How PlayClaw works with Multicore Processors while Recording Video from Game
Introduction
When multi-core processors stepped into our life, we gained an opportunity to record game video almost without any disruption of gameplay. PlayClaw is specially optimized to take full advantage of multi-core processors.
As a sample, you can watch a short video that was captured with PlayClaw on the computer with the new Intel Core i5-750 processor, which comes with 4 cores. We captured video in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 at 1280x720 resolution (HD) and PlayClaw was set to use 3 cores in the high compression mode. This mode is characterized by intense impact on the processor and a small size of the output video file. We conducted three tests at different FPS rates - 30, 60, 75. Basically, 30 frames per second is enough to record high-quality HD video but we decided to put maximal workload on PlayClaw and the processor to show their capabilities.
Results
When you evaluate the results, you should take into account that the processor not only recorded the game but also had to process video, which was being captured by Direct Stream Recorder on top of the game screen and Windows desktop - that's a considerable impact on the processor. To bring the impact of the "extra recording" process to the minimum, we captured the gameplay at a small FPS rate - 5.
The tests show that PlayClaw can record game video with high compression on the multicore processor almost without any loss of frames in the game. Is there anything else the player needs? :)