AVC options for the best quality ?

[G-Slide]

Hi ! I usually encode my movies with Nero AVC, with an averge bitrate 2Mbps, and cause of my 3400+, i can choose the best quality... I asked to different people what are the best options, but i had different advices...

my options :
Bitrate 2 Mbps
max définition profile
high quality encoding 2 pass
decision high quality
max vector range -512
max ref frames 5
max gop 300
b frames 3
CABAC, bidirectionnal préd, macro , weighted, deblocking
adaptative DISABLED, deblocking strengh 0
source material cartoon, psycho high

Should i have change different otions to have a better quality ???

THX (sorry for my english )

[daldrum]

You will always get different opinions, also there is no universal BEST setting, because it depends on the content. For example Cartoon mode always on, is definitely not the best option.
The best thing is to see for you self. Using Start/End feature of Recode, select a short piece of movie and encode it using various settings and thet compare, most of the time you will not notice any dramatical changes in quality.
Most of the time the default settings will give you for a standard content a very good or best quality (I am not talking about any precise measuring methods, but just the use-your-own-eyes method). By disabling macro, adaptive and selecting deblocking strength 0 or 1 you wil speed up encoding. I use much lower bitrate, usually around 1,3 Mbps. The good thing about this codec is that it delivers very good quality at reasonably low bitrates.

[G-Slide]

ok :) could you tell why cartoon mode is not good everytime ? people told me its good cause it takes chromatics...

and which deblocking mode (-4 to 4) is good for a standard use ?

[Mr_Schizo]

Cartoon Mode(different from XviD's) should help in every Case, because it only enables Chromamotion (like in XviD).
A deblocking threshold of 0 gives the highest PSNR-which doesn't mean highest Quality.Your choice depends on what you like (i normally use 0 alot). I would recommend you to lower this value in the case of your very high bitrate situation to something like (-2)-(-4)-just try it yourself on some scenes and decide what you like.

[daldrum]

Well, I cannot tell you why, I was encoding and old movie (funny colours and lots of noise) from sixties, and I did a test: one encode with cartoon mode on and one without, judging by my own eyes, the encode without Cartoon mode looked better, kind of sharper.

[G-Slide]

thank you for answers ! :) i will change deblocking for -2 and test with and without cartoon mode, and i think other options are good for movies...

[Sagittaire]

Originally posted by G-Slide
Hi ! I usually encode my movies with Nero AVC, with an averge bitrate 2Mbps, and cause of my 3400+, i can choose the best quality... I asked to different people what are the best options, but i had different advices...

my options :
Bitrate 2 Mbps
max définition profile
high quality encoding 2 pass
decision high quality
max vector range -512
max ref frames 5
max gop 300
b frames 3
CABAC, bidirectionnal préd, macro , weighted, deblocking
adaptative DISABLED, deblocking strengh 0
source material cartoon, psycho high

Should i have change different otions to have a better quality ???

THX (sorry for my english )

Your setting are the best ... for metric (PSNR, SSIM and VQM) with all resolution and all bitrate ... :devil:

Only exception : try higher strengh deblock for anime source.


I would recommend you to lower this value in the case of your very high bitrate situation to something like (-2)-(-4)-just try it yourself on some scenes and decide what you like.

No, no and no ... lol

inloop is itself adaptative (even with adaptative DISABLED in nerorecode).

[daldrum]

So, you say, Sagittaire, that unchecking the Adaptive option makes no difference, never ever?
How misleading!

[Manao]

No. In loop deblocking strength in AVC is, by default, computed with the quantizer of the current frame + the strength offset ( -6..+6 ) that you gave. That means that, by default, the deblocking is already adaptive ( it won't deblock high quality frames, but it will deblock strongly low quality ones ).

Checking adaptive will increase that adaptivity, but i don't know exactly how.

[daldrum]

Thankx for clearing this up!

[G-Slide]

i tried with deblock -2, and i have a better quality with this option...

[bond]

Originally posted by G-Slide
i tried with deblock -2, and i have a better quality with this option... as a rule of thumb i think you can say that a lower deblock value will deblock less, give little bit more details, but also little bit more blocks
it always a tradeoff what you like more (thats why we have rule 12: do not ask whats best, as this cant be answered in an overall valid way)

[G-Slide]

okay i made a mistake, i compared any given sunday (deblock 0) with fight club (-2) who is easy to encode cause of its darkness...

but, with deblock -2, it keeps the picture noise who is less disturbing than 0 option who try to take off noise and replaces it with blocks.... that's what i see.

thanks for advices ! ;)

[Mr_Schizo]

No, no and no ... lol

inloop is itself adaptative (even with adaptative DISABLED in
nerorecode).

I never said something else ;) !
The thing is that deblock 0 kills the grain even at low Quantizers to avoid unvisible blocking-and it makes backrounds unstable IMHO.Thats why i suggest lower deblocking settings at higher bitrates to reach transparency.

[G-Slide]

i'm sad... i was happy cause of AVC Nero, cause when i show my avc encodes on my computer, i'ts beautiful. but i just tried to see on my TV (thomson 72cm 16/9) with the s-video connection on my 6800GT, and the result is........ hugly ! there are a lot of blocking ! it's so hugly ! the quality is so poor... there a big block i can't see on my computer, and i can see them on my tv, all the time...