Best h.264/AVC Encoder for Blu-ray

Jon Fairhurst · April 23rd, 2008, 01:03 PM

What encoders do people recommend for Blu-ray authoring?

I've got Sony Vegas, which includes MainConcept's h.264/AVC encoder, but the bit rate and frame rates are quite limited.

At NAB I spoke with a representative at MainConcept. They have a product called "Reference" that includes numerous encoders. You can download Reference for free, and it will encode with a watermark. When you buy a license for a given encoder, the watermark is removed.

The standard h.264/AVC encoder costs $590 and has various limitations. The pro version costs $2290 and can encode to rates well beyond Blu-ray.

* Who are the other companies that offer top h.264/AVC encoders for BD authoring?

* Is the quality MainConcept encoders competitive?

Thanks!

Douglas Thigpen · June 16th, 2008, 10:45 PM

Not sure if it's the same engine, but I use Mainconcept's Mpeg Pro Tools HD Plugin for Premiere Pro to encode AVC/264 at 1080p and it results in excellent quality encodes.

Daniel Browning · June 17th, 2008, 12:28 AM

I suggest x264. It can be difficult to learn, and it's slow, but the quality for a given bitrate it very good.

Taky Cheung · June 17th, 2008, 02:02 AM

I found the MainConcept engine within Premiere is horible. It is acceptable in high bit-rate. It gets worst when fade from black. Lots of visual blocks. I encode the same video using Procoder 3. Even in low bit-rate, the resulting video is excellent, far superior than MainConcept.

April 23rd, 2008, 01:03 PM	#1
Jon Fairhurst Trustee Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 1,240	Best h.264/AVC Encoder for Blu-ray What encoders do people recommend for Blu-ray authoring? I've got Sony Vegas, which includes MainConcept's h.264/AVC encoder, but the bit rate and frame rates are quite limited. At NAB I spoke with a representative at MainConcept. They have a product called "Reference" that includes numerous encoders. You can download Reference for free, and it will encode with a watermark. When you buy a license for a given encoder, the watermark is removed. The standard h.264/AVC encoder costs $590 and has various limitations. The pro version costs $2290 and can encode to rates well beyond Blu-ray. * Who are the other companies that offer top h.264/AVC encoders for BD authoring? * Is the quality MainConcept encoders competitive? Thanks! __________________ Jon Fairhurst DIRKSNOWGLOBE.COM.

June 16th, 2008, 10:45 PM	#2
Douglas Thigpen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, CA / Apex, NC Posts: 29	Not sure if it's the same engine, but I use Mainconcept's Mpeg Pro Tools HD Plugin for Premiere Pro to encode AVC/264 at 1080p and it results in excellent quality encodes. __________________ Douglas Thigpen http://www.dthigpen.com

June 17th, 2008, 02:02 AM	#4
Taky Cheung Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 340	I found the MainConcept engine within Premiere is horible. It is acceptable in high bit-rate. It gets worst when fade from black. Lots of visual blocks. I encode the same video using Procoder 3. Even in low bit-rate, the resulting video is excellent, far superior than MainConcept. __________________ Brand New for Sale HV20/30 Battery & Charger and Canon BP-970G Generic Battery

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June 17th, 2008, 12:28 AM	#3
Daniel Browning Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 459	I suggest x264. It can be difficult to learn, and it's slow, but the quality for a given bitrate it very good.