Often people ask me if it is possible to record and save the live web cam stream of a chat partner on MSN Messenger. The answer is: yes. Download Bulent's screen recorder, an excellent program to record a webcam session. It is able to capture a part of the screen and save it as an AVI (movie) file, so you can also use it in combination with Yahoo! Messenger or other webcam software. The new version, now shareware, can also record audio which is not possible with the freeware version. This article describes the use of the freeware version, 1.5a, of Bulent's screen recorder.
Read the rest of Capturing MSN Messenger webcam.
Which version of MSN Messenger and Windows are you using?
I will check later, haven't been using Bulent's Screen Recorder for quite some time.
Excellent program! Very easy to set up and configure.. Reccomended
Easy to setup and use thought it has lots of preferences (which i like). Does what it's suppose to do.
Dunno if the 'WatchIt mode' works properly. Slows down PC (especially when recording large areas, but what would you expect when its taking screenshots all the time)
PS: Nice of you to mirror it. Saved me a search :)
Hello
Try out this MSN webcam recorder, it doesn't do screen capture, it actually intercepts the webcam streams.
Hey, the Bulent's Screen Recorder seemed real nice, but i'm not sure if I made it work properly. I tried to capture a .mpg file played in a little window and chose "full desktop" from source. It did capure my screen, but the area in which my .mpg file was played it only capture black. Have I done something wrong in the configuration? Thanks in advance. Real nice website.
Hi Andre,
My best guess is that changing to a different video player might make it possible to capture the video, since I think the player writes directly to your videocard and hence making capturing impossible.
I would give VideoLAN / VLC media player a try.
I have a question about the MSN messenger webcam. Can other people, except my chat partner, see my webcam without my invitation? Does MSN messenger have security for that?
Great Program but can some1 please tell me how to play the file in windows media player after i have recorded it. i am using microsoft video 1 and get the error message i\one or more of the required codecs required are missing. any1 know how to solve this problem?
hi! i was just curious.. is it possible for someone in the net to intercept my webcam even he/she is not invited? sort of hacking my cam? is yahoo messenger totally secured on that? pls answer... THANKS SO MUCH...
Hi, so i liked the info on your website and i went ahead and installed the screen recorder (free version) on my computer. But i am yet to get it to work. I get a blank screen when it replays the recorded files. I am using windows xp and i have both quick time and windows media player installed on my computer. Help please.
It's is possible to avoid being recorded when I'm on MSN Messenger. Thank you in advance for any reply
Carlo, if your chat partner can see you because you share your webcam, then he/she can record what he/she sees. It is impossible to prevent this from happening.
It is recording the whole screen, how can I make it record the web cam part only in MS messenger?
Many thanks
BS, that's explained in the tutorial: "Selecting a region to record".
Awesome Program, worked like a charm on teh first try, I will get much good use out of this.
Thanks again
this is a terrible thing to adverstise! i have been a vicitim of recording, this person has film of me that i never agreed to give! at best, these programs need removed, at least, the recordee needs to be notified that they are being recored and have the option to stop it.
concerned - how are you going to get a notification if the person on the other end just points a video camera at the screen and starts recording? Or if 20 people are in the same room, all watching?
I decided to publish this article for two reasons: first, I wanted to explain that this can be done, and how. Second, to make very clear that this can be done, and is even extremely easy to do so.
There is no way to prevent this. Removing "these programs" is not going to work, a program for recording a part of the screen is just a program. What is done with the recording is a different matter.
Think, if you had read my article earlier on, wouldn't you have been more carefull with your webcam?
hi, how to view webcam of others secretelly.
Is it possible to broadcast an msn webcam session to other msn users in real time? I heard this could be done by pressing "prnt Scr" and then pressing 3 keys simultaiously but i was not told which keys. Any help
IT is up to the user who shows. Just the same way as u should not give a stranger a ride in your car, u should not "show" yoursely to strangers if u do not want it recorded! Even if these progs did not exist it is just as east to set up a viewcam to capture video output from a screen. Many boot leg movies are captured this way! :) If u dont want to be recorder, dont show!
I used this free webcam recorder, but the saved file seems to be a black screen, i m using xp and have videolan as my avi player What do i need to do inorder to get it working?
If those keys where Ctrl, Alt, and Delete it was a prank. I haven't heard of this feature, and maybe it doesn't exist.
I have used this on my old PC and it works great! I was wondering if there is a Apple version of this program? Thanks
Whenever I try to record it gives an error, AVI file can't be written. Kindly help.
Fascinating ! Everyone i had asked said this wasn't possible, but in an idle moment i done a google search and this site came up first! Just goes to show ...whether it'll make me think twice what i'm doing on web cam is another matter ! lol
I took a bit of time in the set up and followed John's instructions carefully. It all worked perfectly first time. I use Windows xp home edition.
Thanks John for taking the time and trouble to post up all the links, instructions and downloads.
Hello,
Does anyone here know how to remove the Bsr logo's which u see when u play the recorded video? I read somewhere something about removing it(forgot where) Not sure if it's actually possible and most of all: if it is, how?! Hope y'all can help me! l8errr
dude from Holland
U my friend...are a G.D Genius! LoL thanx a lot.
i would like to know if some one can do that to yahoo webcam? i can be recorded thru yahoo???
I tried to record a webcam video conversation. It did work except the playback doesn't record the audio part. It only has picture and motion, but no voice! Any help would be appreciate! Thanks.
The free version of Bulent's screen recorder doesn't support sound recording if I recall correctly. The shareware version does, however.
ana, technically the image the webcam sees goes from computer to computer and finally ends up on the computer of your chat partner. Unless an encrypted connection is used, it is possible to copy the stream and record it. However, this is quite unlikely.
If you use a webcam, be always very aware that the other side can record it as soon as you start sending your webcam image.
Finally, technically it is possible to get a program on your computer that sends the webcam image to someone else without you being aware of this happening. So be always very careful of what you install on your computer.
If you are worried about this, disconnect the webcam when you don't use it.
Hi. I'm trying to have a video convo with my friends on MSN messenger but it says that your webcam is not plugged in when it is! I have set it up and everything but I don't know why i can't do anything on MSN! I need help!
The free version records audio - click configuration and then record audio - page two is where you set up where to record from. default is mic.
yes you can record yahoo too - you can record anything that is on your screen
I've been a victim of webcam record. Can the person who record your webcam share this video with other people. I mean, like put it in website so every one can see it.
Sam, yes, a recording of a webcam can be shared online. On a website, using bittorrent, via email, etc.
Hi... I tried dis from my cousins webcam and it worked great! I found U can even record video stream from other movies off da net. The video quality isnt fantastic but its pretty gud. Cool tool!
In a post made here back in July 2005 I read something about another program that intercepts the webcam streams. What does that mean and how does that differ from this program... can anyone help with this question? If was on my webcam doing a vidchat could someone unknown to me intercept my webcam chat? Also is my camera still streaming video if it is only plugged in but I am not using it?
Thanks in advance for any help... and sorry for all the questions!
J~
You are a god john *bows*. Haven't used the program yet, but the concept itself is friggen amazing...
Similar complaint; just records a blank (in my case, blue) screen.
Oh and the dude suggesting this type of screen recorder should be banned...well yes, on one level I agree, in that it refuses to work and is doing my blood pressure no good at all. However, using your logic you should outlaw cameras in case you're unwittingly photographed, or ban pens in case somebody writes something mean about you. :)
If webcam is being utilized thru MSN, does it get recorded to hard drive of either sender or viewer? Or only if it is recorded via one of the softwares mentioned?
Hi for yahoo messenger webcams,
CamGrab-2, Yahoo Messenger Webcam Capture
or for a bit more fun:
StickerCam lets you add animated stickers to your webcam you broadcast and view as well as recording both :)
Yes, webcams streams can be recorded without your consent. However, there are tough new voyeurism laws coming out which make it a criminal offence to illicitly record someone on a webcam or ANY video image on with ANY device without your consent. Canada has one which has a max. penalty of five years in prison. The law also says that it is illegal to rebroadcast a non-consensual voyeur image anywhere. See Canada, Criminal Code, [R.S., 1985, c. C-46] >> 162. Voyeurism.
I think other countries are also adopting similar laws. If someone did that to me, I would track them down through their IPs and so on and have them charged if they were in Canada or have an exctradition request/charge put in if they were abroad. I dont CARE that the technology is there to record. In a YM or MSN chat I have a reasonable expectation of privacy that it will NOT be recorded without my permission. And if someone does do it anyway , dont be embarrassed because, once you claim that it was non--consensual, anyone you know will be held liable if they access it or tell others where it is (in Canadian law); so at least you can get anyone you know who is trying to malign you locally. Also, since this media now a legally recognized area of privacy, the public will be more sympathetic that YOUR privacy was violated. At least no company would dare fire you. And many internet sites would not dare post such things or face prosecution. Times are changing and the assholes that clandestinely record sexual chats had better not post things around anymore.
i m v impressed. this is the exact tool i hv been looking for. thank you so much.
one of my biggest worry of installing "unknown" software is that the s/w may send details back to an unknown host but i hv verified that this is definitely a "safe" utility.
thanks once again for introducting this s/w to us.
Hello to all, any thing you send or receive on the Internet can be intercepted but not easily. Eg programs like msn messenger will broadcast your webcam through a certain port say 1000 for example. If someone had abscess to your computer (very easy if on the same router) then you can easily view this with programs such as vlc. But over the Internet it is VERY unlikely to view if uninvited but if someone knew what your ip address was, the port it broadcasted on (UNLIKELY) then yes. I would suggest getting yourself a copy of Agnium Outpost Pro and this will solve the majority of these issues.
>From NZ
i downloaded it in office, works fine, but when i downloaded it to my home pc, it couldnt start. i keep on getting the msg: Run time error "5": Invalid procedure call or argument. what that means? how can i resolve the problem?
to the people that are complaining about their cam bein recorded without consent: i say theres 2 moments where you give your consent, 1 is when you accept someone in your msn list and the second is when you start sending your cam. so theres 2 moments where you can think about it twice, do so if you hesitate but dont complain afterwards
The thing is, you give your consent for the other party to watch your web cam, not for recording it nor, worse, spreading it all over the Internet. It's very simple, if you want to record someone, ask. The reason people don't ask is in most cases because they won't get permission. Which implies that the consent you talk about is non-existent.
I installed the software and when I click on Select Source and then Window the box disappears with the start record button on. I get a red frame round everything I move mouse over but how do I start to record when the box has disappeared?
i have read some of these questions, but do not want to assume anything. if one had an in real time sexual chat with one's boyfriend and nobody else via our webcams, neither of us recorded anything. What are the security liabilities to this exactley? thank you.
is it possible also to share the recorded avi file to someone as a webcam? like it was your own cam w/ a person watching over YM?
Good question. I am sure it's possible but I am not aware of such a program.
Technically one needs to write a program that convinces Windows XP that it's a webcam driver, but actually loads and plays the file.
Some time ago I had plans to look into this myself, but so far haven't had time to do so. Maybe someone else reading this knows about an available solution?
Hiya i am Rachel Smith
My cam not work i try get to on but my cam still BLUE :'( i really want get on now because i been new cam but not work i try other new cam still not work. i HATE my cam for EVER.
Plz u need hlep on my cam is work.
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can i know is there any program make me know is there anyone record my chat or record and save the live web cam stream of a chat partner on MSN Messenger!!! and how i can stop him??? plz answer, tnanks
@meho - you can't detect if someone is recording your webcam unless you can install software on the computer at the receiving end.
If you want to be 100% sure that your webcam is not recorded just disconnect it.
Hi ,actually I've had some web cam conversations on windows live messenger which i couldn't record at the same time. And i want to know if it's possible to the get past web cam conversations. please answer..
thanks
Great program, works like a charm!!! Thx a lot!!
@arv - past web cam conversations are not stored on your computer so you can't watch them back.
I bought a new linkseys wireless web cam and I can see the camera is set up on my computer, but I can't figure out how to use it with yahoo messenger or any of the messengers. Can someone help? What am I doing wrong?
Hi it is possible to view a webcam to the chatmate without asking a permission?
thanks. jhune
@jhune - theoretical yes, but this is unethical to say the least.
If you're worried that someone else can do this with your webcam, just disconnect the cam if you don't use it, or point it at the wall.
isnt it dangerous to be using this program ?
Hi Lizzy,
The version on this site is as far as I know 100% safe.
John, Are there laws against a sexual chat?
Ray,
I am not a lawyer, so I can't really answer that one. It also depend on the country you live in, and the country your chat partner lives in.
I do know that people have been arrested for having a sexual chat with people who are not of legal age.
i was wonderin, if one is having a private conversation with a bf in another state via webcam, using msn and on an unsecured wireless network. Would the owner of the wireless network be able to view my webcam when it is on?
@hi - technically, yes. It's called a man-in-the-middle attack (MITM). See Man-in-the-middle attack (Wikipedia).
Dear sponser, I do appreciate this program as it is very successful one, it worked with me perfectly for both photos and videos... you are amazing guys.
Thanks again
Looking forward to see you fabulous creations in the future, go go go...
Hi Anita,
Full kudos must go to Bulent, who has written this program. I am just hosting the very old freeware version of his program. If you like the program a lot, you might want to check out the latest version (which is no longer free).
hi...i'm wondering about being on the receiving end of being recorded without your knowledge. Is it common to see the frame freeze during a session? If not, would this be an indication that the person may be recording you?
Hi tito,
No, I can't think of any kind of indication that you can get that someone is recording. I mean, recording can also be done by pointing a video camera at the screen. But even if it's done on the receiving computer using a program, it will not result in frames freezing at your computer.
I am an avid chatter and find it amasing to be able to talk to so many different people from so many different places.
Regarding the camera usage, I see now that people can record conversations.
Is there anyway a person can stop that from happening on the other end? Aside from just not using the camera
Hey, you have mentioned that the best solution is disconnecting your webcam, is this possible when you have a built in webcam on your laptop? and do those programs work as easy on that? What solution do I have to prevent this? Thank you
Hi Kamy,
If you want to be 100% sure, the easiest might be to fold a piece of white carton (for example an index card) and hang it in front of the webcam.
The notebook of my wife turns a LED on (blue light) whenever the webcam is activated, but I have no idea if that can be circumvented (i.e. if a program can be written that turns the LED off while the camera is on).
Hi, my wife and I are in different parts at the moment, we use webcam communication but would like t involve someone else in this. Is it possible for my wifes webcam to broadcast to my computer and another persons at the same time, we are using windows live, also we don't need two way conversations, just video, basically looking for her webcam to be shown on both windows live, but only need one actual conversation. Many thanks.
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the program doesn't worked for me. Sometimes captured black screen, sometimes captured just one frame, instead of the motion in the region selected