8 Apps That Record Video Conferences

We’ve been blogging quite a lot on the subject of video conferencing recently, covering everything from browser-based net meetings to improving screen sharing. And while some of the services we’ve featured offer conference recording as standard, most don’t.

So what do you do if you have an important online meeting with a client who is specifying changes? Like the rest of us you’re probably scribbling furiously while talking, which gets a bit confusing and can make conferencing more stressful than it needs to be.

There is a solution: online video conference recording. Here are some standalone apps that will record your meeting as well as tools provided by conference services.

Vodburner
Using Skype to video conference? Then Vodburner is well worth checking out. This tool is dedicated to making it as easy as possible to record Skype video calls, which are saved to your hard drive. It’s possible to record both sides of the video conference, then edit them so that both sides are displayed side-by-side with captions and additional images if so desired. If you would like to remove sensitive information, you can easily edit the file inside Vodburner before you distribute the final product. Once you’re happy, you can generate a video with whatever aspect ratio and resolution you need and even upload to YouTube straight from Vodburner. This tool is perfect for podcasters or anyone wanting to chronicle their video calls.

Pamela
An alternative to Vodburner for recording Skype video conferences is Pamela, probably one of the best known and highly respected extras for Skype. Although Pamela will have no problem at all in recording your video calls, it doesn’t offer the suite of editing tools afforded by Vodburner. Nevertheless, if a straightforward recorder is all you require and either don’t intend to edit your video or have another video editing tool, then it’s well worth trying out.

WebEx
You don’t need to use an external tool to record with WebEx as they have a record function already integrated via a dedicated, standalone recorder / player called Recorder and Player for Recording Format. With the WebEx recorder you can capture just about everything that happens in a typical WebEx conference session from audio and video to chats, notes and annotation. WebEx also provide a tool called the WebEx Recording Editor for editing your recording. It is also possible to save recordings on the WebEx service site and then share the page so others can view or download the conference.

Ecamm Conference Recorder
This recorder works with iChat, which is available only on Mac OS X, and Skype. It is very well integrated with both, allowing you to start and stop as and when you wish. Recorded video conferences are converted into a Quicktime file in the compressed MP4 format, which will save you some space while maintaining quality. Ecamm Conference Recorder will also record audio conferences. Ecamm Conference Recorder also boasts a great little feature that allows you to annotate the recording so that when playing back the movie in QuickTime Player, the chapter marker list will allow you to jump to those points in the recording. To put it in a nutshell, it is exceedingly easy to record Skype and iChat video with Ecamm Conference Recorder.

Sightspeed
Widely regarded here at VoIP-Sol.com as a top class softphone and more than a Skype equivalent, Sightspeed for business is a very solid video conferencing product that is different in that it isn’t based on the meeting room model. The software boasts a whole roster of features (that I’ll not get into here for the sake of brevity), including built-in video conference recording. Want to record a Sightspeed conference, it’s at your fingertips: no third party software is needed.

Video Conference Recorder
Virtual Desk are the developers of this Windows-only video conference recorder, which does exactly what it says on the tin: record conferences. This app can record an area or a window, so you have some degree of control over what to record. Video is saved as an AVI at an average of 1MB per minute, which means it can be played back easily later. Video Conference Recorder is compatible with Cuseeme, Netmeeting, VDOphone, IcuII, Internetphone and other services.

ooVoo
This video conferencing and chat application comes with free video recording as standard, a feature that is absent from many of its competitors. Recorded video can be saved as AVI, FLV or HTML embedded video to be placed on a blog or web page. You can also store up to 1,000 minutes of video on ooVoo servers.

PalBee
This is one of the next generation online browser-based conferencing services, which also lists recording as a feature. Getting a meeting setup is very simple; you don’t need to download or install anything, just create a meeting room and invite up to 5 of your friends.

Recording audio only is a completely different thing though, but is much easier to do. Recording Skype calls is no problem, while recording normal voice conference calls is also just a matter of running one of the many apps that can record audio from a microphone.