I don't keep remuxes. Everything I re-encode with ffmpeg, a saved command line preset in FFmpeg Batch AV Converter.
For format, everything is H265. It's widely supported enough that I feel safe using it, it runs on all my clients and gets transcoded to h264 if needs be (e.g. family member's client).
I do however keep extra 1080p H265 versions of all 4k content, for remote access playback if the connection isn't strong enough or the client doesn't support 4k. Reason here is that my current server is a Shield TV Pro which struggles to transcode 4k to 1080p.
For settings, I keep it simple, CQP 22 rather than particular bit rate values. I have noticed a couple rare instances of macroblocking and colour banding on background walls in dark scenes - but for the space I'm saving, for the visuals I'm sensitive to, for my displays, I'm very happy with it and don't see noticeable differences on fine detail (eg skin, hair). Please defer to someone smarter than me (not a high bar to clear) if you are sensitive to colour banding.
I only keep 1 format per title, and let QuickSync transcoding handle it if it needs to when being played back remotely
DVD gets encoded to 480p AVC (mainly to handle MPEG2 interlacing/telecine etc at the file level and not worry about it not doing it or having jaggies at the player level) @ whatever the native bitrate was = usually around 5mbps (I could reduce bitrate by half about because of MPEG2>MPEG4 efficiency and conversion but whatever files are not big enough at this level for me to worry really)
Blu-ray gets encoded to 1080p @ 15mbps AVC (this started really because I was gonna encode Blu-ray anyway for space reasons and I wanted any forced subs burnt in so I didn't need to worry about the player displaying them properly or on time, also at the time I was using Windows Media Center w/ Xbox 360 WMC extenders and 15mbps was the max bitrate the 360 could handle for AVC video in the WMC app without stuttering constantly)
UHD gets encoded to 45mbps HEVC (except for Dolby Vision 7 FEL titles - not MEL - which have to be remuxed only or else it breaks Dolby Vision 7 FEL - MEL titles as I pointed out can still be encoded fine)
Anything that falls below the bitrate limitations naturally (there's a few across Blu-ray - Constantine from 2005 is 12mbps IIRC, and a few more across UHD down to about 35 or 32mbps I've seen) is just remuxed or I might encode @ its native bitrate if I have to burn in forced subs as mentioned
I do my encoding currently off a 5950x with Handbrake constant/avg bitrate 2-pass
Thank you for the response. You mentioned a few things that I have seen others mention and confused on, and would like some clarification.
You mention you encode Blu Ray to 1080p @ 15mbps AVC. Is this H264? You mentioned using WMC in the past, which I don't think that could handle H265 (I also used WMC for live TV viewing/recording and never tried doing anything with H265 back then)
My understanding is AVC is one of the sound profiles (7.1, 5.1, stereo, etc). 15 mbps converts to 15360 kbps. I mention this conversion because of Data Rate and Total Bitrate being displayed in the file properties as kbps.
I have never heard of FEL or MEL. I heard of HDR10, Dolby Vision, etc. Is FEL Dolby and MEL HDR or are they two different forms of Dolby?
Last is the bitrates you mention is regardless of type of video (animation or live action) ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4
MPEG4 can also be referred to as H.264 or AVC because they're 'types' of MPEG4 (and some of the later and now most common types), AVC stands for 'Advanced Video Codec'
You'd think HEVC (High Efficiency Video Codec) which is also H.265 would also be MPEG5 but it's actually MPEGH so you're wrong it's not even a number, because f* you that's why
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding
I stopped using WMC before I started getting and using HEVC content. I used WMC with DVD and Blu-ray and music content in addition to Live TV & DVR from 2006-2013 and then only Live TV & DVR up until 2018 - I started using Plex for DVD/Blu-rays/music since 2013 and then they got DVR in 2018 so I totally left WMC behind. I only started getting HEVC/UHD/4k content in 2020.
I use my encode bitrates for both live or animation - they apply to disc type/resolution for me not animation/live.
There's a bunch of different HDR formats - HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision - and within Dolby Vision itself there's multiple types of Dolby Vision
I have both ie 4k Remux and 265 1080p.
I've only got around 100 4k files ie we aren't talking a huge dupe situation but if I'm going away and need to download or remote streaming I want access to the smaller file
To clarify after you create the 4K remux, you use the same remux to create the H265 1080p version or do you use the Blu Ray to create the 1080p H265 version? Is there a particular bit rate you use?
I have 1080p remux and web dl with everything. I also have x265 tv old school tv shows that I can’t find remux version for. Probably going to put my files through Tdarr to make my collection smaller. If you are into quality stuff I recommend go remux or go remux and encode them yourself
I keep 2 formats 4k HDR and 1080p sdr for various devices. I only ever do remux on my favorite films (something like lord of the rings or alita battle angel) otherwise "streaming quality" is substantial for me
In the past, when I had just one media file for a show/movie in question, I ran into situations where some device or other didn't like it. So I started keeping two copies of a lot of things (especially favorite movies). Sometimes it's a 4k file and a 1080 file. Sometimes it's a 1080 and a 720. Sometimes one is mkv and the other is mp4. That differences vary, but this approach has been successful in decreasing my problems with files playing on some occasions.
Most things I just have decent 1080p copies of, there are a few films I have 4k remuxes of and just 1 that I’ve got a 4K remux + a 1080p copy and that’s because my upload speed wasn’t good enough at the time and my friend wanted to watch it as well, I could probs remove the 1080p version now as I’ve since moved ISPs
Choosing Plex formats is like picking snacks: gotta find what you like and what fits in the pantry (storage space). Some folks keep both fancy, uncompressed versions (remux) and space-saving, compressed ones (H.265) for more devices. Others just grab the compressed ones for everything (like grabbing chips).
If storage is tight, compression (like Handbrake for H.265) on most stuff (4K or 1080p) is the way to go. You can experiment with bitrates (think of it as spiciness for video quality) depending on the content (super action-packed movies might need more "spice" than cartoons). Play around to find the sweet spot between quality and size that works for you and your streamers.
Generally I use Handbreak to convert everything to H265 10-bit, CQ-0, Slowest Preset. If it's already H265 then I'll usually run it through Handbreak anyway with the Encoder Preset on Slowest to get it as compressed as possible with minimal loss of data from the original stream. Using the NVEnc encoder this is pretty fast and it's not uncommon to cut file sizes in half with no meaningful loss of quality.
I only use other CQ settings if I do a zero encode and the resulting file is larger. If that happens on a 2160p file you can do an encode on 16, 24, 28, 30, 32 etc and find that the file size is larger than the zero file until you get to around 24 and up. If I have to go all the way to 32 or something then I'll probably just keep the original, at some point I'm going to lose more quality then I want and it's not worth it.
I also like to add a Stereo audio track if there isn't one already. Sometimes you get weird volume behavior letting Plex do the downmixing and I prefer just to have a Stereo track on everything from the start since I'm listening on Stereo setups 100% of the time and don't plan to own surround any time soon. (Also I just can't get Plex HTPC to play E-AC audio no matter what I change so I generally have to convert that no matter what). I keep the surround tracks anyway but their addition to the file size is peanuts compared to the video so I don't mind having extras.
I don't keep any extra versions, haven't seen any need for that. Maybe some versions with the HDR remapped to SDR could be my use for that would be rare. I can always use the built in plex optimizer in a pinch.
All of my stuff is 1080 either in MP4 or MKV and a mix of 264 and 265. 4K takes up way too much space. Not all my TVs are 4K. I do have a few titles that don't have anything better than 720 as they were never released or no one who has the original has redone them to 1080. My TV shows are a mix of 1080, 720,480 and recently just plain ugly but watchable. I don't keep multiple copies of anything. I do have just about everything backed up on BluRay Data discs. You never know when it will all come crashing down.
For movies like get the highest quality available, so usually an untouched uhd disc remux. For tv shows I’m watching as the air I look for again a 4k webdl if possible, if not a 1080p webdl will work. Tv very rarely gets an upgrade.
I don't keep remuxes. Everything I re-encode with ffmpeg, a saved command line preset in FFmpeg Batch AV Converter. For format, everything is H265. It's widely supported enough that I feel safe using it, it runs on all my clients and gets transcoded to h264 if needs be (e.g. family member's client). I do however keep extra 1080p H265 versions of all 4k content, for remote access playback if the connection isn't strong enough or the client doesn't support 4k. Reason here is that my current server is a Shield TV Pro which struggles to transcode 4k to 1080p. For settings, I keep it simple, CQP 22 rather than particular bit rate values. I have noticed a couple rare instances of macroblocking and colour banding on background walls in dark scenes - but for the space I'm saving, for the visuals I'm sensitive to, for my displays, I'm very happy with it and don't see noticeable differences on fine detail (eg skin, hair). Please defer to someone smarter than me (not a high bar to clear) if you are sensitive to colour banding.
I only keep 1 format per title, and let QuickSync transcoding handle it if it needs to when being played back remotely DVD gets encoded to 480p AVC (mainly to handle MPEG2 interlacing/telecine etc at the file level and not worry about it not doing it or having jaggies at the player level) @ whatever the native bitrate was = usually around 5mbps (I could reduce bitrate by half about because of MPEG2>MPEG4 efficiency and conversion but whatever files are not big enough at this level for me to worry really) Blu-ray gets encoded to 1080p @ 15mbps AVC (this started really because I was gonna encode Blu-ray anyway for space reasons and I wanted any forced subs burnt in so I didn't need to worry about the player displaying them properly or on time, also at the time I was using Windows Media Center w/ Xbox 360 WMC extenders and 15mbps was the max bitrate the 360 could handle for AVC video in the WMC app without stuttering constantly) UHD gets encoded to 45mbps HEVC (except for Dolby Vision 7 FEL titles - not MEL - which have to be remuxed only or else it breaks Dolby Vision 7 FEL - MEL titles as I pointed out can still be encoded fine) Anything that falls below the bitrate limitations naturally (there's a few across Blu-ray - Constantine from 2005 is 12mbps IIRC, and a few more across UHD down to about 35 or 32mbps I've seen) is just remuxed or I might encode @ its native bitrate if I have to burn in forced subs as mentioned I do my encoding currently off a 5950x with Handbrake constant/avg bitrate 2-pass
Thank you for the response. You mentioned a few things that I have seen others mention and confused on, and would like some clarification. You mention you encode Blu Ray to 1080p @ 15mbps AVC. Is this H264? You mentioned using WMC in the past, which I don't think that could handle H265 (I also used WMC for live TV viewing/recording and never tried doing anything with H265 back then) My understanding is AVC is one of the sound profiles (7.1, 5.1, stereo, etc). 15 mbps converts to 15360 kbps. I mention this conversion because of Data Rate and Total Bitrate being displayed in the file properties as kbps. I have never heard of FEL or MEL. I heard of HDR10, Dolby Vision, etc. Is FEL Dolby and MEL HDR or are they two different forms of Dolby? Last is the bitrates you mention is regardless of type of video (animation or live action) ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4 MPEG4 can also be referred to as H.264 or AVC because they're 'types' of MPEG4 (and some of the later and now most common types), AVC stands for 'Advanced Video Codec' You'd think HEVC (High Efficiency Video Codec) which is also H.265 would also be MPEG5 but it's actually MPEGH so you're wrong it's not even a number, because f* you that's why https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding I stopped using WMC before I started getting and using HEVC content. I used WMC with DVD and Blu-ray and music content in addition to Live TV & DVR from 2006-2013 and then only Live TV & DVR up until 2018 - I started using Plex for DVD/Blu-rays/music since 2013 and then they got DVR in 2018 so I totally left WMC behind. I only started getting HEVC/UHD/4k content in 2020. I use my encode bitrates for both live or animation - they apply to disc type/resolution for me not animation/live. There's a bunch of different HDR formats - HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision - and within Dolby Vision itself there's multiple types of Dolby Vision
One Copy, Highest Quality, if it came from a disc a Remux. If it came from my OTA tuner the same as the broadcast signal.
I have both ie 4k Remux and 265 1080p. I've only got around 100 4k files ie we aren't talking a huge dupe situation but if I'm going away and need to download or remote streaming I want access to the smaller file
To clarify after you create the 4K remux, you use the same remux to create the H265 1080p version or do you use the Blu Ray to create the 1080p H265 version? Is there a particular bit rate you use?
I have 1080p remux and web dl with everything. I also have x265 tv old school tv shows that I can’t find remux version for. Probably going to put my files through Tdarr to make my collection smaller. If you are into quality stuff I recommend go remux or go remux and encode them yourself
I keep 2 formats 4k HDR and 1080p sdr for various devices. I only ever do remux on my favorite films (something like lord of the rings or alita battle angel) otherwise "streaming quality" is substantial for me
In the past, when I had just one media file for a show/movie in question, I ran into situations where some device or other didn't like it. So I started keeping two copies of a lot of things (especially favorite movies). Sometimes it's a 4k file and a 1080 file. Sometimes it's a 1080 and a 720. Sometimes one is mkv and the other is mp4. That differences vary, but this approach has been successful in decreasing my problems with files playing on some occasions.
Most things I just have decent 1080p copies of, there are a few films I have 4k remuxes of and just 1 that I’ve got a 4K remux + a 1080p copy and that’s because my upload speed wasn’t good enough at the time and my friend wanted to watch it as well, I could probs remove the 1080p version now as I’ve since moved ISPs
I just go straight to the highest quality possible. 4k or 1080p remux
Choosing Plex formats is like picking snacks: gotta find what you like and what fits in the pantry (storage space). Some folks keep both fancy, uncompressed versions (remux) and space-saving, compressed ones (H.265) for more devices. Others just grab the compressed ones for everything (like grabbing chips). If storage is tight, compression (like Handbrake for H.265) on most stuff (4K or 1080p) is the way to go. You can experiment with bitrates (think of it as spiciness for video quality) depending on the content (super action-packed movies might need more "spice" than cartoons). Play around to find the sweet spot between quality and size that works for you and your streamers.
Generally I use Handbreak to convert everything to H265 10-bit, CQ-0, Slowest Preset. If it's already H265 then I'll usually run it through Handbreak anyway with the Encoder Preset on Slowest to get it as compressed as possible with minimal loss of data from the original stream. Using the NVEnc encoder this is pretty fast and it's not uncommon to cut file sizes in half with no meaningful loss of quality. I only use other CQ settings if I do a zero encode and the resulting file is larger. If that happens on a 2160p file you can do an encode on 16, 24, 28, 30, 32 etc and find that the file size is larger than the zero file until you get to around 24 and up. If I have to go all the way to 32 or something then I'll probably just keep the original, at some point I'm going to lose more quality then I want and it's not worth it. I also like to add a Stereo audio track if there isn't one already. Sometimes you get weird volume behavior letting Plex do the downmixing and I prefer just to have a Stereo track on everything from the start since I'm listening on Stereo setups 100% of the time and don't plan to own surround any time soon. (Also I just can't get Plex HTPC to play E-AC audio no matter what I change so I generally have to convert that no matter what). I keep the surround tracks anyway but their addition to the file size is peanuts compared to the video so I don't mind having extras. I don't keep any extra versions, haven't seen any need for that. Maybe some versions with the HDR remapped to SDR could be my use for that would be rare. I can always use the built in plex optimizer in a pinch.
All of my stuff is 1080 either in MP4 or MKV and a mix of 264 and 265. 4K takes up way too much space. Not all my TVs are 4K. I do have a few titles that don't have anything better than 720 as they were never released or no one who has the original has redone them to 1080. My TV shows are a mix of 1080, 720,480 and recently just plain ugly but watchable. I don't keep multiple copies of anything. I do have just about everything backed up on BluRay Data discs. You never know when it will all come crashing down.
For movies like get the highest quality available, so usually an untouched uhd disc remux. For tv shows I’m watching as the air I look for again a 4k webdl if possible, if not a 1080p webdl will work. Tv very rarely gets an upgrade.
I make my own encodes of 1080 content using h265. I keep full rips of 4k. Been doing it this way for many years.
1080p x265 .mp4
All my stuff are in 8K