Screen Recording Overview
Tex records the screen to MP4 using ScreenRecorderLib 6.6.0 on top of Windows Media Foundation. Output is hardware-encoded when possible (NVENC on NVIDIA, QuickSync on Intel, AMF on AMD) and falls back to a software H.264/H.265 encoder on older machines.
What Recording Produces
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Container | MP4 |
| Video codec | H.264 (default) or H.265 / HEVC |
| Audio | Optional system loopback and/or microphone |
| Output folder | %USERPROFILE%\Videos\Tex\ (override with Recording.SaveFolder) |
| File name | tex_rec_{timestamp}.mp4 (override with Recording.FileNamePattern) |
Three Recording Modes
| Mode | Trigger | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Fullscreen | Ctrl+Shift+R or the Recording button | All monitors, or one via Recording.MonitorDeviceName |
| Region | Right-click the Recording button → Record Region... | Rectangle you select on screen |
| Timed | Right-click the Recording button → Record for... | Fullscreen for a preset duration |
All three use the same encoder, the same output folder, and the same control bar. Only the source region and stop condition differ. See 05.2 and 05.3 for specifics.
The Recording Control Bar
While a recording is active, a small 240 x 52 HUD called the RecordingControlBar floats always-on-top:
- A pulsing red REC indicator.
- A live elapsed timer (
HH:MM:SS). - A Pause / Resume toggle.
- A Stop button.
- A drag handle so you can move it out of frame.
Closing the control bar is equivalent to pressing Stop — the recording is finalised and the file is written out.
Hardware Encoding
Tex prefers hardware encoding when Recording.UseHardwareEncoding is on (the default). If no supported GPU encoder is available, ScreenRecorderLib falls back to the Windows Media Foundation software encoder transparently. You can force software-only encoding by turning the setting off — useful when debugging odd GPU driver behaviour.
Tip — Hardware encoding typically uses 5-15% of CPU at 1080p / 30 fps. Software encoding at the same settings can use 60-90% on older CPUs. Leave the setting on unless you have a specific reason.
Setting — H.264 (Recording.Encoder = H264) is the safe default and plays everywhere. H.265 produces roughly 30-50% smaller files at the same quality but requires newer hardware for playback. See 05.4.