4k Preset options

[uclajames]

Hello-
I'm definitely a bit of a newbie in regards to all the AV options. I have a bunch of 4k MKV files that have various combos of surround sound, Atmos, Dolby Vision and other HDR flavors. I do watch from a couple different places: a Shield TV, 4k Apple TV, and other computers/devices. I'm trying to figure out which preset to use.

I see:

• Super HQ 4k AV1

• Super HQ 4k HVEC

• Apple 4k HEVC

What are the main differences between these? I'm unclear the difference between AV1 and HVEC. Would the Super HQ presets mean that the file would be unplayable on an Apple TV?

The main difference I see between the Super HQ and Apple TV settings is that the "Align A/V Start" is unchecked for the Apple TV and the quality is set to 24 vs 20.

[mduell]

AV1 and HEVC are different codecs. HEVC is more compatible, but AV1 is more effective at compression.

The Apple 4K HEVC preset has been around a while, and is comparable to the HQ 4K HEVC preset. The Super HQ 4K presets are slower for encoding and target even higher quality (although you may not be able to see it). Align A/V start is a newer option that probably hasn't been added to the older preset, you can use it if you need it and retain Apple ecosystem compatibility.

[uclajames]

With the Super HQ 4k preset, would it still be able to be played on an Apple TV 4k? Or would the data rate be higher than it can support?

[mduell]

Depends on which one. Probably for HEVC. The data rate is unlikely to be the issue.