Resolution/x264 Query

[drunksaiyan]

Hi guys. Just wanted to say Hello and ask a couple of questions, as I'm horribly new to this whole thing. Managed to find my way here after looking at some of the neat things Dark Shikari has done for the EVE Online community.

While I'm working my way through the numerous guides posted on the site, I had a couple of questions I can't seem to find answers for. For reference, I've stumbled across and have been playing with MeGUI and Gordian Knot, more extensively the latter.

The first was encoding something at a resolution higher than it's source (ie, anamorphic 720x576, is that the right term?). I'm working with some student material of previous years on a course I'm looking at doing some time this year, and some of it is 16:9 format. Encoding the output resolution from 720x576 to 640x360 seems sensible to, assuming I don't need to crop and borders (if I do, can I keep the 640x360, or will I end up with an obscure resolution nowhere near 16:9?). Additional to that, I was wondering if it was practical or sensible to encode to as high as 1024x576 for some stuff? I can't imagine it would, but just confirming.

Secondly, please forgive the ignorance. I'm still working my way through the guides. But I did want to know if x264 is the H264/AVC format that I can use to play on consoles or iPods? With Gordian Knot, the x264 samples I've been making have been popping out in the AVI container, which I've read isn't actually good as it wasn't designed for it. In such a case, could I assume mp4 is the ideal choice?

Sorry for all the questions. Lots of guides to process, especially at midnight.

[nurbs]

If you have a 720x576 source you should probably just encode it anamorphic and not resize up to 1024x576. If you upsize you need more bitrate for the encode and it won't be any higher quality then the anamorphic one.
With megui there is a checkbox in the avs-creator that lets you do that.

If you want hardware playback the mp4 container is a good choice. You have to be careful, because not every player will play everything. They always support certain profiles and levels. Those restrict maximum resolution, bitrate and other encoding features. The wikipedia AVC article got information about that.

[drunksaiyan]

Okay, thanks. The main hardware I'd be looking for playback on would be iPods, but I'm having problems getting sound with some of the files I'm using the mp4 profiles with in MeGUI. Not a big deal though.

Would it be wise to stick with AVI as a container for x264 encoded vidoes just for playback on my computer?

[Southstorm]

Not really, as the AVI container does not technically fit the H.264 spec. Stick with MP4 or MKV.

[drunksaiyan]

In an effort to see which one would be better for playback from a computer, I made two different clips of the same footage.

The first one was made in Gordian Knot with x264 with the AVI container.

The second I did with MeGUI using x264 in the mp4 container.

Using more or less the default settings available in both programs (with the odd tweak recommended by the Doom9 web guides), I compared the two clips and found little difference in either ouput. The audio on the mp4 was slightly better however, but visually was, they appear almost identical. Is this just me, or is using the default settings for these two programs a really bad idea?

[Southstorm]

Your eyes are the best tool for judging. You most likely don't want to change the resolution of a clip if it will be viewed on a computer. However, for viewing on an iPod, you may want to cut the resolution in half, not only since its a small screen, but also your video file will be smaller. And MP4 is the only container playable on iPods.

[Ranguvar]

Your eyes are the best tool for judging. You most likely don't want to change the resolution of a clip if it will be viewed on a computer. However, for viewing on an iPod, you may want to cut the resolution in half, not only since its a small screen, but also your video file will be smaller. And MP4 is the only container playable on iPods.
Yes... but for iPod usage, certain options need to be observed. Look at the MeGUI iPod profile. And I think there's a switch that still needs to be used when muxing to MP4... don't think MeGUI does it automatically.

XviD4PSP (also try the old 4.115 version as well as the new 5.xxx) and Ripbot264 are good solutions with a lot of possible options, but still relatively easy to use and are ready-made for iPod.

[Dark Shikari]

In an effort to see which one would be better for playback from a computer, I made two different clips of the same footage.

The first one was made in Gordian Knot with x264 with the AVI container.

The second I did with MeGUI using x264 in the mp4 container.

Using more or less the default settings available in both programs (with the odd tweak recommended by the Doom9 web guides), I compared the two clips and found little difference in either ouput. The audio on the mp4 was slightly better however, but visually was, they appear almost identical. Is this just me, or is using the default settings for these two programs a really bad idea?The main problem with AVI is not quality, but compatibility--H.264 in AVI tends to break randomly on some players, without warning.

[drunksaiyan]

However, for viewing on an iPod, you may want to cut the resolution in half, not only since its a small screen, but also your video file will be smaller.

Thanks. As far as having media playback on an iPod, I've fiddled with the iPod profile in MeGUI. The video seems to playback fine through iTunes and the actual iPod itself, but I must be choosing the wrong audio profile(s), as I don't appear to have sound. Still fiddling with it though.

The main problem with AVI is not quality, but compatibility--H.264 in AVI tends to break randomly on some players, without warning.

Oh, is that all? Phew. That might explain the odd crash then, but it's rarely happened. I find the player tends to crash if I open and close the file within about two or three seconds of opening it, but that's about it (could still be the player?). I'm using BSPlayer Basic, but might fork out for the Pro version if it remains stable for long enough. I have also yet to investigate VLC player, which has been recommended to me also.

Seeing as the quality appears much the same on some of the material I'm working with, I might stick with Gordian Knot for the time being. It looks a little more UI friendly.

[fibbingbear]

Thanks. As far as having media playback on an iPod, I've fiddled with the iPod profile in MeGUI. The video seems to playback fine through iTunes and the actual iPod itself, but I must be choosing the wrong audio profile(s), as I don't appear to have sound. Still fiddling with it though.

Don't forget with MeGUI, you need to encode the audio and video separately, and then mux them into the same mp4. Some stuff, like the Nero Digital AAC encoder, need to be downloaded separately (and MeGUI needs to be re-configured to find the encoder's executable).


Seeing as the quality appears much the same on some of the material I'm working with, I might stick with Gordian Knot for the time being. It looks a little more UI friendly.

Although Gordian Knot is more user friendly, I highly recommend looking into MeGUI. Once you learn it's knobs, it's a fantastic piece of software.

[teddg]

I might stick with Gordian Knot for the time being. It looks a little more UI friendly.

MeGui has a 'one click encoding' feature in the tools menu that you might be interested in.

[drunksaiyan]

Don't forget with MeGUI, you need to encode the audio and video separately, and then mux them into the same mp4. Some stuff, like the Nero Digital AAC encoder, need to be downloaded separately (and MeGUI needs to be re-configured to find the encoder's executable).

I might do that. Since I've been working with AVI, I've been encoding the demuxed audio to mp3 using BeSweet. I compared the same material through GK using AVI/MP3 and MeGUI using MP4/MP4. The only comparable difference I could notice was slightly better sound quality in the mp4 audio file.