The Limitations of Zoom Recordings in Depositions — and How to Protect Your Case

Trial Presentation

Zoom has become an indispensable tool for depositions when time, travel, or location challenges make in-person proceedings difficult. It works very well for live participation and has made remote testimony widely accessible.

But here’s the catch: while Zoom is excellent as a communication platform, it is not designed to serve as a professional recording tool. For attorneys who need clean, reliable, and admissible video, relying solely on Zoom can create serious problems.

Here are the most common challenges attorneys encounter when using Zoom recordings for depositions:

1. Audio and Video Syncing Issues

Zoom recordings sometimes drift so far out of sync that the video becomes unusable. This often happens due to network instability or performance hiccups within Zoom. Unfortunately, this type of issue is extremely difficult—sometimes impossible—to correct in post-production. Below is an email from Zoom about a deposition recorded on Zoom.

2025-05-29 11:40:14 PDT - Marlon Allen ^{Additional comments}

Hi      ,

Unfortunately Zoom encountered an issue on the backend that caused this issue. We have identified the problem and have put in place a fix to prevent this from happening again. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Best Regards,Marlon

2025-05-28 15:16:36 PDT - Marlon Allen ^{Additional comments}

Hello     ,

Thank you for contacting Zoom Technical Support! My name is Marlon with conference room support.

I am having our internal teams look into this on the backend. I will post all updates as soon as received.

Please let me know if you would prefer to discuss this via email, meeting, or phone call. If you prefer a meeting or phone call, please provide your best contact number and general availability. 

Thank you,

Marlon

2. Compression Results in Lower Quality Video

While Zoom is excellent for live participation, it's built-in recording feature isn’t designed for high-quality preservation. Some of the limitations of Zoom recordings in depositions are due to compression of both audio and video to reduce bandwidth and file size, which makes recordings convenient for storage and playback, but results in:

Lower-resolution video than your original camera can capture.

Audio and video sync issues when network performance dips.

Files that are difficult—and sometimes impossible—to repair or enhance in editing.

Our safeguard: we always run a professional recording system alongside Zoom. That ensures the deposition is captured in the highest quality, no matter what happens online.

3. Background Noise Challenges

Zoom's noise suppression helps in some cases, but it’s inconsistent. It often fails to remove typing, traffic, or HVAC sounds. Worse, Zoom drops words when multiple people talk at once.  When using the Zoom default audio recording crosstalk is a nightmare. Once two voices overlap on a Zoom track, it’s nearly impossible to separate them.

4. Zoom Basic Trimming Limitations

Zoom offers only very basic trimming — start and end points. It cannot cut sections, merge clips, adjust audio, or overlay graphics. For depositions that require professional presentation, this simply isn’t enough.

5. Screen Recording Issues

If a lawyer shares high-motion graphics or video playback, Zoom captures only the compressed stream, not the original file. The more motion, the worse the quality in the recording due to high compression rate.

6. Zoom’s Default Speaker View

If the meeting is in "Speaker View," the video will focus only on the person speaking, and it will cut to different people quickly, making editing much more challenging if you want to have only the witness visible in the edited video.

7. Recording Corruption or Errors

If Zoom crashes, bandwidth drops, or participants disconnect, recordings may be corrupted or incomplete. Once lost, they are often unrecoverable.

8. Multitrack Audio Recording

By default, Zoom saves only one combined audio track. This makes it harder to isolate voices or clean background noise later. Multi-track options exist but are still compressed.

9. File Format Compatibility

Zoom saves recordings in compressed MP4 (video) and M4A (audio) files. These work for playback but are not ideal for professional editing or trial presentation software. Using remote video recording software while recording a Zoom deposition is better suited for compatibility issues, editing and trial presentation software.

10. Zoom's Cloud vs. Local Recording

Zoom offers both cloud (stored online) and local (saved to your computer) recording. While convenient, both are still Zoom-compressed files — not professional-grade captures ideal for editing or trial presentation.

11. Zoom’s Automatic Transcript

Zoom’s automatic transcripts are prone to errors, especially with background noise, accents, or crosstalk. In depositions, crosstalk is common and creates major problems for both transcripts and video.

12. Zoom’s Recording Time Limits

Free Zoom accounts cut off meetings at 40 minutes. A deposition that gets interrupted mid-session could lose its recording entirely unless the host has a paid plan.

Conclusion

Zoom is a communication platform, not a production tool. If you want reliable, professional video (especially depositions), Zoom should not be the only recording solution.

The easiest way to avoid these issues is to hire a professional. We use software for remote recording to make sure your video is ready for editing and trial presentations. When dealing with an expert or a key witness, the best option is in-person. However, if in-person deposition is not feasible and remote depositions are necessary, an experienced and trusted professional should be hired. Even under the best conditions, remote video depositions cannot match the audio and video quality of in-person depositions. Both you and your client will appreciate your choice to hire a professional.