I'm using VLC to record and save an output file of my screen.

The biggest problem is that VLC uses a very high amount of CPU. For a Core 2 Duo that is not a big deal, but in some old PCs (like with a P4) this is very annoying.

Can you help me to choose/set the best option for encapsulation and video codec settings? I'm not interested in audio.

For some reasons I need to have a lighter video file. I tried using MP4, but it really uses a lot of CPU, also on a Core 2 Duo.

Maybe VLC is not as good as some other software. If you have an alternative, the only requirements that it should have are:

* the possibility to start it by command line
* free
* a lighter output file