MeGUI Custom x264/AVC video profiles.

[Synergy37]

Yeah no settings I've been trying have worked. Can someone post a shor clip for me to download along with their settings for me to try?

[CubaMAN]

AFAIK no... however is your mp4box up to date?

Sorry, had problems with my internet connection. I have the version which is available via the MeGUI Update Manager. Where can I get the current version? Is there a guide which deinterlace filter to use for which source? Had a partially interlaced movie and let MeGui choose the filter but the result was ugly.

[acarney]

Using Sharks 5.5G profile without changing ANYTHING should work fine. I have encoded iPod videos using MeGUI with Shark's 5.5G profile output set to mp4. For audio you need to downmix to two channels and make sure it's constant bit rate 160kbps or less (I use 128kbit so try using that first) and ACC-LC setting. Mux these two files using NicMP4Box v1.0, it has a hack which will let you make 640 pixel files that work on the iPod.

Once you get the hang of working with files using those settings you can change the avg. bit rate up to 1500kbps (as far as I know, I have gone as high as 1200 and as low as 800) and I can say that auto two pass and auto three pass work.


Edit: Might I add that I also need to use NiceFPS AviSynth plugin with these files to get them to work in Quicktime or iTunes. If you're testing with a 60 second file or something you'll probably get a working file without NiceFPS but when you move onto a full size (30min, 1 hr, etc) you might run into problems, NiceFPS shouldn't slow things down and is a nice backup just in case so you don't waste encoding twice to get it working.

[Lemonadez]

Which Profile that has better quality? that goes under 60MB below.

[pimpMyHD]

does one of the HQ- profile could be considered as a 'lowcpu' profile ?
if no, what could be a real 'lowcpu' profile ?

[sillKotscha]

what do you mean by 'lowcpu'? Do you mean you want to encode using a given profile and want to decode it with your low cpu without any hazzle?? What do you consider a low cpu?

Speaking for myself I'm used to encode using HQ-Slow -> if I follow your 'lowcpu' phrase I can say, yes, during encoding my cpu usage is really low for other threads (= really high for x264 encoding), even on idle mode BUT with CoreAVC or an up2date build of ffdshow for decoding my cpu is on average demand...

I consider my CPU (= xp2400+) quite old but still adequate even for HDTV resolutions using CoreAVC...

btw, IMO your question deosn't really belong here...

[pimpMyHD]

oh! sorry, i tought this term was common. When i say 'lowcpu' i mean the video need less to be decoded.
I saw this term on a site, but it is maybe just rubbish ?
I understood, reading that, that the video was encoding a way which will allow to be decoding using less cpu.
I am not a specialist at all ... so maybe i am wrong from the beginning. For exemple, if not using some features at encoding, the video should be more easy to decode ? that the way i understood it.

I think the question belong there because it is directly concerning the megui's profiles.

actually, i use the hd-dvd profile.
Thanks a lot for your answer.

[Chainmax]

I have a few questions about the 5.5G iPod AVC profile. First of all, I'd like to know if the 640x480 limit is a pixelcount or width/height limitation (i.é: if I can use, say, 716x416 on a 16:9 source). I'd also like to know if I can use RDO2,No-DCT-Decimation, No-Fast P-Skip, I4x4, P8x8 and B8x8 since they aren't greyed out. Lastly, can the iPod play a 15fps video encoded with these settings?

[Chainmax]

...
For audio you need to downmix to two channels and make sure it's constant bit rate 160kbps or less (I use 128kbit so try using that first) and ACC-LC setting. Mux these two files using NicMP4Box v1.0, it has a hack which will let you make 640 pixel files that work on the iPod.

Will adaptive 192kbps AAC-LC not work for sure? Also, is NicMP4Box compulsory or will the latest MP4Box work as well?


...
Edit: Might I add that I also need to use NiceFPS AviSynth plugin with these files to get them to work in Quicktime or iTunes. If you're testing with a 60 second file or something you'll probably get a working file without NiceFPS but when you move onto a full size (30min, 1 hr, etc) you might run into problems, NiceFPS shouldn't slow things down and is a nice backup just in case so you don't waste encoding twice to get it working.

What kind of issues will I run into if not using NiceFPS?

[simonhowson]

I have a few questions about the 5.5G iPod AVC profile. First of all, I'd like to know if the 640x480 limit is a pixelcount or width/height limitation (i.é: if I can use, say, 716x416 on a 16:9 source). I'd also like to know if I can use RDO2,No-DCT-Decimation, No-Fast P-Skip, I4x4, P8x8 and B8x8 since they aren't greyed out. Lastly, can the iPod play a 15fps video encoded with these settings?

As far as I know, the width MUST be 640, then the vertical resolution varies depending on the aspect ratio of the material.

I'm sorry I can't help you wtih those other settings, I really rely heavily on Sharktooth's profile, the only changes I make is to turn deblocking on, and to use threads 2 because I have a dual core machine.

[Chainmax]

I thought deblocking increased playback requirements, do those files encoded with deblocking enabled play back ok on your iPod?

By the way, I'd like to know the answers to my questions regarding vanilla 5G iPods as well, if possible.

[migrena]

yes, avc encoded videos with deblocking enabled at 640x480 play fine on my old 5G ipod, also 25 fps worked fine so i expect 15 fps to be playable as well (in old 1.1 firmware any fps lower than 30 was palyable)
they changed pixelcount requirement into max width and height (for avc at least)
you may find this topic (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=115917) very helpful, especially page 4

ps 5.5 and 5.0 ipods are exacly the same thing in terms of playback abilities

[Chainmax]

So that means for 16:9 content I'm limited to 640x360+Borders then. Thanks for the info :). As for sound, is 160kbps CBR the maximum or can I use 192kbps adaptive? And did you ever have to include NiceFPS on your scripts?


P.S: I forgot, since RDO2,No-DCT-Decimation, No-Fast P-Skip, I4x4, P8x8 and B8x8 since aren't greyed out can they be enabled?

[anonymez]

I for got, since RDO2,No-DCT-Decimation, No-Fast P-Skip, I4x4, P8x8 and B8x8 since aren't greyed out can they be enabled?

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=835422#post835422

[migrena]

As for sound, is 160kbps CBR the maximum or can I use 192kbps adaptive?
naac gave me very inaccurate results (undershot bitrate), so now i'm using faac 160kbps abr
itunes checks up only average bitrate, right? if so this is probably one of those stupid apple limitations as ipods are able to playback aac at 320kbps

[Chainmax]

anonymez: I can't believe I forgot that :o, thanks for reminding me :).

migrena: I will use 160kbps ABR then, thanks :).

[migrena]

it is always good to check actual bitrate after encoding because 161kbps abr will not transfer to ipod

[TwoToad]

I just upgraded my cell to one that can play *.3gp videos. Which MeGUI profile would I use? Or maybe a better question would be to ask if there are any guides or specs that one would use... I understand that 3gp is a mp4 type file (MPEG-4 SP baseline@level 0??) and supports aac audio.

I must be strange for wanting to watch videos on a 1-2 inch screen LOL!!

[check]

Try the baseline profile and set the vbv maxrate to 250 or so.

[Atak_Snajpera]

PSP profile requires update!!! Below settings which work on my PSP 3.02.

x264.exe "c:\video.avs" --pass 1 --bitrate 384 --stats ".stats" --level 2.1 --ref 2 --mixed-refs --no-fast-pskip --bframes 5 --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --trellis 1 --analyse all --me umh --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --output "c:\video.mp4" "c:\video.avs"
x264.exe "c:\video.avs" --pass 2 --bitrate 384 --stats ".stats" --level 2.1 --ref 2 --mixed-refs --no-fast-pskip --bframes 5 --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --trellis 1 --analyse all --me umh --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --output "c:\video.mp4" "c:\video.avs"

As you can see --level 2.1 is required. You can also use --analyse all and --bframes 5 :)
Very important!!! DO NOT USE -thread 2 (or more) because PSP somehow doesn't want to open movies after this.

[Sharktooth]

i will include the changes in the next version.
thanx.

[Sharktooth]

you should post that feature request in the AVC forum...
this is truly not related to megui

[JarrettH]

Does this mean anything?

Just caught it in the log...

x264 [warning]: VBV maxrate specified, but no bufsize.

[check]

nothing important unless you are working with playback systems with a small buffer (ie, a standalone player).

[quake74]

PSP profile requires update!!! Below settings which work on my PSP 3.02.

x264.exe "c:\video.avs" --pass 1 --bitrate 384 --stats ".stats" --level 2.1 --ref 2 --mixed-refs --no-fast-pskip --bframes 5 --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --trellis 1 --analyse all --me umh --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --output "c:\video.mp4" "c:\video.avs"
x264.exe "c:\video.avs" --pass 2 --bitrate 384 --stats ".stats" --level 2.1 --ref 2 --mixed-refs --no-fast-pskip --bframes 5 --b-rdo --bime --weightb --direct auto --subme 6 --trellis 1 --analyse all --me umh --thread-input --progress --no-psnr --output "c:\video.mp4" "c:\video.avs"

As you can see --level 2.1 is required. You can also use --analyse all and --bframes 5 :)
Very important!!! DO NOT USE -thread 2 (or more) because PSP somehow doesn't want to open movies after this.

Isn't it possible to speed up the first pass? Kinda like the turbo option in xvid? I know it's written somewhere what options are safe to be dropped during the first pass...

[Sharktooth]

MeGUI has a "Turbo" option...

[smuthy]

First of thanks to Sharktooth for his great profiles.

I wanted a constant quality factor profile like CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf) but that encoded quicker on my limited hardware.

Therefore, I modified the 1P-Intermediate profile to run at a constant quality crf=21 (determined for my eyes and equipment via experiment on short clips), no other mods made to the profile.

This gives me good results at a higher encoding speed than CQ-ASP_Q2_eq(crf).

Hope this proves useful - if I'm wrong and this is a dumb idea please let me know.

[JarrettH]

Will you be using that deadzone setting in any of your HQ profiles Sharktooth? Or is it one of those subjective settings?

[Sharktooth]

The deadzones settings depend on the source material so i cant include them in the profiles.

[Atak_Snajpera]

[QUOTE=Very important!!! DO NOT USE -thread 2 (or more) because PSP somehow doesn't want to open movies after this.[/QUOTE]

It applies ONLY to old version x264.exe (before rev 610)
With lates you can use how many threads you want. :-)

By the way Is it safe to use Turbo mode in first pass? How does it work?

[check]

turbo will reduce the final quality by a small amount, but gives you a significant encoding boost. Make a test test encodes to compare.

[Sharktooth]

V34:
- Set the number of threads to 0 (auto) on all profiles by default.
- Updated the PD-PSP profile for the new 3.02 firmware.
- Some other minor changes

[experttech]

Can you please tell me what video profile I can use to watch videos on my Blackberry 8100 (Pearl)


Blackberry Pearl
Supported audio formats: MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
Supported video formats: MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263

[Sharktooth]

none of the included...

[check]

You can try xvid with all options disabled and mp3.

[sugala]

Thanks a lot The searching spend so much time.

[shon3i]

Thanks a lot The searching spend so much time.
XviD aslo with HE-AAC+PS @ 24kbps, much better quality audio than mp3 at same filesize

[SpAwN_gUy]

Is it only Me... or.. I'me Getting "Error File is not a Profile for MeGUI".. for all of v34... (Latest MeGUI) .. v33 - works fine.

[bananacreamandpeca]

Hi, maybe a stupid question sharktooth.
But do each of your megui-profiles also come with a customized matrice inside?

(just wondering)

[elguaxo]

But do each of your megui-profiles also come with a customized matrice inside?

Nope. But there are a couple of nice CQMs with detailed usage descriptions here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=96298) and here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=117041). And there is an older thread here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=96159).

[Sharktooth]

Is it only Me... or.. I'me Getting "Error File is not a Profile for MeGUI".. for all of v34... (Latest MeGUI) .. v33 - works fine.
Update to the latest megui.

[TwoToad]

Hello Sharktooth,

The iPod 5.5G profile might need to be updated. I haven't run enough tests to make sure yet, though. It seems that iTunes wants a SAR and Level 30 (??? what the heck???) according to Nic's MP4Box. I modified your profile by setting the level to "Unrestricted", and then adding the command line options of "--sar 1:1 --level 30". This fixed a "white frame" issue I had with one movie I had, but I haven't had the time to test it out on other videos that were giving me problems...

Anyway, just a heads up. If other people want to help test this out to be sure?...

[migrena]

there is no need to use "--sar 1:1", also both "--level 30" and "--level 3" can be used (tested)
that profile works fine but you will need to use nic's compilation of mp4box to mux output file instead of the regular one

i dont know what is this "white frame issue", can you clarify this?

[TwoToad]

I do use nic's mp4box. I was just following nic's instructions in his readme file. The --level 30 makes no sense to me, because there is no AVC Baseline Level 30...

The white frames are in Apples ever-so-wonderful iTunes. Sometimes when you load a new video that you encoded with megui iPod 5.5g profile, it will show up in iTunes as a solid white frame. Then when you try to play it, the player window shows nothing (just whatever was behind the window when it opened up). Sound plays though. The video *will* copy over to the iPod and it will actually play normally. I'm not sure what Apple's issue is.

This doesn't happen to every encode, just random ones, when it feels like it =) I've tried enforcing the FPS to 23.976, encoded audio and video separate and muxed manually, and those random videos refuse to show up properly in iTunes...

Anyway, so far I've been having good luck with the --sar 1:1 and --level 30 options.

[migrena]

3.0=3 and cli programs dont like some characters therfore 30=3

i wont comment itunes here because i dont know how to do this in acceptable words, just dont use itunes as multimedia player, drag-and-drop your videos directly to ipod

[TwoToad]

Ah, nevermind... scratch out the whole --sar 1:1 and --level thingy. I still managed to encode a video that plays on the pod but not tunes...

And you are right. Tunes is pretty, but buggy as all get out.

[Hobojobo]

Where can I dl the previous sets of video/audio profiles?

I am running W2k and the 0.2.4.10xx versions reject to work for me so I have to downgrade.
And the lastest profiles don't like the 0.2.3.2193 meGui.

[ScootyPuffJr]

Is there any way to do constant quality recording for the iPod using x264? I like the quality but I'd like to cudt down on the file size. Enabling 2-pass in the profile didn't really seem to do anything to decrease the file size.

[Sharktooth]

Where can I dl the previous sets of video/audio profiles?

I am running W2k and the 0.2.4.10xx versions reject to work for me so I have to downgrade.
And the lastest profiles don't like the 0.2.3.2193 meGui.
i simply dont have them...

[Sharktooth]

Is there any way to do constant quality recording for the iPod using x264? I like the quality but I'd like to cudt down on the file size. Enabling 2-pass in the profile didn't really seem to do anything to decrease the file size.
i think you didnt read the megui guide...
first of all you need to use the bitrate calculator (to set your desired filesize) or manually configure the profile to set your desired bitrate... obviously before encoding...
however you better :readguid: