2 pass vs 3 pass encoding

[DVD_Ripper]

I use MainConcept MPEG Encoder... Will I noticed any better re-encoding of my MPEG files if I use an alternative program that supports a 3 or more pass encoding.

The MainConcept seems to work well, with its 2 pass process ... but am I missing anything more

[lordsmurf]

No

[FulciLives]

I use CCE SP and always do a 3-pass VBR if I'm doing a VBR encode.

A lot of people though say that it is really hard to tell the difference between a 2-pass and 3-pass mode.

CCE SP can do (I think) up to a 9-pass VBR although someone who was a statistics major posted once that mathmatical wise anything more than 5 passes would be a waste.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[adam]

3 passes is definitely better then 2. Up to a point, each additional pass will improve quality but whether or not you can see the difference is questionable, and will also vary for every source.

But there are two many differences between encoders to answer your quesiton. IF, to your eyes, CCE @3 passes beats MainConcept @2 passes, its probably more because of CCE's encoding engine in general then the fact that it scanned it one extra time before encoding.

I wouldn't switch encoders solely because something else offers more passes, but I'd go ahead and try any available trial versions on the market and see if you prefer that encoder more, as a whole.

[adam]

Technically, CCE can do an infinite amount of passes since it uses any properly named .vaf file in the output directory. You can do 9 passes, then tell it to perform another 9 passes and it will just keep updating the same .vaf file ad infinim. The CCE manual states that the point of diminishing returns for most sources is going to be somewhere between 3 and 4 passes. (Though in comparing CCE to other encoders you have to realize that CCE's numbering is different so that if you set it to 4 passes you are really doing 5: vaf creation + 4 passes.)

When comparing a CCE encoded 2 pass vs a 3 pass encode I can often notice a clear difference in certain scenes. If you just go by bitrate and quantization values you can see obvious improvements even up to the 9th pass, but its not like you are going to notice that on the screen.

[SatStorm]

"The less bitrate you use, the more multipass VBR you need"

So, for SVCD / CVD or 4 - 5 hours per DVD (1/2 D1 framesize), a 3 pass VBR may look better a 2 Pass VBR.