What is the best software for recording PC screen

Hi,
I am looking for a good program either free or pirated for recording my desktop screen in HD for eventually uploading to youtube or something similar.
It will be for approx 2-3 hours long in some sort of movie format and Ideally be able to set it to capture what ever part of the screen I choose.
Would Adobe captivate be ok for this or is there something better out there?
Thanks in advance
Answer #1
Fraps is probably the most popular..
http://www.google.com?t=15302404&highlight=
Answer #2
Many thanks – I’ll try it out
Answer #3
It will be for approx 2-3 hours long in some sort of movie format and Ideally be able to set it to capture what ever part of the screen I choose.
I strongly recommend something like XSplit for this, or anything with staging capabilities. XSplit has a free version that goes up to I think 720p and 25fps. But the paid one is only like 5 bucks a month, and worth it.
http://www.xsplit.com/
Another one I have not tried, but was recommended, that is open source is:
http://obsproject.com/
Answer #4
thanks will look into it
Answer #5
I’ve used CamStudio in the past:
http://camstudio.org/
Answer #6
this:
http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html
best I’ve used. but tbh it’s down to personal preference.
Answer #7
looks good – Have a game ending coming up so want to capture the big battle
Answer #8
I used Camtasia Studio for years, but finally had to make a switch because it was bogging the computer down so badly that the computer could barely function. I have been using Replay Video Capture recently, and am very pleased with it. Replay Video Capture does very little compression, so it is really fast … but the file-size will be pretty big if you record for 3 hours. So you will have to convert the video to some other format after the recording is finished.
Answer #9
useful for me thx