FFmpeg settings for emulating Emby's convert settings (hevc,mkv,samequality,aac)

[Pankookis 10]

Hi!

Never used FFmpeg as a standalone software before. I'm trying to shrink some of my kids media since the quality is not as important for them. I've used Emby's convertion with great success, using the settings hevc, mkv, same quality, aac. I've been doing this on my file server where my Emby Server is installed. Unfortunataly it's quite an old computer with no dedicated GPU so it takes forever to convert stuff.

Now I'm trying to do this on my other desktop which is much better. Have tried to use Handbrake but couldn't find the right settings so I thought that I should use the same thing as Emby... FFmpeg.

I downloaded FFmpeg Batch AV Converter that I saw was recommended in another thread on this forum but I'm a bit lost now. I tried looking at the FFmpeg logs from my latest convertion but didn't get any smarter. What FFmpeg parameters should I use to emulate the Emby hevc,mkv,samequality,aac setting? I have a dedicated GPU on this computer also if that matters.

Thanks

[neik 873]

Afaik the ffmpeg command is written in the conversion log file.

[Pankookis 10]

27 minutes ago, neik said:

Afaik the ffmpeg command is written in the conversion log file.

Yeah, I tried to look but was not sure.

Spoiler

C:\Users\Server\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\system\ffmpeg.exe -loglevel +timing -y -print_graphs_file "C:\Users\Server\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\logs\ffmpeg-transcode-9b826381-2254-49bf-a9ea-32f3806a213e_1graph.txt"
-copyts -start_at_zero -f matroska,webm -c:v:0 h264 -i "Z:\xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.mkv" -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:2 -map 0:3 -map 0:4 
-sn -c:v:0 libx265 -g:v:0 150 -maxrate:v:0 5024708 -bufsize:v:0 10049416 -sc_threshold:v:0 0 -keyint_min:v:0 150 -preset:v:0 veryfast 
-profile:v:0 main -c:a:0 aac -ab:a:0 128000 -ac:a:0 2 -metadata:s:a:0 language=dan -disposition:a:0 default -c:a:1 aac -ab:a:1 128000 
-ac:a:1 2 -metadata:s:a:1 language=fin -disposition:a:1 0 -c:a:2 aac -ab:a:2 128000 -ac:a:2 2 -metadata:s:a:2 language=nor 
-disposition:a:2 0 -c:a:3 aac -ab:a:3 128000 -ac:a:3 2 -metadata:s:a:3 language=swe -disposition:a:3 0 -avoid_negative_ts 
disabled -map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1 "C:\Users\Server\AppData\Roaming\Emby-Server\programdata\sync\23\84\9b826381-2254-49bf-a9ea-32f3806a213e.mkv"

16:08:37.229 ffmpeg version 4.3.0-emby_2020_05_23-g8f222573e9+530 Copyright (c) 2000-2019 the FFmpeg developers and softworkz for Emby LLC
16:08:37.231   built with gcc 9.2.0 (Rev2, Built by MSYS2 project)
16:08:37.233 Execution Date: 2021-01-06 16:08:37
16:08:37.316 Input #0, matroska,webm, from 'Z:\xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.mkv':
16:08:37.316   Metadata:
16:08:37.317     encoder         : libebml v1.3.6 + libmatroska v1.4.9
16:08:37.317     creation_time   : 2020-03-08T08:42:25.000000Z
16:08:37.317   Duration: 00:23:29.22, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 2512 kb/s
16:08:37.317     Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (Main), yuv420p(progressive), 768x576 [SAR 1:1 DAR 4:3], Level 31, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 1k tbn, 50 tbc (default)
16:08:37.317     Metadata:
16:08:37.317       BPS-eng         : 1997762
16:08:37.317       DURATION-eng    : 00:23:29.200000000
16:08:37.317       NUMBER_OF_FRAMES-eng: 35230
16:08:37.317       NUMBER_OF_BYTES-eng: 351905936
16:08:37.318     Stream #0:1(dan): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s (default)
16:08:37.318     Metadata:
16:08:37.318       title           : Dansk
16:08:37.318       BPS-eng         : 128000
16:08:37.318       DURATION-eng    : 00:23:29.216000000
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_FRAMES-eng: 44038
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_BYTES-eng: 22547456
16:08:37.318     Stream #0:2(fin): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s
16:08:37.318     Metadata:
16:08:37.318       title           : Suomi
16:08:37.318       BPS-eng         : 128000
16:08:37.318       DURATION-eng    : 00:23:29.216000000
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_FRAMES-eng: 44038
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_BYTES-eng: 22547456
16:08:37.318     Stream #0:3(nor): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s
16:08:37.318     Metadata:
16:08:37.318       title           : Norsk
16:08:37.318       BPS-eng         : 128000
16:08:37.318       DURATION-eng    : 00:23:29.216000000
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_FRAMES-eng: 44038
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_BYTES-eng: 22547456
16:08:37.318     Stream #0:4(swe): Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 128 kb/s
16:08:37.318     Metadata:
16:08:37.318       title           : Svensk
16:08:37.318       BPS-eng         : 128000
16:08:37.318       DURATION-eng    : 00:23:29.216000000
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_FRAMES-eng: 44038
16:08:37.318       NUMBER_OF_BYTES-eng: 22547456
16:08:37.324 Stream mapping:
16:08:37.324   Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (h264 (native) -> hevc (libx265))
16:08:37.324   Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (ac3 (native) -> aac (native))
16:08:37.324   Stream #0:2 -> #0:2 (ac3 (native) -> aac (native))
16:08:37.324   Stream #0:3 -> #0:3 (ac3 (native) -> aac (native))
16:08:37.324   Stream #0:4 -> #0:4 (ac3 (native) -> aac (native))
16:08:37.324 Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
x265 [info]: HEVC encoder version 3.2+23-52135ffd9bcd
x265 [info]: build info [Windows][GCC 9.2.0][64 bit] 8bit
x265 [info]: using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 SSE4.2 AVX
x265 [info]: Main profile, Level-3 (Main tier)
x265 [info]: Thread pool created using 4 threads
x265 [info]: Slices                              : 1
x265 [info]: frame threads / pool features       : 2 / wpp(9 rows)
x265 [warning]: Source height < 720p; disabling lookahead-slices
x265 [info]: Coding QT: max CU size, min CU size : 64 / 8
x265 [info]: Residual QT: max TU size, max depth : 32 / 1 inter / 1 intra
x265 [info]: ME / range / subpel / merge         : hex / 57 / 1 / 2
x265 [info]: Keyframe min / max / scenecut / bias  : 25 / 250 / 40 / 5.00 
x265 [info]: Lookahead / bframes / badapt        : 15 / 4 / 0
x265 [info]: b-pyramid / weightp / weightb       : 1 / 1 / 0
x265 [info]: References / ref-limit  cu / depth  : 2 / on / on
x265 [info]: AQ: mode / str / qg-size / cu-tree  : 2 / 1.0 / 32 / 1
x265 [info]: Rate Control / qCompress            : CRF-28.0 / 0.60
x265 [info]: VBV/HRD buffer / max-rate / init    : 10049 / 5024 / 0.750
x265 [info]: tools: rd=2 psy-rd=2.00 early-skip rskip signhide tmvp fast-intra
x265 [info]: tools: strong-intra-smoothing deblock sao

 

Is it all those parameters at the top? Row 2 down to the break? 

[Sammy 790]

Why not just use Handbrake?

[Pankookis 10]

8 minutes ago, Sammy said:

Why not just use Handbrake?

Tried several settings and everything either didn't shrink the size, or it got bigger. When I've used Emby, I managed to shrink a ~400 megabyte episode down to maybe 165 megabyte. I have not been able to achieve similar results with anything else than Emby.

[Sammy 790]

@softworkz may be able to help.

[Ronstang 294]

1 hour ago, Pankookis said:

Tried several settings and everything either didn't shrink the size, or it got bigger. When I've used Emby, I managed to shrink a ~400 megabyte episode down to maybe 165 megabyte. I have not been able to achieve similar results with anything else than Emby.

If that is all you want and it's for kid's stuff then just use MCEBuddy but if it's an older PC with no GPU capable of hardware encoding of HEVC it is still going to take forever.  If you have or get an nVidia GPU capable of HEVC and decide to try MCEBuddy I will give you a profile I use for my kid's TV and TV movies and some movies but it is not high quality enough for horror movies or those that have a lot of dark content.

An example of size of output....all PAW Patrol episodes come out around 170 G.....for 11 minute episodes.  About twice that or a little bigger for Spongebob double episodes of ~23 minutes.  Animation compresses very well and does not require as high of quality settings to retain the quality of the original from my experience.