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Piers · 2014-05-09, 19:12

- Always keep original framerate (unless it's 29.97 and you want to use IVTC, but that won't apply for films)
- Use x264 with CRF of 18-21 for best results
- Use x264 high profile, if you're using Apple hardware then use 4.0, if not then go higher - 4.1 is well tolerated.
- B-frames are up to you, if you don't know what they are then don't touch them, this applies for 99% of settings with x264.
- Audio - keep, don't re-encode.

Those are a few points to always stick with, ultimately the best thing you can do is encode one of the films you enjoy the most and watch key parts of it - if the quality is acceptable then use those settings. I also see no reason to go down to 720p - retaining 1080p will use a little more HDD space but will save you possible time in the future (if you get a larger screen and decide the quality is not acceptable).

tential · 2014-05-09, 21:56

Piers gave some great points all which I agree with.
I suggest you read an encoding guide as well to learn what a few of the other settings mean. I think I have a couple bookmarked so I'll link you when I get to a pc.

GAMER101 · 2014-05-10, 00:42

I'm just going to go lossless. I am going to order a 12 Bay NAS and set up a wired network around my house. Each of my movies are coming to an average of 25GB per movie anyway. That ain't bad. So I imagine a 12 Bay NAS would hold about over 1,000 blurays plus the DVDs and my music I own. More than I'll ever need for now. Besides I love the lossless too much.

Only question about a NAS. Do you turn them off when not in use? Or is that what the hibernation is for? I notice that it says it uses around 40 watts when it is in hibernation and about 115 watts when accessing it. How quickly does a NAS hibernate when not in use?

Thanks for the replies everyone by the way and for the help.

tential · (This post was last modified: 2014-05-10, 02:57 by tential.)

Lol you don't turn off your server usually. 115 seems high when accessing it and it seems like the numbers are with the nas with all 12 bays full or drives. Also while 115 watts seems like a lot, please check the actual 24/7 cost of running the system as I'll see people spend 100s extra to shave off 20-40 watts extra when they only saves them about 5-10 a year.

So I don't want to say ignore power consumption, but if you are using it as 150 is so much bigger than 80 oh no! Then it's not very useful. Get the actual monetary values. Can't tell you how many times I see someone spend 100+ extra to shave a couple watts off their power consumption. Power consumption is a way I've seen too many consumers just make extremely bad decisions.

I would definitely do some compression if it were me as lossless at 25 gb compared to saving 50% space is huge. And if you have are thinking about the 1000 mark of movies I can guarantee you you'll be thinking about the 2000 mark and the 3k mark. Take it from me, I had like 500 movies or so, then 1k, now 1.5k, and I'm already trying to get more drives now to hit well... Not even sure.

So if you can't tell the difference between a 18 rf movie with a 1080p resolution but you just go lossless to be lazy you lose out on a ton more movies you could add and it's an extreme waste of space having something like lion king as a 25 gb file when you can't tell the difference between that and an 8 gb encode of the same movie.

GAMER101 · (This post was last modified: 2014-05-10, 03:47 by GAMER101.)

I wouldn't mind if I could aim for half the file size of the movie. Like if I could shrink a 28GB movie down to 14GB that would save me a great deal of space. In the meantime I need a faster processor to compress my movies. I was going to compress Titanic but it says it's going to take 36 hrs to compress. Is that normal? What kind of motherboard and processor should I get because I have pretty old PC and I can't really buy good processors for it. I'll spend over $300 on a processor if I have to and $150 on the motherboard.

tential · (This post was last modified: 2014-05-10, 04:02 by tential.)

The 4770k Intel Processor is what I use(And I can't recommend you anything better as I don't think the cost would justify the performance bonus) and you can pick any mobo really. I use the Asus Z-87 A Pro I think. You don't need a 4770k though, that's a processor for overclockers. A 4770 should be just fine. However, I think the 4790/Z-97 motherboards are out as Intel just did a refresh of their processors. Preview reviews have the 4790 consuming slightly less power at 10-15 watts but I don't think there is anything else in the reviews worthwhile as the numbers are quite suspect.

Both of those as a combo shouldn't cost much. I got mine around $350 total for both actually.

I can't tell you what encoding times are "normal" without knowing the exact settings you used and the processor you have. I've had encodes say they'll take 36 hours(or just a long time) on my 4770k. So it depends on what settings you enabled or what profile you used in Handbrake. You are using Handbrake right?

GAMER101 · 2014-05-10, 04:33

Yeah I am using handbrake. The x264 preset is medium. FPS is same source Variable Framerate. Right now I am compressing Kick-Ass 2 with an RF of 18 on high profile and that's going to take 16 hours to complete.

My processor is a AMD Dual Core 4600+ 2.4Ghz.

DJ_Izumi · 2014-05-10, 04:47

Considdering the speed of the CPU available to you, I'd wonder if directly ripping would just make life easier vs two thirds of a day to re-encode stuff.

GAMER101 · 2014-05-10, 05:40

(2014-05-10, 04:47)DJ_Izumi Wrote: Considdering the speed of the CPU available to you, I'd wonder if directly ripping would just make life easier vs two thirds of a day to re-encode stuff.

Yeah you think. Luckily I only have 100 blurays to rip. I already finished my DVDs and TV shows.

thrak76 · 2014-05-10, 15:23

When you start using a CRF of less than 20, the encode times really start to creep up. IME, the difference between 20 & 18 is double the encode time. If you start using presets slower than medium, it really drags, regardless of CRF.

GAMER101 · 2014-05-10, 19:01

Kick-Ass 2 finished compressing. Came to 6.11GB. Original was 24.8. I can't even tell the quality loss on my TV. How is that possible handbrake is able to do that?

un1versal · (This post was last modified: 2014-05-10, 19:48 by un1versal.)

The lower the number RF the less compressed it is I find this easy to understand http://slhck.info/articles/crf

tential · (This post was last modified: 2014-05-10, 23:25 by tential.)

(2014-05-10, 04:47)DJ_Izumi Wrote: Considdering the speed of the CPU available to you, I'd wonder if directly ripping would just make life easier vs two thirds of a day to re-encode stuff.

Same. Not even worth it with that processor.

(2014-05-10, 19:01)GAMER101 Wrote: Kick-Ass 2 finished compressing. Came to 6.11GB. Original was 24.8. I can't even tell the quality loss on my TV. How is that possible handbrake is able to do that?

Lol the power of technology right?

Piers · (This post was last modified: 2014-05-10, 23:53 by Piers.)

Just stick with basic settings I mentioned and you'll be fine - asking about compressing video using x264 can cover such a large area that it's best to keep it simple. I've not used Handbrake so not really sure what the settings on there are, but for 1080 Blu-Ray content make sure that:

1) x264 profile is set to high at L 4.0 or 4.1 (from this thread it looks like Handbrake offers profiles? Just concentrate on the actual x264 settings)
2) CRF is set to 18-21

If you stick to those 2 settings you'll get good results.

thrak76 · 2014-05-10, 23:55

(2014-05-10, 23:53)Piers Wrote: 1) x264 profile is set to high at L 4.0 or 4.1

Handbrake adjusts the profile automatically (if auto is selected), dependent on the other options chosen, which is probably the best route. I've never seen it choose anything other than 4.0 or 4.1 while using the High Profile preset.