Blacks in Encoded Files

dbrateris · Post by **dbrateris** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:41 pm

Hey, so I just bought an Apple TV and have been to converting my DVD's for viewing. I've been using these settings:

File Format: MP4 File
Codec: AVC/H.264 Video / AAC Audio
Framerate: Same as source
Encoder: x264 (h.264 Main)
2-Pass Encoding: On
Average Bitrate: 1800
Anamorphic: Tried both On and Off

The problem I am having is with darker blacks in the picture, they always seem to look pixelated or distorted?

My question is: does anyone know how to get the black levels to look better, or does anyone have optimum settings for ripping a DVD to Apple TV

Thanks,
Dan

rhester · Post by **rhester** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:52 pm

Dark areas are always the most difficult to reproduce well with any codec. I'd recommend a bitrate of closer to 3000 to get better results on Apple TV.

Rodney

dbrateris · Post by **dbrateris** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:01 pm

3000 is fine with me!!

Got another question tho:
Earlier I made this comparsion, I converted "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest" from a DVD at 1500 kbps and the file is 1.85 GB, I went on the iTunes Store and looked up that movie and there file is 1.73 GB.

Is there file of lower quality, or are they using a different image size or something? Last question is, does anyone know the specs of movies downloaded from the iTMS?

Thanks,
Dan

rhester · Post by **rhester** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:04 pm

iTunes versions of films have always been known to be of lower visual quality than their HandBrake equivalents. It's one of the reasons the tool is so popular. Little is known about the specific parameters of Apple's rips.

Rodney

dbrateris · Post by **dbrateris** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:38 pm

Thanks,

One last question:
Anamorphic or not, and why?

Thanks,
Dan

rhester · Post by **rhester** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:09 pm

If the source is anamorphic, you should consider using same for your output, since it preserves more of the detail of the original source content. Anamorphic offers no value at all on non-anamorphic widescreen source or full-frame source.

Rodney