Need New Encoding Software.

[slapatologist]

Hello everyone,


I've been out of the loop on video encoding software for awhile. I didn't really care when I had a dual core pc and everything was slow, but now that I have a quad core desktop I really wanna get up to date. I've mainly been using nero, pinnacle (don't ask me why on earth I used it) and cyberlink suites, but have gotten disastrous results with video quality (SD and HD) and encoding times. I use tmpgenc video mastering works to cut/edit the video, but used the others for enhancing the picture quality and final encoding and always got bad results. Can someone recommend some good video encoders that work fast or that doesn't take 5-7 hours to encode a movie? I would like to start using x265/x264/flv codecs, but if there's something better please let me know what it is. I don't care if the programs are free or not....as long as it's not $2,000.00. Thanks!

[newpball]

Perhaps you should mention what kind of sources you use (VHS, MPEG1, MPEG2 etc) and also your workflow for mastering, enhancing and final encoding.

[hech54]

This has some serious spam potential....

[slapatologist]

I will mainly use video from DVD and Blu-ray discs. Some downloads from iTunes and other sites. I also come across a lot of mkv files that don't play (usually music videos) so I usually have to fix and convert them to another format. All this is for personal use so there's no timeline. I just hate when programs take too long to finish.

I never meant for this to be a spam post, but I can see how some people could flood this thread. Sorry about that

[newpball]

I will mainly use video from DVD and Blu-ray discs. Some downloads from iTunes and other sites.

If the DVDs and Blu-rays look good is it best to leave the encoding alone.

I also come across a lot of mkv files that don't play (usually music videos) so I usually have to fix and convert them to another format.

A lot of this fixing can be done without re-encoding the video stream. In fact this website links to a lot of those tools.

It is certainly possible to improve already decent material but if you re-encode the results to a similar or worse bitrate you could wind up with something worse.

[LMotlow]

DVD and BluRay are known as "final delivery formats" -- that is, they are lossy encoded video that is the last step in the production process. They were not designed for what people like to call "editing". They can be, in terms of simple cut and join operations, such as cutting out commercials or unwanted material, then reauthored without additional re-encoding by using smart-rendering editors designed for it.. But as soon as you "enhance" picture quality with color correction, denoising, etc., they must be entirely re-encoded. MPEG and h264 encoding is known as lossy compression, meaning that what you get is less than what you started with. How much you lose depends on the original quality as well as the quality of the encoder and its setup. I'd have to say that the Cyberlink and Pinnacle software you say you're using is far from the best. Mastering Works' encoders are pretty good, actually, and many are happy with the re-encoded results if they're set up properly. Any way you look at it, for something like color correction all encoded video has to be decompressed and decoded, revised, and re-encoded one way or another no matter whose software you use.

TMPGEnc Mastering Works is a well regarded program with able encoders. But it isn't a smart-rendering editor. It re-encodes everything, even if you use no edits and simply make another copy. TMPGenc's smart-rendering editor is TMPGEnc MPEG Smart Renderer (which also handles HD). It was not designed for color correction or enhancement -- even if it was, whatever you "enhance" would have to be re-encoded. The only function that doesn't require entire re-encodes would be applying its transition features, which re-encode only the few seconds of GOPs involved (i.e, smart-rendering). For smart rendering it has the same MPEG and x264 engines used by Mastering Works.

I have to ask why DVD and BluRay source would require enhancement. Are these commercial issues, or home-made from other sources? What are you using Cyberlink and Pinnacle for?

[slapatologist]

I forgot to mention something. Most of these concerts that are on dvd or blu-ray are unofficial releases that I found on eBay and many of them are not good quality. They are more like VHS quality and none of them are available to purchase online or at retail stores. I usually try to improve the picture quality if it's too dark or very fuzzy. Sometimes I can find an excellent cd-ripped copy of the live audio from the concerts and I will replace the crappy audio with the crystal clear one. That is mainly what I do. No home movies to edit and definitely nothing released in HQ on DVD/Blu-ray as that is completely pointless.

[slapatologist]

I will check out TMPGEnc MPEG Smart Renderer. Sounds like it could save me some time with some short music videos that I have saved.

[newpball]

I forgot to mention something. Most of these concerts that are on dvd or blu-ray are unofficial releases that I found on eBay and many of them are not good quality. They are more like VHS quality and none of them are available to purchase online or at retail stores. I usually try to improve the picture quality if it's too dark or very fuzzy. Sometimes I can find an excellent cd-ripped copy of the live audio from the concerts and I will replace the crappy audio with the crystal clear one. That is mainly what I do. No home movies to edit and definitely nothing released in HQ on DVD/Blu-ray as that is completely pointless.

I think the problem is often that the worse the quality the less there is to enhance, while if the source is really good it most of the time gets even better using the right filters.

If a bad source is dark it is often to obfuscate horrible compression artifacts in the dark regions. For fun equalize a bad source and you see all the mess that hides in the 'background'. If you want to make things a bit lighter I believe that you can slightly change the gamma of MPEG2 without re-encoding but someone should probably confirm this.

[LMotlow]

I will check out TMPGEnc MPEG Smart Renderer. Sounds like it could save me some time with some short music videos that I have saved.

It's a good program and okay for edits, but not for cleanup of the defects you describe. And from what you describe, those eBay videos did originate from VHS tape. You'll need a lot more than an"editor" to clean them up. You can use TMPGEnc Mastering Works for some very good color enhancement and re-encoding of lossless video, but for cleanup of crappy eBay VHS transfers you'd better look into Avisynth and VirtualDub.

[slapatologist]

I will check out TMPGEnc MPEG Smart Renderer. Sounds like it could save me some time with some short music videos that I have saved.

It's a good program and okay for edits, but not for cleanup of the defects you describe. And from what you describe, those eBay videos did originate from VHS tape. You'll need a lot more than an"editor" to clean them up. You can use TMPGEnc Mastering Works for some very good color enhancement and re-encoding of lossless video, but for cleanup of crappy eBay VHS transfers you'd better look into Avisynth and VirtualDub.

Thanks! I will grab Avisynth and an updated version of VirtualDub.