Best video codec for game, video, and screen recording

How to choose the best video codec for recording



What is the best video codec for game recording, video recording, and screen recording?

  • If you use a high-compression codec, you can get a small video file, but the encoding speed might be slower.
  • If you use a high-quality codec, you can get the best quality video, but the video file size might be larger.
  • If you use a high-speed codec, you can reduce CPU usage, but the video file size might be larger.

We recommend choosing the video codec that best suits your recording needs.

Comparison of video codecs - Size, Quality, and Speed

The table below shows the file size, video quality, and codec speed.
(Recording time: 1 minute, Video resolution: 1920x1080, FPS: 30, Quality: 80)

Codec Size Quality Speed Description
AV1 (GPU) 15 - 18 MB
Better
Fast
Better than HEVC/H.264 at compression
(NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE/VCN, Intel QSV)
HEVC (GPU) 29 - 36 MB
Better
Fast
Better compression rate than H.264 for the same picture quality
(NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE/VCN, Intel QSV)
H264 (GPU) 31 - 40 MB
Better
Fast
Best codec for most users
(NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE/VCN, Intel QSV)
H264
(High 4:4:4 lossless)
217 MB
Best
Fast
Lossless video codec
Much smaller than YV12 or RGB24
Xvid 52.9 MB
Good
Normal
Best codec for most users
MPEG-1 38.8 MB
Good
Normal
Better compression ratio than Xvid
Motion JPEG 420 MB
Normal
Fast
Best codec for video editing software
YV12 5,210 MB
Best
Faster
Lossless video codec
RGB24 10,400 MB
Best
Fastest
Lossless video codec
  • Comparison of codec speed: RGB24 (Fastest) > YV12 > Motion JPEG > Xvid > MPEG-1 (Normal)
  • H.264 may be faster than Motion JPEG with high performing computers.

1. Hardware accelerated H.264 codec (GPU): Best codec for advanced users

The hardware-accelerated H.264 codec allows users to record the target with high speed, high compression ratio, and excellent quality. Usually, the H.264 codec is not suitable for real-time video recording because it uses many more system resources and the codec speed is much slower than others. However, the hardware accelerated H.264 codec solves the issue with the codec speed. The speed of hardware accelerated H.264 codec (Nvidia® NVENC™, Intel® Quick Sync video, AMD VCE/VCN) may be faster than Motion JPEG with high performing computers.

* Summary: If you can choose H.264 encoder in Bandicam, choose "H.264."

2. Xvid: Best codec for most users

Xvid is used in many other applications/hardware and has gained great popularity. Most CD/DVD players, smartphones, smart TVs, and media players support the Xvid codec, making it one of the best video codecs for most users. The Xvid codec is faster than MPEG-1 (Xvid uses lower CPU than MPEG-1).

* Summary: If you can't choose the H.264 encoder in Bandicam, choose "Xvid."

3. MPEG-1: Better compression ratio than Xvid

MPEG-1 is the most widely compatible, lossy audio/video format in the world. Most media players, including YouTube, support the MPEG-1 codec. The MPEG-1 codec offers good video quality and uses much less CPU than other codecs (The quality of MPEG-1 is similar to that of Xvid).

* Summary: If you want to get smaller videos than Xvid, choose "MPEG-1."

4. Motion JPEG (MJPEG): Best codec for video editing

Motion JPEG (M-JPEG or MJPEG) is a video format in which each video frame is a JPEG image. In other words, each frame is a keyframe, allowing you to edit the recorded video easily. Motion JPEG is an ideal codec for most users who want to edit a recorded streaming video in Vegas Pro or Adobe Premiere Editor.

* Summary: If you want to edit the recorded video with a video editing program, choose "Motion JPEG."

5. YV12: Best quality video codec (lossless)

The video quality will be better than MPEG-1/XVID because YV12 doesn’t compress the video. However, the file size will be much bigger than MPEG-1/XVID (the file size will be smaller than RGB24).

* Summary: If you want to get the best quality videos, try "YV12."

6. RGB24: Best quality video codec (lossless)

The video quality will be better than MPEG-1/XVID because RGB24 doesn’t compress the video. However, the file size will be much bigger than MPEG-1/XVID (and bigger than YV12).

* Summary: If you want to get the best quality videos, try "RGB24."

7. External Codec

If you want to get better quality videos or make smaller videos, you could try the [External Codec] option in Bandicam.
You need a high-end computer to use an external codec because most external codecs use many more system resources than Bandicam's internal codecs.

The table below shows the file sizes when Bandicam records a 1920x1080 resolution video for one minute. (FPS: 30, Quality: 80)

Codec Size Quality Speed Description
External: x264 135 MB
Better
Normal
Best codec for a high-end computer
(High quality, Smaller files, Recommended)
External: Xvid 315 MB
Good
Normal
Best codec for DivX/Galaxy Smartphone
External: Lagarith 1,400 MB
Best
Normal
Recommended codec for video-editing
(High quality, Lossless video codec)

To use an External codec in Bandicam, visit https://www.bandicam.com/faqs/vfw-x264-xvid-divx-h264-codec/

* Summary: If you have a high-end computer, try the "External codec" option in Bandicam.

What is the best audio codec for game recording, video recording, and screen recording?

  • If you use the MPEG-1 L2 codec, you can reduce the file size, but you may have a compatibility issue with video editing programs.
  • If you use the PCM audio codec, you can get the best quality audio, but the file size might be larger.

We recommend choosing the audio codec that best suits your recording needs.

Comparison of audio codecs - Size, Quality, and Speed

The table below shows the file sizes, audio quality and codec speed.

Codec Size Quality Speed Description
AAC Small
Better
Better
Best audio codec for most users
MP3 (MPEG-1 L3) Small
Good
Good
Good audio codec for most users
MP2 (MPEG-1 L2) Small
Good
Good
Good audio codec
PCM Large
Best
Fast
Best codec for video editing software

1. AAC audio codec: Best codec for most users

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a lossy audio compression format that generally offers higher-quality sound than an MP3 while using the same amount of disk space, or less. Most video editing programs such as Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere, and Pinnacle Studio support the AAC audio codec.

* Summary: If you want to reduce the file size and get the best sound quality, choose "AAC."

2. MPEG-1 L2 audio codec

MP2 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer II) is a lossy audio compression format and is used as a dominant standard for audio broadcasting. Most media players, including YouTube, support the MP2 audio format (MP3 is much more popular for PC). MP2 has a good compression rate, produces small file sizes, and uses much less CPU than PCM.

3. PCM audio codec: Best codec for video editing

PCM (Pulse-code modulation) is a lossless audio compression format and is used as the standard form for digital audio in computers and various Blu-ray, Compact Disc and DVD formats. Other uses include audio for digital telephone systems.

* Summary: If you want to see the recorded video through a portable device or edit the recorded video, choose "PCM."