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BBScreenStream

A small tool to constantly capture the current screen of a 71xx, 72xx, 8xxx BlackBerry and display or record it on the PC.
Download the BBScreenStream software here.

Note: Before you are able to use BBScreenStream to capture video from your BlackBerry display, you will need to install the BlackBerry Desktop Software.

The Set-UP

Plug your BlackBerry into the USB jack of your PC. Once it is recognized, you can initiate the BBScreenStream application.

Locate the BBScreenStream.EXE file that you had downloaded previously. Double-click on the icon to initiate the application. You will be presented with a full screen view of what is currently being displayed on your BlackBerry.

In the bottom right-hand corner of your screen, you will see a number of buttons. Each of these is an option to tailor your streaming screen capture preferences.

The first item you should take a look at is the 3-step slider,

which is located to the right of the record button. Adjusting the slider’s position will determine at what interval your streaming screenshots will be taken. You have the option to set a delay of two seconds, one second, or a half-second between streaming screen captures. If you are intending to post the resulting .AVI file on the web or perhaps distributing it for mobile phone users, you will want to go with a longer delay. The animation will not be as smooth as with a higher frame rate, but it will help keep your file sizes as low as possible by reducing the number of frames that comprise the .AVI.

On the other hand, if you are intending to use the outputted .AVI file in a presentation, on CD for example, or to distribute it as a downloadable file, you will want to use as short a delay as possible between screenshots. This will ensure that you get a smooth a transition between each frame. Onscreen movements will appear fluid, as opposed to the choppier motion you get from a longer delay.

The second set of buttons you will want to focus on are the image scaling options.

These are located in the lower right corner of your screen to the right of the 3-step slider. You will notice that they are labelled 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1. These values represent a scaling factor for your streaming screen captures. In plain English, each selection will produce the following result:

• 1:1 will produce a screen capture which is the exact same size as the display on your BlackBerry.
• 2:1 will produce a screen capture which is twice the size as the display on your BlackBerry.
• 3:1 will produce a screen capture which is three times the size as the display on your BlackBerry.

Once again, you will have to keep in mind what your desired method of distribution is for your final .AVI files. For internet and wireless distribution, you will want to use a smaller image size. Therefore, you will have to go with the 1:1 ratio or perhaps the 2:1. 3:1 will produce an image which is too bulky for most mobile devices. It will also create a file that may take a while to download depending on how many frames are captured.

I would suggest using the 3:1 ratio if you are creating .AVI files for demonstration purposes and for any internet distribution which does not involve streaming the file.

Immediately to the right of the image scaling options, there is a small empty box.

This is not really an empty box. It serves a very useful purpose. If you click inside this box, you will see a checkmark appear. This is to notify you that the current screenshot (single frame of your .AVI sequence) is being copied to the clipboard automatically. By default, this feature is left turned off.

If you do not need to save individual frames of your image capture sequence, there is no need to use valuable CPU resources by saving data to the clipboard. If you do however, need to edit a specific frame of your .AVI file in a photo editing suite, or wish to make an accompanying PDF, for example, simply check the box while the application is recording to get the current frame copied to the clipboard.

In order to transfer the currently stored image from the clipboard, locate the desired insertion point in your document and press CTRL+V to paste. Alternatively, you can use the menu by choosing Edit – Paste.

NOTE: It is a good idea to use the pause button (located at the bottom right of your screen, beside the record button) before you place a checkmark in the copy to clipboard box. Why would you want to do this, you ask? Simple, really; when the checkmark is present, every new image capture that takes place is copied to the clipboard. With each new image, the previous one is overwritten. This means that unless you move really fast, the image you want to paste will be replaced with a new one. With the longest delay setting being 2 seconds, the pause button now seems like a great idea, doesn’t it?

Producing your first Screen Capture

Once you have adjusted all of your preferences for your .AVI output, it is time to start your BBScreenStream adventure.

To start, all you have to do is click on the play button,

which is located in the center of the task bar at the bottom of your screen. This will initialize the process. It is important to note that this step will not result in an .AVI file being produced. For that, you will have to complete the next step.

The next step is to click on the record button.

This is the small circular button located in the bottom right corner of your screen, immediately to the left of the 3-step slider. Clicking the record button will begin the process of saving your screen captures as an .AVI file. You will be prompted to name the .AVI and choose a compression codec to be applied. You will be presented with a list of codecs which are already loaded on your PC. Select one of these (it doesn’t matter which one, although you may wish to experiment) and choose a name for your file.

It is important to note here that any files with the same name will be overwritten. So, if you are making multiple .AVI files for different actions, you must change the name of the outputted .AVI. Forgetting to do so will result in a lot of wasted time and energy.

It is also important to take note of the orange LED next to the first scale button.

This LED flashes during each screen capture. Avoid clicking the trackwheel of your BlackBerry while the LED is on to get a smoother experience.

When you are finished with your demo and would like to finalize the production of the .AVI, click the record button again. This will stop BBScreenStream from recording any longer and result in a .AVI file with the name you had chosen in the previous step. It is now that you should locate that file and watch it to ensure it was properly completed. If all looks good, then you are on to the next project. If you notice any mistakes, then you will have to repeat the process over again.

Additional Items of Interest

You will notice that there is a [!] button on the screen. When clicked, this button will check for online updates to the BlackBerry screen capture software. With this handy feature, you will always be sure to have the most up-to-date version installed.
The [?] button will display a help guide for anyone who is completely lost at this stage of the process =)

Double-click anywhere on the screen capture to toggle the [stop/play] button.

The [Pause] button will pause the screen captures. This is useful while recording if you do not want to show certain steps. Press [Pause] again to resume capturing/recording.
A left-double-click will toggle the [Pause] function as well.

While in pause mode:
-press the [S] key to do a single screenshot, but stay in pause mode
-a single left-click on the screen capture works like the [S] key

while recording and in pause mode:
-press the [S] key to do a single screenshot and add it to the recording
-press the [R] key to add the currently-shown picture once more to the .AVI file

Keyboard shortcuts:

[Enter] toggles the [Play/Stop] button
[Space] toggles the [Pause] button
[S] takes one screenshot when in pause mode
[R] adds another frame to the .AVI when in pause mode
[F1] is the same like the [?] button
[F6] is the same like the [!] button
[Esc] stan

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