Meetings won't record in HD

[DrTod]

I am extremely frustrated with Zoom's video recording features. 

I have my meetings set to record in HD. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. I never can tell whether they are recording in HD until I go back to video the clips later and discover that my entire session is unusable because it was recorded as a low resolution file.

This is mind-numbingly frustrating because I do not change settings, I am wired directly to a very fast network, and yet, Zoom cannot seem to record anything greater than 640x360.

If anyone has any solution, I would appreciate it.

[junO-]

Hi DrTod,

Here are some things you can try to fix the inconsistent HD recording issue.

Check Your Recording Settings

• Make sure cloud recording is set to HD in the Zoom web portal (Settings > Recording).
• If you’re recording locally, verify your local recording settings are set to HD quality.
• Confirm that “Record active speaker, gallery view, and shared screen separately” is set the way you want.
  
  

Look at Network and System Factors

• Even with fast internet, sudden network dips during a meeting can lower recording quality.
• Zoom may automatically adjust recording resolution if it detects bandwidth issues.
• High CPU usage or low system resources can also affect recording quality.

Troubleshooting Steps to Try

• Do a quick test recording in a solo meeting before important sessions.
• Keep an eye on your internet stability while recording.
• Close apps that might be using up bandwidth.
• Consider recording locally as a backup to ensure consistent quality.

Consider Meeting Conditions

• Very large meetings can sometimes trigger automatic quality reductions.
• Screen sharing and multiple video feeds can affect resolution.
• Long meeting durations or limited cloud storage space can also influence quality.

In short, even if your settings are already on HD, Zoom may adjust recording quality in real time based on network, system, or meeting conditions.

[DrTod]

Thank you. I have tried all of that, and even in 1-on-1 conversations, the recording is never above 640x360.  Reading some other blog posts online, other people have expressed the same frustration. Even though they follow all of the recommendations. 

I am directly wired into a fiberoptic network with very high bandwidth and close other applications like by mail client. I save all of my recordings locally and not to the cloud.

So, since Zoom adjusts the recording quality on its own, I guess there is nothing else I can do. It is just frustrating.

[andybreak]

Hi Dr Tod. I have exactly the same problem on a paid Pro account and it is very frustrating indeed.