[DeathTheSheep]

Mmkay guys, lots of stuff to address:

What's your intention DeathTheSheep in re-releasing 0.46? Using it for anime only? Don't you think VAQ2 is better?

My intentions at the time of initial posting were nil, which is precisely the reason why I was gathering input. I've made extensive quality comparisons of the two and have found 0.46 produces a significantly higher SSIM and (perceived) visual quality on low-bitrate (high quantizer) anime sources, especially in baseline profile, and regardless of other options used. However, I do plan to wait it out a bit in the hopes that DS will in fact address anime specifically in VAQ2.0 (read below).

Originally Posted by Dark Shikari

His purpose is to discourage me from ever releasing any patches publicly again by intentionally distributing broken code with my name on it.

What! I appreciate your work as much as (or perhaps more than) most. Recall I was of the very first to support your first x264 hacks (remember x264-sad-opt and such?), and was always in favor of you releasing all and anything you could. I can't understand your accusation of me intentionally discouraging you...unless the underlying intention of this statement is the OS equivalent of FUD (I'm teasing here, but really now, it's unprofessional). Look at my sources, people--any anime sources, including Gundam Seed--and test yourself. My tests were all very clear, replete with commandlines, the source, tons of screenshots, visual analysis, the sample clips, metrics (especially the one found in the "megathread"). Besides, the code is certainly not "broken" (though the rounding is mathematically suboptimal), and if you'd like I can take your name off of it, DS. You can disown your ugly first born, if you will. But at your strongly suggested request, I will hold off on releasing it and instead watch the progress of VAQ 2.0.

Its probably the combination of settings he's using is falsely giving the impression that 0.46 is better

Wrong, my good sir. While I do not profess nearly the code affinity and proficiency of DS, I understand the quality settings of x264 at least well enough to conduct proper and thorough testing (note: baseline/mobile profile). However, in doubt, I also used an exhaustive testing rubric, trying a ridiculously large combination of settings in the effort to convince myself. As you recall, I used no-fast-pskip in the majority of my testing--but certainly not all--and please remember the fact that the underlying algorithm is essentially a quantizer redistribution according to a variance function, not an intentional modification of color information. The difference between 1.0 and 0.46, for instance, is the rounding for core formula. That is all.

If you want a technical explanation, refer to the previous thread. 1.0 is no longer a patch. The admittedly interesting postulate that 0.46 is "favoring lines" isn't necessarily the case either. The quantizers were properly raised, but to the extent that the x264 deblocker would (conveniently) efficiently conceal artifacts. Additionally, relatively flat backgrounds and such were indeed awarded lower quantizers, but not to the extent that blocks would reappear due to an excess or an irregularity of distribution across the entire background. However, it isn't a matter of simply decreasing AQ strength on 1.0 to re-acheive this fragile balance--rather, the two algorithms have a markedly distinct visual effect from one another, for better (as DS strongly supports), or for worse (as DS strongly opposes, since his interests understandably lie with his newer codebase, the evolution of his brainchild).

And indeed, this is only noticeable on anime. Perhaps 0.48/1.0 is in the lead as regards live footage/non-anime content. One would be more willing to accept that a perfected mathematical formula to account for real quantization error would perform more optimally on non-artificial footage unlike anime.

But when all is said and done, this isn't a settings discussion, or a question of whether or not anybody/anything knows what he/it's doing, or who/what is right and wrong about the subtleties of the algorithms at hand--I had wanted a re-release so that any user can come along and see it for himself with his sources and bitrates which performed more optimally for his needs.

The point of fact is, there is far too much contention, and I fear re-releasing AQ 0.46 at this point will do much in the way of hurting DS (his feelings, his name, his efforts) and perhaps the concept of "progress" itself, so I will not. At least not until 2.0 has matured enough to make differences meaningful, not to mention worthwhile. I have my eyes on it, in the meantime...