About the missing option in the x264 VfW

[Doom9]

The following features (the list might not be complete and is subject to change) are available only in the x264 commandline encoder and not the VfW frontend.

Constant quality mode
Fast P-Skip
Custom quantization matrices
Buffer control
Zones
AQ (only available in Sharktooth's build, not an official x264 feature at this point)

If you miss these features, you have two options:

1) Use the commandline encoder (with a GUI frontent if you like, here's a list (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=89979)

2) Start Visual Studio and add the options on your own.

The VfW frontend was never much maintained by the core x264 developers and was on and off extended by volunteers. Currently, there are no volunteers to maintain the VfW frontend, that's why it is not being updated when new features are added to x264. None of the core developers has an interest to update the VfW, so please don't go bugging them.

In addition, if you've heard about such features like Levels, Profiles or Turbo mode, those are no x264 features, but additional intelligence some of the frontends offer to make your life easier. Levels require some of the features only the commandline version has (namely buffer control.. plus there are effects that ripple through entire applications as levels also limit the resolution you can use), Profiles and Turbo could be integrated into the VfW as well (at this point, remind yourself that there are two options for this to happen.. I've already listed them).

[Caroliano]

The "multipass - first pass (fast)" isn't the turbo option?

[Sharktooth]

it is, but it's slower than it can be.

[Revgen]

For those who want to use VFW because of the editing features available in Virtual Dub, you can encode to CLI using Avisynth and Virtual Dub's frameserving function.

1) Double-Click the auxsetup.exe file in your Virtual Dub directory and choose "Install Handler." This will install the system files necessary to frameserve with Virtual Dub.

2) Open your video or .avs file in Virtual Dub and do the editing that you plan to do. Then go to File-->Start Frameserver and save your .vdr file. Do not shutdown Virtual Dub after you've done this.

3)Now you need to create an AVS script.

avisource("yourdrive:\yourvirtualdubframeservefile.vdr")
ConvertToYV12()

And save it as yourx264encode.avs

4) Now open up yourx264encode.avs in MeGUI or typing in commandlines in the x264.exe and encode your video.

[Tommy Carrot]

Nah, that's not it, under editability i mean being able to edit the video AFTER encoding. Yeah i know, it's possible to edit MKV/MP4 videos too, but it's too complicated and involves de/remuxing. Like it or not, for this purpose, AVI is still by far the best solution.

[DeathTheSheep]

Fast P-Skip
Wouldn't that be "NO fast P-skip?"

[Doom9]

this isn't a discussion thread but a fact statement.