Open source codec comparison

x264 0.65.1028 83baa7f

Bitrate (filesize): 2951.08 kb/s (9666451 bytes)

Command line:

$ mplayer LosslessTouhou.mkv -vo yuv4mpeg:file=stream.y4m -nosound -benchmark -noframedrop
$ ./x264/x264 --keyint 600 --min-keyint 60 --bframes 16 --b-adapt 2 --b-pyramid --ref 16 --deblock -2:-2 --bitrate 2931 --partitions all --direct auto --weightb --me tesa --subme 9 --psy-rd 1.0:0.2 --mixed-refs --8x8dct --trellis 2 --progress --no-ssim --no-psnr stream.y4m --threads auto --thread-input --pass 1 -o /dev/null
$ ./x264/x264 --keyint 600 --min-keyint 60 --bframes 16 --b-adapt 2 --b-pyramid --ref 16 --deblock -2:-2 --bitrate 2931 --partitions all --direct auto --weightb --me tesa --subme 9 --psy-rd 1.0:0.2 --mixed-refs --8x8dct --trellis 2 --progress --no-ssim --no-psnr stream.y4m --threads auto --thread-input --pass 2 -o touhou.x264.264
$ mkvmerge -v --default-duration 0:60.0fps touhou.x264.264 -o touhou.x264.mkv

Notes:

Matroska is used here because ffmpeg crashes when I attempt to mux the bytestream into nut container.

Schroedinger (Dirac) 1.0.5.1 078a678 (Wed Nov 19 16:09:03 2008 -0800)

Bitrate (filesize): 2931.3 kb/s (9673367 bytes)

Command line:

$ gst-launch-0.10 -v filesrc location=LosslessTouhou.mkv ! decodebin ! schroenc rate_control=6 quality=3 ! filesink location=touhou.schroedinger.drc
$ ffmpeg -r 60.0 -i touhou.schroedinger.drc -vcodec copy touhou.schroedinger.nut

Notes:

Encoded with constant quality because the current schroedinger CBR algorithm is very poor.
Currently 1/8pel isn't hooked up in the gstreamer plugin.

Dirac 1.0.2 da2b4399 (Fri Nov 28 18:46:36 2008 +0000)

Bitrate (filesize): 2930.52 kb/s (9605930 bytes)

Command line:

$ mencoder LosslessTouhou.mkv -of rawvideo -ovc raw -vf format=i420 -o stream.yuv -nosound
$ dirac_encoder -full_search -width 640 -height 480 -cformat YUV420P -fr 60.0 -targetrate 2931 -mv_prec 1/8 -multi_quants -verbose stream.yuv lossless_touhou.dirac.drc
$ ffmpeg -r 60.0 -i lossless_touhou.dirac.drc -vcodec copy -an lossless_touhou.dirac.nut

Theora (1.0) r15506

Bitrate (filesize): 2671 kb/s (8727845 bytes)

Command line:

$ mplayer LosslessTouhou.mkv -vo yuv4mpeg:file=stream.y4m -nosound -benchmark -noframedrop
$ ./theora/encoder_example -o touhou.theora.ogg -V 2000 stream.y4m

Notes:

encoder_example will not let you ask for bitrates greater than 2Mbps.
No nut container because ffmpeg doesn't support theora.

Thusnelda (Theora 1.1) r15534

Bitrate (filesize): 2948 kb/s (9632976 bytes)

Command line:

$ mplayer LosslessTouhou.mkv -vo yuv4mpeg:file=stream.y4m -nosound -benchmark -noframedrop
$ ./thusnelda/encoder_example -o touhou.thusnelda.ogg -v 3 -m 0 -n 0 -k 600 stream.y4m

Notes:

Quality-based encode because Thusnelda's encoder_example doesn't have any rate control yet.
No nut container because ffmpeg doesn't support theora.

Snow ffmpeg r15615

Bitrate (filesize): 2970.1 kb/s (9702383 bytes)

Command line:

$ ffmpeg -i LosslessTouhou.mkv -vcodec snow -vstrict -2 -b 2931k -cmp satd -subcmp satd -mbcmp sse -flags qpel+4mv -mbd rd -pass 1 -an touhou.snow.nut
$ ffmpeg -i LosslessTouhou.mkv -vcodec snow -vstrict -2 -b 2931k -cmp w97 -subcmp w97 -mbcmp sse -flags qpel+4mv -me_method iter -mbd rd -refs 8 -pass 2 -an touhou.snow.nut

Xvid CVS 11252008

Bitrate (filesize): 3127.3 kb/s (10209190 bytes)

Command line:

$ mencoder LosslessTouhou.mkv -of rawvideo -ovc raw -vf format=yv12 -o stream.yuv -nosound
$ ./xvid_encraw -i stream.yuv -type 0 -w 640 -h 480 -max_bframes 10 -framerate 60.0 -bitrate 2931 -pass1 xvid.log -max_key_interval 600 -vhqmode 4 -bvhq -qpel -gmc -qtype 1 -nopacked -imin 1 -threads 4 -o /dev/null
$ ./xvid_encraw -i stream.yuv -type 0 -w 640 -h 480 -max_bframes 10 -framerate 60.0 -bitrate 2931 -pass2 xvid.log -max_key_interval 600 -vhqmode 4 -bvhq -qpel -gmc -qtype 1 -nopacked -imin 1 -threads 4 -o touhou.xvid.m4v
$ ffmpeg -r 60 -i touhou.xvid.m4v -vcodec copy -an touhou.xvid.nut