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a1) Quantizer: 0 is highest quality? I want to encode 1/3 DVD.
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quant=0 is a good way to end up with a reencode that's larger than the source. The lowest quants I'd normally consider using are in the 10-15 range.
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a3) Number of reference frames: 3 -5 ?
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You can benefit slightly from using a higher number; the speed penalty is pretty minor and in my experience it practically never ends up raising bitrate (unless you turn off CABAC). Lately I usually just use 15. Be aware that 15 is usually only slightly better than 5, if it's better at all.
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a5) I want to use somethimg like adaptive. Is -2 for both ok?
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x264 doesn't do adaptive deblocking, but you can tweak deblocking parameters. Don't expect any miracles. It's just a tradeoff of blockiness vs. loss of detail.
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a7) subpixel refinements: Always QPel brings highest quality?
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It can never LOWER quality as it might in MPEG-4 ASP (assuming a given bitrate, that is). Asking for more subp refinement usually makes a significant difference. The difference between subq=1 vs subq=5 is often a couple percent in bitrate plus a little PSNR, but the speed difference is very big too.