Five screencast programs tested
Hands-On
As expected, Vokoscreen proved to be uncomplicated in the lab. Recordings worked from the outset with the preset parameters, without interruptions or jitter. The image quality was satisfactory, and the file sizes were pleasingly compact.
The lack of a program icon in the system tray to control the software on some desktops did affect the ease of use, however: To record the desktop in such cases without the Vokoscreen window, you need to check the Vokoscreen minimized when recording starts option in the fourth tab and then control the minimized program with shortcut keys, where Ctrl+Shift+F11 is Stop and Ctrl+Shift+F12 is Pause. Vokoscreen still responds to these shortcuts with the window minimized.
I also noticed a problem while the program was running that was related to some versions of the libv4l library. This library, which is necessary for the correct use of webcams in Linux, does not support the RGB24 pixel format used by Vokoscreen in some variants, meaning that the webcam is not accessible. The webcam window in Vokoscreen opens, but remains black.
This problem manifested itself especially in three versions of Mageia 5. The operating system's obsolete Libv4l library failed to motivate the webcam to work on any of the three tested versions.
Krut
The fifth test candidate is something out of the ordinary: As a Java program, Krut is published under the GPL and thus a candidate for the review. You can pick up Krut as a ZIP archive from the project website [6], unpack the archive into any directory, and change to the newly created Krut
subdirectory. All the program files are located there.
To call Krut, you need to have Java Runtime Environment 1.5 or higher in place on the operating system. In our lab, I had no trouble running Krut with the current Java Runtime Environment versions 1.7 and 1.8, regardless of whether you have the runtime environment from Oracle or the OpenJDK, as enabled by default on the latest Linux distributions when you install the operating system.
You can then launch the screencast program in a terminal by typing
java -jar krut-0.9.4.jar
A small window in the typical Java program design opens that has only three buttons: Menu, Rec, and Snap. With the help of the Snap and Rec buttons, you can create screenshots and screencasts, whereas clicking the Menu button opens a window with some basic settings (Figure 10).
Options
To access the configuration menu, click on Menu | Settings/Save Files. Krut offers a variety of options for configuration, although they are not as detailed as in SimpleScreenRecorder or Vokoscreen. Therefore, everything fits in a single window (Figure 11). The software works well with the hardware detected by Linux.
Krut stores the video, audio, and screenshot files separately in their own subdirectories, so you specify a separate path for each type. In the settings window, you can also configure the frame rates for recording and playback separately and define whether you want mono or stereo recordings. Optionally, you can specify the bit depth of the recording, as well as the sampling frequency. A slider adjusts the encoding quality. Modified settings require confirmation in Krut and are applied when the window is closed.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.
-
Vanilla OS Initial Release Is Now Available
A stock GNOME experience with on-demand immutability finally sees its first production release.
-
Critical Linux Vulnerability Found to Impact SMB Servers
A Linux vulnerability with a CVSS score of 10 has been found to affect SMB servers and can lead to remote code execution.
-
Linux Mint 21.1 Now Available with Plenty of Look and Feel Changes
Vera has arrived and although it is still using kernel 5.15, there are plenty of improvements sure to please everyone.