, it is also perfect for creating tutorial videos. The multiple track feature allows you to import different media files after recording and hence merge different video footages to a new file. It also gives options to add visual effects, transitions, voice narrations, or annotations to make the resultant video better. Basically, Camtasia caters to every beginner’s needs and saves much time as it doesn’t require finding a separate editor software. Besides, if you have a different audio source, Camtasia can also record from your selected source.
However, when dealing with large videos, the software may seem to struggle or even freeze if the computer performance is not high enough. And the price can be expensive given that the individual plan will cost $249 for a lifetime license. Still, it provides a 30-day free trial so that you can fully test and experience the software.
Pros
- Useful editing tools
- Multi-track timeline
Cons
- Limited codec
VLC
In fact, in addition to playing various different video files, the versatile VLC has a great hidden feature that enables you to record a stream capture video while streaming on the internet. The streams that VLC supports recording include websites that use HTTP, FTP, MMS, UDP, and TCP protocols. In other words, you can conveniently record video from YouTube, Twitch live stream, Vimeo Livestream, and videos from many other media services. And VLC won’t cost you a penny.
The whole process to record video with VLC is simple as well. Open the “Media” menu, and then click “Open Network Stream”. After that, enter or paste the link for the Live video that you want to record to the input box. And click the “Play” button. And then open “View” > “Advanced Controls” and click the recording button to start.
However, sometimes the video link may not be recognized by VLC. And therefore, it is likely to encounter situations such as the live video fails to be recorded by VLC. Luckily, there is a backup plan that you can use the screen capture feature to record video and sound on the screen. This guide includes more details: How to Record Screen and Videos with VLC Media Player
But the drawback is also obvious. Given that VLC will record all screen activities from your computer, it is not advisable to switch to another window when you are recording a live video.
Pros
- Free and easy-to-use
Cons
- Limited customization options
FlashBack Express
Another powerful tool to record live stream video is FlashBack Express. Its user interface may be similar to Camtasia. And it also comes with a free version and a paid version. But what makes it outweigh other screen recorders is that FlashBack Express will not impose an ugly watermark over your recordings. Moreover, there is no time limits on the recording. But if you want to use its advanced features such as adding annotations or filters, you need to upgrade to the Pro version.
For recording live streaming videos, FlashBack Express provides a high-performance lag-free HD capture with no hassle. And its exporting options include WMV, AVI, and MP4 that can meet most of your needs. Although they are lossy compression, these common formats basically can balance picture quality and file size. Then you don’t have to worry about the output quality of your recordings.
Pros
- Free and comprehensive
Cons
- Editing features are paid
ShareX is a free and open-source screen recording software to capture live stream video. Besides recording screen, it also has the ability to capture a scrolling webpage, capture and identify text via OCR, and create a watermark for your videos. Just as its name suggests, the biggest highlight of ShareX is the sharing feature. It gives you the option to send your captured video directly to file-sharing sites or social media sites. Share links generated by ShareX can also be shortened accordingly.
You can also record a specific program window or a customized region with the recorder. If you want to capture a screenshot from your video recording, the lightweight ShareX even provides multiple useful tools such as a color picker, spilled or merge photos, creating thumbnails and etc. And most of the photo tools are thoughtfully designed rather than cluttered, which ensures a great user performance but doesn’t heavily affect the software performance.
Pros
- Useful toolkits
Cons
- UI design may not intuitive
Conclusion
Our top recommendation to record live stream video is Movavi Screen Recorder. It is an all-in-one tool to record and edit your video recordings. And if multi-track is your top concern, Camtasia can be your ideal choice. Free tools such as VLC, FlashBack Express, and ShareX are also competent when editing is not your priority.
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