x264 encode, remove UserData

[Selur]

Didn't find anything about this using the search, so:

Is there a (simple) way to remove the UserData entries x264 inserts? Or even better is there a flag to stop x264.exe from creating them?

Cu Selur

[bob0r]

user data like?

[Mutant_Fruit]

Doesn't it store the commandline used and a few other bits and bobs like that?

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Doesn't it store the commandline used and a few other bits and bobs like that?

It stores the x264 options used, not the commandline.

But I don't see a reason for deleting this info.
Can you explain why you want to delete it? :confused:

Example:

[ About file ]

Name: Al Di Meola - Jazz Festival.avi
Date: 14/04/2007 15:18:11
Size: 91,629,702 bytes

[ Generic info ]

Play duration: 00:08:29 (508.68 s)
Container type: AVI
Number of streams: 2
Type of stream nr. 0: video
Type of stream nr. 1: audio
Audio streams: 1
JUNK: Avidemux

[ About quality ]

Resolution: HIGH (640 x 368)
Width: multiple of 16 (GOOD)
Height: multiple of 16 (GOOD)

[ Video track ]

FourCC: H264/H264
Resolution: 640 x 368
Frame aspect ratio: 40:23 = 1.739130 (~16:9)
Pixel aspect ratio: 1:1 = 1
Display aspect ratio: 40:23 = 1.739130 (~16:9)
Framerate: 25 fps
Number of frames: 12717
Stream size: 82,450,998 bytes
Bitrate: 1296.705166 kbps
Qf: 0.220228
Key frames: 142 (0; 86; 151; 306; 418; ... 12553)
Null frames: 0
Min key int: 26
Max key int: 250
Avg key int: 89.556338
Delay: 0 ms

[ Audio track ]

Audio tag: 0x55 (MP3)
Bitrate: 128 kbps CBR
Channels: 2
Sample rate: 44100 Hz
Chunks: 19480
Stream size: 8,141,336 bytes
Delay: 0 ms

[ About H.264 encoding ]

User data: x264
User data: core 54 svn-650
User data: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec
User data: Copyleft 2005
User data: http://www.videolan.org/x264.html
User data: cabac=1
User data: ref=6
User data: deblock=1:-2:-1
User data: analyse=0x3:0x133
User data: me=umh
User data: subme=7
User data: brdo=1
User data: mixed_ref=1
User data: me_range=16
User data: chroma_me=1
User data: trellis=0
User data: 8x8dct=1
User data: cqm=0
User data: deadzone=21,11
User data: chroma_qp_offset=0
User data: threads=1
User data: nr=0
User data: decimate=1
User data: mbaff=0
User data: bframes=3
User data: b_pyramid=1
User data: b_adapt=1
User data: b_bias=0
User data: direct=2
User data: wpredb=1
User data: bime=1
User data: keyint=250
User data: keyint_min=25
User data: scenecut=40
User data: rc=crf
User data: crf=22,0
User data: rceq='blurCplx^(1-qComp)'
User data: qcomp=0,60
User data: qpmin=10
User data: qpmax=51
User data: qpstep=4
User data: ip_ratio=1,40
User data: pb_ratio=1,30
SPS id: 0
Num ref frames: 9
PPS id: 0
Entropy coding type: CABAC
Weighted prediction: No

This report was created by AVInaptic (http://fsinapsi.altervista.org) (29-03-2007) on 14 apr 2007, h 15:40:57

[Selur]

user data like?
Like all the x264 encoding setting. (see LoRd_MuldeRs post)

Can you explain why you want to delete it?
Got a bunch of reasons:

1st I don't like it when I'm "watched". :)
2nd I hold the opinion that it should be possible to disable unneeded logfiles.
3rd It causes Quicktimes Movie Info (CTRL+I) to open a too small window for the movie info.

Cu Selur

[ToS_Maverick]

because some releasegroups don't want their settings exploited, maybe?

[akupenguin]

I give you a codec, and you can't even share your settings? If you want secrecy, stop leeching off an open source project, and go buy a commercial H.264 encoder. They'll be happy to not tell anyone (including you) how it works.

[ChronoCross]

Like all the x264 encoding setting. (see LoRd_MuldeRs post)


Got a bunch of reasons:

1st I don't like it when I'm "watched". :)
2nd I hold the opinion that it should be possible to disable unneeded logfiles.
3rd It causes Quicktimes Movie Info (CTRL+I) to open a too small window for the movie info.

Cu Selur

1) What info is in there that can have any basis for anything? IT's not like your SSN or home address is located there

2) This one doesn't have any practical purpose other than your own preference of which it would be impossible to cater to everyones preferences. Personally I would like x264 to clean my house but I doubt that kind of preference would be built in

3) Quicktime blows. Nuff said.

because some releasegroups don't want their settings exploited, maybe?

Normally I wouldn't speculate like this however in this case that seems to be the only logical reason.

[Selur]

@ToS_Maverick: LOL, no I'm far from being related to any releasegroup.

@akapenguin: I have no problem with sharing my settings in general. Hack, I'm writing a MeGui handbook atm. (going to release it later today) which is about 150+ pages strong and I'm frequently posting megui profiles of the settings I use in the german community. I also report bugs whenever I find them to bug trackers or here in the forum and I'm not such unknown for helping out in the german doom9 community. (Along side some other german boards.) I also wrote a 39pages long guide about Xvid and its settings, a 16pages long guide about the vfw forntend of x264 and a 17pages long guide about the command line switches of x264.
So I'm totally sorry, if I'm 'leeching off an open source project' when I thought I was trying to help out whereever my time and knowledge allows it.

Sorry, but this totally is like a slap in my face.

-------

about the extensive UserData use:
For me it's more a choice if, when and how I want to share my settings. For me it feels like if linux would send all my configfiles around the world.

Cu Selur

Ps.: @ChronoCross: A simple: "It's ment as a feature for sharing settings and if you don't want it make your own patch and build." would have been fine. But now I'm 'leeching off an open source project' and part of a release group.
Hello WTF is going on here?

[akupenguin]

Sorry for jumping to conclusions. So you're saying you have a technical reason, and it's not a question of secrecy?

[Selur]

It's not that technical but more a reason of fealing. For me it feals kind of wrong for a open source project to enforce users to share their configs and the quicktime thing is bugging me a bit. (And yeah I'm aware that the 'better' way might be to contact quicktime about it, but quicktime support really is not useable.)

It's not such a drama, when nobody else is bugged by this it's okay, I'll figure out how to compile x264 myself and write a patch to stop x264 from writing all the userdata.

Since I can't see a good reason for storing them in there, but may be I'm just to paranoid about, for me, unneeded data collecting.

Cu Selur

[Sagittaire]

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=123392

h264info remove all the x264 entry
hexadecimal editor too

[jeffy]

The data in the files take up only a small space and I like they are in the file itself, you do an encode with some trials (and errors), let's say, 2-5 or more and then.... then you might start wondering what settings did I use, it looks so good..., first or second or third subset of settings? Just look into the file with a hex editor and you can stop wondering :D

[Selur]

@Sagittaire: Thanks for the Info.
---
=> LOL now the sad thing comes:

It didn't help the quicktime issuse.
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/253/meguicodiertzt4.png

Strange files encoded with SUPER do not cause this problem,...
-> going to hunt for the problem that's causing this. :)

=> found it, it's caused by bframes, as soon as b-frames are disabled 'Movie info' looks normal. (though playback with bframes enabled works fine)

Cu Selur