After a recent data loss, I’m reconsidering various CODECs before re-encoding my re-pirated “loot”. I’m looking to maintain a good balance between quality and file size as my previous files were HUGE. I’ve read about x264, h264, h265 & vp9 for video and it’s between AAC or AC-3 for audio. I’m looking for long-term and broad device compatibility. Also, I’ll be using FFBatch front-end for ffmpeg for re-encoding. So, fellow pirates, what are your libraries coded in? Any helpful input would be greatly appreciated.
First, just to be clear because codec terminology can be weird, x264 is a h264 encoder, not a separate codec. H265 is not an open standard so it may not play back properly if you use a Firefox or a Firefox based browser. I would recommend av1 if you can encode it, as it is good for quality and file size, however only new GPUs can encode it. CPUs can encode it slowly, but if you don’t have a new gpu (like 40 series Nvidia, arc, or AMD 7000 and maybe 6000) I would recommend vp9. It is a bit worse for file size but it won’t take a year to encode and should be compatible with most browsers.
Thanks for the clarification on 264. I have an AMD 3700x with Radeon 470 graphics card. I’d like a decent balance between CPU/GPU encoding so not to put too much stress on just the CPU. I know nothing about AV1. Can Smart TVs read the AV1 or VP9 codec? I know my LG will take H.264 & H.265 but I haven’t tried the others?
I am not too knowledgeable on different encoders, but I don’t know if using cpu and gpu is an option. Av1 and vp9 are open standards, meaning basically anything can implement them, but av1 is new so older devices haven’t. The tv will probably handle vp9 fine, but I would still recommend transcoding a test video and looking if it plays back natively. With that gpu av1 is definitely not supported so I would recommend vp9.