I went back and made a sample encode with the decemberish build that Kurtnoise posted, since last time I deleted the samples/pictures.
This time I used a DVD source and encoded at 2500kbps. Basically, as you can see from the pictures, the problem is lack of texture/grain preservation, that leads to nasty banding/blocking in flat areas. At the same time, edges are kept dirty, which leaves the image sorta weird.
I didn't do a x264 sample, because with the utter lack of texture preservation in VP9, it would be meaningless to compare differences IMHO.
Here's a comparison with select pics, for illustration:
http://check2pic.ru/compare/25338/
Code:
<BBB-work> we actually improved a lot since then, so if you want to play around, using a recent snapshot may be a good idea
I'm hoping that the final version of the encoder won't be so smooth-happy...
Settings:
Code:
vpxenc --codec=vp9 --width=704 --height=480 --fps=24000/1001 --i420 --target-bitrate=2500 --auto-alt-ref=1 --threads=1
--kf-max-dist=480 --passes=2 --end-usage=vbr --good --cpu-used=0 --min-q=0 --max-q=60 --drop-frame=0 --sharpness=0