x264 subme setting?

[killerteengohan]

I have always used the default subme 7 setting.

Do the higher numbers actually give better quality output? I don't really see much difference from 7 and 9. I kind of think the 7 looks better as well or least I can seem to see tiny details a very slight bit better. The difference is so minor that even when zoomed in I can barely tell.

Whats with this setting and would using a subme setting of 11 even be beneficial?

[poisondeathray]

You will not see much of a difference in normal situations, typical bitrate ranges. You will notice it more in very low bitrate range encoding scenarios

[killerteengohan]

So is the higher number supposed to be better? Is a setting of 11 worth it?

[poisondeathray]

So is the higher number supposed to be better? Is a setting of 11 worth it?

Yes, higher is better, but slower to process . The "placebo" preset uses --subme 11. So that should tell you something.

Under normal situations it's not worth it. Very low bitrate encodes might benefit

[killerteengohan]

I tried both subme 7 and both subme 9 with a DVD at 1800kbps. The subme 9 seems to soften background items or certain things a bit. I don't really like that. If you zoom in, it appears more artifacts appear as well for the subme 9. Some also disappear or smooth out, but it looks like more appear to me. I'll just stick with subme 7.

Thanks for the information.