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Tool Name / Link

Platforms

Operations

Containers and Codecs

Notes

xvidcap

Linux

Screen and Audio Capture

mpeg(4), avi, mov, others, with sorenson, divx, mpeg, others.

Default versions do not work with pulseaudio, and thus recent Ubuntu installations (Ubuntu 11.4 and 11.10).  Workaround is to install from source, and launch with padsp.  Provides a GUI, easy to use

ffmpeg

Linux

Screen and Audio Capture

Anything except apple pro

Pure command line tool.  For Ubuntu, must build from source (directions), and then command lines like these.  FFmpeg is also suitable for format conversion and audio overlay.

recordmydesktop
gtk-recordmydesktop

Linux

Screen and Audio Capture

ogv  (must transcode results, can use transmageddon) 

Works out of the box on Ubuntu 11.10

Screen-Cast-O-Matic (Free Version)

All OSes (Mac, Windows, Linux)

Screen & Audio Capture

MP4, AVI, FLV (also save directly to YouTubeHD or Screen-cast-o-matic.com acct)

Runs from browser (Java applet). Has a easy setting for recording in "Full HD" resolution (1280x720). Can auto-letterbox smaller resolution recordings on saving. Very easy to use. Can highlight mouse cursor & all mouse clicks. Limited to videos 15-minutes in length. All videos have a small "screen-cast-o-matic.com" logo in lower left corner.

Jing (Free Version)

Mac, Windows

Screen & Audio Capture

FLV (Pro version also offers MP4)

Easy to use, but has minimal options. Seem to only be able to record either full-screen or a specific window (no options to record a selected area or part of screen). Limited to videos 5-minutes in length. Videos are branded in Free Version.

CamStudio (Open Source!)

Windows Only

Screen & Audio Capture

AVI or FLV

Lots of options/configurations available (most often compared to Camtasia in terms of options). Not always as easy to use or user friendly as other free screencasting tools (see Screen-Cast-O-Matic or Jing), but it definitely comes with options & tools comparable to Camtasia.