can shadowplay be used to record more than 20min?

[Pcgaming 87]

Hi guys
Just a quick one but can I use shadowplay on my 970 to record game footage for upload. I know I can record 20min but what if I want longer?

Thanks in advance

 

[Frag Maniac]

The 20 min limit only applies to cached recording where you decide the last 20 min of play is worth keeping and activate the replay mode after playing that segment, which saves it to a written file. This is why it's called "Shadow" play, the 20 min segment sits in cache like a shadow copy ready to be written to file.

If you want to record more than 20 min you have to put it in manual record mode and have it recording in the background as you're playing. Unfortunately this way you often end up with capture files taking up space that you have to delete if you decide the gameplay wasn't to your liking and want to play through it again.

Raptr's Game DVR works similarly, and is compatible with certain models of AMD or Nvidia GPUs, but anything more than 14 min cached recording is limited to 720p, whereas Shadowplay will handle up to 20 min worth of cached recording at 1080p.

 

[renz496]

use manual mode.

 

[Frag Maniac]

I want to add that it is also possible with cached recording tools like ShadowPlay and Raptr's Game DVR, that you CAN record clips that are longer than the time limit if you pause near the end of that time and hit record, then wait until the file is written, then continue playing, but you have to know at what point the clip is finished being written.

I was doing that in Splinter Cell Blacklist with some of the longer Charlie's Mission waves. I minimized game and checked the written file to see when it was complete. That build version was having problems sometimes writing a tiny non playable file though, so unfortunately I did not get the final wave set of the Russian Embassy recorded like I wanted to, as some major footage was missing.

IMO such tools should have an optional onscreen indicator that tells you when the clip is finished being written. Then you could easily piggy back cached clips together without ever having to have the capture running continually in the background, and without having to check the actual file to see when it's written.