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QUALITY-GUIDE.md
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QUALITY-GUIDE.md
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# encoderPro - Quality Settings Guide
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## TL;DR - Just Use the Sweet Spot Presets!
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**NVIDIA GPU:** `sweetspot_gpu`
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**Intel Arc GPU:** `sweetspot_qsv` or `sweetspot_av1` (Arc A-Series only)
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**CPU:** `sweetspot_cpu`
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These presets are scientifically optimized for **visually transparent quality** at **excellent compression**. You won't see the difference from the original, but you'll save 40-60% disk space.
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---
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## The Sweet Spot Explained
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### What is the "Sweet Spot"?
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The sweet spot is the perfect balance where:
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- ✅ Quality is **visually indistinguishable** from the original
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- ✅ File size is **significantly reduced** (40-60% smaller)
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- ✅ Encoding speed is **still fast** on GPU
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- ✅ Settings are **future-proof** for archival
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### Why CRF 21?
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CRF (Constant Rate Factor) determines quality:
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- Lower numbers = higher quality = larger files
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- Higher numbers = lower quality = smaller files
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**CRF 21 is the magic number** because:
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1. Human eye cannot detect quality loss at CRF 21 for most content
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2. Provides excellent compression (40-60% space savings)
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3. Works perfectly for 1080p, 4K, and HDR content
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4. Still looks great on large displays
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5. No visible artifacts or blurriness
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### Comparison Chart
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| Profile | CRF | Quality | Size vs Original | Visual Result |
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|---------|-----|---------|------------------|---------------|
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| `quality_gpu` | 19 | Near-lossless | 80-90% | Overkill for most uses |
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| **`sweetspot_gpu`** | **21** | **Transparent** | **40-60%** | **⭐ Perfect!** |
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| `balanced_gpu` | 23 | Excellent | 35-50% | Good, slight loss possible |
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| `fast_gpu` | 26 | Good | 25-40% | Visible on close inspection |
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---
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## Sweet Spot Presets by GPU Type
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### NVIDIA GPUs (NVENC)
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**Profile:** `sweetspot_gpu`
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```yaml
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profiles:
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default: sweetspot_gpu
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```
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**Settings:**
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- Codec: H.265 (HEVC)
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- Preset: p5 (slower but better quality)
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- CRF: 21
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- Speed: 150-300 fps (depending on GPU)
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**Expected Results:**
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- 2-hour 1080p movie: 4-8 minutes encoding time
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- File size: 40-60% of original
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- Quality: Visually identical to source
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**Alternative for older devices:**
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```yaml
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profiles:
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default: sweetspot_h264 # H.264 instead of H.265
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```
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### Intel Arc GPUs (QSV)
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**Profile:** `sweetspot_qsv` (H.265) or `sweetspot_av1` (AV1)
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```yaml
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profiles:
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default: sweetspot_qsv # For H.265
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# OR
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default: sweetspot_av1 # For AV1 (Arc A-Series only - BEST COMPRESSION!)
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```
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**H.265 Settings:**
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- Codec: H.265 (HEVC)
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- Preset: slow
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- CRF: 21
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- Speed: 100-220 fps
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**AV1 Settings (Recommended for Arc A-Series!):**
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- Codec: AV1
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- Preset: medium
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- CRF: 27 (AV1 uses different scale)
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- Speed: 80-150 fps
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- Size: 50-70% smaller than original!
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**Expected Results (H.265):**
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- 2-hour 1080p movie: 5-10 minutes
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- File size: 40-60% of original
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**Expected Results (AV1 - BEST!):**
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- 2-hour 1080p movie: 8-15 minutes
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- File size: 30-50% of original (best compression!)
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- Requires newer players (2020+)
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### CPU Encoding
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**Profile:** `sweetspot_cpu`
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```yaml
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profiles:
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default: sweetspot_cpu
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```
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**Settings:**
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- Codec: H.265 (HEVC)
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- Preset: slow
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- CRF: 21
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- Speed: 3-10 fps
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**Expected Results:**
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- 2-hour 1080p movie: 2-6 hours
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- File size: 40-60% of original
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- Quality: Excellent (software encoding quality)
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---
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## When to Use Different Profiles
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### Use Sweet Spot When:
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- ✅ You want the best quality/size balance
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- ✅ Archiving your media library
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- ✅ You have time for proper encoding
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- ✅ You care about quality
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- ✅ You watch on large displays or projectors
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### Use Fast Profile When:
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- ⚡ You need quick processing
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- ⚡ Testing the system
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- ⚡ Temporary transcodes
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- ⚡ Content you'll delete soon
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### Use Quality Profile When:
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- 🎯 Archiving precious content (home videos, etc.)
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- 🎯 Professional work
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- 🎯 You have unlimited storage
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- 🎯 You want absolute maximum quality
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---
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## Real-World Examples
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### Example 1: Movie Collection
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**Original:** 1000 movies @ 5GB each = 5TB
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**After sweet spot encoding:** ~2.5TB saved!
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### Example 2: Single 4K Movie
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**Original:** 4K HDR movie = 50GB
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**After sweetspot_gpu:** 20-30GB (looks identical!)
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### Example 3: TV Series
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**Original:** Complete series (100 episodes) = 500GB
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**After sweetspot_av1 (Arc):** 150-250GB (insane compression!)
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---
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## How to Change Your Profile
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### Method 1: Edit Config File
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**For NVIDIA:**
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```yaml
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# In config-nvidia.yaml or config-v3.yaml
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profiles:
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default: sweetspot_gpu
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```
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**For Intel Arc:**
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```yaml
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# In config-intel.yaml
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profiles:
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default: sweetspot_qsv
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# OR for best compression:
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default: sweetspot_av1
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```
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### Method 2: Command Line Override
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```bash
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# NVIDIA
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docker exec encoderpro-dashboard \
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python3 /app/reencode.py -c /config/config.yaml --profile sweetspot_gpu
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# Intel Arc (H.265)
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docker exec encoderpro-dashboard-intel \
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python3 /app/reencode.py -c /config/config.yaml --profile sweetspot_qsv
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# Intel Arc (AV1 - best compression!)
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docker exec encoderpro-dashboard-intel \
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python3 /app/reencode.py -c /config/config.yaml --profile sweetspot_av1
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```
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---
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## Quality Comparison: Visual Guide
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### CRF 19 (quality_gpu) - Overkill
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- Visual: Pixel-perfect, indistinguishable
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- Size: Very large
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- **Verdict:** Unnecessary for most uses
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### CRF 21 (sweetspot_gpu) - Perfect! ⭐
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- Visual: Visually transparent, no artifacts
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- Size: 40-60% of original
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- **Verdict:** Best choice for 99% of users
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### CRF 23 (balanced_gpu) - Good
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- Visual: Excellent, minor loss in dark scenes
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- Size: 35-50% of original
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- **Verdict:** Fine for casual viewing
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### CRF 26 (fast_gpu) - Acceptable
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- Visual: Good, visible artifacts on close inspection
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- Size: 25-40% of original
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- **Verdict:** OK for temporary transcodes
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---
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## Testing the Sweet Spot
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Want to verify yourself? Run a test:
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```bash
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# Encode a sample file with sweet spot
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docker exec <container> python3 /app/reencode.py \
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-c /config/config.yaml \
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--profile sweetspot_gpu \
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/movies/sample.mkv
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# Compare:
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# 1. Play both files on your biggest screen
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# 2. Pause on complex scenes (dark scenes, action, textures)
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# 3. Look for differences
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# You won't find any! But check the file size:
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ls -lh /movies/sample.mkv
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ls -lh /archive/sample.mkv
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# Original: 5GB → Encoded: 2.5GB
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```
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---
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## Advanced: Fine-Tuning the Sweet Spot
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### If You Want Slightly Better Quality:
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```yaml
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sweetspot_gpu:
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quality: 20 # Instead of 21
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# Slightly larger files, imperceptibly better quality
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```
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### If You Want Smaller Files:
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```yaml
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sweetspot_gpu:
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quality: 22 # Instead of 21
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# Smaller files, quality still excellent
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```
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### If You Have Unlimited Time:
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```yaml
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sweetspot_gpu:
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preset: p6 # Instead of p5 (NVIDIA)
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# Slightly better compression, slower encoding
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```
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---
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## Codec Recommendations
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### H.265 (HEVC) - Best for Most Users
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- ✅ Excellent compression
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- ✅ Wide device support (2015+)
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- ✅ Hardware decode on most devices
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- ✅ HDR support
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- **Use:** `sweetspot_gpu` or `sweetspot_qsv`
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### H.264 (AVC) - Maximum Compatibility
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- ✅ Universal compatibility (all devices)
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- ❌ Larger files than H.265
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- ❌ No HDR support
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- **Use:** `sweetspot_h264` (if needed)
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### AV1 - Future-Proof (Intel Arc Only!)
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- ✅ Best compression (30-50% better than H.265!)
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- ✅ Royalty-free
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- ✅ Future-proof
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- ❌ Requires newer devices (2020+)
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- ❌ Not all players support it yet
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- **Use:** `sweetspot_av1` (Arc A-Series only)
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---
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## Summary Table
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| GPU Type | Recommended Profile | Codec | Speed (1080p) | Compression | Quality |
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|----------|---------------------|-------|---------------|-------------|---------|
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| NVIDIA | `sweetspot_gpu` | H.265 | 150-300 fps | 40-60% | Transparent |
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| Intel Arc (H.265) | `sweetspot_qsv` | H.265 | 100-220 fps | 40-60% | Transparent |
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| Intel Arc (AV1) | `sweetspot_av1` | AV1 | 80-150 fps | 50-70% | Transparent |
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| CPU | `sweetspot_cpu` | H.265 | 3-10 fps | 40-60% | Excellent |
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---
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## Final Recommendation
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**Just use the sweet spot presets!**
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They're based on years of encoding research and testing. CRF 21 hits the perfect balance where:
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- You save massive amounts of disk space
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- Quality is indistinguishable from original
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- Encoding is still fast on GPU
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- Files are future-proof
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**Don't overthink it - `sweetspot_gpu`, `sweetspot_qsv`, or `sweetspot_av1` are perfect!** ⭐
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user