comparison DOCS/xml/en/encoding-guide.xml @ 20860:f95698d9d53c

rename: XviD -> Xvid

20859:6cd71fac75d3

<note><title>Note:</title>
<para>
  Most codecs which support ABR encode only support two pass encode
  while some others such as <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem>,
  <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>
  and <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> support
  multipass, which slightly improves quality at each pass,
  yet this improvement is no longer measurable nor noticeable after the
  4th or so pass.
  Therefore, in this section, two pass and multipass will be used

  The CQ depends on the bitrate, the video codec efficiency and the
  movie resolution.
  In order to raise the CQ, typically you would downscale the movie given that the
  bitrate is computed in function of the target size and the length of the
  movie, which are constant.
  With MPEG-4 ASP codecs such as <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>
  and <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem>, a CQ below 0.18
  usually results in a pretty blocky picture, because there
  are not enough bits to code the information of each macroblock. (MPEG4, like
  many other codecs, groups pixels by blocks of several pixels to compress the
  image; if there are not enough bits, the edges of those blocks are

  It is therefore wise to take a CQ ranging from 0.20 to 0.22 for a 1 CD rip,
  and 0.26-0.28 for 2 CDs rip with standard encoding options.
  More advanced encoding options such as those listed here for
  <link linkend="menc-feat-mpeg4-lavc-example-settings"><systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem></link>
  and
<link linkend="menc-feat-xvid-example-settings"><systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem></link>
  should make it possible to get the same quality with CQ ranging from
  0.18 to 0.20 for a 1 CD rip, and 0.24 to 0.26 for a 2 CD rip.
  With MPEG-4 ASP codecs such as <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem>,
  you can use a CQ ranging from 0.14 to 0.16 with standard encoding options,
  and should be able to go as low as 0.10 to 0.12 with

  over 1GHz).
  </para></footnote>
  when choosing MPEG-4 AVC codecs like
  <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem> instead of MPEG-4 ASP codecs
  such as <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 or
  <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>.
  (Advanced codec developers may be interested in reading Michael
  Niedermayer's opinion on
  "<ulink url="http://guru.multimedia.cx/?p=10">why MPEG4-ASP sucks</ulink>".)
  Likewise, you should get better quality using MPEG-4 ASP than you
  would with MPEG-2 codecs.

  It usually takes a long time for standalone video players to begin to
  include support for the latest video codecs.
  As a result, most only support MPEG-1 (like VCD, XVCD and KVCD), MPEG-2
  (like DVD, SVCD and KVCD) and MPEG-4 ASP (like DivX,
  <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem>'s LMP4 and
  <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>)
  (Beware: Usually, not all MPEG-4 ASP features are supported).
  Please refer to the technical specs of your player (if they are available),
  or google around for more information.
  </para></listitem>

  <listitem><para>
  <emphasis role="bold">Best quality per encoding time</emphasis>:
  Codecs that have been around for some time (such as
  <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 and
  <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>) are usually heavily
  optimized with all kinds of smart algorithms and SIMD assembly code.
  That is why they tend to yield the best quality per encoding time ratio.
  However, they may have some very advanced options that, if enabled,
  will make the encode really slow for marginal gains.
  </para>

  processing, though this is only useful for users of machines with
  several CPUs.
  <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 does
  allow that, but speed gains are limited, and there is a slight
  negative effect on picture quality.
  <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>'s multi-threaded encoding,
  activated by the <option>threads</option> option, can be used to
  boost encoding speed &mdash; by about 40-60% in typical cases &mdash;
  with little if any picture degradation.
  <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem> also allows multi-threaded
  encoding, which currently speeds up encoding by 15-30% (depending on

  <listitem><para>
  <emphasis role="bold">Personal taste</emphasis>:
  This is where it gets almost irrational: For the same reason that some
  hung on to DivX&nbsp;3 for years when newer codecs were already doing wonders,
  some folks will prefer <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>
  or <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 over
  <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem>.
  </para>
  <para>
  You should make your own judgement; do not take advice from people who

  </entry></row>
<row><entry>h263p</entry><entry>
  H.263+
  </entry></row>
<row><entry>mpeg4</entry><entry>
  ISO standard MPEG-4 (DivX, XviD compatible)
  </entry></row>
<row><entry>msmpeg4</entry><entry>
  pre-standard MPEG-4 variant by MS, v3 (AKA DivX3)
  </entry></row>
<row><entry>msmpeg4v2</entry><entry>

</sect2>
</sect1>


<sect1 id="menc-feat-xvid">
<title>Encoding with the <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>
codec</title>
<para>
 <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem> is a free library for
 encoding MPEG-4 ASP video streams.
 Before starting to encode, you need to <link linkend="xvid">
 set up <application>MEncoder</application> to support it</link>.
</para>
<para>

<sect2 id="menc-feat-xvid-intro">
<title>What options should I use to get the best results?</title>

<para>
 Please begin by reviewing the
 <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem> section of
 <application>MPlayer</application>'s man page.
 This section is intended to be a supplement to the man page.
</para>
<para>
 The XviD default settings are already a good tradeoff between
 speed and quality, therefore you can safely stick to them if
 the following section puzzles you.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="menc-feat-xvid-encoding-options">
<title>Encoding options of <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem></title>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
 <emphasis role="bold">vhq</emphasis>
  This setting affects the macroblock decision algorithm, where the

    vector for the whole frame.
    This almost always raises PSNR, but significantly slows down
    encoding (as well as decoding).
    Therefore, you should only use it when you have turned
    <option>vhq</option> to the maximum.
    <systemitem class="library">XviD</systemitem>'s GMC is more
    sophisticated than DivX's, but is only supported by few
    standalone players.
</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="menc-feat-xvid-encoding-profiles">
<title>Encoding profiles</title>
<para>
  XviD supports encoding profiles through the <option>profile</option> option,
  which are used to impose restrictions on the properties of the XviD video
  stream such that it will be playable on anything which supports the
  chosen profile.
  The restrictions relate to resolutions, bitrates and certain MPEG-4
  features.
  The following table shows what each profile supports.

20860:f95698d9d53c

<note><title>Note:</title>
<para>
  Most codecs which support ABR encode only support two pass encode
  while some others such as <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem>,
  <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>
  and <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> support
  multipass, which slightly improves quality at each pass,
  yet this improvement is no longer measurable nor noticeable after the
  4th or so pass.
  Therefore, in this section, two pass and multipass will be used

  The CQ depends on the bitrate, the video codec efficiency and the
  movie resolution.
  In order to raise the CQ, typically you would downscale the movie given that the
  bitrate is computed in function of the target size and the length of the
  movie, which are constant.
  With MPEG-4 ASP codecs such as <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>
  and <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem>, a CQ below 0.18
  usually results in a pretty blocky picture, because there
  are not enough bits to code the information of each macroblock. (MPEG4, like
  many other codecs, groups pixels by blocks of several pixels to compress the
  image; if there are not enough bits, the edges of those blocks are

  It is therefore wise to take a CQ ranging from 0.20 to 0.22 for a 1 CD rip,
  and 0.26-0.28 for 2 CDs rip with standard encoding options.
  More advanced encoding options such as those listed here for
  <link linkend="menc-feat-mpeg4-lavc-example-settings"><systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem></link>
  and
<link linkend="menc-feat-xvid-example-settings"><systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem></link>
  should make it possible to get the same quality with CQ ranging from
  0.18 to 0.20 for a 1 CD rip, and 0.24 to 0.26 for a 2 CD rip.
  With MPEG-4 ASP codecs such as <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem>,
  you can use a CQ ranging from 0.14 to 0.16 with standard encoding options,
  and should be able to go as low as 0.10 to 0.12 with

  over 1GHz).
  </para></footnote>
  when choosing MPEG-4 AVC codecs like
  <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem> instead of MPEG-4 ASP codecs
  such as <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 or
  <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>.
  (Advanced codec developers may be interested in reading Michael
  Niedermayer's opinion on
  "<ulink url="http://guru.multimedia.cx/?p=10">why MPEG4-ASP sucks</ulink>".)
  Likewise, you should get better quality using MPEG-4 ASP than you
  would with MPEG-2 codecs.

  It usually takes a long time for standalone video players to begin to
  include support for the latest video codecs.
  As a result, most only support MPEG-1 (like VCD, XVCD and KVCD), MPEG-2
  (like DVD, SVCD and KVCD) and MPEG-4 ASP (like DivX,
  <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem>'s LMP4 and
  <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>)
  (Beware: Usually, not all MPEG-4 ASP features are supported).
  Please refer to the technical specs of your player (if they are available),
  or google around for more information.
  </para></listitem>

  <listitem><para>
  <emphasis role="bold">Best quality per encoding time</emphasis>:
  Codecs that have been around for some time (such as
  <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 and
  <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>) are usually heavily
  optimized with all kinds of smart algorithms and SIMD assembly code.
  That is why they tend to yield the best quality per encoding time ratio.
  However, they may have some very advanced options that, if enabled,
  will make the encode really slow for marginal gains.
  </para>

  processing, though this is only useful for users of machines with
  several CPUs.
  <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 does
  allow that, but speed gains are limited, and there is a slight
  negative effect on picture quality.
  <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>'s multi-threaded encoding,
  activated by the <option>threads</option> option, can be used to
  boost encoding speed &mdash; by about 40-60% in typical cases &mdash;
  with little if any picture degradation.
  <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem> also allows multi-threaded
  encoding, which currently speeds up encoding by 15-30% (depending on

  <listitem><para>
  <emphasis role="bold">Personal taste</emphasis>:
  This is where it gets almost irrational: For the same reason that some
  hung on to DivX&nbsp;3 for years when newer codecs were already doing wonders,
  some folks will prefer <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>
  or <systemitem class="library">libavcodec</systemitem> MPEG-4 over
  <systemitem class="library">x264</systemitem>.
  </para>
  <para>
  You should make your own judgement; do not take advice from people who

  </entry></row>
<row><entry>h263p</entry><entry>
  H.263+
  </entry></row>
<row><entry>mpeg4</entry><entry>
  ISO standard MPEG-4 (DivX, Xvid compatible)
  </entry></row>
<row><entry>msmpeg4</entry><entry>
  pre-standard MPEG-4 variant by MS, v3 (AKA DivX3)
  </entry></row>
<row><entry>msmpeg4v2</entry><entry>

</sect2>
</sect1>


<sect1 id="menc-feat-xvid">
<title>Encoding with the <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>
codec</title>
<para>
 <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem> is a free library for
 encoding MPEG-4 ASP video streams.
 Before starting to encode, you need to <link linkend="xvid">
 set up <application>MEncoder</application> to support it</link>.
</para>
<para>

<sect2 id="menc-feat-xvid-intro">
<title>What options should I use to get the best results?</title>

<para>
 Please begin by reviewing the
 <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem> section of
 <application>MPlayer</application>'s man page.
 This section is intended to be a supplement to the man page.
</para>
<para>
 The Xvid default settings are already a good tradeoff between
 speed and quality, therefore you can safely stick to them if
 the following section puzzles you.
</para>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="menc-feat-xvid-encoding-options">
<title>Encoding options of <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem></title>

<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
 <emphasis role="bold">vhq</emphasis>
  This setting affects the macroblock decision algorithm, where the

    vector for the whole frame.
    This almost always raises PSNR, but significantly slows down
    encoding (as well as decoding).
    Therefore, you should only use it when you have turned
    <option>vhq</option> to the maximum.
    <systemitem class="library">Xvid</systemitem>'s GMC is more
    sophisticated than DivX's, but is only supported by few
    standalone players.
</para></listitem>

</itemizedlist>
</sect2>

<sect2 id="menc-feat-xvid-encoding-profiles">
<title>Encoding profiles</title>
<para>
  Xvid supports encoding profiles through the <option>profile</option> option,
  which are used to impose restrictions on the properties of the Xvid video
  stream such that it will be playable on anything which supports the
  chosen profile.
  The restrictions relate to resolutions, bitrates and certain MPEG-4
  features.
  The following table shows what each profile supports.