MeGUI Custom x264/AVC video profiles.

[Inventive Software]

To further my question about PSP SnL profiles, what's recommended for the audio? LC or HE? Max bitrate?

[Eretria-chan]

I've tried messing around with trying to re-encode some H264 clips for my Archos 605, but it does not want to work!
I used the PD-Archos profile to encode but the player doesn't want to play it nevertheless.
Also tried Ranguvar's modified profile:
Just did a LOT of testing with the Archos 605, and found its profile can be enhanced.

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1079602#post1079602

Enjoy :)

But it doesn't work either.
All I get is a corrupted file (as the player says, though it works 100% fine on the PC).
Anyone has any ideas why this isn't working? I have the latest firmware and the podcast plugin.

It can play some H264 clips, but not the re-encoded ones I've made from unsupported video clips I have.
Suggestions or tips would be extremely appreciated.

UPDATE:
Apparently today, the portable seems to want to play those files encoded with the profile. Weird.

UPDATE2:
Grrr! It works fine on a 1 minute clip, but not the full 24 minutes!
So what's going wrong? I just don't understand.

[Poopoo]

Does anyone know what the perfect Xvid quality encode settings are, aiming at 700MB, and keeping the output standalone compatible ?

[steveski]

Poopoo, don't use GMC or QPel.
Do a 2 pass encode, select interlacing if you haven't de-interlaced your content. If you de-interlace then use yadif.dll in your avs script and put mode=1 as a parameter which will double the framerate. Frame rate doubling has a pretty high cpu hit though but the motion is really smooth.
Also use Adaptive Quantization, Advanced Simple @ Level 5 profile and MPEG quantization (not sure if h263 is better or not).

With those settings I get nice quality compatible video and people rave about the quality. Although I personally think QPel makes it look far less pixelated.
I'm personally favouring x264 these days though as the quality is outstanding.

[Poopoo]

Thanks steveski ! :thanks:

[Ranguvar]

I've tried messing around with trying to re-encode some H264 clips for my Archos 605, but it does not want to work!
I used the PD-Archos profile to encode but the player doesn't want to play it nevertheless.
Also tried Ranguvar's modified profile:


But it doesn't work either.
All I get is a corrupted file (as the player says, though it works 100% fine on the PC).
Anyone has any ideas why this isn't working? I have the latest firmware and the podcast plugin.

It can play some H264 clips, but not the re-encoded ones I've made from unsupported video clips I have.
Suggestions or tips would be extremely appreciated.

UPDATE:
Apparently today, the portable seems to want to play those files encoded with the profile. Weird.

UPDATE2:
Grrr! It works fine on a 1 minute clip, but not the full 24 minutes!
So what's going wrong? I just don't understand.
Wow... no idea...

Mine plays everything fine.

What resolution are you using? Bitrate? Sound?

To limit # of variables, use 128kb/s CBR AAC-LC stereo audio, basic mp4box muxing, and x264 from CLI or MeGUI.

[Ranguvar]

Poopoo, don't use GMC or QPel.
Do a 2 pass encode, select interlacing if you haven't de-interlaced your content. If you de-interlace then use yadif.dll in your avs script and put mode=1 as a parameter which will double the framerate. Frame rate doubling has a pretty high cpu hit though but the motion is really smooth.
Also use Adaptive Quantization, Advanced Simple @ Level 5 profile and MPEG quantization (not sure if h263 is better or not).

With those settings I get nice quality compatible video and people rave about the quality. Although I personally think QPel makes it look far less pixelated.
I'm personally favouring x264 these days though as the quality is outstanding.

MPEG preserves more detail, so it's better for encoding from anything with a lot of small detail (DVDs, not bad encodes and anime/cartoons) as long as you have at least ~1300kb/s bitrate. Less than that and H.263 is better, and it almost always is with flatter sources. H.263 is also slightly faster.

I would definitely not use AQ yet though. Well actually, I need to do a test. Just heard bad things about Xvid's AQ.

I agree about GMC/QPel. Quality payoff is not worth the fact that most portables and standalones cannot deal with those.

[Eretria-chan]

What resolution are you using?
It's 704 x 396, just below DVD resolution.

Bitrate?
300-500 kbps I think I've done tests with, but it doesn't seem to work. I don't know if I've been consistent about it, however.

Sound?
32 kbps HE-AAC + PS.
But for the tests I typically don't add the audio since it requires extra muxing.

To limit # of variables, use 128kb/s CBR AAC-LC stereo audio, basic mp4box muxing, and x264 from CLI or MeGUI.

I encode from MeGUI with the archos profile to MP4. It's fine with a 1 minute clip but not the full 24 minutes! That's what I just don't understand.
Mkvmerge also complains about some timecode or something missing from the video stream. I don't know what it is nor how to fix it.

[Inventive Software]

I'm questioning the legality of the PD-PSP profile for MeGUI. The max bitrate seems too high IMO. I read that newer firmware raised the max bitrate from 768 to 2 Mbits, but I saw nothing that allowed 4 Mbits. I personally haven't tested this, so can't confirm anything.

Also, with regard to resolutions when encoding for this thing, if the native screen size is 480x272, and they've allowed 720x480 and 352x480 video sizes, what's most ideal (avoided the 'b' word) when encoding 16:9 DVDs? Bear in mind I'm still relatively new to making this stuff actually work...

[Sharktooth]

will fix for the next update along with archos605 and other profiles.

[matrix40]

Hey question i convert a m2ts video from my The host blu ray movie. I converted the file with the hq-fast quality profile. I got the audio to line up and the quality is good. However when i play the file on my Tvix 4100 it seems like every 10 to 15 seconds the films sort of jumps or pulses. Has anyone ever had that problem before?

[foxyshadis]

Shark, can you please upload these fixed profiles?

[Atak_Snajpera]

However when i play the file on my Tvix 4100 it seems like every 10 to 15 seconds the films sort of jumps or pulses. Has anyone ever had that problem before?
Disable b-pyramid

[Atak_Snajpera]

I read that newer firmware raised the max bitrate from 768 to 2 Mbits, but I saw nothing that allowed 4 Mbits. I personally haven't tested this, so can't confirm anything.

You should test it first and then start complaning

Update: 4096 kbps is working smoothly on PSP

[Inventive Software]

You should test it first and then start complaning

Update: 4096 kbps is working smoothly on PSP

Have you read my previous posts? :p

Good to know I stand corrected. ;)

[Chainmax]

Was a test ever organized to see if files encoded with the HD-DVD profile were playable on an actual standalone off a DVD or HD-DVD blanks, so as to know if the profile could be pushed even further?

[Glorioso]

Im using the 360 profile, what audio codec should i use?

[Atak_Snajpera]

AAC-LC stereo

[Glorioso]

AAC-LC stereo

I've tried AAC-LC Stereo and MP3 Stereo and it wont open on 360 or PS3, the MP4 video only file playes fine on both... any clues?

[Atak_Snajpera]

Ct Aac ?

[JarrettH]

What info about my portable player do I need to know before I make an encode? I've got a Sony S618 Video MP3 Player that's supports AVC.:cool:

[Sharktooth]

V44: Fixes fixes fixes... Improved compatibility of the PD profiles. HD-DVD profiles were updated to use the x264 NAL-HRD patch options.

WARNING: MeGUI already comes with a NAL-HRD patched x264 build. If you want to use those profiles in other applications, ensure your x264 build is patched.

[kaihansen2001]

Megui just updated my x264 exe with x264-736.AQ-HRD-VBV.zip and your new v.44 profiles. Do they work together well or should i stay with previous x264 build?

[Sharktooth]

knowing i put online the updates together... what do you think?

[canTsTop]

hello,

i want to use Xbox360 profile, but in crf mode, is it enough to change from 2pass to crf, or i need to adjust others settings too?

thank you

[Deinorius]

Nope.

[Sharktooth]

forget about CRF or CQ and compatibility with XBOX, PS3 and other devices.
1pass ABR should be avoided too, since the 1pass RC is not so good.

[canTsTop]

forget about CRF or CQ and compatibility with XBOX, PS3 and other devices.

even with SD videos? currently i use CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile, and xbox360 can play these videos, but not PS3. i want to try Xbox360/ps3 profile with crf, but i dont know is it enough to change from 2pass to crf, or i need to adjust others settings too.

[JarrettH]

Can you really tell a difference in bitrate on these 2" screens?

I encoded Kill Bill Vol 1 on to my Sony S618. It supports AVC with Baseline profile level 1.3 and AAC-LC audio. For mine the iPod profile seems to match so I set Keyframe Interval 240 and Min. GOP Size 24 to match the framerate and made the video bitrate 500kbps. Looks fine to me. I know you can do up to 768kbps, but is there any point?

[Chainmax]

Probably not. My Robot Chicken rips look pretty good at 320x240 with an average bitrate of 450kbps, even when viewed at 1024x768 on my computer monitor. And that was with previous versions (non-level 3) of the PSP profile.

Would someone be willing to try a couple of clips encoded with the HD-DVD profile and see if they play fine in either an HD-DVD or BluRay standalone? If so, I could provide some samples.

[XolocoTuxmaster]

I've made some 100% standard Blu-ray profiles, it would be great to include them in the pack

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1095653

[Sharktooth]

attachment is still not approved. please use megaupload or any other file sharing web service to share the profile.

[Sharktooth]

even with SD videos? currently i use CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile, and xbox360 can play these videos, but not PS3. i want to try Xbox360/ps3 profile with crf, but i dont know is it enough to change from 2pass to crf, or i need to adjust others settings too.
what's not clear in what i already said?

[Exiton]

Quick question from a newbie... at the same high bitrate, which would give me the closest transparency to the original source for PC playback from a high quality VC-1 source.

HQ-Slower
PD-PS3-XBOX360
SA-HD-DVD

Edited: Took out "best", thanks for the reminder...

[Sharktooth]

quick answer:
12) How NOT to post on this forum:

...

Do not ask "what's best" because this question cannot be answered objectively. Each and everyone has their own view about what's best in a certain area. The best is what works best for you!
:readrule:

[cweb]

What is a good (= at least working) profile for the nokia n73? is there any suggestions.

[Atak_Snajpera]

SA-HD-DVD

For compatibility use this. Quality will be the same.

[Atak_Snajpera]

@XolocoTuxmaster
--keyint 24 --min-keyint 1 --mvrange 511
is this really neccessary. I don't use those extra settings and everything plays fine.

[Sharktooth]

What is a good (= at least working) profile for the nokia n73? is there any suggestions.
the n95 profile should be good as long as you stick with the 320*xxx (non anamorphic) resolution and a low FPS value (15 or so).
also if you plan to use AAC make sure you use a LC profile.
if you have performance problems (dropped frames, laggy audio etc...) i suggest you to try CorePlayer for symbian.

[cweb]

the n95 profile should be good as long as you stick with the 320*xxx (non anamorphic) resolution and a low FPS value (15 or so).
also if you plan to use AAC make sure you use a LC profile.
if you have performance problems (dropped frames, laggy audio etc...) i suggest you to try CorePlayer for symbian.
thanks a lot!

[Deinorius]

What's the DPB size?
I try to encode a level 4.1 compliant Video, but x264 tells me, that it exceeds the level limit.

I'm using this cli with StaxRip.
--crf 22 --ref 8 --bframes 3 --b-pyramid --weightb --b-rdo --bime --direct auto --filter 1:1 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --subme 6 --me umh --mixed-refs --progress --threads auto --sar 33:33 --no-psnr --level 4.1 --no-ssim --thread-input --aq-strength 0.4 --aq-sensitivity 12 --vbv-maxrate 25000

[XolocoTuxmaster]

@Sharktooth

http://rs91.rapidshare.com/files/90096077/megui_blu-ray_profiles.zip

@Atak_Snajpera

Really? On a Blu-ray player?

Very strange...theoretically they have to be included...maybe you were lucky and x264 encoder set those parameters in a lower value...or maybe your player didn't mind to play no standard BDs...don't know... to ensure compatibility I recommend to use them

PD: That's about I-frames, for --mvrange 511 I've heard something about it's not needed newer x264 versions or something like that...haven't investigated much

[Atak_Snajpera]

PD: That's about I-frames, for --mvrange 511 I've heard something about it's not needed newer x264 versions or something like that...haven't investigated much

Something was fixed in rev697
https://trac.videolan.org/x264/log/trunk/

--keyint 24 --min-keyint 1 --mvrange 511

I've made additional tests and It looks like that only --keyint 24 is required. Without --keyint 24 movie ends few seconds early than it should. LOL

[Sharktooth]

@XolocoTuxmaster: can you please upload the file to another host?
i cant get it from rapidshare.

[elguaxo]

@XolocoTuxmaster: can you please upload the file to another host?
i cant get it from rapidshare.

http://www.mediafire.com/?f1zgyj5mn3n or
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=49259103428493361575

[Sharktooth]

thanx!

[XolocoTuxmaster]

Something was fixed in rev697
https://trac.videolan.org/x264/log/trunk/

That's it, but it limits to 511.75 not 511...is that value 100% compatible? Haven't tried...


I've made additional tests and It looks like that only --keyint 24 is required. Without --keyint 24 movie ends few seconds early than it should. LOL

Hmm... actually the requeriment is not to have group of pixels longer than 1 sec...but --min-keyint is set to 25 by default and that can cause problems can't it?

By the way I realised that for 50i and 60i can be higher...but in a "not flagged true interlaced encoding" what would be right...25 and 30 or 50 and 60?, have never done an interlaced encoding

[Sharktooth]

@XolocoTuxmaster: the official link to megui is http://www.sf.net/projects/megui

[XolocoTuxmaster]

Ok thanks

What's the DPB size?
I try to encode a level 4.1 compliant Video, but x264 tells me, that it exceeds the level limit.

I'm using this cli with StaxRip.
--crf 22 --ref 8 --bframes 3 --b-pyramid --weightb --b-rdo --bime --direct auto --filter 1:1 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --subme 6 --me umh --mixed-refs --progress --threads auto --sar 33:33 --no-psnr --level 4.1 --no-ssim --thread-input --aq-strength 0.4 --aq-sensitivity 12 --vbv-maxrate 25000

Sorry, I haven't seen your post. It's about ref frames, you can't have 8 for 4.1...max is 4 and is recommended to use 3

[Deinorius]

Ah, understood. MeGUI don't say anything against it. So I had no idea. Thanks for answer.

[Atak_Snajpera]

Do not use --b-pyramid and --sar 33:33 (should be --sar 1:1 or 4:3 or 16:9)

[XolocoTuxmaster]

@Sharktooth

toftrem says he used the profile and vui parameters present flag value is set to 0 instead of 1. Can you confirm this?

[Schrade]

forget about CRF or CQ and compatibility with XBOX, PS3 and other devices.
1pass ABR should be avoided too, since the 1pass RC is not so good.

Can you give a reason for forgetting about CRF or CQ for the PS3? I'd just like to know so I can understand what the problem with using it is.

[Atak_Snajpera]

Can you give a reason for forgetting about CRF or CQ for the PS3? I'd just like to know so I can understand what the problem with using it is.

There is no reason. CRF can be used as well without problems.

[Sharktooth]

no. a low CRF or QP value will violate the VBV for sure.
that will be even more problematic on hard to compress sources.

[XolocoTuxmaster]

Hey Sharktooth

toftrem says he used the profile and vui parameters present flag value is set to 0 instead of 1. Can you confirm this?

[Sharktooth]

you mean your blue-ray profile?
sorry i still hadnt time to look at it. ill do it ASAP.

[Atak_Snajpera]

no. a low CRF or QP value will violate the VBV for sure.
that will be even more problematic on hard to compress sources.

Can you give a reason for forgetting about CRF or CQ for the PS3?

Max VBV for PS3 is 25000 so even If I encode at CRF20 + AQ
(default settings) I get max bitrate always lower than 25Mbps (true 1920x1080 source)

[Deinorius]

Do not use --b-pyramid and --sar 33:33 (should be --sar 1:1 or 4:3 or 16:9) B-Pyramid too? In Sharktooth's PS3 Profile B-Pyramid is actived.
And I'm not so interested in using Xbox 360 as Player. Well, I don't even got any of these consoles. :devil: But a friend got these two and the Cell chip of the PS3 is more interesting for videoplayback and Sony seems to be faster by bringing out a smaller PS3. Well these are just rumors, but I'm waiting for it.

Or is there another reason not to use B-Pyramid? Maybe other SAPs like this one (http://www.tvix.co.kr/Eng/products/5100sh.aspx)?

Oh, StaxRip sets --sar 33:33. I can only set this correct, if I put --sar 1:1 manually into it. But is this such a difference? It's still the same.
I will see the difference, when I test it on the PS3, especially because I use PAL anamorph too (--sar 16:11... well, StaxRip uses --sar 48:33).

[jamos]

you mean your blue-ray profile?
sorry i still hadnt time to look at it. ill do it ASAP.

Shark with using Xolos bluray structure profiles I have noticed jerky playback. I think this is due to using a too high vbv buffer think its at 30000 compared to 9700 using the hd profile, can you look at it for us?

BTW I use the HD profiles for my mkv sources and they work excellent for BD output.

[Sharktooth]

i cant look at it since i haven't a blue-ray player...

[matrix40]

Hey i must be doing something wrong. i used the sa hd dvd fast settings and the quality looks great however my hard drive media player and mediainfo read the mkv file i made as 19. fps. My steps were (hd dvd evo)

1) after graphedit and making an avs file i open the avs in the script creator and set the crops and let it analyze this film.

2) i selected the sa hd dvd fast profile then hit que.

It took about 11 hours. i muxed the audio and video together with the megui mkv mux tool.

When i play the file i get little micro stutters in the picture

Did i do something wrong?

[jamos]

i cant look at it since i haven't a blue-ray player...

Doh! ok..

[Atak_Snajpera]

Did you convert 29.97 fps to 23.976 ?

[matrix40]

yes. After it does the scan and i save the avs script right before i chose the profile this is what it gives me as a script


# Set DAR in encoder to 2469 : 1000. The following line is for automatic signalling
global MeGUI_darx = 2469
global MeGUI_dary = 1000
DirectShowSource("C:\Users\Tony\Desktop\video.avs",fps=23.9759856527702,audio=false)
TDecimate(cycleR=1)
crop( 6, 136, -2, -150)

LanczosResize(1904,784) # Lanczos (Sharp)
Undot() # Minimal Noise

i then selected the sa hd dvd fast but for some reason it read as 19 fps

[Atak_Snajpera]

try this:
DirectShowSource("C:\Users\Tony\Desktop\video.avs",fps=23.976,convertfps=true,audio=false)
or
TDecimate()

[Chainmax]

Is the exclusion of No Dct Decimation and the P4x4 macroblock option in the AE-MaxQuality profile due to speed concerns or is there another reason for it?

[Adub]

P4x4 has been a controversial setting, sometimes resulting in a decrease in quality, but often no quality increase. So yes, it has a slight speed increase.

[check]

P4x4 has been a controversial setting, sometimes resulting in a decrease in qualityReally?? Can you link to a few examples, I've only seen the latter in terms of bad cases.

[nurbs]

I was under the impression that p4x4 tends to be left out mainly for hardware compatibility since it is not allowed for levels > 3.

I made some tests with it and was never able to spot a difference in quality on my samples.

[Deckard2019]

I own a PopcornHour A-100. It supports MKV but some of them don't play at all (level 5.1, insane number of ref frames, etc ...).
Explanation is here : http://www.networkedmediatank.com/viewtopic.php?p=14102#14102

So I would like to re-encode H264 video tracks to make them compliant.
I don't want to change bitrate, resolution, etc ... Only H264 format settings (mainly level and ref frames).
So first, I would like a dedicated profile. Next, I would like a typical command line to do this.

Thank you.

[SpAwN_gUy]

I own a PopcornHour A-100. It supports MKV but some of them don't play at all (level 5.1, insane number of ref frames, etc ...).
Explanation is here : http://www.networkedmediatank.com/viewtopic.php?p=14102#14102

So I would like to re-encode H264 video tracks to make them compliant.
I don't want to change bitrate, resolution, etc ... Only H264 format settings (mainly level and ref frames).
So first, I would like a dedicated profile. Next, I would like a typical command line to do this.Try to READ the Doc, you provided...
Use LEVEL Restrictions in MeGUI ...

or USE BluRay/HD-DVD profile...

or CHANGE the preferred profile AS WRITTEN IN Doc...

[ataylor]

OK, newbie moving from AutoGK to MeGUI here... just need some help with settings.

While I understand the whole "whats best" question is frowned upon here, I just need some general guidance. I'm backing up my DVD collection, and quality means more to me than space (I'm backing up to external HD). With AutoGK, I used AC3 audio with 80% target quality, and generally ended up with 1.5/1.8gb file sizes for most films, with longer ones being the mid 2gb area. I'm trying to work out which of these profiles is best for me, but am lost.

Taking into account what I was using with AutoGK, can someone recommend which of the profiles would suit me most, or at least make some suggestions as to which ones I should try.

Many thanks
Andy

[Sharktooth]

CRF profile. The default CRF value is 18. Consider it as a 100% quality. Rising that value will lower the quality.

[jamos]

Is there anything I need to change when using the hd profile for animation hd movies?

[jamos]

Another question if I am just transcoding a mkv using same average bitrate that a mkv was encoded at, into raw avc using bluray profile so it will play on a ps3. Do I need to choose Macroblock options? I have noticed no difference in output with them on and it takes about 4 hours shorter with them off than on.

Also looking at mediainfo I do not see them selected at all when the mkv was originally encoded so i really see no need to use them unless your doing heavy compression am I correct?

[Sharktooth]

Also looking at mediainfo I do not see them selected at all when the mkv was originally encoded so i really see no need to use them unless your doing heavy compression am I correct?
from what you said i suppose you didnt make that encode. in such case forum rule 6 applies.

[jamos]

from what you said i suppose you didnt make that encode. in such case forum rule 6 applies.

I did do the encode. They are backed up titles that i archived to mkv using 5.1 avc with 5 ref frames that I now want to set to lvl 4.1 now that I know that they are compatable to play on the ps3 with avc 4.1 with 4 or less ref. frames.. I did not use megui to encode though I use a x264 command line and did not use macroblock options. I am just wondering if macroblock are worth using with something that was not encoded with them in the first place.

[Sharktooth]

why not encoding from the originals? re-encoding is always bad...

[jamos]

why not encoding from the originals? re-encoding is always bad...

ok I will do that but that means having to rerip..:eek: thanks

[Sharktooth]

in any case, using partitions will help compression...

[Ranguvar]

Hey, Archos just updated the firmware for the 5G series. And take a look at the improvements.

Audio: Fixed compatibility with some AAC streams
Video: Fixed compatibility with H264 streams containing B-frames
Video: Fix compatibility with files encoded using FairUse
Audio/Video: Fixed compatibility with some .m4a and .mp4 files


I'm not updating, as the new updates patch a security hole that can be used to run homebrew, but perhaps someone should check out if more advanced AVC and/or Xvid can be played?

[jamos]

in any case, using partitions will help compression...

It really does not make much of a difference in speed I will continue to use partitions thanks!

[kristiXS]

A few quick questions, as i am very new to megui and x264. I am doing the same as a few other posters in this thread were - creating extremely high quality rips for archival purposes, where a 2gb or less file size is fine, but keeping near dvd quality and a file size of 1500-1700 would be my preference.

A - in an earlier post to someone looking for a profile similiar to this situation you told them: use CRF profile. The default CRF value is 18. Consider it as a 100% quality. Rising that value will lower the quality.

It doesnt seem to be what im looking for, as im seeking a little higher quality than this put out (although it was very good!) Things in the background were blurred a bit much, although the cameras focus was quite clear, and i would like modify a profile's setting to get more quality in the background as well as maybe an even sharper picture than the profile gives if possible....

So far now ive done a few encodes with the HQ-Slow and Slower settings. Above it seems you referring to the CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile...the file size with that profile was smaller than with the HQ-Slow encode which i maybe erringly specified a 1500mb filesize for....should i have chosen profile settings rather than a filesize? should the CQ have come out smaller, as that seems odd that it would come out lower than a profile that did 2 passes and had your ABR bitrate of 1000?

So i am thinking i should modify the settings i am asking about in my next 2 questions to change the HQ-Slowest method....if by doing so it will give even better quality than the CRF method above?

Question B---------
When using the HQ-Slowest profile, and comparing it to the others...i noticed that in the Main tab of the settings dialog the bitrate for ABR is always 1000. From what understand the profiles are using 2 pass ABR/VBR encoding so this is a setting that is used (?) and therefore, would it increase quality to up this to say 1200? And is this bitrate setting having any effect if i choose a file size in the last box before you autoencode (where you choose a target size or can use profile's settings)? Im not sure if im supposed to be choosing a target size or not when using these profiles.

C---------
Also, under the Zones tab, the quantizer setting is always 26 and is not stored to profiles when changed. In one of the 4 guides I read on megui the info on that that setting states it affects quality greatly (just as quantizers in xvid do), and that setting it to 20 provided greater quality than, say 30 (the useable range it gave)....so if you change it to 20 or 23 rather than 26, will this increase quality? And why isnt this saved into profiles?

The descriptions for the min/max default quantizer settings are confusing too, because it seems lower is worse quality and higher is more quality, which goes directly against what the guide states?

[frl]

Hey, Archos just updated the firmware for the 5G series.....

Video: Fixed compatibility with H264 streams containing B-frames


1 B-frame now works without stuttering - any more than that and it still stutters, although not as bad as previously. I guess that's progress, of a sort ;)

Chris

[Glorioso]

I have one problem, i've encoded a MKV file with the PD-PS3-Xbox360_Fast profile and NDAAC-LC Miltichannel-HQ-266Kbps audio, done it with the sample and no problem, the big file, 4.7gb wont play, i get a error. I thought it was a size problem (the target file is 4.6GB) and remuxed it with a 1200mb split, the first two files, 1,2gb each, wont play either but the last one, 296mb plays fine at my 360 via TVersity, why?

[foxyshadis]

A few quick questions, as i am very new to megui and x264. I am doing the same as a few other posters in this thread were - creating extremely high quality rips for archival purposes, where a 2gb or less file size is fine, but keeping near dvd quality and a file size of 1500-1700 would be my preference.


A - You can never know what size cq/crf encodes are going to come out to; don't bother trying to guess, just pick a quality you're pleased with and go with it. If you can't deal with that, just use 2pass all the time. If you make a 2pass at the same bitrate as a crf, it'll come out to roughly the same quality.

B - Bitrate is automatically updated any time you use the calculator or the autoencode. And of course you can increase quality by increasing the size, the default is just an arbitrary value.

C - Zones are very much a per-movie setting and aren't really applicable to a wide range of movies. Whether you need to raise or lower the quality of any particular zone is also movie-dependent. And remember: Any quality increase somewhere means either a quality decrease elsewhere or a larger size, with the same encoding settings.

D - Lowering min quant really does hurt quality at some point. Of course if you lower it from 26 to 18 there will be a drastic improvement, but going from 10 to 4 some frames will soak up a massive amount of bits without contributing anything to quality - you really can't see any difference below 10-14.

Some parts of your questions are somewhat confusing, post back if I didn't answer well enough.

[kristiXS]

Thank you. I was lost and didnt even realize how lost i was!

I didnt quite grasp that the auto-encode settings were like using the calculator, and would override the Bitrate set in the profile, so i was choosing a filesize thinking that it would try to stay close to the bitrate in sharktooths profile AND meet the filesize (i should have realized it was just like divx and it cannot do both, but the extra choices in autoencode dialogue threw me off!)

I also now understand why the quantizer setting in the zones area is not stored in the profile, since you commented on it being a per-movie setting (i did not realize you actually had to set the zone for it to affect the movie at all, and was thinking it automatically affected the whole movie UNLESS you set up seperate zones.) I now realize that to set a quantizer for the whole movie it is done as in the profile "CQ_ASP_Q2_equiv".

Now I have only another question or 2 (for the moment!)....i see that sharktooth used Spatial B-frames in CRF encoding but Auto in all the other profiles since they are 2pass....but if using 2 pass encoding, would using Spatial still give better quality than the auto setting (and he is only using to help file size)?

If using constant QUALITY setting, sharktooth specified 18 in the profile. If i wished to make quality even better, do i raise or lower this number? (ie, 18 is high, 17 is higher quality, 16 is even higher?)



Thanks again,
Kristi

[Sharktooth]

"auto" automatically chooses spatial or temporal on a frame basis. for some reasons i cant remember right now, auto is not good in 1 pass encodings.

lowering the quantizer will rise the quality.

[Glorioso]

I have one problem, i've encoded a MKV file with the PD-PS3-Xbox360_Fast profile and NDAAC-LC Miltichannel-HQ-266Kbps audio, done it with the sample and no problem, the big file, 4.7gb wont play, i get a error. I thought it was a size problem (the target file is 4.6GB) and remuxed it with a 1200mb split, the first two files, 1,2gb each, wont play either but the last one, 296mb plays fine at my 360 via TVersity, why?

Anyone?

[Ranguvar]

1 B-frame now works without stuttering - any more than that and it still stutters, although not as bad as previously. I guess that's progress, of a sort ;)

Chris
LOL, yeah :D Well, 1 BVOP is definitely better than none, and by a bigger margin than 1 to 2, etc. So it's awesome for a pure software fix!

Hey, can you use 2 refs, mixed refs, and 1 BVOP? If so, to what bitrate (when using 704x400 or the like resolution)? Or if you can't, how high can you push 1 ref and 1 BVOP?

Sorry about the questions, just trying to gauge whether it's worth it, updating ;)

[frl]

Hey, can you use 2 refs, mixed refs, and 1 BVOP? If so, to what bitrate (when using 704x400 or the like resolution)? Or if you can't, how high can you push 1 ref and 1 BVOP?

Sorry for the slow reply, thought I subscribed to this thread but apparently didn't!

I'm using a slightly modified version of the CE-Mainprofile profile. So that has 3 refs, mixed refs and (now) 1 B. My resolutions varies between 624x352 and 720x416 (shame the Archos refuses to even try anything over 720 wide :( ). I've been using bitrates between 1000-1350. Only issue I've had so far is at 720x416 @ 1350, in one particular encode the bitrate spikes to over 7000 for a second during the credits which causes the Archos to drop frames. Still experimenting though..

Chris

[tenkai]

Hey guys could any1 tell me a profile which gives almost the original quality? I used Slowest profile but its really slow on my q6600, what about the SA-HDDVD profile? would it be enough? I would apriciate any tips!

Thx in advance,
tenkai

[Sharktooth]

read the guides. any profile can give "almost" the original quality...
it does not depends on profiles, but on bitrate/quantizer...

[Sharktooth]

V45:
Added Blu-Ray compatible profiles.
Added DXVA compatible profiles.
Various fixes.

[rack04]

V45:
Added Blu-Ray compatible profiles.
Added DXVA compatible profiles.
Various fixes.

Thank you so much for the new profiles.

[tenkai]

read the guides. any profile can give "almost" the original quality...
it does not depends on profiles, but on bitrate/quantizer...

so if i select sa-hddvd profile and stick to 9000-10000 avg bitrate on 1080p encodes i´m ok?

[Sharktooth]

depends on the source... you better read some guides and learn how video compression works...

[tenkai]

u got an url for a good guide?

[Sharktooth]

In megui click on the Help menu. select Wiki - User guides.

[Kurtnoise]

@Sharktooth: --sar 1:1 is duplicated with the x264 profiles which use the CustomEncoderOptions...

[Sharktooth]

uh??!?

[Kurtnoise]

[08/03/2008 19:06:13] Started handling job
[08/03/2008 19:06:13] Preprocessing
Job commandline: "C:\tmp\megui_all\trunk\megui\bin\Release\tools\x264\x264.exe" --pass 1 --bitrate 8000 --stats "D:\Tor_\Script ED 2.stats" --level 4.1 --keyint 24 --min-keyint 1 --bframes 3 --direct auto --subme 1 --analyse none --ipratio 1.1 --pbratio 1.1 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --vbv-maxrate 38000 --qcomp 0.5 --me dia --threads auto --thread-input --sar 1:1 --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output NUL "D:\Tor_\Script ED 2.avs" --mvrange 511 --aud --nal-hrd --sar 1:1
[08/03/2008 19:06:13] Encoding started
Standard output stream
Standard error stream
-avis [info]: 1920x1080 @ 23.98 fps (126 frames)
-x264 [info]: using SAR=1/1
-x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX MMXEXT SSE SSE2 SSE3 3DNow!
-x264 [info]: slice I:6 Avg QP:18.36 size:145516
-x264 [info]: slice P:32 Avg QP:19.42 size: 62645
-x264 [info]: slice B:88 Avg QP:21.06 size: 28972
-x264 [info]: mb I I16..4: 28.9% 0.0% 71.1%
-x264 [info]: mb P I16..4: 11.0% 0.0% 0.0% P16..4: 55.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% skip:33.8%
-x264 [info]: mb B I16..4: 2.2% 0.0% 0.0% B16..8: 25.5% 0.0% 0.0% direct:14.4% skip:57.9%
-x264 [info]: final ratefactor: 21.16
-x264 [info]: direct mvs spatial:1.1% temporal:98.9%
-x264 [info]: kb/s:8261.9
-encoded 126 frames, 1.84 fps, 8266.59 kb/s
[08/03/2008 19:07:23] Job completed
[08/03/2008 19:07:23] Postprocessing
-Deleting intermediate files
- Log for job4 (video, Script ED 2.avs -> Script ED 2 tttt.mp4)
[08/03/2008 19:07:23] Started handling job
[08/03/2008 19:07:23] Preprocessing
Job commandline: "C:\tmp\megui_all\trunk\megui\bin\Release\tools\x264\x264.exe" --pass 2 --bitrate 8000 --stats "D:\Tor_\Script ED 2.stats" --level 4.1 --keyint 24 --min-keyint 1 --ref 3 --mixed-refs --bframes 3 --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --ipratio 1.1 --pbratio 1.1 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --vbv-maxrate 38000 --qcomp 0.5 --me umh --threads auto --thread-input --sar 1:1 --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "D:\Tor_\Script ED 2 tttt.mp4" "D:\Tor_\Script ED 2.avs" --mvrange 511 --aud --nal-hrd --sar 1:1
[08/03/2008 19:07:24] Encoding started
Standard output stream:
Standard error stream
-avis [info]: 1920x1080 @ 23.98 fps (126 frames)
-x264 [info]: using SAR=1/1
-x264 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX MMXEXT SSE SSE2 SSE3 3DNow!
-mp4 [info]: initial delay 524288 (scale 12570329)
-x264 [info]: slice I:6 Avg QP:18.28 size:145391
-x264 [info]: slice P:32 Avg QP:19.25 size: 53424
-x264 [info]: slice B:88 Avg QP:21.48 size: 25445
-x264 [info]: mb I I16..4: 7.2% 44.3% 48.6%
-x264 [info]: mb P I16..4: 1.2% 2.9% 4.1% P16..4: 36.4% 18.7% 8.3% 0.0% 0.0% skip:28.4%
-x264 [info]: mb B I16..4: 0.2% 0.6% 1.0% B16..8: 41.3% 3.0% 5.7% direct: 2.3% skip:45.9%
-x264 [info]: 8x8 transform intra:40.4% inter:36.6%
-x264 [info]: direct mvs spatial:13.6% temporal:86.4%
-x264 [info]: ref P 70.1% 21.1% 8.9%
-x264 [info]: ref B 77.5% 22.5%
-x264 [info]: kb/s:7339.1
-encoded 126 frames, 0.86 fps, 7343.59 kb/s
Final statistics
-Desired video bitrate: 8000 kbit/s
-Obtained video bitrate (approximate: 7344 kbit/s
[08/03/2008 19:09:51] Job completed
[08/03/2008 19:09:51] Postprocessing
-Deleting intermediate files
--[08/03/2008 19:09:51] Successfully deleted D:\Tor_\Script ED 2.stats


I meant, MeGUI uses already the --sar switch to pass the SAR value from the avisynth script...

[shon3i]

Sharktooth first i want to thanks for you profiles in megui, and i want to give some proposition for you.

Since we found what is max settings for DXVA and standalone compatability, did we need anymore profiles such HQ-Slow, Slowest, Insane without Level 4.1 or 3.1 and HRD?

I think is not hard to implement some code which automatilcly choose right level for resolution for selected profile. And Slower/insane profiles to use up to 4 ref-s for HD and up to 8-9 for SD.

And ofcourse make some Unrestricted profile.

I mean why to encode without these "restrictions" when quality is same. And aslo hel newbes.

[Sharktooth]

@kurtnoise: what profile you used? i cant find the --sar switch in any of the profiles...
EDIT: nevermind... they're the blu-ray profiles, i didnt made them but i will fix in for the next update.

@shon3i: i have completely new profiles. they will be up when the 0.3.x profiles refactor will be completed.

[shon3i]

Thnaks Sharktooth :)

[tenkai]

--level 4.1 --ref 6 --mixed-refs --no-fast-pskip --bframes 6 --b-pyramid --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --trellis 2 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --vbv-maxrate 38000 --qcomp 0.5 --me umh --threads auto --thread-input --progress --no-dct-decimate --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "output" "input" --mvrange 511 --aud --nal-hrd --sar 1:1

Does this look good for a high quality hddvd encode in 1080p? I want it near the orginal but also compatible ;]

[gav1577]

--level 4.1 --ref 6 --mixed-refs --no-fast-pskip --bframes 6 --b-pyramid --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --trellis 2 --analyse p8x8,b8x8,i4x4,i8x8 --8x8dct --vbv-maxrate 38000 --qcomp 0.5 --me umh --threads auto --thread-input --progress --no-dct-decimate --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "output" "input" --mvrange 511 --aud --nal-hrd --sar 1:1

Does this look good for a high quality hddvd encode in 1080p? I want it near the orginal but also compatible ;]

@ tenkai i have a good profile i made earlier which gave me excellent results for near original quality pm if u want it :)

[Sharktooth]

why dont you post your magic "banding removing" profile instead of just promising the moon?

[gav1577]

why dont you post your magic "banding removing" profile instead of just promising the moon?

Calm down Sharktooth i never said it was magic. its just what works for me. it is by no means anything special just thought it might be worth him trying it out. i am a noob two and thought i could help him out btw i understand every source is different and the profile i use are for high bitrate grainy sources only as i noticed in the other thread u are referring to the source is quite grainy and he was using
--crf 18.0 .just in my opinion when it comes to banding filters don't really make a difference and often make banding worse with the exception of adding noise or grain which sometimes works sometimes not.i am in no way trying to say i know better than anyone else because i don't.i was just trying to help the guy

here is the profile i was using for anyone who wants to give it a shot i was using the prestige.cfg for heavy grain and your matrix for light to medium http://www.mediafire.com/?zgwy5lh2jp9

[tenkai]

that sounds good no doubt, but i also would like to learn more about megui u know.. so i would apriciate if someone could tell me if the cmd line above blows, or what i could change to squeeze more quality.. at the mom i got like 19fps first pass and 3,6 in the snd.. the speed should be around that if possible.. i already got a q6600 @ 3,4 ghz :(

[tenkai]

Calm down Sharktooth i never said it was magic. its just what works for me. it is by no means anything special just thought it might be worth him trying it out. i am a noob two and thought i could help him out btw i understand every source is different and the profile i use are for high bitrate grainy sources only as i noticed in the other thread u are referring to the source is quite grainy and he was using
--crf 18.0 .just in my opinion when it comes to banding filters don't really make a difference and often make banding worse with the exception of adding noise or grain which sometimes works sometimes not.i am in no way trying to say i know better than anyone else because i don't.i was just trying to help the guy

here is the profile i was using for anyone who wants to give it a shot i was using the prestige.cfg for heavy grain and your matrix for light to medium http://www.mediafire.com/?zgwy5lh2jp9

Hey m8, u got pm´s disabled :) if u want to share the profile, upload it somewhere and pm me the link i will try it out. ty :)

[gav1577]

@tenkai i posted the link in my last post here it is again :rolleyes: http://www.mediafire.com/?zgwy5lh2jp9

[tenkai]

sorry missread it. ty

[Sharktooth]

Calm down Sharktooth i never said it was magic. its just what works for me. it is by no means anything special just thought it might be worth him trying it out. i am a noob two and thought i could help him out btw i understand every source is different and the profile i use are for high bitrate grainy sources only as i noticed in the other thread u are referring to the source is quite grainy and he was using
--crf 18.0 .just in my opinion when it comes to banding filters don't really make a difference and often make banding worse with the exception of adding noise or grain which sometimes works sometimes not.i am in no way trying to say i know better than anyone else because i don't.i was just trying to help the guy

here is the profile i was using for anyone who wants to give it a shot i was using the prestige.cfg for heavy grain and your matrix for light to medium http://www.mediafire.com/?zgwy5lh2jp9
well, it's the matrix making a difference. x264 tends to block/band, and sadly there's no way except AQ or CQMs to change this behaviour.
changing options (or profile in megui) makes just x264 compress less or more or makes it "respect" certain limits. just that.

[rica]

Hi guys,
i had some issues with interlaced HDTV encoding:

Hi guys,
I've been making some trials with megui and re-encoding h264 HDTV records into HA capable xvid mkvs or ts files.
I got the best results with DXVA HD HQ profile and automated 2pass selection.
Both progressive and interlaced source h264 files returns to HA decoding capable x264 mkvs.

But every time i have to change Cyberlink h264 decoder settings; video mode from auto to bob since decoder's auto selection doesn't recogize the video as interlaced or progressive.
If i leave video mode at auto, interlaced video doesn't make HA deinterlacing.(with "bob", it works)


Then, even i made them interlaced, "auto mode" didn't work and gave 25fps again.

Even i'm not experienced in encoder details, this profile worked for me:
http://rapidshare.com/files/100078866/DXVA-HD-HQ-interlaced.xml.html

This is for interlaced 1080i h264 HDTV broadcast re-encoding.
I will add the link here which i uploaded my encoded file with that profile. It works at 50 fps on "auto mode".

EDIT:
OK, here is the file:
http://rapidshare.com/files/100088687/Socker_out.mkv.html
(no audio)
original file was 150MB.

[michaelhill]

thanks shark going to try them out !

[Chainmax]

Can a file encoded with the Blu-Ray profile be burned into dual layer DVD and be played back as-is or does some kind of authoring have to take place?

[edit] By the way, is there enough info around to create a YouTube profile so that what one uploads there doesn't get re-encoded?

[rica]

Hi,
this is the profile for full HA capable interlaced SD x264 re-encodings:

http://rapidshare.com/files/100858838/DXVA-SD-HQ-interlaced.xml.html

And here is the sample file (without audio):

http://rapidshare.com/files/100829835/beyaz.mkv.html

[Wakka]

I started using MeGUI for AVCHD conversion, but noticed that with the Blu-ray profiles the encode tends to get a bit brighter?
What settings are best to change for that?

I noticed it with some blu-ray anime movies from the 90's I'm doing.

Thanks for setting up the profiles :)

[Sharktooth]

profiles or encoders do not change the brightness.
some avs filters, colorspace conversion or different renderers may affect it though.
also do not ask what's best as per forum rules (http://forum.doom9.org/forum-rules.htm).

[elguaxo]

I've seen some posts about 'standalone compatibility', but this is still not very clear to me. I plan to buy in a near future a SA that seems to be popular, the Popcorn Hour A-100. The specs say it supports HP L4.1. If I use for example the current HQ-Slowest profile and change the AVC level from Unrestricted to Level 4.1, would that be enough to ensure SA compatibility?

I've seen there are also some DXVA profiles, have Standalones the same features/restrictions as DXVA graphic cards? Thanks.

[Sharktooth]

no. you have to use a special profile for your standalone depending on the supported features (including VBV limits)

[elguaxo]

I see. Thanks!

[Wakka]

profiles or encoders do not change the brightness.
some avs filters, colorspace conversion or different renderers may affect it though.
also do not ask what's best as per forum rules (http://forum.doom9.org/forum-rules.htm).

Ok, gotcha. I'll figure out why there is a difference then using x264 with another GUI.

Thanks for the quick reply.

[Sharktooth]

megui feeds the avs script to the encoder.
if yuo see difference in brightness it's probably due to avs script or the renderer used by your player.
ensure you use the same renderer for both the source and the encoded clip and post your avisynth script.

[Wakka]

Maybe the compression is too high, which causes a loss of color information.

[Sharktooth]

can you post a couple of screenshot?

[Wakka]

Sure, I'm only able to post screenshots from the encode, as VLC Player won't play the big original .m2ts files at the moment,
as the PC is buzy doing an encode :P

First one is an Encode from Perfect Blue, done in 1920x1080p, without resize or any other settings with avisynth,
bitrate about 5800 so it would fit on a dvd5 with audio (81 min movie)

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/2570/vlcsnap1645070ml7.th.jpg (http://img388.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vlcsnap1645070ml7.jpg)

Second one is from Ghost in the Shell, also done in 1920x1080p with a crop and resize, to get ride of huger then overscan borders,
using Lanczos4. Bitrate about 5200, also for dvd5 with multiple audio (82 min movie)

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/1945/vlcsnap1651043aj1.th.jpg (http://img388.imageshack.us/my.php?image=vlcsnap1651043aj1.jpg)

both saved as max quality .jpg (.png are too big for imageshack)

any input is welcome.

edit: to be honest, I'm not that sure anymore...original are also very bright sometimes, and GITS has a lot of noise.
Was able to make screenshots with PowerDVD of original .m2ts, but they seemed lighter then the VLC snapshots...weird!

[arrirc]

Hello sharktooth

Thanks for all the profiles.

Being a newbie I was wondering which profile I should use if I do not have much worries about the output file size. Stax was kind enough to recommend X.264/Constant Quality. But here I can see there are 3 CQ profiles, could it be possible for you to detail a little about these CQ profiles and which profile is most suitable for works like mine? I generally convert movies (not animation) to X.264 in MP4 container, with preferable video Bit Rate of about 2000 kbps.

[Sharktooth]

@wakka: without the original pics i cant tell anything except 5800 seems an adequate bitrate.
if there's colormatrix() filter in your .avs script try removing it.

@arric: cq-lossless is for lossless encoding. no details are lost, the encoding will look exactly like the original, but it will be way much bigger. the q2 profile is comparable to xvid constant quant 2 quality (almost visually lossless) and uses a constant h.264 quantizer of 18.
the crf profile is almost the same but it uses constant rate factor instead of constant quantizer and should end up in a more "stable" quality between frames. most users prefer CRF to CQ.
all those 3 profiles do not have bitrate restrictions. the encoder will just use the necessary bitrate. a higher quantizer (or CRF value) will lower the final bitrate though while lossless is basically quantizer 0.

[arrirc]

Thank you so very much sharktooth. For a 2 hr DVD movie what may be the approx. size of the output? And it should be faster, isn't it? Because all these CQ profiles use 1 pass (if I have understand it correctly).

[Adub]

The approximate size varies, depending on source footage and bitrate desired. Since you are using CQ it is even harder to tell. If you use CQ 23, expect anywhere from 1 to 2 gb.

[Shaocaholica]

I can't seem to get iTunes to put a level 3 video onto my 5.5G ipod. At least I think its a 5.5G. The last 3 chars of the serial number match those given by Apple as 5.5G. Keeping everything else the same but changing the level to 1.3 works. Changing the resolution or bitrate at level 3 doesn't help. I'm using the latest staxrip with the included 5.5G profile.

Whats going on?

[arrirc]

If you use CQ 23

Which is the this CQ 23 profile? Shartooth kindly pointed me to CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile, but I could not understand the one you have mentioned. :?:

Thanks

[ditche]

Select this profile, click on "Config" button and set "23,0" in the first tab. :)

[arrirc]

Ok...thanks ditche :)

But what is its significance? :confused:

[buzzqw]

CQ mean Constan Quality

in x264 mean "CRF" encoding

CRF encoding mean that every frame will have a Constant Rate Factor, in simply words every frame will have the same quality as the other

CRF values goes from 0 (lossless) to 51 (ultra block), where 18 is good quality, 16 very good quality, 23 medium quality, 30 not so good quality (vhs..)

so if you want an encoding that work in 1 pass, and don't want to hassle about bitrate or size, JUST want a good quality, you must specify how MUCH quality you want

the "CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf)" profile is the base, after selecting it, you must select how much quality to apply

BHH

[Atak_Snajpera]

where 18 is good quality, 16 very good quality, 23 medium quality, 30 not so good quality (vhs..)

I would say 18 is insane , 22 is very good :)

PS. My opinion with default AQ

[arrirc]

CQ mean Constan Quality

in x264 mean "CRF" encoding

CRF encoding mean that every frame will have a Constant Rate Factor, in simply words every frame will have the same quality as the other

CRF values goes from 0 (lossless) to 51 (ultra block), where 18 is good quality, 16 very good quality, 23 medium quality, 30 not so good quality (vhs..)

so if you want an encoding that work in 1 pass, and don't want to hassle about bitrate or size, JUST want a good quality, you must specify how MUCH quality you want

the "CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf)" profile is the base, after selecting it, you must select how much quality to apply

BHH

Thanks very much for your very clear explanation....:)


I would say 18 is insane , 22 is very good :)

PS. My opinion with default AQ

Hmmmm, I would like to settle for Very good...so would it be 16 or 22 (quite a difference numerically)? :confused:

[Atak_Snajpera]

1920x1080 with 22 will give you ~12mbps and 6mbps for 720p.

[buzzqw]

I would say 18 is insane , 22 is very good :)

PS. My opinion with default AQ

i agree for AQ always on

BHH

[arrirc]

Sorry for this mundane question, but what exactly is AQ and how do one turn it off/on?

[Sharktooth]

--aq-strength 0 in custom commandline options to turn it off.
AQ is on by default.

[~bT~]

--aq-strenght 0 in custom commandline options to turn it of.
AQ is on by default.
sorry to nitpick but it can be a prob. spelling is wrong, it should read: --aq-strength 0

[arrirc]

So for newbies like me there is no need to fiddle with this AQ setting- right?
And set the CRF value to 22 to get the very good quality- right?

[~bT~]

^ yeah, that should work.

[arrirc]

Great ~bt~ thanks very much for your help. :)

EDIT

Hello ~bt~

As i am using staxRip, If I choose the CQ Profile as discussed above, the quality factor is already selected as 18. I have changed the Loop Filter to 0,0. Now the quality factor in this window is to be changed to 22.

Here is a screen shot:

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/8180/x264nf1.png

Hope that I have understood everything correctly.

[~bT~]

^ i'm not sure if StaxRip uses the patched x264 builds mate but apart from that, settings look OK.

[arrirc]

Thanks very much ~bt~, you have been really helpful. :)

[arrirc]

Hello

I have encoded same source twice, once using HQ Slowest profile and setting the bit rate to about 2100 kbps, and other time using CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) using 18 (the default value) as quality factor/ CRF value.

I hardly could find any difference in quality. Though the time taken was less for CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf), but the file size was about 300MB larger as the bit rate resulted in about 2300 kbps.

Now, I tried this CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile on another source with all settings at default (CRF value 18 as usual); but this time the file size was huge...4.3 GB (the source is of duration 2:36:56). What I found that in this case the same quality factor resulted in a much higher bit rate for the resultant file size- 3523 kbps.

My questions are:


Why the same CRF value resulted in a higher bit rate for one source than the other?

I would like to use CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf), but it does not give me any option to set the bit rate in Auto Encode window (the window that appears after pressing the "Auto Encode" button in MeGUI). So is there any way to determine or understand how the resultant bit rate will change with change in CRF Value? For example for my second case, CRF Value 18 resulted in 3523 kbps bit rate, but I had no way (or is there any!) to understand that before the encoding finishes. I would like to know whether there is any way to understand this beforehand or is it possible to predefine the resultant bit rate in CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile?

[buzzqw]

Why the same CRF value resulted in a higher bit rate for one source than the other?

since you want a fixed "quality" (18 in that case), every movie got this quality at different bitrate.
High quality for a film like Gladiator, water scenes of Save Private Ryan or flashing explosion use a bitrate different then "panic room" film, or a romantic slow film

I would like to use CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf), but it does not give me any option to set the bit rate in Auto Encode window (the window that appears after pressing the "Auto Encode" button in MeGUI)

quality is Quality! or you encode and aim for a target quality or aim for bitrate, you cannot encode in crf BUT using a bitrate... (at max you can use the VBVMaxBitrate for cap the bitrate...)

I would like to know whether there is any way to understand this beforehand or is it possible to predefine the resultant bit rate in CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile?

DDogg has made a very documented xls ... http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=11677

BHH

[SpAwN_gUy]

okay, my turn.. ;)
I hardly could find any difference in quality.but you did ... ;) ..

Why the same CRF value resulted in a higher bit rate for one source than the other?this is due to COMPLEXITY of the Picture. try googling about this word..
yeah, like it was said abouve - pure black picture.. has no complexity... it's just black :) ..
but if you add some circle in there - .. you'll have to discribe.. it's black.. and it has circle.. so the description is MORe complex..
and in terms of motion pictures.. it deals also with motion..

I would like to use CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf), but it does not give me any option to set the bit rate in Auto Encode window (the window that appears after pressing the "Auto Encode" button in MeGUI). So is there any way to determine or understand how the resultant bit rate will change with change in CRF Value? For example for my second case, CRF Value 18 resulted in 3523 kbps bit rate, but I had no way (or is there any!) to understand that before the encoding finishes. I would like to know whether there is any way to understand this beforehand or is it possible to predefine the resultant bit rate in CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) profile?
[/list]well.. some peaple did actually tried to ask for implementation of "test pass" (like in GKnot .... "don't ask" (c)..) to meGUI.. to encode a part of the movie (i.e. 5% .. or more) to determine the aproximite bitrate (i.e. complexity) so the would need to "tune" the picture, or the resulting file size(bitrate)..

but.. you can read more about that here.. and try to do that manually..

okay.. and.. at first try to figure out on your own.. and then.. start asking questions... 'cause now , iguess, we are trying to teach you the basics.. and you only read and don't want to think...

i'm.. like.. here for 5 years.. and i have.. just 230 posts..

[arrirc]

Thank you very much buzzqw :)

What I was thinking (Yes, I do think, and this is the first thing I do even though some may assume otherwise, not you buzzqw ;) ) whether there is any analytical relationship between Quality factor (CRF Value) and Bit rate, as you have for file size, duration and bit rate.

okay.. and.. at first try to figure out on your own.. and then.. start asking questions... 'cause now , iguess, we are trying to teach you the basics.. and you only read and don't want to think...

i'm.. like.. here for 5 years.. and i have.. just 230 posts..

If one does not think, one can not ask questions. I found your comments rather unfortunate. I believe that 'thinking' is good as long as it does not lead to 'assumptions' as you did, like I post here to increase my post count and I do not think. I am not really sure how you became a judge of my abilities without at all knowing me, doesn't it show your poor thinking capability? Sad, very sad..indeed.

Thanks for nothing....

[buzzqw]

don't take parsonally arrirc!

encoding/ripping/scripting is a long process.. and sometimes the better answer is the one you get by yourself by searching and searching... (expecially if answer is from a "normal" user as me!)

scratching head along monitors is a common action for video gurus ;)

everyone was a newby! just take your time, read and search, and FOR ANY DOUBT ASK!

and.. even if late .. Welcome to the "best" video Forum around!

BHH

[Atak_Snajpera]

Welcome to the "best" video Forum around! The best forum does not like word "best" :)

scratching head along monitors is a common action for video gurus
I was newbie too but I've learnt a lot during developing RipBot264

[arrirc]

Thanks buzzqw :)

Well as I said, I really felt bad...but let bygones be bygone. :)

May be the friendly indulgences here makes me little lazy seldom and I do not search. But believe me, I do mostly, and only when searched answers do not satisfy me I ask here.

[SpAwN_gUy]

expecially if answer is from a "normal" user as me! i'm not abnormal :) as "some" may've thougth :) ... i'm just sometimes Evil .. bwahahahaha

whether there is any analytical relationship between Quality factor (CRF Value) and Bit rate, as you have for file size, duration and bit rate.yes, there is :) ....

like I post here to increase my post count and I do not think.that was not the main idea of the post... the main idea (about complexity) is in the middle.

you want "filesize" - stick to bitrate.
you want "quality" - stick to CRF.
you want "quality" and "filesize" - tune either crf value (loose in quality(depends)),
or tune Picture with filters (well, it depends... you may loose or may not loose in quality),
or do a "test pass" () --> measure final ilesize and back to tuning the pic and crf. and then to "test pass".
# COMPRESSIBILITY CHECK
SelectRangeEvery(280,14)

I am not really sure how you became a judge of my abilities without at all knowing me, doesn't it show your poor thinking capability?well, you don't know me either ;)

[arrirc]

Hello SpAwN_gUy

Thanks for clarifying...:)

I'll keep these things surely in mind

[SpAwN_gUy]

Hello SpAwN_gUy
Thanks for clarifying...:)
I'll keep these things surely in mind
you're welcome..
try using "old" guides on www.doom9.org .... they are somtemies "a bit" outdated, but the show the basics..

[tetsuo55]

I've seen some posts about 'standalone compatibility', but this is still not very clear to me. I plan to buy in a near future a SA that seems to be popular, the Popcorn Hour A-100. The specs say it supports HP L4.1. If I use for example the current HQ-Slowest profile and change the AVC level from Unrestricted to Level 4.1, would that be enough to ensure SA compatibility?

I've seen there are also some DXVA profiles, have Standalones the same features/restrictions as DXVA graphic cards? Thanks.

no. you have to use a special profile for your standalone depending on the supported features (including VBV limits)

Sharktooth, The DXVA settings are supposed to be compatible with all in spec hardware decoders, videocards, game consoles or standalones, it shouldn't matter. Basically 1 setting for all hardware players.

Can you tell me what limitations you have found with regards to DXVA profile not working on other players besides videocards?

[nhope]

Thanks to the devs for their hard work.

Now that Flash supports AVC/AAC, how about a profile (or some profiles) for embedding in the Flash 9 Player for web playback? So that the video should play smoothly on "most" computers (as long as the viewer has sufficient bandwidth of course).

I'm thinking for the typical range of 480px wide vids at 500kbps up to 960px wide at 1200-2000kbps.

I would do them myself but I don't know what I'm doing, but I'd be very happy to test some profiles. I'm currently experimenting with CE-Mainprofile and CE-QuickTime for this application, depending on whether I provide a download link or not (i.e. whether the video will end up getting played in Quicktime or just the Flash Player).

[Atak_Snajpera]

Flash supports all profiles so I see no reason to create another profile.

[nhope]

Oh OK, I thought older/slower computers might choke on the HQ profiles for example, particularly at higher bitrates. Maybe I'm missing the point.

[Atak_Snajpera]

Bit-rate is more important than codec settings in this case

[nhope]

So, disregarding bandwidth, from a playability point of view do you think it would be OK to serve up an HQ-Slowest x264 for example at 960x540 1500kbps online in a Flash Player? Or is it safer to stick to something like CE-Mainprofile?

[Atak_Snajpera]

If you have time use HQ-Slowest. Personally I would use PS3 profile (3 refs). I see no difference between HQ-any and ps3 (ref3)

[Sharktooth]

hint: If you're unsure, stick with DXVA profiles ;)

[nhope]

Thanks. I'd quite like to provide a download link in the Flash Player, which means inevitably people are going to try and play them in Quicktime (either the browser plugin or offline player).

At 960x540 1500 kbps, DXVA-SD-HQ hangs Quicktime on my system but PD-PS3-Xbox360 plays OK (as do CE-Quicktime encodes). Perhaps if I want to cater for Quicktime then I've just got to use the Quicktime profile or is there another profile that should give higher quality and can still be played by Quicktime on most systems?

Also I've still got my change in luminance (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=136786) issue.

[Atak_Snajpera]

PS3 profile gives almost the highest quality. Do you have to use QuickShit ? :)

[Sharktooth]

Thanks. I'd quite like to provide a download link in the Flash Player, which means inevitably people are going to try and play them in Quicktime (either the browser plugin or offline player).

At 960x540 1500 kbps, DXVA-SD-HQ hangs Quicktime on my system but PD-PS3-Xbox360 plays OK (as do CE-Quicktime encodes). Perhaps if I want to cater for Quicktime then I've just got to use the Quicktime profile or is there another profile that should give higher quality and can still be played by Quicktime on most systems?

Also I've still got my change in luminance (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=136786) issue.
try disabling b-pyramid in the DXVA profile and see if it works.
if it does i will merge the PS3/XBOX 360 profiles with the DXVA profiles in the next update.

[nhope]

I don't want to use Quicktime at all but I like to provide a download link to the original file in my Flash players if possible (so the viewer can keep and play the videos offline) and then a lot of viewer's machines will end up playing it in Quicktime whether I like it or not because sadly if it's installed it hijacks both online and offline playback of mp4.

[nhope]

Sharktooth, the file now plays OK in Quicktime if I disable b-pyramid in the DXVA-SD-HQ. There are other differences though from the PS3/XBOX 360 profiles so not sure how you will merge them.

Would you use the PS3/XBOX 360 profile or the DXVA-SD-HQ without b-pyramid for 960x540 @ 1500kbps predominantly for Flash playback but also Quicktime? Or something else?

[Sharktooth]

they're both valid. once i remove b-pyramid, since the differences are really small, i will blend the remaining settings with the PS3 profile to ensure it will work for both DXVA and PS3/X360.

[Atak_Snajpera]

they're both valid. once i remove b-pyramid, since the differences are really small, i will blend the remaining settings with the PS3 profile to ensure it will work for both DXVA and PS3/X360.

Good idea :)

[tetsuo55]

they're both valid. once i remove b-pyramid, since the differences are really small, i will blend the remaining settings with the PS3 profile to ensure it will work for both DXVA and PS3/X360.


From all the test results i have seen b-pyramid works perfectly on PS3/X360

[nurbs]

At least up to 720p and in mp4 container I don't have any problems with b-pyramid on the ps3 either.

[Sharktooth]

but it does make problems with quicktime.
so, to merge all those profiles i need to kill b-pyramid (not a big loss at all).

[tetsuo55]

What kind of problems have you experienced with quicktime?

b-pyramids should have quite some impact with regards to compressability.

there where bugs with it but they should all be fixed in svn

[Sharktooth]

no. b-pyramids does not have a significative impact in compressibility.
however it's not a x264 problem... it's Craptime(tm) not supporting b-pyramid at all.

[nhope]

Sharktooth, ahead of your next release are you clear in your mind what settings the merged profile will have? I'm churning out 384x288 200 kbps videos for the net at the moment and want to ensure I'm encoding the highest quality that both Flash Player and Quicktime will play.

[tetsuo55]

Strange, peng said it would increase compressability.

anyway i have some idea's, i hope you'll want to take a look at them, i will post about it later, then please tell me what you think.

[Sharktooth]

Strange, peng said it would increase compressability.

anyway i have some idea's, i hope you'll want to take a look at them, i will post about it later, then please tell me what you think.
yes, it will increase a bit with a large number of b-frames.
but since we're restricted by the limits of dxva hardware i cant see b-pyramids as a big hit.

Sharktooth, ahead of your next release are you clear in your mind what settings the merged profile will have? I'm churning out 384x288 200 kbps videos for the net at the moment and want to ensure I'm encoding the highest quality that both Flash Player and Quicktime will play.
yes. it will be basically the same as DXVA profiles, without b-pyramid, with the VBV settings for PS3-X360 and with the lowest common number of b and ref frames.

[nhope]

yes. it will be basically the same as DXVA profiles, without b-pyramid, with the VBV settings for PS3-X360 and with the lowest common number of b and ref frames.
Here's an encode at 960x540 at 1500kbps using Sharktooth's proposed hybrid profile (http://www.bubblevision.com/underwater-video/x264-1500kbps-hybrid.htm).

Plays nicely and buffers correctly in Flash (bufferlenth: 10 secs). Quicktime on my system plays it OK too.

What do you folk with trained eyes think? Is it a little too sharp and a little low on bitrate?

[Sharktooth]

bitrate could be highened a bit to help some hard to compress scenes though. the overall compressibility should be really low with that kind of stuff.
however it looks good to me for a 1500kbps encode, but i watched it on a CRT. ill watch it on a good LCD as soon as i get home.

[nhope]

Cheers.

The text link to download the original file was wrong until just now. It was pointing to an old 2000kbps file.

[nhope]

Here's one encoded at 720x540 (exactly half HDV) and stretched in playback to 960x540 by the Flash player (http://www.bubblevision.com/underwater-video/x264-1500kbps-stretch.htm). Possibly a better way of doing it.

Edit: But wrong aspect ratio on full screen :(

[jmartinr]

@ nhope

See http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=131095 for a possible solution for the aspect ratio in flash player.

I use this to set the dimensions of the MP4 and after that remux it with MP4Box (not necessary but I just like MP4Box more). See http://members.home.nl/jmartinr/ (my test page) for a sample of it working.

[nhope]

Thanks jmartinr but if you just want to stretch a video to fit the Flash Player then why not just use the flashvar

overstretch: "fit"

as I did in that example?

[jmartinr]

if you just want to stretch a video to fit the Flash Player then why not just use the flashvar as I did in that example?

Because in full screen it doesn't work. If your video is not anamorphic there's no problem.

If you have anamorphic video, I found this trick to be needed. I you find another way for correct full screen display of anamorphic video in flash player please let me now.

[halsboss]

Mmm, is there any chance of someone posting the full X264 commandlines arising from "PD-iPod 5.5G: Profile for the new iPod 5.5G" ? (haven't megui and just wanting to try out the X264 commandline for now).

[Schrade]

Mmm, is there any chance of someone posting the full X264 commandlines arising from "PD-iPod 5.5G: Profile for the new iPod 5.5G" ? (haven't megui and just wanting to try out the X264 commandline for now).

Quick cut and paste from meGUI:

--pass 2 --bitrate 1000 --stats ".stats" --level 3 --nf --no-cabac --subme 6 --partitions none --qpmin 16 --vbv-bufsize 1000 --vbv-maxrate 1500 --me umh --merange 12 --threads auto --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output "output" "input"

[halsboss]

Thanks ! With --pass 2 does that mean this is the 2nd pass's commandline. Presumably the 1st is the same except --pass 2 :)

[tetsuo55]

finally had some time to write this so here goes:

What we should be aiming for imho is a basic hardware compatible setting sorted by level(resolution)

One basic level 4.1 profile (HD) (1920x1080, 1280x720)
One basic level 3.1 profile (SD) (720x480, 720x576)
One basic level 2.1 profile (Portable) (320x240)

Each level should be fully compatible with all hardware solutions for their respective level, lower levels should be fully hardware compatible with any player in a higher level.

So level 4.1 does not have to work on a level 2.1 device, but the 2.1 stream should work on the level 4.1 device.

-------

Once the basic settings for all 3 profiles have been defined and are known te be working on all devices in their class (these tests should not include devices that to not conform to the h264 standard) the basic profiles can be extended.


HQ in 5 flavors
CE in all possible flavors
1p in all possible flavors
cq in all possible flavors
AE in all possible flavors

These would be duplicated for all 3 basic profiles.

so the end result would be something like this:

level 4.1 profile (HD) (1920x1080, 1280x720)

4.1-HQ-Fast
4.1-HQ-Slow
4.1-HQ-Slower
4.1-HQ-Slowest
4.1-HQ-Insane

4.1-CE-Fast
4.1-CE-Slow
4.1-CE-Slower
4.1-CE-Slowest
4.1-CE-Insane

4.1-1P-Fast
4.1-1P-Slow
4.1-1P-Slower
4.1-1P-Slowest
4.1-1P-Insane

4.1-CQ-Fast
4.1-CQ-Slow
4.1-CQ-Slower
4.1-CQ-Slowest
4.1-CQ-Insane

4.1-AE-Fast
4.1-AE-Slow
4.1-AE-Slower
4.1-AE-Slowest
4.1-AE-Insane

level 3.1 profile (SD) (720x480, 720x576)

3.1-HQ-Fast
3.1-HQ-Slow
3.1-HQ-Slower
3.1-HQ-Slowest
3.1-HQ-Insane

3.1-CE-Fast
3.1-CE-Slow
3.1-CE-Slower
3.1-CE-Slowest
3.1-CE-Insane

3.1-1P-Fast
3.1-1P-Slow
3.1-1P-Slower
3.1-1P-Slowest
3.1-1P-Insane

3.1-CQ-Fast
3.1-CQ-Slow
3.1-CQ-Slower
3.1-CQ-Slowest
3.1-CQ-Insane

3.1-AE-Fast
3.1-AE-Slow
3.1-AE-Slower
3.1-AE-Slowest
3.1-AE-Insane

level 2.1 profile (Portable) (320x240)

2.1-HQ-Fast
2.1-HQ-Slow
2.1-HQ-Slower
2.1-HQ-Slowest
2.1-HQ-Insane

2.1-CE-Fast
2.1-CE-Slow
2.1-CE-Slower
2.1-CE-Slowest
2.1-CE-Insane

2.1-1P-Fast
2.1-1P-Slow
2.1-1P-Slower
2.1-1P-Slowest
2.1-1P-Insane

2.1-CQ-Fast
2.1-CQ-Slow
2.1-CQ-Slower
2.1-CQ-Slowest
2.1-CQ-Insane

2.1-AE-Fast
2.1-AE-Slow
2.1-AE-Slower
2.1-AE-Slowest
2.1-AE-Insane


now there will always be some hardware or sofware based target devices that need a slightly different encode setting to get the most out of the hardware.

In that case the level the device is at should be taken as the basic settings, and those should be weakend to meet the requirements of that particular device (this way the stream would still be same level and upward compatible)

-----------

As you can see the main point of my idea is to get all profiles compatible with all players that support that level. This way people will never have to worry about "will this work on hard- or softwareplayer X"

Please tell me what you think or if you need more info

[Sharktooth]

dont worry. the next sets of profiles will be completely different from the actual ones.

[shon3i]

@tetsuo55, did you mean level 4.1? not 5.1, AFAIK 5.1 can't reach compactibilty with standalone or DXVA?

[nhope]

Now I'm confused. For compatibility with software players on a computer (WMP, Quicktime, VLC etc.), which of those profile "families" is in theory the one to use? DXVA? And if it is DXVA, at what resolution is it recommended to use the HD instead of SD profiles?

[jmartinr]

Now I'm confused. For compatibility with software players on a computer (WMP, Quicktime, VLC etc.), which of those profile "families" is in theory the one to use? DXVA? And if it is DXVA, at what resolution is it recommended to use the HD instead of SD profiles?

Summing up my experiences

WMP: if coreavc or ffdshow is installed about anything goes, if not, you don't know. Out of the box it doesn't do h264
VLC: about anything goes (except for the little quirk we found introduced by mp4creator-QTF)
Flash Player: about anything goes, AR is a pain in the ass though
QuickTime: limited, also here AR is quirky

So QuickTime is your bottleneck (I guess you're right that many people wil try to play your files in QuickTime). I have no experience encoding for QuickTime, that's why I'm interested in your results. ;)

Concerning your Vegas issue, I think you'll have to find out more about the background of the problem.

[tetsuo55]

@tetsuo55, did you mean level 4.1? not 5.1, AFAIK 5.1 can't reach compactibilty with standalone or DXVA?

thanks i made a typo there, i corrected my post

[mpiper]

Can anyone explain why the official development page for MeGUI has 0.2.6.1046 while other threads and sites list a version 0.3.0.0?

Which one is really the correct/most current one?

[SpAwN_gUy]

Can anyone explain why the official development page for MeGUI has 0.2.6.1046 while other threads and sites list a version 0.3.0.0?

Which one is really the correct/most current one?
0.3 - is THE developement one (with some fancy things, that can be not working ones)
0.2.6 - is THE most recent stable (i assume so..)

[Cooldeep]

Thanks sharktooth...nice share

[pelle412]

In the PS3 profile I'm curious about the rationale behind some of the settings:

vbv-bufsize = 9000, vbv-maxrate = 25000

Is this the max a PS3 can handle? What can happen if I increase these values? I don't have a PS3 myself to try it out, but I'm considering it.

ipratio/pbratio = 1.1

Is this for grain retention? Can't come up with any other reason. Normalizing the quality across frame types?

merange = 12

Speedup? Default seems to be 16.

qcomp = 0.5

What's wrong with the default 0.6?

[Weltall]

Well guys, I dont know if this was already asked, but I'm wondering why b-frame number increased to max in HQ-Slowest and AE-Maxquality. Why???? This seems to make the result worst, I can be wrong. Before was 3, now is 16! What about M.E. Range, if I raise from 16 to 32, would I have better compressibility that could justify the speed reduction? Reference frames number above 5 is also justified? The same thing I ask for trellis. Pls answer me guys. :confused: :thanks:

[Sharktooth]

In the PS3 profile I'm curious about the rationale behind some of the settings:

vbv-bufsize = 9000, vbv-maxrate = 25000

Is this the max a PS3 can handle? What can happen if I increase these values? I don't have a PS3 myself to try it out, but I'm considering it.

ipratio/pbratio = 1.1

Is this for grain retention? Can't come up with any other reason. Normalizing the quality across frame types?

merange = 12

Speedup? Default seems to be 16.

qcomp = 0.5

What's wrong with the default 0.6?
your guesses are right but i dont remember why i lowered the qcomp. there is definatly a reason... but i just cant remember right now.

Well guys, I dont know if this was already asked, but I'm wondering why b-frame number increased to max in HQ-Slowest and AE-Maxquality. Why???? This seems to make the result worst, I can be wrong. Before was 3, now is 16! What about M.E. Range, if I raise from 16 to 32, would I have better compressibility that could justify the speed reduction? Reference frames number above 5 is also justified? The same thing I ask for trellis. Pls answer me guys. :confused: :thanks:
x264 is not xvid. more b-frames = more compression = more quality. also, b-fremes are dynamically placed, so it's not always 16 in a row. to tell the truth, it's hard the encoder chooses to put 16 consecutive b-frames... so, yes, you're wrong.
ME Range 32 is almost always an overkill. While a higher number of ref-frames on anime/cartoon material may improve the compression significanlty. The AE (Anime Encoding) profile has a higher number of refs on purpouse.

[Weltall]

Hehehe, its good to be wrong :)
That was killing me, since I couldnt understand why it suddenly changed from 3 to 16 in both profiles I use (AE for anime and HQ-Slowest for movie/tv show content). Then I dont need to use more than 5 ref frames for movie, but for anime I can use 16 without worrying :)

Anyway, one more question, HQ-Slowest shows much difference compared to HQ-Slower? Is it justified? What about trellis quantization, shoud I use it only for macroblocks or there are time that option 2 would be acceptable, even with high increase of encoding time?

That's all, thank you in advance.

[Sharktooth]

There is definatly an improvement in compression switching from HQ-Slower to HW-Slowest but the encoding time will rise.
Trellis 2 tends to "smooth" the picture a bit but will also help compression (a bit).
So it's a matter of taste.
I would not suggest to use trellis 2 on grainy/noisy sources (at least if you want to keep the grainy look).

[Weltall]

:thanks: You've enlighted me.

[yesgrey]

Hi,
I want to backup some MPEG2 blu-rays to H264 using x264.
In the thread comparing both encoders it appears the H264 have the same quality as MPEG2 with half the size. Should I target half the original file size or can I go a bit lower?
For example:
I have a MPEG2 file of 11GB, should I target 5.5 GB or could I go to a DVD5 size of 4.2 GB. I want to keep the original res. 1920x1080.
I am considering using the DXVA-HD-HQ profile, so I could use DXVA for playing. If I use the HQ-Insane or HQ-Slower will I get a significant better quality?

I know I could try all modes and see which is better, but each encode takes a lot of time...

Best Regards

[Atak_Snajpera]

If I use the HQ-Insane or HQ-Slower will I get a significant better quality?
No.
In my opinion above profiles should removed because they are not compatible with anything except software decoders like FFDShow and CoreAVC.

I have a MPEG2 file of 11GB, should I target 5.5 GB or could I go to a DVD5 size of 4.2 GB. I want to keep the original res. 1920x1080.
I would definitely resize to 1280x720. You will retain more details.

[Sharktooth]

most of them will be trashed in the next megui version.
the new profiles will be hardware-oriented and with clearer names. HQ-Insane will still be around (with a new name)... and it will be REALLY INSANE (a torture test for your CPU and your patience!)... and obviously not compatble with HW devices (it will be stated in the profile name).

[Seraphic-]

most of them will be trashed in the next megui version.
the new profiles will be hardware-oriented and with clearer names. HQ-Insane will still be around (with a new name)... and it will be REALLY INSANE (a torture test for your CPU and your patience!)... and obviously not compatble with HW devices (it will be stated in the profile name).

How far off is the next version of megui?

[Sharktooth]

actually, not too far. i and the other devs just need some time to code.

[Seraphic-]

actually, not too far. i and the other devs just need some time to code.

Hi Sharktooth,

Alright, I'll wait for the next version before I start full production on my videos. Sounds like it offers some improvements.

Why is it that 4:2:2 is not supported with x264? I guess it is how the codec was designed, but it unfortunate to have sacrifice 1/6 of the raw color levels. I mean, you can see a good bit of color difference in these two samples. Is there anyway to retain the true color levels?

Also, what inloop filter setting would you suggest for 480p/720p console game-play (3d rendered graphics - fast motion)? I'm using HQ-Slowest as a base (would HQ-Insane be worth the extra encode time?).

Last, can you ever use too high of a bit-rate? Is 7,500 for 480p/720p too much or is more always better if you can deal with the extra file size?

Demo 720p Capture - 100MB (http://www.temp.seraphicgate.com/DemoCapture.rar)

Thanks

Here is a another console game demo using HQ-Slowest as a base but at 10,000 bit rate.

137MB Download (http://www.temp.seraphicgate.com/DemoCapture2.rar)

[pelle412]

your guesses are right but i dont remember why i lowered the qcomp. there is definatly a reason... but i just cant remember right now.


Then why does the SA-Blu-Ray profile use vbv-bufsize 30000 and vbv-maxrate 38000?

[#2]

Hi all. What do you think of this as a profile for video coaching dv archiving? I need it to be clear as possible and allow smooth frame stepping forwards and backwards preferably with smooth progress bar mouse dragging while paused.

Freel free to hack it up. I'm not an expert with x264 profiles.

Thanks in advance

[Weltall]

No.
In my opinion above profiles should removed because they are not compatible with anything except software decoders like FFDShow and CoreAVC.Really!? Which should I use, how can I know which settings I cant use, like number of b-frames or number of ref frames, m.e. range (I'm using 16), subpel ref. and everything? Could you help me pls? I want to run my files after conversion on hware. Thank you in advance, thx God I didnt delete the original files :D:D:D:D

[Atak_Snajpera]

HQ-DXVA profile

[Weltall]

Thank you! DXVA-SD-HQ has the exact same settings I used before! On this profile, b-frames number is 3 and subpel ref is 6. Can't these numbers be raised? Like 16 b-frames, subpel 7 or 16 ref frames (at least 10 for anime content)??? I presume 16 ref frames and subpel 7 are dumb then? But what about 16 b-frames? Cause Shark said is better :D

Btw, what about anime content? Should I use the same profile?

P.S.: At least my previous encodings will play, I was worried :cool:

Edit.: What about fast p-skip, can it be disabled, or shouldn't I disable this at all?

[Atak_Snajpera]

Don't touch ref frames! Unless you want to break compatibility with DXVA! subpel 7 is very slow so it is up to you.

[Sharktooth]

b-frames and ref-frames influence the hardware compatibility. so if you care about it, dont touch them.

[Ittipol02]

Can I use DXVA-SD-HQ profile with constant quality mode?

I have a lot short-vob files like music video, (idol)event tour, .. So I don't want to specific file size. CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) is great but I need more compatibility.

Thanks

[Dark Shikari]

Hi Sharktooth,

Alright, I'll wait for the next version before I start full production on my videos. Sounds like it offers some improvements.

Why is it that 4:2:2 is not supported with x264? I guess it is how the codec was designed, but it unfortunate to have sacrifice 1/6 of the raw color levels. I mean, you can see a good bit of color difference in these two samples. Is there anyway to retain the true color levels?Color subsampling does not affect what colors can be accurately represented, only blurring on the edges of sharp objects/etc as is normally caused by color subsampling. If the colors aren't accurately represented, there's a problem in your color conversion.

x264 doesn't support other color spaces because it would take a lot of code to do so and ffmpeg (AFAIK) doesn't support it either.

[Weltall]

Ok, then I'll stick with 3 b-frames and 8 ref frames for both movie/tv show and anime content.

What about fast p-skip, shoud it be always enabled? Not using it would give me hw incompatibility?

:thanks::thanks::thanks:

[Dark Shikari]

Ok, then I'll stick with 3 b-frames and 8 ref frames for both movie/tv show and anime content.

What about fast p-skip, shoud it be always enabled? Not using it would give me hw incompatibility?

:thanks::thanks::thanks:Fast P-skip is an analysis option; it doesn't affect the playability of the output stream.

[saint-francis]

most of them will be trashed in the next megui version.
the new profiles will be hardware-oriented and with clearer names.

Why the stress on the hardware compatibility? While this is nice for people with old computers, I tend to think that many of them don't have graphics cards that can support DXVA. And most of the people who do have an ATI 3870 or an 8600 GTS will probably have the processing power to make the need for DXVA trivial. And probably anyone who has the processing power to back up their movies with x264 has the processing power to play them back with FFDShow (unless we get into the realm of piracy where anyone can download a 1080p x264 video and may not have the hardware to have encoded it). Personally I have tested a 30 MB/s 1080p movie encoded with HQ Insane and my cpu usage only went to about 16%. Granted I do have a Q6600, but these days even that is becoming a little old. Soon processors will be much faster and much more affordable. So I think that many of the profiles which don't afford hardware compatibility should be left in the list. Personally there are so many restrictions in using DXVA that I will never use it. It is a cool idea though isn't it? Maybe for encoding; every last bit of help you can get there is great. But I (and and probably most of the other people who have a CPU powerful enough to actually use x264) don't need hardware acceleration. Support for stand alone players is a good thing to have for those who don't use some kind of HTPC though.



Fast P-skip is an analysis option; it doesn't affect the playability of the output stream.

How are ref frames not only an analysis option? Or maybe I should say, how do they have any bearing on playback? I thought that they were only for the encoder to seek backwards and forwards during encoding?

[cweb]

Why the stress on the hardware compatibility? While this is nice for people with old computers, I tend to think that many of them don't have graphics cards that can support DXVA.
Old computers? Aren't we talking devices, such as hand-helds, PDA's, mobiles here too?

[saint-francis]

Old computers? Aren't we talking devices, such as hand-helds, PDA's, mobiles here too?

Yes. And I address that at the end of the paragraph. But, several of the preceding posts were discussing DXVA in particular and since this topic has personal interest for me I chose to pontificate on it.

[#2]

What would be a minimum gop size for the b-frame setting in the HQ insane profile?

[tetsuo55]

Why the stress on the hardware compatibility? While this is nice for people with old computers, I tend to think that many of them don't have graphics cards that can support DXVA. And most of the people who do have an ATI 3870 or an 8600 GTS will probably have the processing power to make the need for DXVA trivial. And probably anyone who has the processing power to back up their movies with x264 has the processing power to play them back with FFDShow (unless we get into the realm of piracy where anyone can download a 1080p x264 video and may not have the hardware to have encoded it). Personally I have tested a 30 MB/s 1080p movie encoded with HQ Insane and my cpu usage only went to about 16%. Granted I do have a Q6600, but these days even that is becoming a little old. Soon processors will be much faster and much more affordable. So I think that many of the profiles which don't afford hardware compatibility should be left in the list. Personally there are so many restrictions in using DXVA that I will never use it. It is a cool idea though isn't it? Maybe for encoding; every last bit of help you can get there is great. But I (and and probably most of the other people who have a CPU powerful enough to actually use x264) don't need hardware acceleration. Support for stand alone players is a good thing to have for those who don't use some kind of HTPC though.





How are ref frames not only an analysis option? Or maybe I should say, how do they have any bearing on playback? I thought that they were only for the encoder to seek backwards and forwards during encoding?


DXVA is being used a lot in posts, this does not mean the posts are only about pc-acceleration, the DXVA settings guarantee playback on all hardware based devices.

the fact that you can select out of spec settings for encoding a video does not mean you should, as software decoders become more and more true to the standards so does the need for videos encoded with a standard.

According to a lot of tests, going beyond the limits of hardware compatibibily have little to no effect on the percieved quality of the resulting file (with the exception of ref frames with animated low detail full hd content)

Now anyone that want's to use different setting can always manually do so, these profiles are not hardcoded into x264 with no way around them.

finally, even you're q6600 can have some minor frame-drops when it comes to high bitrate encodes that are on the edge of hardware compatibility (especially original blu-ray discs that add the overhead of decrypting), that said there are no discs out there yet that are unwatchable on a system like your's

personally i am one of those persons with a slow pc, and a dxva videocard, i eventually intend to buy a standalone player so personally i have 2 reasons to use DXVA compatible settings. As x264 is going to be the standard for a very long time there is a big chance that anyone with a fast enough pc will one day come eye to eye with a hardware decoder, it's for those moments that you'll be glad you encoded with DXVA settings.

[yesgrey]

I asked this:
"I have a MPEG2 file of 11GB, should I target 5.5 GB or could I go to a DVD5 size of 4.2 GB. I want to keep the original res. 1920x1080."

and you answered this:
I would definitely resize to 1280x720. You will retain more details.

One more question: Which size should I target if I want to keep the 1920x1080 resolution?

:thanks:

[saint-francis]

One more question: Which size should I target if I want to keep the 1920x1080 resolution?

If in doubt just use CRF 18 and see what size it gives you.

[frank]

crf18 is ok. Results are very good.

AND, not the file size - the bitrate of the file is important.

You should believe what Atak_Snajpera said.
You should resize to 1280x720!
Thats the only good option for quality and file size, when burning on dvd.
Most people don't own a screen with higher resolution.

[stax76]

In StaxRip beta you would:

Select a 2 pass x264 profile
Set the target filesize to 4479 MB
Set the target image size to 1920x1080
Perform a compressibility check

50%-60% compares to crf 22 which is decent, if it turns out less than 50% which is likely unless it's short, dark, boring movie, then it's indeed better to resize it to 1280x720.

[yesgrey]

I believe in what Atak_Snajpera said, for a dvd it should be the best, but since I am pointing this file to be viewed with a 1920x1080 front projector in a really big screen, I would like to keep it at 1920x1080. My original idea was a little more than half the size, as I explained before, due to the MPEG2 vs x264 comparison thread. I have two files like this, and I could put both in 3 dvds, instead of 3 dvds for each, as is now.
I will try crf18. I believe it's just a single pass, so it should not take a day for the encoding...:)

Thank you all for your answers.:thanks:

[Atak_Snajpera]

One more question: Which size should I target if I want to keep the 1920x1080 resolution?
DVD-DL

[yesgrey]

I have tryed 1920x1080 with crf18 and got a size of 6.28 GB. So it seems I could put two movies in 3 dvd5.
I forgot to mention that the movie duration is 39m22s, I don't know if this changes the sizes you all have suggested... I have read in some places that the resolution we should use depends of the bitrate we will use... any truth in this?

:thanks:

[stax76]

I have tryed 1920x1080 with crf18 and got a size of 6.28 GB. So it seems I could put two movies in 3 dvd5.

Pretty bad idea, seems you are totally ignoring my advice.


... I have read in some places that the resolution we should use depends of the bitrate we will use... any truth in this?


True but there is another factor called compressibility you want to take into account as well.

[yesgrey]

Pretty bad idea, seems you are totally ignoring my advice.

stax, I am not ignoring your advice. I have tryed it but must have made something wrong because your program suddenly shutdown. Since I have been out for a few days, I only referred the crf18 because it was the only successfull I had. Today I tryed your software again and it worked ok. Here are the compressibility test results:

x264 High Quality Slowest:
Quality: 71%; Compressibility: 0.46

x264 High Quality Fast:
Quality: 67%; Compressibility: 0.48

Can you enlight me about these results?

True but there is another factor called compressibility you want to take into account as well.
Can you give me some rules of thumb about the usage?

:thanks:

[stax76]

something wrong because your program suddenly shutdown

Please try the beta and make a bug report if it happens again.

Can you enlight me about these results?

100% is about crf 18 and is very good quality, crf 22 is about 50%-60% and is OK quality, you are somewhere beetween which is good.

Can you give me some rules of thumb about the usage?

Use quality values between 50%-70%.

[skyDiver]

Hey altough its not related to the discussion going on right now , but can somebody tell me how to get x.264 C source code . . ? :)

[stax76]

Just enter 'x264' in google, you probably want to enter 'C++' and 'h264' in google as well.

[yesgrey]

100% is about crf 18 and is very good quality, crf 22 is about 50%-60% and is OK quality, you are somewhere beetween which is good.

So, my previous post about using 3 dvds for 2 movies, with crf 18, it's a pretty bad idea because I am using more than needed, right? I thought you were considering it a low quality encoding...

You said that crf 18 is better quality than crf 22, but in one of your x264 help links (guide by DVDGuy, page 3) is written that the higher the crf number, the higher the quality of the encoding.

Who is correct?

[stax76]

I would put it:

crf 18: extreme good quality (huge filesize!)
crf 20: very good quality
crf 22: good quality (only value I've ever used, it's also the default value in StaxRip and other applications)
crf 24: OK quality

Like comp. check it's only a raw idea, it really depends on the source, on the settings etc.

[yesgrey]

stax,
That list would be a very helpfull reference for a starter in x264 encoding like me.

:thanks:

[jwhyche]

I would put it:

crf 18: extreme good quality (huge filesize!)
crf 20: very good quality
crf 22: good quality (only value I've ever used, it's also the default value in StaxRip and other applications)
crf 24: OK quality

Like comp. check it's only a raw idea, it really depends on the source, on the settings etc.

I've been running some experiments with setting at crf-22 and I have to say I'm impressed with the results. I would like to try the others but can't seem find where to change them at.

Nevermind that. I found it. It was in the x264 options. Just didnt' see it at first.

I've been using nothing but Two pass forever. Can someone point me to a guide to where I can find out more about Constant Quality?

[ditche]

I would put it:

crf 18: extreme good quality (huge filesize!)
crf 20: very good quality
crf 22: good quality (only value I've ever used, it's also the default value in StaxRip and other applications)
crf 24: OK quality
Have you an idea of what CRF is equivalent to CRF22 (DVD) with a HD video (720p) ? CRF26 ?
:)

[Sharktooth]

CRF doesnt depend on the resolution.
CRF 22 is CRF 22. Period.
sometimes, with HD video, is better rising the CRF to spare some disk space, but a higher value means lower quality... always...

[P.J]

What's the minimum bitrate for 1080p/720p ?
Does lower bitrate increase the noise in 1080p ?

Thanks.

[Sharktooth]

There's no minimum. it depends on the source.
Lowering the bitrate will INCREASE artifacts and LOWER the noise (since the deblocking will be triggered more often).
however this is the wrong thread for this stuff.
have a read at the guides and document yourself a bit on video encoding. those questions lead me to think you have NO experience in video encoding at all.