How might one develop a program like FRAPS?

Question

I would like to make a program to capture video.

• What is the best way to capture video?
• I know C++ and I'm learning assembly. I found in my assembly book that I can get data from the video card. Would that be the best way?
• I know FRAPS hooks into programs, but I would like my program to take video of the entire screen.

I would like something something fast, with low memory usage if possible. A requirement is that the program must be usable on other computers, despite dissimilar hardware.

Answer 1

The way Fraps works, it's impossible to capture the entire screen (unless you're running a full-screen DirectX application, of course). You're apparently trying to emulate the functionality of CamStudio, more so than Fraps.

CamStudio is open-source (here is the SorceForge page) so perhaps you could start by studying the source code? I would wager that it's not really for beginners, however.