How Can I Achieve High Quality Encodes Considering These Source Files?

[trueblueCj]

I have videos I edit to make into shorter clips using Sony Vegas Pro 12.

Basically, I need settings to allow the highest quality I can get, considering source file, with the smallest size and least amount of time per render/encode to still achieve that high quality. My top priority is to maintain and, if possible, improve quality in both video and audio in the new files. I'd like to achieve true 1080p that looks good on a large 1080p HDTV, but I'm not sure if rendering these source files in 1080p would make it better or worse than using 720p. I also need the new clips to be as small as possible, considering quality achieved, due to the amount of space these daily files will take up, over a span of 10+ years.

Here is the mediainfo for two examples of the source files I'm working with, of which most are of close if not exact quality of either ex1 or ex2:

example1

example2

Here is the mediainfo for two output files showing my current render settings:

output1

output2

The first is the archive file. The second I upload to youtube and dailymotion. I intentionally made these settings higher than yt recommended for two reasons. 1) I thought starting with a higher quality would result in a higher quality compressed file upon upload. 2) If I needed to download the mp4 later, I wasn't sure if I'd get the original file I upload ie: higher quality available on a free offsite server. Or, if I'd just get the compressed file. But, IF the first is true, I thought at least it would still be of higher quality than if I'd uploaded the file with the archive file settings.

Is there a quality level that, beyond a certain point, makes no difference once uploaded to youtube or similar sites? It would save a lot of time if I only needed to render 1 file that could be used to both upload and as an archive file.

Is it possible to get a true 1080p render based on the source files I'm working with, or would a 720p actually end up looking better in this case? Could I render in 1080p regardless and get a result better than 720p but maybe not really 1080p?

Should I keep the format mp4 like the source or might I get as good or better quality rendering in wmv? I prefer the crispness of mp4, but would consider wmv if I could achieve same/better quality at a smaller size.

Should I be doing something less or more to achieve just as good or better quality at the same or smaller file size regarding my current render settings?

Regarding audio, are these settings too high considering the source audio is lower or will increasing the bitrate actually improve the original quality rather than make it worse due to trying to add range that is now missing?

I'm new to all of this, but I have read a lot and am trying to learn as much as I can. I'd greatly appreciate any help and any info you could share. I have about 5 years worth of back videos to get through and want to get underway as soon as possible using the best settings now to save having to do this work over again later.

[jagabo]

Is it possible to get a true 1080p render based on the source files I'm working with, or would a 720p actually end up looking better in this case?

You can get a file that has a frame size of 1920x1080 or 1280x720 but since you are starting with low resolution files you will not have 720p or 1080p worth of detail. Nobody will mistake them for real high resolution videos. The best you can hope for is to enlarge the frame, keeping sharp edges, and not introducing too many scaling artifacts.

Is there a quality level that, beyond a certain point, makes no difference once uploaded to youtube or similar sites?

Literally NO difference? No (except with lossless codecs). But so little difference it doesn't matter? Yes. Where taht is will depend on the codec and settings you use and the particular video.

Youtube reencodes everything, you will not get your original high quality upload back. So it's not a way for you to archive your videos.

WMV and MP4 are containers and have no bearing on the quality. What matters is the codecs and settings used.

[aedipuss]

you're starting with fairly low quality, maybe dvdish video if lucky. blowing them up to 1080p will expose all the missing bits and make you look noobish. the better the source the better it looks on youtube. you can't fake it.

[Adithya]

No Upscaling is the worst thing you can do to that. Upload the original to Youtube as Youtube will re-encode whatever you upload. So when it re-encodes an upscaled video it would be a mess on a mess.

[jagabo]

youtube allows to download the original video if you fancy it just go to youtube.com/my_videos?o=u and there will be an arrow near the edit button, it will show a menu with a link Download MP4 (that's the original file)

Really? I hadn't heard that before. What if you upload a MKV, AVI, TS, M2TS, MPG... instead? Can you still download your original file?

[poisondeathray]

That doesn't download the original file, only the re-encoded MP4 version. The only way you can download the original version that you uploaded is through google checkout, and it's a PITA because it's an archive, not selectable individual videos. Google probably does this to prevent from misusing them as extra "free" storage site

[Adithya]

youtube allows to download the original video if you fancy it just go to youtube.com/my_videos?o=u and there will be an arrow near the edit button, it will show a menu with a link Download MP4 (that's the original file)

Really? I hadn't heard that before. What if you upload a MKV, AVI, TS, M2TS, MPG... instead? Can you still download your original file?

Right............ Sorry about that I've been wrong...

[jagabo]

The only way you can download the original version that you uploaded is through google checkout, and it's a PITA because it's an archive, not selectable individual videos.

What does that mean? A TAR file with everything you ever uploaded in a single file?

Google probably does this to prevent from misusing them as extra "free" storage site

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If you could easily download your original file you could use Youtube for backups. Just make all your videos private.

[poisondeathray]

The only way you can download the original version that you uploaded is through google checkout, and it's a PITA because it's an archive, not selectable individual videos.

What does that mean? A TAR file with everything you ever uploaded in a single file?

Yes basically, you have the option of ZIP, TGZ, but same idea . And it's "google takeout", not "checkout", sorry

You can only download by broad categories in your account eg.. youtube, or google photos, or google 3d warehouse, etc.... ie. it's divided by categories, but if you wanted to re-download one of your original YT videos, you would have to download the entire YT category. uuughhh.. But you don't have to download the google photos etc... along with it

[jagabo]

The only way you can download the original version that you uploaded is through google checkout, and it's a PITA because it's an archive, not selectable individual videos.

What does that mean? A TAR file with everything you ever uploaded in a single file?

Yes basically, you have the option of ZIP, TGZ, but same idea . And it's "google takeout", not "checkout", sorry

You can only download by broad categories in your account eg.. youtube, or google photos, or google 3d warehouse, etc.... ie. it's divided by categories, but if you wanted to re-download one of your original YT videos, you would have to download the entire YT category. uuughhh.. But you don't have to download the google photos etc... along with it

Thanks for those details.