Have you ever wanted to record your desktop screen? Interested in creating your own Windows Media Files? Want to make Silverlight video? Expression Encoder 4 from Microsoft is a free tool that will help you create video like a professional. This is long article with many pictures but I promise you it is worth the read no matter what your skill level.
Andrew Edney told me about this new trial version of Microsoft Encoder 4 this weekend and I had a chance to play around with this great and powerful application. If you want to create your own video or publish your existing video in Silverlight then this application is for you!
A few key points to know before starting the download:
- System Requirements are here
- This is a “trial” version
- 10 minutes video length for the free version
- .NET Framework 4.0 required install before Encoder install
- This free version of Expression Encoder 4 does not include support for live IIS Smooth Streaming and H.264 encoding. To use these features, upgrade to Expression Encoder Pro.
Microsoft Expression Overview
“We offer multiple versions of Expression Encoder, a free download with limited functionality and a professional version. You can download Expression Encoder at no cost here. Expression Encoder does not have support for H.264, does not support live Smooth Streaming, and has a ten-minute limit on screen capture. “
This is the overview directly from the Microsoft website:
Expression Encoder Pro is a streamlined video production tool that enables you to focus your time and energy on enhancing, encoding and delivering your on-demand or live video content at higher quality with less effort. Expression Encoder Pro was the first encoder to support Smooth Streaming, a technology that dynamically adjusts playback rates and quality, and today is the most affordable IIS Live Smooth Streaming solution on the market, delivering hardware performance for a software price.
We offer multiple versions of Expression Encoder, a free download with limited functionality and a professional version. You can download Expression Encoder at no cost here. Expression Encoder does not have support for H.264, does not support live Smooth Streaming, and has a ten-minute limit on screen capture.
Expression Encoder Pro offers more advanced functionality and support for richer playback experiences. With this version, you can publish H.264 or VC-1 content, broadcast live events with live Smooth Streaming, and capture screencasts of any length. Please see the table below for a full comparison of features.
Windows Media Encoder has been retired as of 2010, and we encourage users to transition to Expression Encoder.
You can see a comparison below with the old Windows Media Encoder. Since it is being retired we should start using the new application now.
Once you have installed .NET Framework 4.0 you are ready for the download and installation.
Using Microsoft Expression Encoder 4
Recording from your desktop is easy. Just start the Screen Capture application.
Before you start recording you should set up your options.
I prefer to show the mouse pointer during my recordings.
I am also using a headset at work so I adjust the settings accordingly. The application will pick up my voice over the headset and the sounds coming from the PC. Sweet.
Thanks Tim. I've been using this in a university setting to do live broadcasts for events in an auditorium. We have an Osprey SD capture card for video and a Data path VGA capture card to record the screen of presenters' computers. You can easily toggle between each source during the broadcast while archiving the entire presentation to a file. Saves time doing all the editing when you do this during the creation of the video. I actually push the live stream to Windows Media Services on Server 2008R2 to manage uni-cast connections the publishing points that WMS creates. Edit a Silverlight template to connect to the publishing point instead of a file and stick it on any web space. When we start the live stream, just connect to the URL of the Silverlight template and watch the live stream in a browser via Silverlight on Mac or PC. Windows Media Player will also connect directly to the publishing point on Server to watch live broadcast. I've tried the live stream to IIS but you have to start and stop the publishing point in IIS each time AND it takes a lot of processing power. With a Xeon W3503 I can only do 2 SD encodes without dropping frames. (1 steam per core is MS recommendation) It's a good program but some hardware drivers and incorrect access permissions can cause it to crash. V4 is much better than previous versions.
Dear Holt,
Your set-up sounds just like what I am working towards. Did you have to purchase the “Pro” version of Expressions? Will one purchase cover more than one machine? What is the model number of the VGA capture card?
Thanks for your response!
Sincerely,
Rick
It sounds like you use it the way it is supposed to be run. I enjoy the screen capture interface and the way it works with my existing system. I plan to get the full version next month so I will be able to access more of the features.
Yeah, MS went all crazy with the licensing of the CODECS (H.24) when they released version 4. MSDN gets the ISS live smooth streaming but not the CODECS. Anything that they have to license needs you to pay more for it. It's worth it though if you do a lot of encoding for HD and SD video capture. I could never live stream from home because Time Warner only give us a tiny upload connection of 384k on standard Road Runner in the Raleigh-Durham market. Pathetic really. I was thinking of doing a writeup for Expression before you all started branching out from WHS. I think the new articles will be good as long as we still get the lowdown on WHS.
WHS will always be first in my heart. I have three running in my home right now with another four I bought for my family. It is very important to me and now being a MVP makes it all the more special.
That being said…
Have you thought of still doing the write up but posting it on UWHS? You do so much more with Expression than I would ever do and I would be interested in reading it. Heck, your last two comments are 10% of an article already. Throw up some art and you have a great post.
It sounds Great.And Worthyful Content.And Very Informative.