Codec Field Guide for
DVD & Blu-ray Rips

• Preset: Slow — best balance of quality and encoding time. Produces 10–20% smaller files than Medium at same CRF.
• Tune: Film (default for live-action) · Animation (for 2D cartoons) · Grain (only for very grainy sources — significantly increases file size, avoid for already-compressed DVDs).
• Profile: High Profile, Level 4.1 — supported by all modern devices (smart TVs, streaming boxes, game consoles). Use Main Profile only for pre-2010 mobile devices.
• CRF: 19–20 is the sweet spot. CRF 19 for premium content, CRF 20 for general use. CRF 18 provides no benefit since DVDs are already compressed.

• Mixdown: AC-3 5.1 passthrough when source has surround. Preserves original audio without re-encoding.
• Bitrate: 448 kbps (DVD spec standard). 640 kbps is acceptable but 448 kbps is safest for compatibility.
• Dual-track approach: Track 1: AC-3 5.1 passthrough (448 kbps) for home theater · Track 2: AAC Stereo (160–192 kbps) for portable devices without surround.
• Compatibility note: AC-3 is universally supported. Avoid DTS — not supported by all devices (especially TV built-in players).

Most DVDs are interlaced (480i/576i). Skipping deinterlacing produces visible combing artifacts. Here's the decision tree for HandBrake:

• Film-based DVDs (movies, scripted TV): Enable Detelecine → Default, set output to 23.976 CFR. This reverses 3:2 pulldown on 24fps film content. Add Decomb → Default as safety net for residual combing. Covers 80%+ of commercial NTSC DVDs.
• True interlaced (sports, reality, concerts, news): Use Deinterlace → Yadif + Bob, set output to 59.94 CFR (NTSC) or 50 CFR (PAL). Bob promotes each field to a full frame — preserves motion smoothness. EEDI2 Bob is higher quality but 2–3x slower.
• PAL film DVDs (24fps on 25fps): Usually just sped up 4%, not truly interlaced. Leave deinterlace Off, use Same as Source framerate.
• Anime on DVD: Use Yadif over Bwdif — Bwdif's interpolation damages sharp line art. Avoid Decomb unless genuinely mixed content; its auto-detection misfires on fine patterns (crosshatch shading, striped clothing).

Rule of thumb: If you know the source is interlaced, manually select a deinterlace filter — don't rely on auto-detection. If you know it's progressive, leave everything off. Keep Interlace Detection → Off — auto-detection creates more problems than it solves. Use MediaInfo to check your source before encoding.

• Preset: Slow — optimal balance between quality and encoding time. Slower/VerySlow provide <1% quality improvement while more than doubling encode time.
• Tune: None (default) — standard Blu-ray content doesn't typically need tuning.
• Profile: Main10 (for 10-bit encoding) — better compression efficiency and reduces color banding vs 8-bit.
• Level: 4.1 (most compatible for 1080p) or 5.0 (for newer devices). Use 4.1 for maximum playback device compatibility.
• CRF: 22 recommended (excellent quality with best compression) · 20 for highest quality (virtually transparent to source, larger files). Files will be ~30–50% of original Blu-ray size at CRF 22.
• 10-bit encoding: Always use 10-bit (Main10 profile) — better compression, reduced banding, supported by all modern devices. Slightly more CPU for decoding but universally supported.

• Mixdown: 5.1 surround when transcoding from TrueHD/DTS-HD MA. Preserve channels from source.
• AC-3 bitrate: 640 kbps (maximum for AC-3 5.1, provides best quality). 448 kbps also acceptable and more DVD-compliant. 384 kbps minimum for AC-3 5.1.
• E-AC-3 alternative: 768–960 kbps (better quality and compression than AC-3, supports up to 7.1). Use if playback devices support it. HandBrake excels at TrueHD/DTS-HD MA to E-AC-3 transcoding.
• Transcoding from lossless: Best practice is AC-3 640 kbps for maximum compatibility. If Blu-ray already has AC-3 core, use passthrough to avoid re-encoding.
• Dual-track approach: Keep original lossless passthrough + add AC-3 640 kbps transcode for compatibility.

• Preset: Slow or Slower for archival quality. Slow recommended for final BD compression. VerySlow offers marginal gains with significantly longer encoding times. Medium acceptable for quick encodes.
• Tune: Leave unset. DO NOT use --tune animation (optimized for cartoons, complex anime will suffer) or --tune grain (values too high for anime). Manually configure psycho-visual parameters instead.
• Profile: Main10, Level 5.1 (mandatory for 10-bit encoding). Ultra HD Blu-ray spec recommends Level 5.1 with max 6 ref frames.
• CRF: BD: 16–18 recommended (below 16 for reference quality) · DVD: 18–20. Anime compresses very efficiently due to flat colors, so lower CRF yields smaller files than live action.
• 10-bit encoding: Mandatory. Use --output-depth 10 or yuv420p10le. Prevents banding, improves gradients, produces better dark scenes and smaller file sizes.
• SAO (Sample Adaptive Offset): Controversial. Use --limit-sao for CRF 17–19 · Use --no-sao for CRF <18 or if fine grain is present. For CRF <16 with grain: --no-sao:--no-strong-intra-smoothing.
• Psycho-visual settings: --psy-rd=1 (default for low-detail anime) · --psy-rd=1.5 (for grain/snow/particles or detailed dark scenes) · --psy-rd=2 (for complex/action-packed anime) · --psy-rdoq=1 (default for clean anime) · --psy-rdoq=2-3 (for grain or CRT effects) · --psy-rdoq=4-5 (for grain throughout, movie-quality with complex grain).
• Adaptive quantization: --aq-mode=3 (mandatory for anime — sets dark scene bias, prevents blocky black hair) · --aq-strength=0.7-1.0 (don't exceed 1 or go below 0.7).
• B-frames and ref: --bframes=8-16 (use 16 with b-adapt=1 for best quality) · --ref=6 (recommended by Ultra HD Blu-ray spec).
• Deblocking: --deblock=1:1 or --deblock=2:2 (strength of 1 or 2 is a must for anime) · For detailed anime with grain: --deblock=-1:-1.

• Preset: 4–6 recommended. Preset 5 is balanced starting point. Preset 4 for slower encoding/better quality, Preset 6 for faster encoding.
• CRF: 28–32 general range. CRF 30 recommended for 1080p starting point. Note: AV1 CRF values are higher than x265 for equivalent quality (SVT-AV1 CRF 30 ≈ x265 CRF 21).
• 10-bit encoding: Recommended. Use --bit-depth 10 or yuv420p10le. Produces better dark/black scenes and smaller file sizes.
• Film grain synthesis: --film-grain=4 (recommended for most anime — hand-drawn or smoother sources) · --film-grain=6 (moderate grain) · --film-grain=8 (heavy grain). Values above 8 typically too high for anime. --film-grain-denoise=0 to preserve original grain structure.
• Temporal filtering: --enable-tf=0 (disable to preserve line art sharpness — increases file size slightly but maintains detail).
• Tune: --tune=0 (subjective visual quality with higher sharpness, recommended for anime).
• Compatibility warning: Many devices with AV1 decode don't support film grain synthesis (FGS) or have buggy implementations. Not safe "always on" feature — test on target playback devices first.

• FLAC (lossless): NOT recommended for distribution — only use in production to prevent generation loss. Allocates extra 4GB+ towards video quality. Use AAC/Opus instead — 99.9% of people won't notice audio quality loss. Exception: archival purposes where exact BD audio preservation matters.
• AAC for Japanese/commentary: 128 kbps (streaming service standard) · 192 kbps (good balance for most anime dialogue) · 256 kbps (premium quality for music-heavy anime, concerts) · 320 kbps (ultra HD, matches exceptional visual experience). Use FDK AAC encoder (built into FFmpeg/HandBrake).
• Opus as alternative: 128 kbps VBR (sufficient for most anime dialogue) · 160–192 kbps (high-quality music encoding). Better perceptual quality than AAC at bitrates below 128 kbps. Open codec, royalty-free. Use max encoding complexity for best quality.
• Multi-track handling (JP + EN + commentary): Track 1: Japanese (primary) — 192–256 kbps AAC or 128–192 kbps Opus · Track 2: English dub (if available) — 192–256 kbps AAC or 128–192 kbps Opus · Track 3+: Commentary tracks — 128–192 kbps AAC (lower priority, dialogue-only). Transcode from Linear PCM, Dolby TrueHD 5.1, or DTS-HD MA sources. Downmix stereo tracks to 2.0 if needed.

10-bit is non-negotiable. Anime's large flat-color gradients (skies, hair shading, lighting) produce visible banding in 8-bit. 10-bit virtually eliminates this even at the same CRF. Both x265 and SVT-AV1 support it natively.

Disable SAO in x265 with --no-sao. SAO is a loop filter that blurs fine detail — devastating for sharp line art. The single most impactful x265 setting for anime. In HandBrake, add no-sao=1 to "Extra Options" in the Video tab.

Lower CRF than live action. Anime compresses very efficiently (flat colors = high compressibility), so a given CRF yields smaller files than equivalent live action. CRF 15–18 gives transparent quality at ~2–4 GB per 1080p movie.

AV1 grain synthesis: For grainy anime (Texhnolyze, Berserk, older transfers) with SVT-AV1, use --film-grain 6-12. The encoder strips grain, stores parameters as metadata, and the decoder re-synthesizes it — massive bitrate savings with negligible visual difference.

Subtitles: Always keep as soft subs in MKV (ASS/SSA for fansubs, PGS for official BD subs). Never hardcode — destroys ability to switch/disable. Many anime typesetting effects (karaoke, signs) depend on ASS rendering.

• Preset: Slow (excellent balance for 4K HDR) · Slower offers marginal improvements at significantly increased encoding time. Testing shows CRF increase of 2 achieves parity between presets (e.g., CRF 18 medium ≈ CRF 20 slow).
• Tune: Leave unset — generally not needed for quality-focused Blu-ray rips.
• Profile: Main10, Level 5.1 (required for 10-bit HDR content, supports 4K up to 60fps). Level 5.2 for higher frame rates or 8K (though 5.1 sufficient for most 4K UHD).
• CRF: 18–20 recommended. CRF 20 with Slow preset provides amazing quality. CRF 18 for maximum quality if you have powerful hardware and storage. Lower than typical recommendations because HDR/10-bit content benefits from lower CRF values.
• HDR10 preservation (essential x265 parameters): --hdr-opt 1 (enables HDR optimization) · --repeat-headers 1 (headers on every frame, required for HDR) · --colorprim bt2020 (BT.2020 wide color gamut) · --transfer smpte2084 (SMPTE ST 2084 PQ/Perceptual Quantizer for HDR10) · --colormatrix bt2020nc (BT.2020 non-constant luminance) · --master-display "G(x,y)B(x,y)R(x,y)WP(x,y)L(max,min)" (extract from source MediaInfo) · --max-cll "max,avg" (extract from source MediaInfo).
• Dolby Vision preservation: x265 can encode to profiles 5, 8.1, and 8.2. Use dovi_tool to extract RPU metadata from source (Profile 7), convert to Profile 8.1 (single-layer with HDR10 backwards compatibility), inject RPU data back into x265 encoded video. Enhancement layer is discarded when converting DV Profile 7 to 8.1.

• TrueHD Atmos passthrough: Always copy losslessly with --audio-copy-mask truehd. TrueHD Atmos from UHD Blu-rays should be passed through without re-encoding. All Blu-rays with TrueHD include a separate AC-3 failsafe track (not embedded as a core like DTS-HD MA).
• AC-3 640 kbps fallback track (essential): Many devices cannot decode TrueHD/Atmos. Extract the AC-3 640 kbps track that comes with TrueHD on Blu-rays. If not present on disc, encode separate AC-3 track. The AC-3 stream is completely separate from TrueHD (unlike DTS-HD MA which has embedded lossy core).
• DTS-HD MA alternatives: Contains lossy DTS core + lossless extension data. Pass through losslessly with --audio-copy-mask dtshd. For fallback compatibility, extract DTS core (typically 1536 kbps) or encode separate AC-3 640 kbps track.
• Multi-track configuration: Track 1: TrueHD Atmos (lossless, passthrough) — primary audio · Track 2: AC-3 640 kbps 5.1 (fallback) — set as default for maximum compatibility · Track 3+: Additional language tracks as needed. For DTS-HD MA sources: Track 1: DTS-HD MA (lossless, passthrough) · Track 2: DTS Core extracted OR AC-3 640 kbps 5.1.
• Compatibility notes: Apple TV 4K does NOT support TrueHD/Atmos passthrough or DTS-HD MA (only Dolby Digital Plus with Atmos). Many AMD graphics cards cannot pass TrueHD/DTS-HD MA via HDMI on Linux. Always include AC-3 fallback for streaming devices, game consoles, and mobile devices.

• Preset: 4–6 optimal range. Preset 6 recommended starting point (good quality/speed balance). Preset 4 for higher quality at cost of longer encoding. Faster presets (8+) may need CRF lowered by 2–4 points.
• CRF: 28–32 for aggressive compression. CRF 30 good starting point (roughly equivalent to x265 CRF 21). CRF 32 more aggressive while maintaining acceptable quality. Can go up to CRF 35–40 for 4K maximum compression (quality degradation more noticeable). Note: SVT-AV1 CRF range (1–63) is wider than other encoders.
• 10-bit encoding: Strongly recommended. Use -pix_fmt yuv420p10le. More accurate colors, fewer artifacts, minimal file size increase vs 8-bit. Always desirable for coding efficiency even if source is 8-bit.
• Film grain synthesis: Use with caution. film-grain=8 (live-action with normal grain, good starting point) · film-grain=10-15 (lots of natural grain) · film-grain=4-6 (2D animation). Compatibility warning: many devices with AV1 decode don't support FGS or have buggy implementations — not safe "always on" feature. Test on target playback devices first.
• HDR support: enable-hdr=1 · color-primaries=9:transfer-characteristics=16:matrix-coefficients=9 (ITU-R BT.2020, PQ transfer, non-constant luminance Y'CbCr) · Extract mastering-display and content-light from source MediaInfo. Consider SVT-AV1-HDR fork for improved perceptual quality in HDR with custom PQ curve.
• Other parameters: keyint=10s (time-based keyframes) · scd=1 (scene change detection) · tune=0 (general content) · enable-overlays=1 · scm=0.

• Opus for 5.1/7.1 (bitrate calculations at 48 kbps/channel): 5.1 surround (6 channels): ~288 kbps · 7.1 surround (8 channels): ~384 kbps. General recommendation: 64 kbps per channel for stereo transparency, 48 kbps per channel sufficient for multichannel.
• Opus limitation: Native multichannel support is limited. Codec handles multichannel through channel coupling in groups of two using mid-side coding, but native 5.1/7.1 support not universally implemented.
• E-AC-3 recommended for hardware compatibility: E-AC-3 widely supported on TVs, streaming devices, game consoles, home theater systems. Opus has limited compatibility — native browser support but NOT supported by many hardware devices. iPhones cannot play Opus with default player.
• E-AC-3 bitrates: 5.1: 192–256 kbps (Dolby official recommendation) · 640 kbps (largely transparent) · 768 kbps (Netflix 5.1 EAC3 Atmos) · 7.1: 896 kbps (~128 kbps/channel) · 1024 kbps+ (with Atmos metadata) · 1536 kbps (Blu-ray format, contains AC-3 5.1 640 kbps core). E-AC-3 supports up to 15 full-bandwidth channels at max 6.144 Mbps.
• Stereo downmix: For Opus: use --downmix-stereo flag, 128–192 kbps VBR for stereo. For E-AC-3: inherently supports downmixing to stereo on compatible devices (center channel mixed and distributed between front L/R at -3dB).
• Verdict: For maximum hardware compatibility with aggressive compression, use E-AC-3 at 640–768 kbps for 5.1 or 896–1024 kbps for 7.1. Add Opus stereo downmix at 128–192 kbps for web/browser playback.

• Profile & Level: High profile (best compression with broad browser compatibility) · Level Auto (or 4.1 for 1080p, 5.1 for 4K at 30fps).
• Preset: Slow for web delivery (better quality at same CRF). Range: Medium (default) to Slower. Slower presets provide better compression efficiency.
• Tune: Use content-specific tuning (film, animation, grain) or leave default.
• CRF: 21–24 (good balance of quality and file size) · 18–20 (high quality, near visually lossless) · 23 (default standard). Note: CRF +6 roughly halves bitrate, CRF -6 roughly doubles it.
• Web optimization (critical): Always use -movflags +faststart flag. Moves MOOV atom to beginning of file for progressive download — allows immediate playback while streaming.
• Alternative - Constrained VBR: Target bitrate ≈ pixel width (640 kbps for 640×480, 1280 kbps for 1280×720) · Max bitrate: 200% of target · Buffer size: 2× target bitrate · Use 2-pass encoding.

• Preset: 6 (good quality/speed balance, recommended) · 3–5 (quality-focused) · 6–8 (speed-focused). Faster presets (8+) may need CRF lowered by 2–4 points.
• CRF: 30 (general use) · 24–26 (high quality/archival) · Resolution-specific: 480p/576p: CRF 22–32 · 720p/1080p: CRF 25–35 · 4K: CRF 25–40. Note: SVT-AV1 CRF 30 ≈ x265 CRF 21 ≈ x264 CRF 16.
• Advanced parameters: tune=0 (prioritizes visual quality) · keyint=10s (auto-adjusts for any framerate) · enable-overlays=1 (better quality) · scd=1 (scene change detection).
• 10-bit encoding: Always use yuv420p10le for quality boost in darker shades.

• AAC (MP4 containers): Profile: AAC-LC (Low Complexity) for bitrates 64 kbps and above · HE-AAC v2 for stereo at 56 kbps or lower (24–32 kbps typical) · Sample rate: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz · Bitrates (stereo): 64 kbps (360p video) · 128 kbps (480p–720p video) · 192 kbps (high-quality streaming, good balance) · 256 kbps (high-fidelity, transparent quality threshold).
• Opus (WebM containers with VP9/AV1): 128 kbps (reaches transparency for stereo, recommended) · 64–96 kbps (very good for most content) · 256 kbps (high-fidelity, YouTube Music Premium quality) · Range: 6 kbps (narrowband speech) to 510 kbps (very high quality stereo) · Frame size: 20 ms (default). Note: Opus 128 kbps = AAC 256 kbps = MP3 320 kbps transparency.

• Recommended for: High-end mobile devices. 50% better compression than H.264 — good for limited storage.
• Preset: Medium (default, balanced between encoding speed and compression). Range: ultrafast to placebo (10 presets).
• Profile: Main (8-bit color depth) · Main10 (10-bit color depth — better quality, larger files).
• Level: Auto-detect recommended. Level 4.0 or 4.1 typically sufficient for 720p.
• CRF: 22–24 for 720p (recommended sweet spot) · 19–21 (high quality) · Range for 720p HD: CRF 19–23. Lower values = better quality, larger files.

• Use when: Maximum device compatibility needed · Lower-end devices with limited processing power · Live streaming with low latency required.
• Profile & Preset: High or Main profile (Main for older devices) · Preset: Medium to Slow · Level: 4.0 or 4.1 for 720p.
• CRF: 21–24 for 720p. Use slightly higher bitrates than H.265 for equivalent quality.

• Resolution: 480p to 1080p recommended range · 720p: sweet spot for most mobile (balance of quality and compatibility) · 1080p: high-end devices only, requires 8–12 Mbps bitrate · 4K: limited to high-end devices, H.265 recommended. Match target device screen resolution when possible.
• Framerate: 24 fps or 30 fps standard (consistent framerate crucial) · 30 fps recommended for smooth motion on mobile · Avoid variable framerate. Note: H.264 Level 5.1 maxes out at 4K @ 30fps.
• Bitrate guidelines: 480p: 500–1000 kbps · 720p: 1500–2500 kbps · 1080p: 3000–5000 kbps (8–12 Mbps for high quality).

• AAC stereo: 128–192 kbps recommended · 192 kbps (transparent quality) · Range: 128–256 kbps · Sample rate: 44.1 kHz (standard) or 48 kHz · Profile: AAC-LC for mobile compatibility (universally supported on mobile devices).
• Channels: Stereo recommended for 480p and above · Mono acceptable for low-bitrate/speech content.

• Low-end: H.264, 480p, 30fps, lower bitrates.
• Mid-range: H.264/H.265, 720p, 30fps.
• High-end: H.265, 1080p, 30fps or higher.
• Best practice: Use two-pass encoding for better quality at target bitrates. Provide both H.264 and H.265 versions when possible for adaptive bitrate streaming. Test on target devices — playback performance varies significantly.