MeGUI Outputs High10@4.1

[ron spencer]

Hey all,

I am converting some hockey team videos for distribution on Bluray. The videos are 1080p 60fps...yes NOT 1080i. Obviously I need to convert to 1280x720 as 1080 60fps progressive is not in the Bluray standard. The source files are in DNxHD format and are 8bit (confirmed with mediainfo). MeGui is using:

program --level 4.1 --bluray-compat --preset veryslow --tune film --pass 2 --bitrate 24000 --stats ".stats" --keyint 60 --open-gop --ref 5 --slices 4 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --vbv-maxrate 40000 --partitions p8x8,b8x8,i8x8i4x4 --no-dct-decimate --no-fast-pskip --colorprim bt709 --transfer bt709 --colormatrix bt709 --sar 1:1 --output "output" "input"

Output is great...super. But according to mediainfo the level is "High 10@L4.1" How can this be? I do not see anywhere in MeGUI where I could have told it to go with 10bit. The main tab of the encoder also has "Enable 10-bits Encoding" as unchecked? Why would it take an 8 bit input file and convert to 10 bit when I didn't ask it?

Mediainfo (4 different versions I tried) gives the following for the encode:

Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 10 bits

Thanks for your help!

[racer-x]

Don't use "--preset veryslow" use "--preset medium --ref 3". Don't use 2-pass, just use CRF=19 or 20.

If that won't work, I can post a tried and true "Blu-Ray Compatible" settings for 1280/60p if you'd like....

Make sure you're using 8-bit x264 and not 10-bit x264.

[racer-x]

Actually your settings should look something like this:

--crf 19 --min-keyint 1 --b-pyramid none --qpmin 10 --qpmax 51 --no-fast-pskip --tune film --bluray-compat --weightp 0 --bframes 3 --nal-hrd vbr --vbv-maxrate 40000 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --level 4.1 --keyint 30 --slices 4 --sar 1:1

[ron spencer]

thanks...I'm using the settings based on:

http://www.x264bluray.com/home/720p-encoding

but regardless of crf ot two pass or a small difference in our settings, I am using the x264 that came with megui...dunno how the 10bit came out...maybe I'll re-download

Some of your settings, such as --nal-hrd vbr are already in bluray-compat and I can have up to 6 reference frames with 720p

I need two pass so I can accurately fit a few games on one bd-r with menu and overhead.

[_Al_]

try to download x254.exe 8bit and replace that x264.exe (back it up as well) that is in tools\x264 directory

[LigH.de]

try to download x254.exe 8bit and replace that x264.exe (back it up as well) that is in tools\x264 directory

Better not just so... first check if you already have an 8-bit depth build there:

tools\x264\x264.exe -V

x264 0.148.2692 64f4e24
(libswscale 4.1.100)
(libavformat 57.34.100)
(ffmpegsource 2.22.0.1)
built by Komisar on Apr 13 2016, gcc: 4.8.4 (multilib.generic.Komisar)
x264 configuration: --bit-depth=8 --chroma-format=all
libx264 configuration: --bit-depth=8 --chroma-format=all
x264 license: GPL version 2 or later
libswscale/libavformat/ffmpegsource license: GPL version 2 or later

tools\x264\x264_64.exe -V

x264 0.148.2692 64f4e24
(libswscale 4.1.100)
(libavformat 57.34.100)
(ffmpegsource 2.22.0.1)
built by Komisar on Apr 13 2016, gcc: 4.9.2 (multilib.generic.Komisar)
x264 configuration: --bit-depth=8 --chroma-format=all
libx264 configuration: --bit-depth=8 --chroma-format=all
x264 license: GPL version 2 or later
libswscale/libavformat/ffmpegsource license: GPL version 2 or later

In my installation, they are exactly what they are supposed to be.

Now please check your log file which x264 EXE exactly was called in your last conversion. Look for the "Job commandline:".

[hello_hello]

(Edit: Sorry, I'm an idiot. I missed where you mentioned the 10 bit option in your opening post)
The easiest fix might be to open the x264 encoder configuration and uncheck the "enable 10 bits encoding" option, assuming it's checked.

You can select "Bluray" from the dropdown "target playback device" list in the x264 encoder configuration and MeGUI will take care of the Bluray settings for you.

If the 10 bit encoding option is enabled in the x264 encoder configuration, I would have thought MeGUI would ignore it, or deselect it when --bluray-compat is used, or Buray is selected as a target playback device (unless Bluray players can be 10 bit compatible these days?), but MeGUI lets you select it (I just tried out of curiosity). It should enforce all the other required Bluray settings though.

If the video is 60fps rather than 59.940fps the x264 encoder won't refuse to encode it, but there should be a warning in MeGUI's log file about it not being Bluray compatible.

If you reset the x264 encoder configuration, select the very slow preset, tune film and Bluray as the target playback device, the MeGUI commandline should look like this for CRF encoding. (obviously you can still set --ref 5, --partitions p8x8,b8x8,i8x8i4x4, --no-dct-decimate and --no-fast-pskip in the encoder configuration if you wish to).

program --level 4.1 --bluray-compat --preset veryslow --tune film --open-gop --slices 4 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --vbv-maxrate 40000 --output "output" "input"

MeGUI will set SAR, -keyframe and the colour options later. For 720p59.94, you'll end up with something like this for a single pass encode (and in theory, without 10 bit encoding):

cabac=1 / ref=6 / deblock=1:-1:-1 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=9 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.15 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=6 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / slices=4 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=1 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=1 / weightp=1 / keyint=60 / keyint_min=1 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=23.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / vbv_maxrate=40000 / vbv_bufsize=30000 / crf_max=0.0 / nal_hrd=vbr / filler=0 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00

Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

[hello_hello]

Actually your settings should look something like this:

--crf 19 --min-keyint 1 --b-pyramid none --qpmin 10 --qpmax 51 --no-fast-pskip --tune film --bluray-compat --weightp 0 --bframes 3 --nal-hrd vbr --vbv-maxrate 40000 --vbv-bufsize 30000 --level 4.1 --keyint 30 --slices 4 --sar 1:1

I'm pretty sure --bluray-compat enforces --bframes 3 (or less), - bpyramid strict (or none), - weightp 1 (or 0), and --nal-hrd vbr (or cbr)

--keyint 60 is fine for 60fps progressive and I'm sure --qpmax 51 isn't required (neither is --no-fast-pskip). In CRF mode, I'm somewhat sure --qpmax is ignored. You might need to use --crf-max instead, but 51 is the maximum quantizer allowed by the h264 spec and I think it's still the default for x264. I recall reading somewhere that x264 allows higher quantizers for rate control emergencies so there needs to be VBV settings specified for the maximum to exceed 51.
I couldn't find a link to verify that so I could be wrong, but I found info for x265 which says it tries to prevent qpmax being exceeded. Someone else may know if x264 works in a similar way or just allows qpmax to be exceeded if necessary to comply with VBV settings.
http://x265.readthedocs.io/en/default/cli.html#quality-rate-control-and-rate-distortion-options
--vbv-maxrate
Note that when VBV is enabled (with a valid --vbv-bufsize), VBV emergency denoising is turned on. This will turn on aggressive denoising at the frame level when frame QP > QP_MAX_SPEC (51), drastically reducing bitrate and allowing ratecontrol to assign lower QPs for the following frames. The visual effect is blurring, but removes significant blocking/displacement artifacts.

I'm not sure about --qpmin 10. The info here says -qpmin 10 is the default but here it says it's zero. Maybe the default was changed at some stage. Anyone know? Although I doubt you'd need to change it for Bluray compatibility.

[ron spencer]

I have no idea why bu the x264 is 10 bit. I never downloaded that version, not have I ever wanted to use 10bit...LOL Thanks for letting me know. It is encoding again.

If the video is 60fps rather than 59.940fps the x264 encoder won't refuse to encode it, but there should be a warning in MeGUI's log file about it not being Bluray compatible.

Yes it is 59.940...I just use 60p cause it is shorter. I've often wondered why the BluRay people stopped at 1280x720 for 60p....why not 1920x1080? Seems weird to me.

[sneaker]

Because back then systems weren't as powerful as today, I believe. But UHD BluRay supports 3840x2160 60p. (Both 59.94.. and exact 60.0)

[racer-x]

The settings I posted in post #3 were created about 5 years ago. I copied them from a Virtualdub template I made, but it's the same for MeGUI. I used those settings because they would pass DVDA without need for re-encoding. DVDA is very picky about what it will accept as compliant Blu-Ray streams.

I rarely make Blu-Ray disks these days......

[ron spencer]

I rarely as well, except for the sports teams and other friends who want them...Most people just loose the files I send...LOL. The discs are easily stored. The settings I posted have worked for about 18 different players, so I am hesitant to change....

thanks to those referring me to the 10 bit x264 fiasco...LOL