Are the x264vfw and x264 8 bit/10 bit encoders similar to each other?

[GAP]

While I heard of this codec on on other forums, I never would had thought that it was actually a command line or even that it was good for animation. I also have similar encoders in the form of x264 8 bit/10 bit in Virtualdub however I have no idea if there similar to the one made for windows. What I would like to know if these codecs are similar or if there are any significant differences between the two?

[Asmodian]

They are very similar, based on the same code in fact.

Any differences are down to the limitations of VFW and different versions of the code (x264vfw is based on an older version of x264). Whether or not these differences are significant depends on what you need, but anything encoded by either can be played back using the same decoder.

[GAP]

So where does SAR and DAR fit in? And which is better?

[LoRd_MuldeR]

x264 is a H.264 (AVC) encoder library.

You can use x264 in many different ways: It comes with an "official" command-line encoder. Other options include FFmpeg (also command-line) as well as Avidemux (GUI application), both of which integrate the x264 library directly.

The VfW (Video for Windows) wrapper, alias "x264vfw", is yet another option. It allows to integrate x264 into any application that support the VfW interface, such as VirtualDub.

Regardless of which one of all these options you choose, the "core" x264 encoder library is always exactly the same!

However, one thing that you should be aware of is that "x264vfw" is no longer maintained by the x264 team. Other people have continued updating "x264vfw", every now and then, but it may be lacking behind the latest x264 development.

Also note: A while back, x264 could be built either as "8-Bit" or "10-Bit" variant, so separate "8-Bit" and "10-Bit" libraries were used. Latest x264 has now merged "8-Bit" and "10-Bit" support into a single "multilib" binary.

[GAP]

Where do I find the latest version of x264 that merges elements of "8-Bit" and "10-Bit"? And is it still widely used? I was looking for an Xvid alternative and I learned that x264 is better than Xvid.

[Asmodian]

https://artifacts.videolan.org/x264/release-win64/

x264 is still widely used, and is better than Xvid too. :)

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Where do I find the latest version of x264 that merges elements of "8-Bit" and "10-Bit"?

This was implemented in x264 back in 2017! So it should be included in any build of x264 from the past ~4 years ;)
https://github.com/mirror/x264/commit/71ed44c7312438fac7c5c5301e45522e57127db4

You now use the command-line option "--output-depth" to select the desired output bit-depth, instead of having to use separate "8-bit" and "10-bit" binaries of x264.

For the latest x264 binaries, I suggest you also have a look here:
https://www.mediafire.com/?bxvu1vvld31k1

And is it still widely used?
Yes, x264 is by far the most widely used H.264 (AVC) software encoder. But H.265 (HEVC) and other "new" formats (e.g. AV1) are becoming more popular these days.

I was looking for an Xvid alternative and I learned that x264 is better than Xvid.

Xvid is an encoder for the MPEG-4 ASP format, whereas x264 is an encoder for the H.264 (AVC) format. So that's two different pairs of shoes!

Having said that, there is really no reason to use the old MPEG-4 ASP format (and thus Xvid) nowadays, except maybe for compatibility to "legacy" devices that cannot support the H.264 format.

Using the H.264 format (preferably via x264 encoder) will usually give you much better results at the same bitrate, compared to old MPEG-4 ASP format!

Of course, we have even newer formats, such as H.265 (HEVC) and AV1, by now. So you probably want to check out x265 as well! x265 is the "H.265 (HEVC)" counterpart to x264.

[GAP]

Is there a difference between DAR and SAR?

[lvqcl]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_(image)#Distinctions

[hello_hello]

Is there a difference between DAR and SAR?

At some stage sample aspect ratio became commonly used instead of pixel aspect ratio, but it can also mean storage aspect ratio (width / height).

There's a table of pixel/sample aspect ratios here for PAL and NTSC. As a rule of thumb use the mpeg4 PARs for 4:3 DVDs and the generic PARs for 16:9 DVDs, unless they're old or the source was originally analogue or they have a reasonable amount of black/crud down each side, in which case they'd probably also use an mpeg4 PAR.

https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1058927#post1058927

The ITU and mpeg4 SARs/PARs are interchangeable as they're virtually the same, but the mpeg4 PARs are easier to remember. You can work out the corresponding DARs with the formula Width×PAR/Height but the generic PARs result in exact 16:9 and 4:3 DARs for both PAL and NTSC. The mpeg4 PARs result in DARs of 20:11 or 15:11 for both PAL and NTSC.

[GAP]

I have an older version of x264vfw that I am planning on using on Windows XP. Are the settings similar to the newer versions? Or do I need to use the newer versions on a newer computer? It is a 2017 version of x264vfw and I am mostly planning on recording in AVI before converting to MP4 in Virtualdub2. Is it just as good or am better just getting a newer version?

[SeeMoreDigital]

It is a 2017 version of x264vfw and I am mostly planning on recording in AVI before converting to MP4 in Virtualdub2. Why the AVI container?

[GAP]

Why the AVI container?

Because I do not know how to export it as MP4. I mostly use Virtualdub2 for that but is there a way to export it as MP4?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Because I do not know how to export it as MP4. I mostly use Virtualdub2 for that but is there a way to export it as MP4?Select: File -> Save Video... And under 'Save as type:' select '.MP4' or even '.MKV'

Here's an example:

https://i.ibb.co/BVHYgXb/Capture.jpg

[GAP]

Select: File -> Save Video... And under 'Save as type:' select '.MP4' or even '.MKV'

Here's an example:

https://i.ibb.co/BVHYgXb/Capture.jpg

Thanks for that.

Edit: Although the program I used to dump my videos with only records in AVI. I will look for other ways to dump my videos in MP4.