high.def.x264.movie.standards.rev2.nfo
Revision 2 :: FINAL :: 2007-07-05
[ Intro ]
The High Definition x264 encoding scene has the goal of creating rips of HDDVD
and BluRay sources that can be played by the majority of end users. Specific
hardware (other than something higher then a mid-range Pent 4) should never be
required to play releases. The goal is for these to be burnable to a DVD media
source, playable on an HTPC. We are not releasing these to be re-authored onto
HDDVD or BluRay media. These rules will be constantly updated to adjust for new
audio formats that are playable.
We have gotten together and discussed file sizing. DVD9 causes a much too high
bitrate for releases around the 2 hour long mark. In reality leads to longer
download times and more space being used on your hard drives for no real season.
In addition, the higher bitrate causes playback to be tougher for lower end
machines. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible, so this is an
attempt to adjust for download times and playback.
These rules apply to 720p releases only.
[ Previous Releases ]
These rules do not apply to previous releases, and propering for those reasons
will not be tolerated. Groups who have released eac3 in the past have the
option to repack, but this isn't mandatory. Common sense rules such as
cropping are properable.
[ General ]
1.1) RAR/SFV/NFO needed.
1.2) Rar's can be 50mb, 100mb or 150mb. Use your best judgment.
1.3) Releases should be packed into mkv container.
1.4) NFO must contain information on Audio and Video Bitrate.
1.5) BluRay and HDDVD Sources dupe each other.
1.6) Suggested Directory Format (not a properable reason):
Movie.Name.Year.720p.<HDDVD/BluRay>.x264.<PROPER/READ.NFO/REPACK>-GROUP
1.7) NO intros, outros, betweenos, or any other form of defacement of the film
will be tolerated.
1.8) Credits must not be removed
1.8.1) Can be encoded at a lower bitrate provided they don't contain
any scenes (bloopers, story, etc).
1.9) A sample roughly 60 seconds in length is required.
1.9.1) It must be cut from the final release and not encoded
separately.
1.9.2) Must be put within a directory named "Sample".
[ Total Sizes ]
2.1) Final file size must be DVD5, 1.5 x DVD5, or DVD9 size
2.2) A size of 0.5 x DVD5 is acceptable for animated movies ONLY.
2.3) A max undersize of 40 MiB can be tolerated
2.4) DVD9 should be used only in cases of long movies, or high action movies.
2.5) Propering a release that could have been a bigger size is not valid,
unless below minimum bitrate.
2.6) 2x DVD5 is NOT allowed.
2.7) For very long movies like LOTR, you may deviate from rules. Please use a
multiple of 0.5xDVD5 (2240 MiB).
[ Audio ]
3.1) No EAC3, DD+, TRUEHD or DTSHD audio until there is practical Windows and
Linux support.
3.1.1) This does not include VMWare or alienating any group of users.
3.1.2) The solution should be a reasonable codec that has a high
compatibly rate.
3.2) Currently accepted audio:
3.2.1) FLAC audio is allowed ONLY if created from LPCM or TRUEHD
sources.
3.2.2) Source AC3 or DTS from a BluRay
3.2.3) AC3 transcoded from source LPCM, DD+ or EAC3
3.3) All audio should be proper 5.1, with correct channels, except in the case
of stereo/mono only.
3.4) All AC3 audio with HDDVD releases should be at 640kbit/s, unless the disc
only comes with lower bitrate audio.
3.5) Releases may only contain one audio track muxed into the mkv container.
3.5.1) Use English only if English is the native audio.
3.5.2) If English audio is not native:
3.5.2.1) English Subtitles must be included
3.5.2.2) English dub is allowed as a secondary audio track.
3.5.3) Other language audio may be released as a SECOND release with a
bat file that will remux that audio into the release.
[ Video ]
4.1) Minimum bitrate should be 4 Mbit/s
4.1.1) Animated movies allowed less than 4 Mbit/s bitrate.
4.2) All movies must be at their original framerate.
4.3) Use at least 3 bframes
4.4) Must use a minimum encode of 2 passes.
4.5) Crop the black borders from the source.
Sharp edges in the encoded region will lead to border bits needing more
information than they should.
4.6) Height and Width of rip must be mod 16.
4.7) 720p refers to a maximum resolution of 1280x720.
4.7.1) Acceptable resolutions are:
- 1280 x 528 = 2.40 AR
- 1280 x 544 = 2.35 AR
- 1280 x 688 = 1.85 AR
- 1280 x 720 = 1.78 AR
- 960 x 720 = 1.33 AR
4.7.2) Rare occasions where a movie if VERY wide, use appropriate
settings.
4.8) Use the aspect ratio on the source, not what IMDB says.
4.9) Custom Matrices are allowed.
4.10) VfW (Video for Windows) is not allowed
4.11) --deblock can be varied depending on the source.
[ Subtitles ]
5.1) Multi-language subtitles cannot be used as a basis for a dupe
5.2) Subtitles are to be MUXED into the mkv container, but MAY NOT be burned
in to the video stream.
5.3) "Subs" directories are forbidden.
5.4) Subs should not be HUGE AND UGLY. Check your settings!
5.5) Subs must be a text-based format that will mux into an mkv container.
[ Encoding ]
Recommended settings are at least:
Pass 1:
x264.exe --pass 1 --bitrate x --threads auto --thread-input --bframes 3 --me dia --ref 1 --subme 1 --no-dct-decimate
--partitions none --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output NUL
Pass 2:
x264.exe --pass 2 --bitrate x --threads auto --bframes 3 --b-pyramid --bime --weightb --b-rdo --me umh --ref 5 --mixed-refs
--subme 7 --trellis 1 --8x8dct --no-fast-pskip --progress --no-psnr --no-ssim --output x.mkv
[ Signed By (in alphabetic order) ]
hV PPQ PROGRESS REVEiLLE SEPTiC
[ These rules apply from 2007-07-06 00:00:00 GMT (1183680000 unixtime) ]