x264 newb

[LordTrace]

I am trying to compress a bluray into a 1.45 GB MKV file.

Never done anything with AVC before so i tried Handbrake. The file looks pretty good. I'm just wondering if there are any settings i could try to make it the best it can be.

Here's the media info of the result.


Format : Matroska
File size : 1.46 GiB
Duration : 1h 44mn
Overall bit rate : 2 000 Kbps
Writing application : HandBrake 0.9.5
Writing library : libmkv 0.6.4.1

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L3.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 1h 44mn
Bit rate : 1 611 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 544 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.35:1
Frame rate mode : Variable
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.096
Stream size : 1.15 GiB (79%)
Writing library : x264 core 112
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint_min=23 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=50 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1611 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=3 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Language : English
Color primaries : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4, SMPTE RP177
Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4 709, SMPTE RP177

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension : CM (complete main)
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 1h 44mn
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 287 MiB (19%)
Language : English

[sneaker_ger]

Those settings are already reasonable. If you want to increase quality further you can invest more time and use one of the slower presets (https://forum.handbrake.fr/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19426).

[LordTrace]

veryslow

ref=16:bframes=8:b-adapt=2:direct=auto:me=umh:merange=24:subq=10:rc-lookahead=60:analyse=all:trellis=2

All i do is just paste that into the box under the advanced tab?

[sneaker_ger]

AFAIK: yes.
If you scroll a bit down you will also find tunings on that page. (choose film for typical movies, like Hollywood etc.)

[LordTrace]

wow, 19 hours per pass! lol

[aegisofrime]

Well, if you are doing it for archival reasons, might as well do it once and do it good right? :)

Personally, for Q/TGMC encodes that I really like, I use CRF 18 and Placebo. It takes 2 days on my Core i5-450 laptop, but it's worth it.

[LordTrace]

heh. I don't have a dedicated encoding box or i might do that. I hate using the PC for anything other then lite tasks while encoding.