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Changes to the "Video Transcoding" project

This single document contains all of the notes created for each release.

0.25.3

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

  • Modify detect-crop to show preview commands compatible with newer versions of mpv.
  • Update all copyright notices to the year 2020.

0.25.2

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

  • Fix a crash in transcode-video with the --copy-audio-name option when the input audio track name does not exist. Via #279.

0.25.1

Saturday, March 30, 2019

  • Fix a heinous multi-part bug in transcode-video which could prevent the proper detection of certain input audio formats, normally allowed for pass-through, from being copied unchanged to the output. This could also cause the --keep-ac3-stereo option from behaving correctly when used together with the --ac3-encoder eac3 option and argument. Thanks to @khaosx for finding the problem!

0.25.0

Saturday, March 9, 2019

  • Change the default mixdown for stereo audio output tracks in transcode-video from Dolby Pro Logic II format to regular stereo. This matches the behavior of the presets in HandBrake since version 1.2.0. The old behavior is still available in transcode-video via the --mixdown dpl2 option and argument. Via #262.
  • Remove previous addition to the "README" document explaining that stereo tracks can also include surround audio information in matrix-encoded Dolby Pro Logic II format since that's no longer the default behavior, nor is it recommended (which makes me sad).
  • In order to avoid a crash on the Windows Subsystem for Linux platform, buffer characters that seem to be part of a multibyte UTF-8 sequence when copying output from HandBrakeCLI to the console or the .log file in transcode-video and from ffmpeg to the console in convert-video. Thanks to @joshstaiger for the persistent detective work and the patch! Via #189 and #264.
  • As a convenience to those not using batch scripts, echo the output file name at the completion of transcoding. Thanks to @JayJay1974 for the idea! Via #260.
  • Explain the --fallback-crop option and its new minimal argument in the "Cropping" section of the "README" document. Thanks to @JMoVS for the reminder! Via #266.
  • Modify the --help output of transcode-video to clarify that the --ac3-bitrate and --pass-ac3-bitrate options only affect surround audio and surround pass-through bitrates.
  • Lower the bitrate of stereo and mono Dolby Digital Plus output to sensible levels in transcode-video when applying the --ac3-encoder eac3 option and argument. Previously this was always 768 Kbps for stereo and 384 Kbps for mono, with stereo being higher than the default bitrate for surround audio output in the same format.
  • Add a "CHANGELOG.md" document to the project and replace the content of the "History" section of the "README" document with pointers to the GitHub releases page and that new "CHANGELOG.md" document.

0.24.0

Sunday, February 24, 2019

  • Add --audio-format and --keep-ac3-stereo options to transcode-video. Thanks to @samhutchins for the idea and design! Via #254.
    • With the --audio-format option, you can now specify whether AC-3 or AAC is used when surround or stereo output tracks are created.
    • This allows multichannel 5.1 AAC audio output by adding --audio-format surround=aac to your command line. However, you may want to pair that with --audio-width main=surround to avoid two AAC tracks of the same input being created.
    • Think of the --keep-ac3-stereo option as a kinder, gentler form of the --prefer-ac3 option.
    • It copies rather than transcodes AC-3 stereo or mono audio tracks even when the current stereo format is AAC, but it doesn't affect surround tracks.
  • Deprecate the --prefer-ac3 option in transcode-video and remove its description from the --help output. Also via #254.
    • The option still works for now, but using it issues a warning message.
    • You can get the exact same functionality by adding --audio-width all=surround --audio-format all=ac3 to your command line.
    • However, you might want to add --audio-width all=surround --keep-ac3-stereo instead since you'll get higher quality and slightly smaller output, albeit with some AAC tracks in your output when stereo audio in non-AC-3 format still needs to be transcoded.
  • Add a minimal argument to the --fallback-crop option in transcode-video which determines the smallest possible crop values, when using the--crop detect option and argument, by combining results from both HandBrakeCLI and ffmpeg. Thanks to @dkoenig01 for the idea! Via #255.
  • Relax validation criteria for HandBrake-generated .log files in query-handbrake-log as workaround for HandBrakeCLI spewing linkage failure warnings on certain Linux platforms. Via #257.

0.23.0

Sunday, February 10, 2019

  • Add a --avbr ratecontrol option to transcode-video (via #248) which:
    • Implements an average variable bitrate (AVBR) ratecontrol system focused on maintaining quality at the risk of final bitrates being as much as 10-15% higher or lower than the target.
    • May emit a few VBV underflow warnings at the beginning of a transcode, but nothing like the sustained deluge possible with my special, or default, ratecontrol system.
    • Works only with the x264 and x264_10bit encoders. Sorry, but the settings necessary to implement AVBR are not available with the x265 family of encoders.
  • Add my new AVBR ratecontrol system to the "Explanation" section of the "README" document.
  • Add an undocumented --raw ratecontrol testing option to transcode-video which implements, by default, an unconstrained ABR system, easily modified with --handbrake-option and/or --encoder-option.
  • Add a --mixdown option to transcode-video which sets the mixdown format for all AAC audio tracks, either Dolby Pro Logic II (the default) or stereo. Thanks to @samhutchins for the idea and the patch! Via #245.
  • Fix failure in detect-crop on Linux for certain inputs by forcing the text output from ffmpeg into UTF-8 binary format to ensure the correct parsing of that data during crop detection. Via #247.
  • List all hardware-based video encoders within the related answer in the "FAQ" section of the "README" document. Thanks to @vr8hub for the idea! Via #251.
  • Update all copyright notices to the year 2019.

0.22.0

Saturday, December 15, 2018

  • Add an --encoder option to transcode-video so --encoder x265 will work the same as the much longer and harder to type --handbrake-option encoder=x265.
  • Add a --simple ratecontrol option to transcode-video (via #211) which:
    • Works like my special, or default, ratecontrol system but won't emit those annoying VBV underflow warnings because it's only constrained by the target bitrate and not also a minimum quality.
    • Signals Hypothetical Reference Decoder (HRD) information in metadata like my average bitrate (ABR) ratecontrol system.
    • Produces output similar in appearance to that from hardware-based encoders but is less prone to color banding.
  • Modify transcode-video to not pass the target video bitrate to hardware-based encoders when a CRF value is also specified, e.g. via something like --handbrake-option quality=20. Currently, this is only applicable to encoders such as nvenc_h264, nvenc_h265, vce_h264 and vce_h265.
  • Revise both the H.265 video and hardware-based video transcoding answers in the "FAQ" section of the "README" document.
  • Update and simplify the "Explanation" section of the "README" document.

0.21.2

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

  • Modify transcode-video to pass the target video bitrate to hardware-based encoders available in HandBrake for Windows and Linux as well as HandBrake nightly builds for macOS:
    • Check the output of HandBrakeCLI --help from one of those builds to find out if your platform has any of these video encoders available.
    • The names of these encoders all end with "_h264" (for H.264) or "_h265" (for HEVC).
    • On macOS, adding --handbrake-option encoder=vt_h264 is all that's needed to enable hardware-based H.264 transcoding. Use vt_h265 for HEVC.
    • On Windows and Linux, use qsv_h264 or qsv_h265. Other encoders might be available as well in nightly builds.
    • WARNING: If you request an encoder that is not available, HandBrakeCLI may fail or it may just fallback to a software-based encoder. Check your console output while transcoding to be certain.
    • These hardware-based encoders are far faster than the software-based x264 and x265 encoders while still delivering reasonable quality. Of course, your mileage (and perception) may vary.

0.21.1

Sunday, December 2, 2018

  • Fix a bug in transcode-video creating MP3 instead of AAC audio in MKV output on Windows. This was caused by a previous optimization not passing a named AAC audio encoder to HandBrakeCLI, i.e. ca_aac or av_aac. Apparently the default is different on Windows. Go figure. Thanks, @samhutchins! Via #235.
  • Add a workaround in transcode-video for HandBrake nightly builds not setting the mixdown of multichannel audio track inputs to Dolby Pro Logic II format at 160 Kbps when the output is AAC stereo. Apparently the new default for that type of input is 5.1 channels at 384 Kbps, which wouldn't play on most Roku or Apple TV devices without re-transcoding or non-standard software. Again, go figure.
  • Add a workaround in transcode-video and convert-video for HandBrake nightly builds not copying mono or stereo audio track inputs which are already in AAC format.

0.21.0

Friday, November 9, 2018

  • Modify transcode-video to create "sparse" .log files by removing overwritten progress information, often making those files an order of magnitude (i.e. 10x) smaller. Via #213.
  • Replace code in transcode-video which used mkvpropedit or mp4track in a post-transcoding step to sanitize audio titles containing commas, with much simpler code leveraging a comma escaping mechanism only available in HandBrakeCLI version 1.0.0 or later.
  • Fix bug in transcode-video where the level was not set when using the x264_10bit encoder.
  • Remove support the non-existent x265_16bit encoder in transcode-video. This might have been available last year in some development builds of HandBrakeCLI, but it's definitely not in any release.

0.20.1

Sunday, October 21, 2018

  • Modify transcode-video to no longer validate --filter option arguments against a fixed list of names. This will prevent annoying failures whenever the HandBrake team adds a new filter.

0.20.0

Monday, June 18, 2018

  • Now require HandBrakeCLI version 1.0.0 or later. Not only does this change make for easier testing, but it allows removal of many capability-detection hacks needed to support older versions. My thanks again to all the users who provided positive feedback about this online!
  • Relax frame rate control in transcode-video so that the options --rate=30 and --pfr are no longer passed to HandBrakeCLI for most non-DVD videos. This means that the peak frame rate will no longer be limited to 30 FPS, allowing camera-generated videos to retain their original frame rates. However, the old behavior can be restored for those videos by adding --limit-rate 30 to your transcode-video command line.
  • Modify transcode-video to no longer pass --encoder-preset=medium to HandBrakeCLI since that's the default behavior anyway. However, adding --preset medium to your transcode-video command line still does so.
  • Modify transcode-video to no longer pass a named audio encoder to HandBrakeCLI in order to select AAC, i.e. ca_aac or av_aac, since AAC is the default audio format anyway. However, adding the --aac-encoder option to your transcode-video command line still allows an explicit choice.
  • Modify transcode-video to substitute "analyse" for the x264 option called "partitions" when invoked with the --quick or --veryquick options. This is done to better match the archaic internal name used by HandBrake. It has no effect on actual transcoding behavior.
  • Add -n as a shortcut alias for the --dry-run option in transcode-video. This is the same shortcut alias used in rsync and make.
  • Expand the "Explanation" section of the "README" document to describe both the special, or default, ratecontrol system and the average bitrate (ABR) ratecontrol system, enabled via the --abr option.
  • Add clarification to the "README" document that stereo AAC tracks can also include surround audio information in matrix-encoded Dolby Pro Logic II format.
  • Fix spelling of "suppress" in the --help output of query-handbrake-log. Thanks, @chrisridd! Via #205.

0.19.0

Saturday, January 27, 2018

  • Add support for Dolby Digital Plus audio format, aka Enhanced AC-3, to transcode-video and convert-video with a new --ac3-encoder option for each tool. Also, extend the --ac3-bitrate and --pass-ac3-bitrate options in transcode-video to support higher bitrates, 768 and 1536 Kbps, available to Enhanced AC-3. Via #26.
    • WARNING: Dolby Digital Plus output is currently NOT COMPATIBLE with the MP4 file format when using transcode-video due to a limitation in HandBrakeCLI. This means that adding both --mp4 and --ac3-encoder eac3 to your command line will fail with the error "incompatible encoder 'eac3' for muxer 'av_mp4'."
    • Oddly enough, ffmpeg doesn't have this limitation so you'll be able to use convert-video --ac3-encoder eac3 to convert your MKV files into MP4 format without any problems. Go figure.
  • Remove "Can you add support for Enhanced AC-3 audio?" from the "FAQ" section of the "README" document, for obvious reasons. :)
  • Add --reverse-double-order option to transcode-video to reverse order of double-width audio output tracks. Thanks, @samhutchins! Via #184.
  • Fix a bug in convert-video where the number of audio channels was wrong when tracks had to be transcoded. This was most noticeable for AAC output and appears due to a change in the behavior of ffmpeg.
  • Append .inspect to all Hash objects used as Console.debug arguments. Apparently a change in the way Ruby works was preventing these objects from being printed, although I'm unsure about the specific version of Ruby in which this occurred.
  • Remove superfluous quotes in the --help output of transcode-video.
  • Remove the deprecated --cvbr and --vbr options in transcode-video and --player option in detect-crop.
  • Revise my usage in the "FAQ" section of the "README" document since I no longer choose the default settings with transcode-video.
  • Re-order a few misplaced lines in the "History" section of the "README" document.
  • Update all copyright notices to the year 2018.

0.18.0

Saturday, December 2, 2017

  • Improve the average bitrate (ABR) ratecontrol system provided by the --abr option in transcode-video. Via #179.
    • Implement it with a maximum bitrate constraint to raise its overal quality level and guarantee that it will not generate any VBV underflow warnings like the default ratecontrol system.
    • Signal Hypothetical Reference Decoder (HRD) information, meaning that the VBV maximum bitrate value is added as metadata to the output video, something you should not do when using the default ratecontrol system.
    • Move it from the "Advanced" to the "Quality" section in the --help output and describe its quality output as "different" rather than "lower" compared to the default ratecontrol system.
    • Also remove the no-longer valid characterization of ABR in the "Explanation" section of the "README" document.
  • Deprecate the poorly named --cvbr and --vbr options in transcode-video and remove them from the --help output.
    • The ratecontrol system implemented by the --cvbr option was always experimental. After much testing, it was found to be noticeably lower in quality compared to the default and to the new ABR implementation.
    • The ratecontrol system implemented by the --vbr option was only ever intended for comparison testing. And probably used only by myself.
  • Modify transcode-video to no longer re-calculate vbv-bufsize based on any user input value for vbv-maxrate. Instead, always calculate both vbv-maxrate and vbv-bufsize based on the target video bitrate.
  • Deprecate the --player option in detect-crop and remove it from the --help output.
  • Fix failure of subtitle detection for HandBrake nightly builds. Language detection for subtitles in disc image directory input and individual closed caption tracks may still be wrong but will not be fixed at this time. Via #172.
  • Mention Nick Wronski's nifty batch-processing wrapper for transcode-video in the the "README" document. Thanks, @JMoVS! Via #180.

0.17.4

Sunday, September 10, 2017

  • Force text output from mp4track into UTF-8 binary format to ensure correct parsing of that data. Thanks, @DavidNielsen! Via #152.

0.17.3

Sunday, May 14, 2017

  • HandBrakeCLI versions 1.0 and later changed the default frame rate mode from "constant" to "peak-limited" when a rate is specified. This new behavior in HandBrakeCLI requires two significant changes in transcode-video:
    • Fix a bug where the --force-rate option failed to force a constant frame rate. This bug made it behave essentially the same at the --limit-rate option.
    • Fix a bug where a constant frame rate was not forced for inputs containing MPEG-2 video. This bug affected the transcoding of all DVDs but very few Blu-ray Discs. The good news is that this bug probably didn't cause visual problems since the new default peak-limited implementation in HandBrakeCLI versions 1.0 and later worked like a constant frame rate most of the time.
  • Modify convert-video to use binary file mode when reading and writing console and log output from ffmpeg. This eliminates redundant information and "console spew" on Windows by suppressing the EOL <-> CRLF conversion. Thanks, @samhutchins! Via #147.
  • Also modify transcode-video and convert-video to use binary file mode when processing console I/O from mkvpropedit and mp4track to eliminate that same "console spew" on Windows.
  • Modify detect-crop to escape preview commands for cmd.exe and PowerShell on Windows in a manner that's still compatible with Bourne and Z shells. Also mention in the "Using detect-crop" section of the "README" document that path names within the sample commands are not escaped properly when using cmd.exe or PowerShell on Windows and that bash.exe can be used as a workaround. Via #146.
  • Modify transcode-video to accept x264_10bit, x265_10bit, x265_12bit and x265_16bit as supported encoders while also adjusting the encoder profile for these variants. Via #143.
  • Modify transcode-video to no longer set the x264 encoder level if a frame rate has been requested higher than 30 FPS. Via #141.

0.17.2

Monday, April 3, 2017

  • Fix failure of version detection for recent HandBrake nightly builds. Thanks, @kvanh! Via #139.
  • Modify detect-crop to escape preview commands for Z shells. Thanks, @jjathman! Via #138.

0.17.1

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

  • Modify transcode-video to use binary file mode when reading and writing console and log output from HandBrakeCLI. This eliminates redundant information and "console spew" on Windows by suppressing the EOL <-> CRLF conversion. Thanks, @samhutchins! Via #130.

0.17.0

Thursday, February 16, 2017

  • Remove all dependencies on mplayer, via #120 and #123:
    • Modify detect-crop and transcode-video to use ffmpeg for crop detection instead of mplayer.
    • Modify detect-crop to use mpv, a free cross-platform media player, for optional crop preview instead of mplayer.
    • Add a --player option to detect-crop so mplayer can still be used for crop preview commands. Warning: this feature will be deprecated soon.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Remove any mention of mplayer and list mpv as an optional package.
    • Fix typo in version 0.16.0 release information. Thanks, @samhutchins!

0.16.0

Friday, January 20, 2017

  • Add a --cvbr option to transcode-video. This is essentially the same as the experimental option of the same name which was removed on February 25, 2016, but now it doesn't have a bitrate argument. It enables a simple constrained variable bitrate (CVBR) ratecontrol system, less constrained than the default, producing a more predictable output size while avoiding VBV underflow warnings. Use it with --target big for the best results.
  • Modify the --abr option in transcode-video to no longer use a bitrate argument. Instead, it relies on the --target option to control bitrate, just like the default ratecontrol system and the new --cvbr option. So, passing a bitrate argument is now an error. But you should consider using --cvbr instead of --abr anyway since the former is almost always higher quality.
  • Remove the deprecated --no-constrain option from detect-crop and the --no-constrain-crop option from transcode-video.
  • Modify convert-video to allow HEVC format video along with H.264.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise and simplify the Windows installation instructions to point users at the fine work by @samhutchins and @JMoVS on documenting their two methods. Via #115.
    • Revise the "Using transcode-video" section to correct out-of-date performance data about the --quick option.
    • Revise the H.265 answer in the "FAQ" section with up-to-date information about the x265 video encoder. Via #118.

0.15.0

Sunday, January 15, 2017

  • Modify convert-video, via #114, to:
    • Add support for text-based and DVD-style image-based subtitles. Please note that Blu-ray Disc-style image-based subtitles are not supported due to MP4 format restrictions.
    • Add a --no-double option which no longer assumes input files might contain two main audio tracks whose order needs to be swapped, or that a "missing" stereo AAC audio track needs to be added to MP4 output.
    • Change the algoritm deciding when a "missing" stereo AAC audio track is added. Previously that only happened when the first track of the input MKV file was in surround format and there were no other audio tracks. Now it won't matter how many audio tracks are in the input.
    • Use ffmpeg and mkvpropedit for conversion to MKV format instead of just mkvmerge which could not convert subtitle formats.
    • Remove the dependency on mkvmerge and add a dependency on mkvpropedit.
    • No longer pass the -strict experimental arguments to ffmpeg when using the built-in, native AAC encoder.
  • Fix a bug preventing the detection of whether an audio track had the "default" flag set when parsing scan output from HandBrakeCLI versions 1.0.0 and later. This was caused by the integration of Libav version 12.0 in HandBrake on December 17, 2016.
  • Fix a long-standing bug preventing the detection of all subtitles and disambiguation with chapter information in MP4 files when parsing scan output from mp4track.
  • Remove support for the Freeware Advanced Audio Coder (FAAC) from the "FFmpeg" module since it's no longer included with ffmpeg.
  • Remove the "mkvmerge.rb" source file and any references to the "MKVmerge" module since convert-video no longer needs it.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Remove mkvmerge from the "Requirements" section.
    • Clarify subtitle support in the "Using convert-video" section.

0.14.0

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

  • Add a --prefer-ac3 option to transcode-video. This prefers Dolby Digital AC-3 over AAC format when encoding or copying audio, even when the original track channel layout is stereo or mono. It also sets the audio output "width" for all tracks to surround. Via #112.
  • Fix a bug in the parsing of audio and subtitle track names that was introduced by the integration of Libav version 12.0 in HandBrake on December 17, 2016, affecting HandBrakeCLI versions 1.0.0 and later. This caused transcode-video to substitute any commas with underscores in added audio track names when used with those versions of HandBrakeCLI.

0.13.0

Monday, January 2, 2017

  • Modify the --quick option in transcode-video to remove the x264 mixed-refs=0 setting because it's unnecessary when the ref=1 setting is also applied. Via #108.
  • Add a --veryquick option to transcode-video for encoding 90-125% faster than the default setting with little easily perceptible loss in video quality. Unlike --quick, its output size is larger than the default. Via #108.
  • Remove the deprecated --small and --small-video options from transcode-video.
  • Update all copyright notices to the year 2017.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise the installation instructions to reflect that HandBrakeCLI has been removed from Homebrew Cask (thanks to @vitorgalvao) and is now part of Homebrew Core (thanks to @JMoVS). Via #106 from @vitorgalvao.
    • Revise the version of HandBrakeCLI required for HEVC transcoding to 1.0.0 or later in the "FAQ" section.
    • Clarify Enhanced AC-3 audio support in the "FAQ" section.

0.12.3

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

  • Increase the speed and quality of the --quick option. Encoding is now 70-80% faster than the default setting with no easily perceptible loss in video quality. The improvement is so good that I no longer recommend using x264 presets to speed things up. Via #104.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise the "Understanding the x264 preset system" section to suggest using --quick or --target big instead of faster or slower presets.
    • Add Docker virtualization software installation instructions. Via #98 from @ntodd.

0.12.2

Sunday, November 6, 2016

  • Modify transcode-video to use HandBrake's new "auto-anamorphic" API, if available, instead of "strict-anamorphic". The HandBrake team removed the "strict-anamorphic" API on October 31, 2016, breaking transcode-video when it's used with the latest nightly builds. Via #67 from @iokui.
  • Add "auto-anamorphic" and "non-anamorphic" to the list of HandBrake APIs disabled when the --pixel-aspect option is used with transcode-video.
  • Re-enable the x264 video encoder when the --quick option is used with transcode-video.

0.12.1

Friday, November 4, 2016

  • Modify transcode-video to enable the --quick option only for the x264 video encoder and enable my special ratecontrol system only for the x264 and x265 encoders.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise the H.265 answer in the "FAQ" section to show how you can try experimental HEVC transcoding now.
    • Use new canonical "macOS" name.
    • Add "Explanation" section describing how my special ratecontrol system works.

0.12.0

Friday, October 14, 2016

  • Revise the ratecontrol system and default target video bitrates in transcode-video so that output is smaller and transcoding is faster. Via #90.
    • Increase the value of vbv-bufsize to be twice that of vbv-maxrate, the target. This is much more likely to produce an output video bitrate nearer to that target.
    • Lower the targets to accomodate this new accuracy and avoid wasting bitrate and time on unneeded quality.
  • Deprecate the --small and --small-video options in transcode-video.
  • Add a variation of the --target option with big and small arguments to transcode-video. The small macro provides output similar to, but still smaller than, the old --small-video option. The big macro provides output even larger than the old ratecontrol system and targets.
  • Remove unnecessary boundary checking of the target video bitrate in transcode-video.
  • Modify transcode-video so adding --handbrake-option encoder=x265 is all that is needed to enable experimental HEVC transcoding. Use this only with HandBrakeCLI nightly builds from September 29, 2016, or later.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise the default target video bitrates.
    • Remove all references to the --small option since it's now deprecated.
    • Add the Windows Subsystem for Linux as a possible installation platform. Via #89 from @JMoVS.
    • Replace visible HTML comments with zero-width spaces.
    • Tweak the description of how I use transcode-video. Yes, again.

0.11.1

Monday, September 26, 2016

  • Add queue-import-file and anything starting with preset to the list of unsupported HandBrakeCLI options.
  • Back out a change from version 0.3.1 to optimize setting the encoder level to behave more like past versions. This made no actual difference in the output video, only the .log file.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Clarify tradeoffs when using the x264 preset system.
    • Revise the status of H.265 and Enhanced AC-3 support.
    • Tweak the description of how I use transcode-video. Again.

0.11.0

Thursday, September 15, 2016

  • Change the behavior of detect-crop and the --crop detect function of transcode-video to no longer constrain the crop by default. Add a --constrain option to detect-crop and a --constrain-crop option to transcode-video to restore the old behavior. Also, deprecate the --no-constrain option of detect-crop and the --no-constrain-crop option of transcode-video since both are no longer necessary. Via #81.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise multiple sections about the changes to cropping behavior.
    • Revise the description of the --small option in multiple sections.
    • Revise how I use transcode-video in the "FAQ" section.
  • Add support for the comb-detect, hqdn3d and pad filters to transcode-video.
  • Fix a bug in transcode-video where the --filter option failed when nlmeans-tune was used as a argument. This was due to a regular expression only allowing lowercase alpha characters and not hyphens.
  • Update the default AC-3 audio and pass-through bitrates in the --help output of transcode-video to 640 Kbps, matching the behavior of the code since version 0.5.0.

0.10.0

Friday, May 6, 2016

  • Add resolution-specific qualifiers to the --target option in transcode-video. This allows different video bitrate targets for inputs with different resolutions. For example, you can use --target 1080p=6500 alone to change the target for Blu-ray Discs and not DVDs. Or you could combine that with --target 480p=2500 to affect both resolutions. Via #68 from @turley.
  • Fix a bug in transcode-video where video bitrate targets were not reset when the --small or --small-video options followed the --target option on the command line.
  • Fix a bug where query-handbrake-log would fail for time or speed on macOS or Linux when parsing .log files created on Windows. This was due to a regular expression not expecting a carriage return (CR) before a line feed (LF), i.e. a Windows-style line ending (CRLF). Via #67 from @lambdan.

0.9.0

Monday, May 2, 2016

  • Revise the syntax and behavior of the --main-audio, --add-audio and --audio-width options in transcode-video:
    • Allow selecting the main audio output track by finding the first input track in a specific language. For example, --main-audio spa can now use a language code to select the first Spanish track. Previously, only track numbers were allowed as main audio selection arguments. Via #8 from @JMoVS.
    • Allow assignment of an optional name to the main audio track when using a language code. For example, --main-audio spa="Other Dialogue" sets the track name in the same manner as using a track number.
    • Restrict the default main audio track to the first track, i.e. track number 1, if the --main-audio option is not used. Previously, the default main audio track could be the first track selected by the --add-audio option when a language code argument was used. This was a hack because, at that time, the --main-audio option itself couldn't select by language.
    • No longer require or even allow language= to prefix a language code argument when using the --add-audio option. For example, use --add-audio fra to add all the French language tracks. This is much easier to type.
    • Add argument shortcuts to select the main track or other non-main tracks when using the --audio-width option. Previously, tracks were selected only by track number or all at once. The main shortcut is useful when the main audio track number is unknown because it was selected using a language code. The other shortcut is useful when all would also modify the main audio track.
  • Revise the syntax of the --add-subtitle option in transcode-video to match the change to the --add-audio option which no longer requires or even allows language= to prefix a language code argument.
  • Add a --tabular option to query-handbrake-log in order to better format its output report for later import into a spreadsheet application. This uses a tab character instead of a single space as the field delimiter and suppresses the fps and kbps labels. Via #64.
  • Fix a bug where query-handbrake-log time reported the wrong result when parsing .log files from output using a forced frame rate. It's possible this was a regression due to a change in HandBrake.
  • Remove a stray "TODO" comment line in query-handbrake-log.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Revise the "Understanding audio" section to reflect new syntax and behavior in transcode-video.
    • Add links to the "History" section for release numbers, pull requests, issues and contributors.
    • Correct the release date for version 0.4.0 in the "History" section.
    • Insert a missing "Via" and period in the 0.8.1 release information.

0.8.1

Thursday, April 28, 2016

  • Fix a bug where query-handbrake-log reported the wrong time or speed when parsing .log files containing output from HandBrake subtitle scan mode, i.e. when using --burn-subtitle scan or --force-subtitle scan from transcode-video. Via #46 from @martinpickett.
  • Fix a bug where query-handbrake-log ratefactor failed if the number it was searching for was less than 10. This was due to HandBrake unexpectedly inserting a space before that number. Honestly, I doubt this ever happend before the new ratecontrol system debuted in 0.6.0. That's how good the new ratecontrol system is. Via #61 from @bmhayward.

0.8.0

Sunday, April 24, 2016

  • Add a --no-constrain-crop option to transcode-video. This changes the behavior of --crop detect to mimic the --no-constrain option in the detect-crop tool.
  • Add a --fallback-crop option to transcode-video. This selects fallback crop values, from HandBrake, MPlayer or no crop at all, if --crop detect fails. This makes the new --no-constrain-crop option more useful since failure is more likely without constraints. Via #56 from @cameronks.
  • Add a --aac-encoder option to transcode-video. This gives Windows and Linux users access to the Fraunhofer FDK AAC encoder if it's compiled into their version of HandBrakeCLI. Via #35 from @cnrd.
  • Allow a colon (":") instead of a just period (".") to separate the two numerical components of a stream identifier when parsing scan output from HandBrakeCLI. This ensures compatibility with different versions of libavcodec and should fix several mysterious bugs on some Linux configurations. Via #30 and #41 from @dgibbs64.
  • Maintain 480p video bitrate targets in transcode-video when scaling down to 480p using --max-width 854 --max-height 480. Via #58 from @mschout.
  • Remove the deprecated --old-behavior option in transcode-video.
  • Clarify the purpose of --abr and --vbr in the --help output of transcode-video.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Add "FAQ" section. Via #26 from @reiesu and #59 from @dgibbs64.
    • Add this "History" section.
    • Spell "rate control" as one word, like a real transcoding geek.
    • Insert a missing "you" in the first paragraph of the "Installation" section.
    • Mention and link to Linuxbrew in the "Requirements" section.
    • Describe the default ratecontrol system as a "modified constrained variable bitrate (CVBR) mode."
    • Add example output when HandBrake and MPlayer disagree to the "Using detect-crop" section. Via #18 from @alanwsmith.
    • Update the status of DTS-HD decoding for HandBrake and MakeMKV in the "Why convert lossless audio?" section.

0.7.0

Thursday, April 7, 2016

  • Once again, lower the video bitrate targets for 480p and 720p output in transcode-video. Note that 1080p and 2160p targets still remain unchanged. Via #55.
  • Update the "README" document to:
    • Reflect changes to the 480p and 720p video bitrate targets.
    • Revise description of and recommendation for the --quick option.
    • Revise warnings about using slower x264 presets.
  • Add a --target option to transcode-video allowing explicit control of the video bitrate target.
  • Deprecate the --old-behavior option in transcode-video.
  • Remove the deprecated --big option in transcode-video.
  • Separate --small and --small-video in the --help output of transcode-video.

0.6.0

Sunday, April 3, 2016

  • Revise the default ratecontrol system and video bitrate targets in transcode-video:
    • Raise the quality target by lowering the constant ratefactor (CRF) from 16 to 1, the lowest lossy CRF value available with the x264 video encoder. This significantly improves video quality but also raises bitrates much closer to the targets, thereby increasing output file sizes for some inputs.
    • Raise the quality limit by setting qpmax, the x264 quantizer maximum, to 34. This prevents x264 from occasionally generating a single, but still noticeable, very low quality frame because the CRF value is set so low.
    • Lower the video bitrate targets for 480p and 720p output to keep bitrates and file sizes closer to that produced by the old ratecontrol system. Note that 1080p and 2160p targets remain unchanged.
    • Add an --old-behavior option to restore the old ratecontrol system and video bitrate targets for users not yet wanting to change over. This option is only temporary and will soon be deprecated and then removed.
    • Update the "README" document to reflect changes to the 480p and 720p video bitrate targets.
  • Remove an obsolete brew install caskroom/cask/brew-cask line from the "README" document. Via #54 from @timsutton.

0.5.1

Thursday, February 25, 2016

  • Don't fail if the ffmpeg version string can't be parsed. Via #43 from @rementis, @Lambdafive and @kford.
  • Remove the deprecated --cvbr option in transcode-video.

0.5.0

Thursday, January 14, 2016

  • Raise the default video bitrate targets and AC-3 audio bitrate limits in transcode-video:
    • Deprecate the --big option since its behavior is now the default. An informal survey via Twitter and Facebook showed that about 90% of users (including myself) responding were always using the --big option anyway to get higher quality.
    • Add a --small option to restore the old video bitrate targets and AC-3 audio bitrate limits.
    • Add a --small-video option to restore only the old video bitrate targets. Via Facebook from @DaveHamilton.
    • Update the "README" document to reflect all these changes.
  • Move --abr and --vbr to the advanced options section in the --help output of transcode-video.
  • Deprecate the experimental --cvbr option in transcode-video.

0.4.0

Monday, January 11, 2016

  • Add a --cvbr option to transcode-video. This implements a very experimental variation of the default ratecontrol system with a target bitrate as its single argument. Use it for evaluation purposes only.

0.3.1

Friday, January 8, 2016

  • Fix compatibility with development/nightly builds of HandBrakeCL in transcode-video:
    • Always force the x264 medium preset to override the new veryfast default value. Via #36 from @cnrd.
    • Explicitly set the encoder profile to high to override the new main default value.
    • Explicitly (and dynamically) set the encoder level to override the new 4.0 default value.
  • Fix a stupid regression from version 0.2.8 caused by a typo in the patch for the SubRip-format text file offset fix to transcode-video. Via #37 from @bpharriss.
  • Be more lenient about --encoder-option arguments in transcode-video so 8x8dct is allowed.
  • Always print the HandBrakeCLI version string to diagnostic output even if it can't be parsed.

0.3.0

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

  • Add a --abr option to transcode-video. This implements a modified average bitrate (ABR) ratecontrol system with a target bitrate as its single argument. It produces a much more predictable output size but lower quality than the default ratecontrol system. It can sometimes be handy but use it with caution.
  • Add a --vbr option to transcode-video. This implements a true VBR ratecontrol system with a constant ratefactor as its single argument, much like HandBrake's default behavior when using its --quality option. It's useful mostly for comparison testing against the default ratecontrol system.
  • Update all copyright notices to the year 2016.

0.2.8

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

  • Prevent the --bind-srt-language option in transcode-video from also setting the SubRip-format text file offset to the same value. This was a stupid copy and paste error since the initial project version. Via #25 from @arikalish.
  • Don't fail if the HandBrakeCLI version string can't be parsed. Via #29 from @paulbailey.
  • Don't fail if the mp4track version string can't be parsed. Via #27 from @dgibbs64.
  • Add a missing preposition to the last bullet point of the "Why MakeMKV?" section in the "README" document. Via #32 from @eventualbuddha.

0.2.7

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

  • Apply the --subtitle-forced option when scanning subtitles in transcode-video. Via #20 from @rhapsodians.

0.2.6

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

  • Prevent the user's file format choice from corrupting the output path in transcode-video and convert-video. Via #5 from @arikalish.

0.2.5

Sunday, May 17, 2015

  • Simplify the calculation of vbv-bufsize in transcode-video.

0.2.4

Friday, May 15, 2015

  • Prevent an undefined method error if HandBrakeCLI removes tracks during scan. Via #15 from @blackoctopus.

0.2.3

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

  • No longer fail on invalid audio and subtitle track information when parsing scan output from HandBrakeCLI. Via #11 from @eltito51 and #13 from @tchjunky.

0.2.2

Monday, May 11, 2015

  • Ensure the AC-3 passthru bitrate in transcode-video is never below the AC-3 encoding bitrate.

0.2.1

Sunday, May 10, 2015

  • Fix the --main-audio option in transcode-video by ensuring the resolve_main_audio method actually returns a result. Via #9 from @JMoVS.

0.2.0

Saturday, May 9, 2015

  • Rewrite the automatic frame rate and deinterlace logic in transcode-video to match the behavior of the old transcode-video.sh script on which the tool is based.
  • Clarify in --help output that transcode-video audio copy policies only apply to main and explicitly added audio tracks.
  • Ignore the sometimes missing patch version when checking MPlayer.
  • Mention in the "README" document that custom track names and external subtitle file names are allowed to contain commas.

0.1.4

Friday, May 8, 2015

  • Fix a stupid regression from version 0.1.2 caused by the line endings fix on Windows. Via #7 from @brandonedling.

0.1.3

Friday, May 8, 2015

0.1.2

Thursday, May 7, 2015

  • Fix handling of DOS-style line endings when parsing scan output from HandBrakeCLI on Windows. Via #4 from @CallumKerrEdwards and @commandtab.
  • Disable automatic subtitle burning in transcode-video when input is MP4 format.
  • Clarify usage of --copy-audio option in the "README" document. Via #5 from @arikalish.
  • Fix some section links in the "README" document. Via #3 from @vitorgalvao.

0.1.1

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

0.1.0

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

  • Initial project version.