x264 BD compliant "perfect" settings

[Stamper]

Thanks do you settings translate to handbrake too? It's slow encoding, but god the end results might be great.

[spoRv]

Once, I was "very slow or bust" type, but, after reading that very slow Vs slow setting would improve quality of something like 0.3% (can't remember exactly), I thought it doesn't worth the time - I mean, I could encode two projects at the same time, with a such minimal quality loss that I dare anyone to be even aware of it.

It would be much more important, if you aim to an average bitrate, to accurately choose the "right" one - that doesn't exist, of course... let's say, the "most right" one for the medium you would like to release the project to.

So, as a (very) rough guide, follow the advanced Kush Gauge calculator indication, and to be on the safe side, multiply it 1.5x, or more than 2x if you have a grain plate. Take in account all and every audio and subtitles tracks, and adds about 7% if you would make a BD project, for the .m2ts overhead.

[X5gb]

Thanks spoRV, any chance you could give me a quick tutorial on using command line or is simple x264 launcher just as good.

[deleted user]

x264.exe --output output.264 input.avi

Add any x264 options with double dash like --me=umh

Get a full list of available options with --fullhelp

Check the meaning of all the parameters in various places on Google/forums etc - start out reading with the basic parameters me, subme, psy-rd, aq-mode, aq-strength, trellis, preset, tune, deblock, bframes, crf (theyre the same parameters as in your GUI but you have to enter them manually thats all)

[X5gb]

Thanks for the tutorial TomArrow. Will try it after the encode is finished with Simple.

Just encoding with Simple x264 at the moment using spoRv settings but the profile is coming up as main 4.1 instead of high which i requested in the settings under basic encoder options. Is that right or am I doing something wrong.

[deleted user]

I think it simply displays the Profile ("main" in your case) that fits the encoding parameters you specified - if you aren't using any settings that require High there is no reason to use that profile - if that makes sense - so in other words the specified profile is more of a "maximum/highest possible profile" than a "definitely use this profile whatever"

[X5gb]

Thanks TomArrow, but i,ve just read on another forum that x264 chooses main for the 1st pass no matter what you pick as it is a fast pass. It will enforce the higher profile on the slower second pass, so that must be the reason.

[deleted user]

Oh fair enough - didn't know you were doing 2-pass! Good catch

[Valeyard]

You've forgotten the threads Andrea:

Code:

--level 4.1 --bluray-compat --threads 8 --b-adapt 2 --b-bias 3 --slices 4 --vbv-maxrate 40000 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --aq-strength 1.5 --me umh --colorprim bt709 --transfer bt709 --colormatrix bt709

If you only have a dual-core CPU then set threads to 4.

Honestly I just use the command line for everything now. I have a .bat file which I edit each time.

Actually --weightp 0 and --b-pyramid none are both allowed within --bluray-compat. --bluray-compat only prohibits --b-pyramid normal and --weightp 2. Open and closed GOPs are technically both allowed.

The --b-pyramid, --weightp and --open-gop settings are there to improve compatibility with hardware players. Obviously you can use any settings you like but the ones in the OP are the recommended ones, obtained through experience.

There's no difference to doing it that way, except that Simple x264 Launcher will check for updates on start up for you. And you can save several presets, and you don't need to copy your bat files around. I use bat files for ffmpeg. Now I'm not 100% sure that bluray open gop is included with --bluray-compat... that was the case a couple of years ago but it may have changed. In any case, it's a different mode used then is available for non BD compliant streams. I guess it doesn't hurt to include it, it just seems strange to include something that --bluray-compat overrides.

[spoRv]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the command lines executed one after the other?

I mean, if I include --bluray-compat, it will of course set various other commands, but if I place another one AFTER that, that change those commands value, aren't them changed? Or they are simply overridden by the previous one, because is "stronger"?