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72 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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Type: article
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State: draft
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Title: x264 Profiles and Levels
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Project: HandBrake
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Project_URL: https://handbrake.fr/
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Project_Version: Latest
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Language: English
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Language_Code: en
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Authors: Scott (s55)
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Copyright: 2016 HandBrake Team
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License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
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License_Abbr: CC BY-SA 4.0
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License_URL: https://handbrake.fr/docs/license.html
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---
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Profiles and Levels
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==========================
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H.264 profiles
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--------------
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Define the features / capabilities that the encoder can use.
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HandBrake exposes 3 profiles for H.264 Encodes. You can think of the profile as
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the level of complexity required in encode / decode. The higher the complexity,
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the more CPU power is needed to encode/decode. Setting a profile, constrains the
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encode to using settings that are allowed for that profile level.
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Typically, devices will advertise that they are compatible for a particular
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profile and level, so you can simply set the option that matches your device for
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the best chance of compatibility.
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- Auto (Recommended)
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- This will automatically set the profile based on all the options that
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have been selected.
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- It is recommended that you use this option unless you need to set a
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profile to ensure compatibility for a particular device.
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- Baseline
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- Baseline encodes are the most basic form of encoding. While decoding is
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much easier, it may also require much higher bit-rates to maintain the
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same level of quality.
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- Main
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- The middle ground. Most modern / current devices will support this
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profile.
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- High Profile
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- For best quality and filesize at the expense of CPU time in both decode
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and encode.
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Note that setting a profile does not mean your encoded file will end up being
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that profile. It simply prevents options being used that would breach that
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profile constraint.
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H.264 Levels
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------------
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The levels are another form of constraints that define things like maximum
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bitrates, framerates and resolution etc. The wikipedia article lists the
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relevant information for each level.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Levels
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Most devices (and sometimes, software decoders) support a "maximum" level. When
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the video's specifications exceed that level's constraints, the decoder won't be
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able to decode the video properly (it may simply refuse to play the file).
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HandBrake's H.264 encoder, x264, sets the appropriate level automatically based
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on all the other settings. To make sure your video doesn't exceed a specific
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level, you simply have to make sure the other parameters fit within the
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constraints imposed by the level.
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It is recommended that you leave this setting on "Auto" unless you require to
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set it for device compatibility.
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