Ask HN: Is there a "VCR" app? I may want to release one
There are apps that can record my screen, or particular parts, or a window. What I am looking for is a "VCR" type app, that works like a VCR would 20 years ago. I may want to build one, for the Mac and Windows.
This app would do one thing: be ready to record on a schedule, from time X to time Y. It might use Apple's Automator for example, to navigate the browser to a specific URL, size it, open zoom, etc. before recording.
My questions are to the law-minded people here, from a legal and regulations point of view:
1. When it comes to "two-party consent" laws, isn't it totally legal in all 50 states to record livestreams that have been made public, or even livestreams that have been made accessible to a large number of people? How about in Europe, countries in Oceania, Asia, etc.
2. When it comes to "copyright" laws, thanks to court cases involving the VCR, isn't it also legal to record a copy of a transmission for yourself? Whether you redistribute it or not is up to you and your local case, we wouldn't be providing or encouraging this functionality in the app, only saving a file.