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  1. I am trying out XMedia Recode 3.4.3.6 by taking a short 15 second/342 frame video and converting it. To begin with, I'm just replicating the encoder settings in the original video to familiarize myself with where the same settings are in Recode. I've found that I can set almost all the same settings in Recode and it has more settings than recorded in the original video.

    However, using these settings takes over 20 minutes to reencode the original 342 frame video. And my PC is an Intel i7-4790K 4GHz with 32GB RAM. So, I am posting here to ask for suggestions on what settings I can dial down (and to what value) to improve rendering speed without compromising image quality.


    Here are the current settings, [] bracketed ones are in Recode but not the original video.

    General:
    Codec=HEVC / H.265
    [Frame rate=keep original]
    rc=crf
    crf=14.0
    profile=Main 10
    Level=4.1 High
    Preset=Medium
    Tune=Disabled
    open-gop
    keyint=500
    [min. GOP size=0]
    interlace=0
    [Threads=0]

    B-frame:
    bframes=8
    b-adapt=2 (Full)
    [use b-frames as references]
    weightb (weighted b-prediction?)
    bframe-bias=0

    Deblocking:
    deblock=-2:-2
    no-sao
    no-sao-non-deblock

    Rate Control:
    vbv-bufsize=40000
    vbv-maxrate=35000
    [vbv-init=0.9]
    crf-min=0.0
    crf-max=32.0
    ipratio=1.40
    pbratio=1.30
    qpmin=0
    qpmax=32
    qpstep=4
    qcomp=0.60
    cbqpoffs=0
    crqpoffs=0
    [q blur=0.5]
    [blur complexity=20] (would both blur settings to 0 help? I don't think I need blurring.)
    aq-mode=3 (enabled, auto-variance, bias to dark scenes)
    aq-strength=1.00
    [QP size=64]
    cutree
    no-lossless
    [no-aq-motion]
    [no-strict-cbr]
    [no-rc-grain]
    [const-vbv]

    Motion estimation:
    merange=44
    me=3 (star)
    subme=7 (HPEL 2/8, QPEL 2/8, HPEL SATD enabled)
    max-merge=5 (In the last two tests, this changed to 2 even though it still says 5 on Recode's input box.)
    temporal-mvp
    weightp (enable weighted prediction in P slices?)
    [enable weighted prediction in B slices]
    [no-analyze-src-pics]

    Analysis:
    rd=6
    ctu=32
    min-cu-size=8
    max-tu-size=32
    limit-refs=0
    rdoq-level=0
    tu-intra-depth=1
    tu-inter-depth=1
    [limit-tu=0]
    [dynamic-rd=0.00]
    no-limit-modes
    no-amp
    no-rect
    [no-b-intra]
    no-cu-lossless
    no-early-skip
    no-fast-intra
    no-tskip-fast
    rd-refine
    no-tskip
    [no-ssim-rd]
    rskip

    Performance:
    wpp
    [pmode]
    [pme]

    Slice decision:
    scenecut=40
    [bias for scenecut detection=5]
    rc-lookahead=70
    lookahead-slices=6
    [lookahead threads=0]
    ref=5
    [ctu-info=0]
    no-intra-refresh

    Spatial/Intra:
    no-strong-intra-smoothing
    no-constrained-intra

    Bitstream:
    [annexb]
    [no-repeat-headers]
    [no-aud]
    [no-hrd]
    [info]
    no-temporal-layers
    [hash=0]

    can't set in Recode, different:
    psy-rd=2.00 (Original: 1.2)
    min-keyint=23 (Original: 1)

    can't set, same:
    b-pyramid
    rdpenalty=0
    psy-rdoq=0.00
    signhide
    qg-size=32

    Ultimately, I would like to be able to reencode several videos from different sources to the same settings and join them together without compromising image quality. If there's a better program than Recode to do that, please let me know. I would prefer to be able to enter the settings in a UI than writing a script.
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    At what bitrate do you calculate? The HEVC is only useful up to 20 Mb/s for FullHD (At 20Mb/s it is more useful x264).
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  3. Originally Posted by Gravitator View Post
    At what bitrate do you calculate? The HEVC is only useful up to 20 Mb/s for FullHD (At 20Mb/s it is more useful x264).
    If i have a 4K UHD file, what bitrate threshold is there between H.265 and H.264 in comparison to 20Mbit/s for FullHD?
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  4. OK OP you have "Preset=Medium" there but many of those settings you have look more like from a much slower preset.

    The ones that catch my eye:

    me=3 (star)
    subme=7
    ref=5

    Those are some VERY aggressive compression settings, which means they will take up a lot of processing power, which means longer encoding times...

    Also the settings you say you can't set in Recode are all there you just have to look carefully as they may have slightly different names... (it's actually one of the biggest gripes I had with that program and one of the reasons I changed to Hybrid - it does everything Recode does but it's much more newbie friendly, maybe you should check it out as well.)
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  5. Originally Posted by Gravitator View Post
    At what bitrate do you calculate?
    The bitrate of the original was 8.1mbps. The bitrate of the reencoded video was not recorded. But the overall bitrate of the mkv (with audio) was 10mbps.

    I'll be satisfied to match the bitrate of the original. I don't need to exceed it.

    Originally Posted by Peter Sagan View Post
    you have "Preset=Medium" there but many of those settings you have look more like from a much slower preset.
    As a newbie, I have no idea how that "Preset" setting affected the other settings. From what you say, I get the impression that it sets the values for the other settings and then you can reset specific ones yourself, is this correct?

    The ones that catch my eye:

    me=3 (star)
    subme=7
    ref=5

    Those are some VERY aggressive compression settings, which means they will take up a lot of processing power, which means longer encoding times...
    What values for these would you recommend to reduce encoding times without compromising quality much?
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    Switch from the medium preset to "very fast"
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  7. Originally Posted by Compositor View Post
    ...
    As a newbie, I have no idea how that "Preset" setting affected the other settings. From what you say, I get the impression that it sets the values for the other settings and then you can reset specific ones yourself, is this correct?

    Yes, that's how it is. I just would be wary of XM Recode's ability to properly apply the presets... as I can tell you I have experience with that program and it can be a bit buggy in that aspect.


    Originally Posted by Compositor View Post
    ...
    What values for these would you recommend to reduce encoding times without compromising quality much?
    motion search method = hex
    subpel refine = 2
    ref frames = 3

    That's the medium baseline.

    If you'd like more quality there's some easy ways (as long as you stick to CRF encoding):

    - Increase the three settings above little by little.
    - Set rdoq-level = 2 and psy-rdoq = 10.
    - Use tune Grain from the presets page.
    - Or just lower crf if you can afford the bitrate/file size. It's the ideal way because it doesn't add to encoding time like the others.


    These are just the generic ways to tweak with HEVC. A more advanced user would ask you for type of source and tinker with a lot more things but that's out of my reach .
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  8. I got something rather annoying. I changed the following settings, ME=hex, subME=2, ref frames=2. The video took as long to render as under my previous settings. Then I look at its settings using mediainfo and it turns out, it was rendered under the older settings instead of what I specified!


    Any one know what's going on here? I can't set anything if the converter isn't going to use the settings I specified.
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    Originally Posted by flashandpan007 View Post
    If i have a 4K UHD file, what bitrate threshold is there between H.265 and H.264 in comparison to 20Mbit/s for FullHD?
    You did choose 8Mbit/s for FHD? This is the most optimal bitrate for encoding in HEVC-10bit (minimal difference from the original). To get quality without loss, you need 20Mbit/s and above. Tester report > https://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=75000126#75000126
    Try from 16mbit/s for UHD (depends on the settings).
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    Originally Posted by Compositor View Post
    Any one know what's going on here? I can't set anything if the converter isn't going to use the settings I specified.
    It seems I also encountered such a problem with Xmedia ... You can see the Hybrid program.
    I allocate in the program for no more than 50% of processor power - it helps to avoid system crash from overloading (it's more comfortable working, browsing, watching movies).
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  11. Originally Posted by Gravitator View Post
    It seems I also encountered such a problem with Xmedia ... You can see the Hybrid program.
    I allocate in the program for no more than 50% of processor power - it helps to avoid system crash from overloading (it's more comfortable working, browsing, watching movies).
    I'm giving Hybrid a go myself. All the settings seem to be there as I've heard, and the settings are properly applied.

    But I have to ask, where do you set the processor load? I can't find it and it's using 100% when possible. The closest I can find is "FFMPEG/MEncoder threads." Currently set to the number of CPUs in my machine in Config>Internals. Is this it? Do I change it to half for 50% load?
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  12. No need to worry about processor loads, Hybrid uses idle mode by default which means it takes 100% only when absolutely no other thing is using it, and will give up usage as soon as any other task comes up in the OS pipeline. It should be pretty much transparent in terms of system responsiveness while encoding.
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  13. I'm getting the hang of using Hybrid. However, unlike Xmedia Recode, I don't see inputs boxes for setting the min and max CRF. The Hybrid-produced encodes have both min and max CRF=0. What do these two settings effect? Where can I set them in Hybrid?
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  14. I need some advices too with this program.
    I have a video with the reframe set at 4, and my bd player can't read it. I wanted to use Xmedia recode to modify this setting, with keeping all of the other specifications of the video the same, in order not to deteriorate the quality of the video.
    When I open the video with this software, does it set all the different settings the way they are in the original file, so that I can just modify the reframe setting? Or does it display the same settings for every video and I need to adjust everything myself?
    Thanks, and sorry, my english is not my native language.
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  15. Originally Posted by Compositor View Post
    Ultimately, I would like to be able to reencode several videos from different sources to the same settings and join them together without compromising image quality.
    That's not possible. Any lossy compression can only decrease the quality. Even if you use the exact same settings, or even much better settings.
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  16. Oh, but my case is different. I just want to modify the reframe of a single video (from 4 to 5) and keep the other settings the same.
    I didn't start a new thread because I saw that this one was abour the same software.
    Thanks in advance!
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  17. Your case is not different. Reducing number ref frames needs complete re-encode.
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  18. Originally Posted by kumasan View Post
    I have a video with the reframe set at 4, and my bd player can't read it.
    Originally Posted by kumasan View Post
    I just want to modify the reframe of a single video (from 4 to 5)
    If you player can't handle 4 reference frames it won't be able to handle 5 or more either.
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  19. Originally Posted by kumasan View Post
    Oh, but my case is different. I just want to modify the reframe of a single video (from 4 to 5) and keep the other settings the same.
    First piece of advice, are you sure you want to use XMedia Recode? Because, my experience is that program is slow. Like taking several seconds to encode one frame slow. Worse, the settings don't seem to stick. You change them, then discover it used the previous setting instead of the new one. After it took 20 hours to encode the video.

    I dumped it for Hybrid instead.

    Second, in almost any encoder software, you can set all the settings you find in the video information. Takes a while to find them, but they're all there as you can see on my first post. But, unless you're an expert at video quality (if you were, you wouldn't be asking about this) you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. More significant is file size and encoding time.

    The two settings that affect this the most is CRF and Motion Estimation. Smaller CRF numbers mean faster encode but larger file size, it's like file compression. Higher ME (and sub-ME) settings mean slower encode, but it has less effect on file size. A full discussion of quality vs filesize is beyond the scope of this thread.
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  20. If you player can't handle 4 reference frames it won't be able to handle 5 or more either.
    Well, I already made a test with another video. It didn't played. I checked with mediainfo, the reframe was 4. I put it to 5 and reencoded the video, and it worked. It seems that my BD player, for some reason , doesn't read reframe=4.
    I'll try Hybrid and see if I can recreate the settings with the informations from the mediainfo.
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  21. Originally Posted by kumasan View Post
    If you player can't handle 4 reference frames it won't be able to handle 5 or more either.
    Well, I already made a test with another video. It didn't played. I checked with mediainfo, the reframe was 4. I put it to 5 and reencoded the video, and it worked. It seems that my BD player, for some reason , doesn't read reframe=4.
    That's not possible. You can verify this by reencoding with 4 ref frames. You'll find that video works too. The problem with the original video was elsewhere.

    The reference frame setting is the maximum number of reference frames. Setting reference frames to 4 doesn't mean every frame reference 4 other frames. Some may only reference 3, or 2, or 1.
    Last edited by jagabo; 12th Nov 2018 at 20:59.
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