H:264 capture/render software

Originally Posted by Jonathan Norris

Yea handbrake is awesome and so is the x264 ecoding engine, I recomend if you are interested in this stuff to read up on all the handbrake settings in their FAQ, you can use the high profile setting for even more x264 wizardry. If you are using this for broadcast video turn CQ (constant quality) up to about 64%, at that point the Handbrake community basically agrees that it becomes transparent to the source (though you will be doubling your file size). Get a small sample file, like 2 minute video, and play around with different settings till you find something that works for your application (to warn you some of the 'high profile' settings will break compatibility with certain players).

Well I have been struggling with this H:264 all weekend as I am preparing test files for engineering to analyze on Monday and so far Handbrake is winning hands down in terms of good video quality in smaller file sizes, right now I am dealing with SD video which I have been capturing in Sony vegas movie studio 9 and rendering to mpeg 2, hoping the mpeg 4/H:264 will maintain same quality but with smaller file sizes as we ftp this video in from the road on Telus modems.

Tried Pinnacle Studio HD ultimate collection and streamclip and Vegas 9 but in Mpeg4 I am getting horrible results, I could be doing something wrong though, all good in mpeg 2 but once I go to mpeg 4 the end result is not even close to the quality of my raw .avi's or mpeg 2's but with Handbrake in the high profile setting I think I have something I can send to the station without being laughed at too loudly.

Then comes the HD H:264, that will be next and the challenge there will again be to have broadcast video in lengths of up to 7 min with file sizes not bigger than 300mb.

Rendering time, file size and video quality, a fine balancing act.

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