TMPGEnc setting Quality vs Bitrate

[neo]

I am using TMPGEnc to encode at low bit rates. In the two options that have a Quality slider, What does it do? Both increasing it and the bitrate result in higher quality with larger file sizes. So what is the difference between the two? How does increasing the Quality differ from increasing the bitrate?

Also, is 2 pass worth the extra time?

Thanks

[RabidDog]

yes two pass vbr is excellent. increasing bitrate will always imcrease quality until you get no further quality. Test this using CQ mode at 100 quality. and compare it to an encode using CBR max 2550.

[ZippyP.]

.. is 2 pass worth the extra time?

I think so. My file sizes are predictable, I can fill the disk right up thereby maximizing the bitrate and quality and I encode overnight so time is not an issue.

[neo]

I have no AV sync problems as I use the Canopus ADVC-100 which locks the audio and video. I keep them locked from there.

My only problem left is that I cannot get the new 2 pass mode to work on the latest version. The program always stops at the first pass and then closes.

Is anyone else having this problem with the latest pro version? I am using version 252158169 that was released on 9-26-03 with the new multiple pass mode.

Any help greatly appreciated.

[mrtristan]

I remember that was a problem with some earlier versions, but it was supposed to have been corrected. Is the minimum bitrate set above 0? If not, that might be the reason.

[neo]

I received a note from TMPGEnc that it only works directly with type II AVI. The problem is that ULead VS 6 would not accept type II files, only type I. I assume it only outputs in type I.

Is there a way to have ULead VS 6 output in type II as I use this for editing?

[energy80s]

TMPG works fine with Type 1 files. Don't mess around with Type 2 if you don't have to. And with TMPG CQ encoding is better than multipass VBR although you won't be able to predict the final file size. It is also a lot quicker than VBR.

[neo]

TMPG works fine with Type 1 files. Don't mess around with Type 2 if you don't have to. And with TMPG CQ encoding is better than multipass VBR although you won't be able to predict the final file size. It is also a lot quicker than VBR.

Received an email from TMPGEnc that it is designed to work with type II. The 2 pass works in type 2. The program seems to run faster with type 2. After trying 2 pass vs CQ, CQ seems to give better quality at the same file size.

[neo]

I still have not received an answer to my question. What is the difference between changing quality vs bitrate since they both affect quality and file size?

[bugster]

I still have not received an answer to my question. What is the difference between changing quality vs bitrate since they both affect quality and file size?

Only bitrate (and playing time) affect filesize. If you mean the quality setting in CQ mode, that is effectivley adjusting the Average bitrate, though not in quite the same reliable way as 2-pass VBR.

CQ produces excellent quality encodes relativley quickly with the downside that filesizes are not easily predictable. If you want max quality at min bitrates and also want to max out how long a movie you can fit on one CD/DVD, use 2-pass VBR.