which codec to use to encode

[Terka]

Hi, have some DV sources, want to gain as much quality as i can using Avisyth / QTGMC, maybe Topaz AI.
Which output codec / settings do you recommend? Have Ryzen 3900x. Thank you!

[benwaggoner]

This is DV25? PAL or NTSC? PAL is a sensible 4:2:0 and NTSC is an inexplicable 4:1:1. DV50 is 4:2:2 and much higher quality.

Sounds like you want to improve quality. If it's interlaced, a high quality field-to-frame motion-adaptive deinterlacer is key. For NTSC, good chroma interpolation from the 4:1:1 will be key; I don't know what the best tools are for that these days.

That's really a preprocessing question, not an encoding one, and you'll probably get more focused advice in the Avisynth Usage forum.

As for codecs, it depends on your use case. If you're looking to get great quality at a small size final file, HEVC or H.264 can work well. If you're trying to encode as interlaced, HEVC doesn't have as much of an advantage over H.264 in file size.

If you're trying to make a new archive/mezzanine that can be used as source for later compression or editing, an intra-frame only codec like ProRes 422 or DNxHD are a good choice. File size would be a lot larger than for a distribution encode, but it's SD only content and will be fine.

The "what do I do with my DV25" has come up many times, and the final recommendation typically winds up as "just archive the files - storage is cheap and preprocessing gets better every year."

[Terka]

this is pal, 50i. I deinterlace to 50p

[benwaggoner]

this is pal, 50i. I deinterlace to 50p
Great.

So, if you made the perfect file for your needs, what would its attributes be? I'm not sure what scenario you're talking here.

[Terka]

im asking what should i use h264 or hevc? which settings do you recommend to start with?

[StainlessS]

Terka, how are you going to use the final encode ?
[eg HEVC dont play well on eg mobile phones, best player on Android [IMHO MX Player] may play HEVC but seek impossible, can only play from start]
benwaggoner cannot give you a good answer without knowing what you want it for.

[Terka]

Thank you
i will play it on a computer.