Tag Archives: Mac screen capture

Mac Software Review: iShowU HD 2/ShowU HD Pro 2

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iShowU HD 2
Mac software review

We have reviewed several screen-capture applications in the past. So far, none of them except Ambrosia‘s Snapz Pro X functions with our satisfaction. Actually, Snapz Pro X is not that perfect, either, because the software developer has not been able to solve the Final Cut Pro incompatibility issue for years whether they are trying or not. How about shinywhitebox‘s iShowU? We reviewed it in August, 2007, right? A major problem that we found with iShowU 1.44 was that the application did not fully capture all frames. It never captured more than 24 frames. Therefore, Final Cut Pro users were not able to edit the video clips recorded with iShowU.

shinywhitebox has recently released a new shareware title. It’s called iShowU HD. The latest version is 2.0.2. At its website, the software developer writes

The pinnacle of realtime capture. Faster than ever with more features to boot!

Create tutorials, make a demo for the web, record your favorite game (World of Warcraft!), collaborate on UI design, show tech support what’s really going on with that broken program.

Recording favorite games? Really? Even Snapz Pro X doesn’t always function properly when it comes to games. Well, then… Let’s see how iShowU HD works.  Continue reading →

Mac Software Review: Screenium 1.0

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Mac shareware Synium Software Screenium
Mac software review

There are about 7 to 8 screen-capture shareware titles for Macs that we are aware of. Ambrosia Software‘s Snapz Pro X is by bar more popular than any other screen-capture shareware title. But Snapz Pro X is not perfect. Ambrosia Software has not been able to fix Snapz Pro X’s incompatibility issue with Final Cut Pro for years.

How about Screenium? This Mac software title is developed by Synium Software, a developer of CleanApp, which we reviewed about 2 months ago. The latest software version of Screenium is still 1.0. And the price is only US20, more than one-third cheaper than Snapz Pro X. Usually, its price tells you what it does, right? Does that mean we cannot expect good performance on Screenium?

When you launch Screenium for the first time, you will probably see the settings under the Audio/Video tab. (See Screenshot 01.) This is where you make importance choices including ones for audio and video compressors.

Mac shareware Synium Software Screenium
Screenshot 01		 Mac shareware Synium Software Screenium
Screenshot 02		 Mac shareware Synium Software Screenium
Screenshot 03

Let’s first go to Audio at the bottom. There are three input devices listed. If you want to include system audio (audio run by the system like the beep sound and iTunes music), you need to enable System Audio (Screenium). If you click on the check box, you will be prompted to enter a system administrative password. (See Screenshot 02.) Furthermore, there’s a button with up & down arrows next to Audio CD. If I click on it… I get to customize audio compression settings. (See Screenshot 03-4.) Looking at Screenshot 04, it looks like Screenium doesn’t let the user choose not to compress audio (to have uncompressed audio). Does that mean Final Cut Pro users have to re-compress the audio track? We will get to that later on.  Continue reading →