Best Quality encoding from 1080p to 720p & 720p to 720p in Xvid4PSP?

[Odie111]

Hello Everyone,

Recently I realized that my TV (Panasonic Viera) supports only 720p / 1080i. What is more, when play a movie with subtitles (in srt files) the inbuilt player makes them too small to read comfortably (and AFAIK there is no way to enlarge them via TV settings).

So currently I am (1) converting the SRT files into SSA and (2) using Xvid4psp to permanently overlay them on the movie (this is the only software I am aware of which can do it). It entails re-encoding the movie I think.

Now the question is that I have a 4GB BluRay 1080p rip (mp4) which I want to watch on my TV.

1. Which encoding method in Xvid4PSP would be the best to overlay the subtitles & convert from 1080p -> 720p?
2. Which encoding method in Xvid4PSP would be the best to overlay the subtitles & convert from 720p -> 720p?

I have all the other settings (aspect ratios, resolution, etc) worked out, it's just the number of encoding methods that kills me The XVID4PSP version is 5.10.346.0 if that helps.

I'do prefer not to loose quality, but at the same time do not want the file to grow excessively large. Somewhat larger is OK.
I am also not concerned about the speed of the process , I can have the computer working on it for an hour or two if need be.

I am rather new to these things, so any help will be greatly appreciated.

[jagabo]

1. Which encoding method in Xvid4PSP would be the best to overlay the subtitles & convert from 1080p -> 720p?
2. Which encoding method in Xvid4PSP would be the best to overlay the subtitles & convert from 720p -> 720p?

x264 at CRF 1 will be the best quality (lossless, there's no preset for this) but your TV won't play it. I'd start with something like the "x264 Q18 HQS" preset and change it to AVC Level 5.1; tune to Film, Animation, or Grain whichever is appropriate for your source; and crank the Codec Preset as high as you can stand.

[Odie111]

Many thanks for a quick answer

Yeah, I tried looseless encoding before and indeed the TV did not want to play it...
So I'll try the Q18 HQS then.

I have the following settings:
Encoding Mode: Constant Quality
Quality (CRF): 18
AVC Profile: Auto (High)
AVC Level: 5.1
Tune: Film
Preset: Veryslow

The should be OK, no?

BTW. is there a way to set variable bit rate? And would I see an improvement there?

Oh, and one more thing: when I look at the encoding task summary window, it says:
VideoBitrate: 3390 > Q18.0 - what does it mean exactly?

[videobruger]

AVC Level: 5.1

Check your manual. Usually only level 4.1 is supported.

[jagabo]

So I'll try the Q18 HQS then.

I have the following settings:
Encoding Mode: Constant Quality
Quality (CRF): 18
AVC Profile: Auto (High)
AVC Level: 5.1
Tune: Film
Preset: Veryslow

The should be OK, no?

That should be fine. Check a short sample and see if the TV plays it. Level 5.1 should be playable by most TVs and standalone players.

BTW. is there a way to set variable bit rate? And would I see an improvement there?

CRF is variable bitrate. The encoder will use whatever bitrate is necessary to deliver the requested quality (lower CRF give higher quality) at each frame. Ie, you are specifying the quality you want but you don't know how big the file will turn out. If you want a specific size you use 2-pass VBR. In that case you are specifying the size you want but you don't know what the quality will be. They are two sides of the same coin.

Oh, and one more thing: when I look at the encoding task summary window, it says:
VideoBitrate: 3390 > Q18.0 - what does it mean exactly?

I haven't used or updated xvid4psp in years. I'm not sure where you're getting that. Is it while encoding? Maybe it's the average bitrate so far.

[sneaker]

That should be fine. Check a short sample and see if the TV plays it. Level 5.1 should be playable by most TVs and standalone players.

I disagree. Many players cannot do more than level 4.1.

[jagabo]

That should be fine. Check a short sample and see if the TV plays it. Level 5.1 should be playable by most TVs and standalone players.

I disagree. Many players cannot do more than level 4.1.

Yes, you are correct. I meant to write 4.1 -- essentially Blu-ray compliant.

[Odie111]

Since the encoding process was already in progress when the recent posts appeared, I decided to let it finish and see what would happen. It turned out that level 5.1 played fine on my TV - at least for this movie

The message re. bitrate appears in the "summary" window which shows after the encoding process starts. I vaguely think it has something to do with the quality / CRF setting which is also set to 18.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[jagabo]

The message re. bitrate appears in the "summary" window which shows after the encoding process starts. I vaguely think it has something to do with the quality / CRF setting which is also set to 18.

Does the bitrate change as the encoding proceeds? It's probably either the bitrate of the most recent section encoded or the average bitrate of the encoding so far.