I wouldn't call standard version recording quality "horrible" unless it's at a resolution where the logo is fairly big compared to the screen. If you're worried about it, I'm sure some people use something like Fraps, Bandicam, MSI Afterburner, or something else, but unfortunately those record at the program's frame rate. I've tried slowing the sim down while recording the POV and then speeding it up in an editor, and that's a bit smoother than recording at the default speed, unless maybe it's a park that gives you ~3 fps at most.
I'm not sure how you can motion-blur the crossties without pro tho, but I'm sure some programs could do that.
For me, it's more about the ride experience than about the video quality, unless the frame rate is noticeably bad. I don't think 480p is as crappy as everyone is making it out to be.