Typical settings for encoding TV shows like The Office, Family Guy, etc.?

[HartleySan]

Can anyone please recommend some typical settings for encoding TV shows like The Office, Family Guy, etc.?

I usually go with 512x384 with no cropping. 175 MB per ~22-minute episode. The audio is encoded at MP3 96. And the FPS is 23.976. Also, I always use Lanczos (sharp) and for the Field Operations, always "None" or "Field Deinterlace" depending on the source. Anyway, any suggestions? Thanks.

[fibbingbear]

Aren't shows like the Office and Family Guy really different? Isn't Office live action, and Family Guy animated?

I'd recommend AAC over MP3 if you're going as low as 96kbs. Might want to try HE-AAC as well.

Other than that, it's going to depend on the source.

[HartleySan]

How do I encode to HE-AAC? Thanks.

[TheResidentEvil]

I use AutoGK for this and I use 640 res with mp3 112 VBR . Also my FPS is 29.97. File size for me is 175mb for half hour shows and 350MB for hour long shows.

[fibbingbear]

How do I encode to HE-AAC? Thanks.

Not sure how AutoGordianKnot works, but you should look for Nero's AAC encoder (it's available free online through Nero's website). It has a command line option to force HE-AAC or HE-AACv2. HE-AACv2 is less compatible with hardware devices, but sounds better at even lower bitrates. Personally, I don't bother with HE-AACv2 unless the bitrate is really low (like 64kbps).