Sick of just watching streamed videos and audio tracks but not being able to save them? So are many other folks and this demand has given rise to nearly a dozen utilities that will record them to your PC.
While it is possible to record streaming media you need to be very aware that a lot of streamed content is copyright and that recording such content may violate the copyright laws of your country.
So in advising you about products that record streaming media I am assuming you only want to record non-copyright material. Right?
The bad news is that the best recording utilities in this category are shareware not freeware. That's because the websites of most of the better free programs like StreamBox VCR and GetASFStream have been chased off the web by copyright owners and their lawyers. You can still occassionally locate these on some obscure download sites but none of these are stable enough to warrant listing here.
A better option for most users is to use a free web service to record the streaming media, and, if that fails, simply record the streaming media while it is playing on your PC.
If you just want to do something simple like record a YouTube video, then sites like ZamZar, SplanDoo and YouConvertIt will do the job for you. Just plug in the address of the stream and select the format you want and you are finished. Depending on which site you've chosen, either a download link will be emailed to you or you will be able to download the captured file directly from the site.
Unfortunately, this simple approach will not work for many streams. In this situation I suggest you simply play the media stream on your PC and record what's happening on the screen and coming out your speakers. Sure, there is some quality loss, but the great advantage of this approach is that it completely bypasses the whole question of DRM protection; if you can play it on your PC then you can record it from your PC. And you can record it in a form that is free of any protection and can therefore be replayed through any device that supports the appropriate file format.For video streams there are several free session recorders that will do the recording job. You can find a good list of candidates on this site here. These products are really designed for preparing on-screen tutorials and similar tasks, but several are capable of recording video replays.
Krut in particular works well, though it can only output files in .MOV and .WAV formats. However, the output files can readily be converted to other formats using free conversion sites like ZamZar and YouConvertIt
There are some traps with Krut, particularly with video card and sound card settings, so I strongly suggest that you read this excellent tutorial.
The favorite personal freeware for on-screen capture is CamStudio V2, because the output is in the more widely used .AVI and .FLV formats. It too has issues with video and sound cards, so you had better read the Krut tutorial for guidance on this issue. The same solutions suggested for Krut are also applicable to CamStudio.Just as you can record streaming videos playing on your PC, you can also record audio streams playing through your PC speakers. In fact, there are a number of free programs designed specifically for this task. My favorite is MP3myMP3 which records directly from your sound card output. A slightly more complex alternative is to use the record option which is available in the Audacity Audio Editor, but this is probably overkill for average users who would be best off with the simplicity of MP3myMP3.
All these solution bypass the format problems and DRM protection issues. They don't, however, bypass the legal issues. I'm not going to preach to you on this matter; instead I trust in your good judgment.
Krut
Website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/krut
Download page: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=129468
Author: Jonas Ostby
Current version: 0.9.2
Version date: 17-JAN-2007
License: Freeware - GPL
Download File size: 4.80 MB
Operating Systems Supported: Windows & Linux & Mac
Additional Software Required: Java Runtime Engine – www.java.com
64 bit version available: Untested
Portable version available: No
Non-English languages supported: Unknown
Krut tutorial: http://www.freewaregenius.com/2007/04/13/krut-computer-recorder/
Camstudio
Website: http://www.camstudio.org
Download page: http://www.camstudio.org/CamStudio20.exe
Author: Unknown
Current version: 2.0
Version date: 2007
License: Freeware – GPL Open Source
Download File size: 1.33MB
Operating Systems Supported: Windows 98 - XP
64 bit version available:: Untested
Portable aersion available: No
Non-English languages supported: Yes, but not fully functional yet
Other relevant information: Vista workaround listed on support forums
Website: http://www.mp3mymp3.com/
Download Link: http://www.mp3mymp3.com/
Author: Digital Liquid
Current Version: 2
Version Date: 04/23/2005
License: Unrestricted freeware
Download File Size: 5.8 MB
Operating Systems Supported: All Windows, Vista untested.
Additional Software Required: None
64 Bit Capable: No
Portable Version Available: No
Non-English Languages Supported: None
Other Relevant Information:
Website: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Download Link: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
Author: The Audacity Team
Current Version: 2
Version Date: 04/23/2005
License: Unrestricted freeware
Download File Size: 2.1 MB
Operating Systems Supported: All Windows, Vista untested.
Additional Software Required: None
64 Bit Capable: No
Portable Version Available: No
Non-English Languages Supported: None
Other Relevant Information:
Plug-Ins for LADSPA, NyQuist, and VST: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/plugins