Encoding noob questions

[Frakit]

Hello all,

I'm very new to the video encoding world (research and several guides online to get going) and need some advice. I recently upgraded my machine from a Core2Duo/2gb ram/Win xp 32 to Phenom II x4 955/4gb ram/Win 7 x64 and faster drives, etc.

In my previous setup it took almost 20 hrs (yikes!) to encode Avatar Blu ray using RipBot v1.16.1, hence the reason for upgrade to new cpu and components. I copied bd to hdd with AnyDVD then fired up RipBot last night and find that it's now taking around 8+ hrs which is a HUGE improvement, but still seems fairly slow based on what I've read on these and other forums. I'm using CQ 18 , no subtitles, pretty much default settings and my fps hovers between 6 - 8. Is this normal? Or should I be seeing better speed based on the setup? I don't know what all information to provide here to help diagnose a possible issue, so please just ask whatever may be relevant.

If 8 hrs for a single pass is to be expected on this processor then I'm ok with it - not thrilled, but ah well (hopefully will be bit faster once I overclock it); just want to make sure there's nothing else in the equation that I'm overlooking/should be doing.

Thanks for your time.

[Atak_Snajpera]

6-8 fps is absolutely normal for 1920x1080 footage. I can only suggest to use 1280x720. FPS should go above 12 fps. BTW. Majority of movies does not need FullHD resolution.

[fritzi93]

What is the target file size?

With your rig (quad CPU, right?) using BDRB, a typical resize to BD25 should be no more than perhaps 3 hours, if memory serves. A resize to BD 5/9 would be a bit more. If mrswla sees this thread, you may get a more precise answer.

I haven't used RipBot much, but the few times I did it seemed inordinately slow at default settings, compared to BDRB. Can't advise on RipBot settings, so all I can suggest is to try BDRB at automatic settings and see.

BTW, when I use manual settings at "Good" quality, I typically get over 14 fps on my HTPC (see my computer details), which is not very powerful by current standards. It will go at least 16 fps if resizing to 720p. To tell the truth, I find it hard to justify the slower encoding settings, they slow down an encode enormously for little discernible difference. If the runtime is ~2 hours or over, bitrate falls below 4,500 kbps, which I think is the minimum for a recode of a commercial movie. In that case I re-encode to 720p or use a dual-layer DVD (BD9).

Good luck.

[Frakit]

Thank you both for the response. Good to know that fps I'm seeing is normal. I'll give BDRB and play with some settings and see if I can manager better speed with little difference in quality as you said fritzi.

[fritzi93]

To clarify:

RipBot, BDRB, AVCHDCoder, et. al., use pretty much the same set of tools, starting with the x264 encoder. All the decent freeware Blu-Ray to Blu-Ray front-ends do. So don't misconstrue my remarks, there's nothing wrong with RipBot. Personally I think BDRB is easier to use, in particular the settings are more sensibly laid out. [shrugs]

Some people insist on using insanely slow encoding settings. The idea is that it allows the encoder to more precisely allocate bitrate where it's needed. My opinion is, if you try to stuff a movie that's much longer than 2 hours onto a BD5, the extra encoding time isn't worth it. Use a BD9 instead and forget the slow encoding settings. You can't overcome bitrate starvation with slower encoding settings.

As to bitrate, the author of AVCHDCoder believes that ~4,500 kbps is about minimum for 1080p, and I've found that to be reasonable. You can go a good bit lower with 720p, as you would expect, 720p having less than half the information.

Good luck.

[redwudz]

I use RipBot for BD>MKV conversions with a target filesize of about 8GB, to fit on a DL DVD disc. That takes about 5 - 6 hours with a two pass encode. But the quality is very good. This with a OC'd six core Phenom.

[louv68]

I'm looking into building a PC to encode Blu-ray to BD 5/9 and BD-R. I figured I've waited long enough, and it'd be something new to try, going from DVD's. What kind of setup would you recommend? I'd like to keep the cost at or below $1500, if that's realistic. The lower the better, but something that would encode a movie in around 2.5 - 3hrs would be great. If faster, even better. Hopefully this is doable. I have a case and SATA HDD's I can cannibalize to keep costs down even more. I could always upgrade them later. Thanks.

[funk74]

Well I'm using ripbot to do my first BDrip of Transformers.
I put it at CQ of 20. Looks like its gonna take me about 8 and 1/2 hours to complete.
running around 6.8fps.

I think they are correct that certain movies like this one need to be in 1080 and most other would not.

I have seen a rip of Avatar that was about 2-3 GB, and you could definitely see the dithering when they are showing the clouds.

Hopefully this works ok.

BTW i am using a Athlon II quad 2.8GHz not overclocked yet. Would overclocking really help? has anyone out there seen a significant improvement?

[nic2k4]

Increasing the bus speed always helps, but don't expect too much. Athlons run pretty good at 220 (10% increase), you might get higher speeds if you play with voltages and timings, but slowing the memory timing is counter productive here. I've heard of guys running the bus at 289 on unlocked CPU's, but I have some serious doubts about their stability. To get to that they use expensive high speed memory and coolers. For the kind of money they spend to OC a cheap CPU, they would get better results for half the money with a Phenom II with its large L3 cache.