Question on Video Encoding

[L583]

I have recently set up a Plex Server and started transfering my Movies. I have looked up recommendations for Encoding settings with Handbreak and Encoded one Movie on my 2016 MacBook Pro. Which reduced the filesize to half. But since it takes quite a while and really stresses the System I wanted to run it on my Server. My Server ist basically a really old Workstation with a Core 2 Quad. It‘s kind of a gateway into having a homeserver so it‘s fine and will be upgraded/replaced the more I get into it. 
I‘ve ran Handbreak with the same settings and it took about twice as long, which was expected and I don‘t mind, but the file was just 200 mb smaller, instead of up to 15 GB. So I tried again and the file was even a GB larger.

 

Now my question: Is this because the Core 2 Duo Quad doesn‘t support some newer Encoding that‘s more efficient, is Handbreak in MacOS better than Handbreak in Windows or does this have something to do with Windows running in a VM?

[Levent]

Handbrake in Windows and Handbrake in MacOS both uses ffmpeg, so I doubt that is the case. Encoding was never an easy task and its fairly demanding, hence why nowadays those are starting to be done by GPUs.

 

Considering you didnt share your encoding options, I am going to assume you are using the defined "quality" or the slider. If you want to apples to apples comparison, use Static Video Bitrate and static FPS on both systems.

[L583]

1 minute ago, Levent said:

Handbrake in Windows and Handbrake in MacOS both uses ffmpeg, so I doubt that is the case. Encoding was never an easy task and its fairly demanding, hence why nowadays those are starting to be done by GPUs.

 

Considering you didnt share your encoding options, I am going to assume you are using the defined "quality" or the slider. If you want to apples to apples comparison, use Static Video Bitrate and static FPS on both systems.

Thanks, I‘ll try static Bitrate on both systems, do you think 12 Mbps is enough for a 1080p Blu-ray?

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

40 minutes ago, L583 said:

do you think 12 Mbps is enough for a 1080p Blu-ray?

I can't give you a definitive answer on that because there are a lot of variables. It depends on the source material, the codec you are using, the encode settings you are using, and your own preferences.

 

I've been transcoding Blu-rays for quite some time now, and I also have my server do it using Handbrake (i7 6700). My advice? Look into constant quality encoding rather than using variable/average bitrate (and certainly rather than using constant bitrate). Personally, I encode everything using H.265 10-bit (even if the source is 8-bit) on medium speed with all filters disabled and a RF value somewhere between 16 and 28. Closer to 16 for 4k stuff that I want in very high quality (LOTR extended trilogy) and closer to 28 for things like anime or other shows that don't have as much eye-candy to begin with.

 

As an example, I recently transcoded my entire 1080p Doctor Who collection. I used the above settings with an RF value of [20 or 22 I forget] and ended up with bitrates between ~1.0Mbps and ~3.5Mbps depending on the episode. I have pretty high standards and they all look really (and consistently) good to me.

[BiotechBen]

I usually go for RF of 18, very slow encoder, 720p, and some amount of de-noise(usually "tape" because older movies) which on standard DVDs has so far been excellent.

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

8 minutes ago, BiotechBen said:

I usually go for RF of 18, very slow encoder, 720p, and some amount of de-noise(usually "tape" because older movies) which on standard DVDs has so far been excellent.

I should experiment with the denoise features.

[BiotechBen]

15 minutes ago, Hairless Monkey Boy said:

I should experiment with the denoise features.

I start with ultralight and then do the test render, and continue up to medium to see if there is an improvement. After about medium setting it starts to loose detail as it aggressively de-noises.