Leave bframes at no higher than 3 unless you are changing b-adapt. You have increased the bframes to a very high value without setting b-adapt to 2.Most of them merely replicate the default values from the 'slower' preset, which is better to use instead.The problem I have with these settings are, basically It will waste time for no benefit (although without wading through the source code, it may actually be ignored in this circumstance, I don't know) me_range=32 - this is significantly higher than the default on 'placebo' and I would not recommend it.bframes=16 - this is the default on preset 'placebo', and I would not recommend it, since you haven't set b-adapt to a sane value for high b-frames.rc_lookahead=60 - this is the default on presets 'slower' and above.subme=9 - this is the default on preset 'slower'.me=umh - this is the default on presets 'slower' and above.trellis=2 - this is the default on presets 'slow' and above.cabac=1 - this is the default on all presets except for ultrafast.Unless you have specialised requirements, deviating from the presets without in-depth knowledge about the way x264 and x265 works isn't recommended. The beauty of x264 and x265 is they come with recommended presets, which contain a whole set of settings. I have also used eac3to in the past to downmix, but that is time consuming, and doesn't offer significantly better results in my testing (not to mention, eac3to can sometimes be a bit heavy-handed with the clipping detect algorithm, reducing the overall volume level significantly, but this only applies to stereo downmixes). I make the optional stereo track to playback on stereo only devices, and I find Handbrake typically does a better downmix from a 5.1 source than does my television/phone/etc. (optional, only if 5.1 track exists) DTS-HD downmix to 192kbps AAC stereo.DTS-HD downmix to 5.1 AC3 640 kbps OR highest bitrate stereo source to 320kbps AAC stereo.If there is no 5.1 or 7.1 source audio, then I only make the first track. Grainy content still can bloat file sizes a bit, but it's not bad at all compared to x264.įor both x264 and x265 encodes, I create up to two tracks. I never touch these settings, and I get reasonable file sizes and great results every time. Usually, this is for an encode that I make for personal media consumption, and not something I will circulate to a tracker or share with anyone else. Very simple settings that I never change. Screenshot of settings (no tweaking/fiddling required) I have never seen much difference with it, anyhow. I never use the 'Grain' tune, for simplicity sake. The only other setting I change between encodes is the 'Tune' option, which I always leave on 'Film' except for when I encode cartoons/anime/animation, and then I will use the 'Animation' preset. Grainy sources will sometimes need up to 20 CRF to get file sizes that are reasonable (~8-15GB), while more modern digital sources can handle as low as 17 CRF without getting too bloated. I can then look at those resulting file sizes and bitrates to determine the average bitrate of the final encode. To do this, I use the 'preview' feature and encode about ten one-minute long preview clips from random intervals in the source. I will generally start with a CRF value of 18, and then modulate higher or lower to get the overall output bitrate somewhere between 8-12 mbps, which I find is most ideal for capturing detail. I reserve x264 for when I'm sure I want the best possible output quality, but the tradeoff is that I need to do a little more testing for each encode. I use x264 whenever I want to get the closest to ideal encode and maintaining device compatibility. Here's the output of my 'Advanced Options' field for copy/paste: cabac=1:trellis=2:me=umh:subme=9:rc_lookahead=60:bframes=16:me_range=32 Screenshot of base settings (needs tweaked each encode, but only slightly) I've finally found a good compromise that allows me to get the best possible encodes while maintaining my sanity. Not have to fiddle too much with encoder settings between encodes.Minimize output file sizes without sacrificing noticeable quality.However, I found that process to not be feasible for someone who simply wants to: Of course, settings ideally should be tweaked each encode to match the source input and therefore, create the ideal output. I see a lot of requests for people to share their 'go to' settings for x264 and x265 encodes, so I'm sharing mine here so that others have a good reference for where to begin.

Handbrake settings for plex roku