HEVC Options and Settings for GTX 970

Discuss about generic usage of MediaCoder.

Moderator: HuggiL

Post Reply
Maraconda
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:22 am

HEVC Options and Settings for GTX 970

Post by Maraconda » Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:54 am

Hi fellow MediaCoders,

My basic system specs are an i7-8700k with a GTX 970. My MediaCoder version is 0.8.63 build 6030.

I have a few questions for the HEVC and NVENC MediaCoder experts here:

It appears that only the MEncoder Source works for me when encoding H264 to HEVC video files with NVENC/CUDA. Upon starting a job with FFmpeg as Source, MediaCoder fires back an Error 13 message about that codec not existing.
  • FFmpeg is installed, but do I need to link MediaCoder to FFmpeg's installation location or allow it in antivirus/anti-malware software?
I am currently using NVENC as the Encoder selection and leaving the Auto box checked for Source. When a new H264 -> H265 job is started, the Auto selection for Source tries FFmpeg first, but logs Error 13 and then settles on MEncoder. However, there are 9 options in the Source and 16 options in the Encoder dropdown menus.

These HEVC-encoded video files are used on my Android phone with MX Player while traveling (offline playing), so the video files are stored as MP4 files. Like most new phones mine stupidly doesn't have a microSD expansion slot, so storage space is at a premium.
  • Which of MediaCoder's Encoder and Source options are best utilized for H264 to H265 reencodes that are mainly intended to reduce file size? I see video encoding posts about FFmpeg often, but should I even pay attention to FFmpeg for my usage case?
  • Considering the source video files are 1080p H264, does the Copy Video option produce a smaller HEVC file size, or does downsampling it to 720p encode a smaller file size?
Most of my MediaCoder settings are defaults, but here are my Settings Tabs:
https://imgur.com/a/aAheDgK

I noticed that clicking the Format, Encoder, or Source buttons opened up a plethora of valuable options. Most of these options are beyond my comprehension, so here are my detailed Settings expanded:
https://snipboard.io/90C3Wu.jpg


Side note, in case this is relevant...
According to this Wiki's NVIDIA table, my GTX 970 GPU is unable to render HEVC with NVENC:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Nvidia_NVDEC#GPU_support
The table shows that only GPUs at/above the GTX 980ti are capable of hardware encoding HEVC/x265.

To make it more confusing there is this separate Wiki entry:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/H.265

That entry's 2014 subsection reads:
Nvidia released the GeForce GTX 980 (GM204) and GTX 970 (GM204), which includes Nvidia NVENC, the world's first HEVC hardware encoder in a discrete graphics card.
Somehow, MediaCoder is able to hardware encode my H264 to HEVC jobs, but HandBrake puts up a fuss and links me to that GPU support table. If anyone has any clues why that might be the case, I'm interested.

Let me know if I'm missing anything relevant and I'll update the thread.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Jeff

Post Reply