XMedia Recode: H.264 Encoder Settings | Tips and Techniques

The H.264 codec, also known as AVC (Advanced Video Coding), is a widely used video compression standard that was developed in 2003 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and ISO/IEC as part of the MPEG-4 standard. It is used for the efficient encoding of video and provides a high compression rate while maintaining good video quality. H.264 is used in a variety of applications, including streaming services, video calls, Blu-ray discs, and many other media formats.

Mode

• Convert (convert video stream)
• Copy (copy video stream)

Codec

Determines which video codec to use for encoding.

Language

Sets the language that displays when playing the player.

FourCC

Is a 4-byte identifier which specifies the format of a video stream.

Profile

The profile setting in the H.264 codec is crucial for finding the right balance between complexity, compatibility, and quality. Depending on the use case (e.g., streaming, professional video recording, or simple video conferencing), the appropriate profile is selected to ensure optimal performance and compression. A High Profile offers very high quality and is suited for more demanding applications, while the Baseline Profile is optimized for simple and resource-constrained devices.

• Baseline
• Main
• High
• High 4:2:2
• High 4:4:4
• High 10
• High 4:2:2 10
• High 4:4:4 10

Level

The level setting defines the limits for various parameters, such as the maximum resolution, maximum bitrate, and the number of reference frames that can be used in a given encoding.

Higher levels require more powerful hardware, both for encoding and decoding.

Preset

Sets parameters to balance compression efficiency with encoding speed

• ultrafast
• veryfast
• faster
• fast
• Medium
• slow
• slower
• veryslow

Frame - Packing

Set frame packing mode for Stereoscopic content.

• none
• checkerboard  = pixels are alternatively from L and R
• column alternation = L and R are interlaced by column
• row alternation = L and R are interlaced by row
• side by side = L is on the left, R on the right
• top bottom = L is on top, R on bottom
• frame alternation = one view per frame

Framerate

Specifies the output video rate.

Min GOP (Group Of Pictures) length

Minimum GOP length, the minimum distance between I-frames.

GOP (Group Of Pictures) length

This determines the maximum distance between I-frames

Very high GOP lengths will result in slightly more efficient compression, but will make seeking in the video somewhat more difficult

Display mode

• Progressiv
• Interlaced TFF (Top field first)
• Interlaced BFF (Bottom field first)

Color mode

Specify output colorspace format.

Threads

Enables parallel encoding by using more than 1 thread to increase speed on multi-core systems