What Is an Audio Video Recording?

An audio video recording is a recording that contains both audio and video information, usually gained by utilizing a system that contains both a microphone and camera. There are a number of different ways in which this type of recording can be achieved, though film and video cameras that include a built in microphone are quite common. With the rise in digital technology for capturing video and audio, this type of recording has become easier to achieve and store. An audio video recording can also be created without the use of a camera or microphone, through software that can record audio and video being viewed and heard on a computer.

While many people may think of both audio and video in reference to a single recording, the term “audio video recording” specifically indicates such a recording. This distinction largely stems from cameras that were only capable of capturing video images and not audio. For this type of recording, the audio would have to be recorded using a separate microphone and recorder, and the audio and video would then need to be synchronized during playback. An audio video recording, however, includes both audio and video signals recorded together, ensuring synchronicity when the recording is played.

As digital recording has become increasingly prominent, audio video recording has also become easier to accomplish using a single device. A digital video camera, for example, usually includes a microphone that can be used to capture audio during video recording, creating a single file that contains both the video and audio data. Someone interested in more effective audio recording, through the use of a separate microphone, can usually connect this microphone to the video recording system to create a single audio video recording. Depending on the type of digital technology used, the file created from such a recording may still keep the two signals separate for easier manipulation in an editing program.

There are also ways in which audio video recording can be accomplished without the use of a camera or microphone. A computer with the right software, for example, can typically be used to record both video images and audio that is being played through it. There are programs that can capture any video that is displayed on the monitor of a computer, even though a camera is not used; similar programs can capture audio information played through the computer even without speakers. This type of audio video recording allows people to keep a record of things viewed or heard online, though such methods can potentially be used to violate the privacy of others.