# Why Does It Take So Long To Encode This On Handbrake **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636 "2010-10-09T21:28:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/1 "2010-10-09T21:28:06Z")
OK I use [Handbrake](http://handbrake.fr/) to encode my DVDs, so I get a high quality file I can play on my computer. Normally if I have a 2 hour DVD movie it takes about 6 or 7 hours to encode it with Handbrake, which is no big deal, I leave it on overnight. Now I got a copy set of the DVD series _[Why We Fight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight)_. This was a series of propaganda films made by the US government to demonstrate the need for US involvment in WWII. OK I rip the files to my hard drive, like I do with all the DVDs, but instead of 6 or 7 hours it takes TWENTY TWO HOURS to encode these. Each of the DVDs, four in all took twenty two hours to encode. I tried it on two different computers both again, no difference. I am not really complaining or anything, I’m just curious as why? They are only two hour films. Now the quality of the films as on the DVD isn’t great and they’re in B&W, could that be slowing down the encoding time? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/2 "2010-10-09T22:00:55Z")
I know a little about Handbrake, but not a lot… To have any idea of what’s going on I would want to know the details of both the standard encodes you make, and the encode of the new DVD. For instance–you said it was a copy, so it may have been an unusually high (or low) amount of data. Also the resolution and frame rate could change things. I also think that degraded or “odd” video can take longer than your standard studio fare. It’s possible that B & W video would do better under a different encoding formula, too. Basically, I can’t help you much from here–at least without knowing all the pertinent details, and maybe not even then. But if I was in the same room as you, I could probably fiddle around a bit and come up with at least some answers. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/3 "2010-10-09T23:04:22Z")
Did you choose a different preset than usual, or accidently bump the “constant quality” to 85% or something ridiculous\* like that? Doing less lossy compression takes a lot more time. ------0- \*ridiculous because the handbrake manual says that at any level over 80, you’re simply faithfully rendering the compression errors that came with the DVD itself. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/4 "2010-10-09T23:09:41Z")
Also - anyone know why it’s taking so damned long to scan my True Blood Season 2 discs? I’ve been waiting over 2 hours just to get it ready. Disc 1 and 2 were no problem. Discs 3 and 4 (no luck on either) have been scanning for over 2 hours. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/5 "2010-10-09T23:10:38Z")
film noise/grain? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/6 "2010-10-09T23:16:55Z")
I used these settings: General Complete name : WWF Disc 1-1.m4v Format : MPEG-4 Format profile : Base Media / Version 2 Codec ID : mp42 File size : 1.52 GiB Duration : 1h 33mn Overall bit rate : 2 333 Kbps Encoded date : UTC 2010-10-06 23:39:31 Tagged date : UTC 2010-10-07 12:59:44 Writing application : HandBrake 0.9.4 2009112300 Video ID : 1 Format : AVC Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec Format profile : High@L3.0 Format settings, CABAC : Yes Format settings, ReFrames : 6 frames Codec ID : avc1 Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding Duration : 1h 33mn Bit rate mode : Variable Bit rate : 2 138 Kbps Width : 704 pixels Height : 480 pixels Display aspect ratio : 4:3 Frame rate mode : Variable Frame rate : 24.000 fps Original frame rate : 23.976 fps Minimum frame rate : 7.051 fps Maximum frame rate : 29.970 fps Standard : NTSC Color space : YUV Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0 Bit depth : 8 bits Scan type : Progressive Bits/(Pixel\*Frame) : 0.264 Stream size : 1.39 GiB (92%) Writing library : x264 core 79 Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=6 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=9 / psy=1 / psy\_rd=1.0:0.0 / mixed\_ref=1 / me\_range=16 / chroma\_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma\_qp\_offset=-2 / threads=3 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / constrained\_intra=0 / bframes=6 / b\_pyramid=0 / b\_adapt=1 / b\_bias=0 / direct=3 / wpredb=1 / wpredp=2 / keyint=240 / keyint\_min=24 / scenecut=40 / rc\_lookahead=40 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=20.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / ip\_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00 Encoded date : UTC 2010-10-06 23:39:31 Tagged date : UTC 2010-10-07 12:59:44 Color primaries : BT.601-6 525, BT.1358 525, BT.1700 NTSC, SMPTE 170M Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361 Matrix coefficients : BT.601-6 525, BT.1358 525, BT.1700 NTSC, SMPTE 170M Audio ID : 2 Format : AC-3 Format/Info : Audio Coding 3 Mode extension : CM (complete main) Codec ID : ac-3 Duration : 1h 33mn Bit rate mode : Constant Bit rate : 192 Kbps Channel(s) : 2 channels Channel positions : Front: L R Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz Bit depth : 16 bits Stream size : 128 MiB (8%) Language : English Encoded date : UTC 2010-10-06 23:39:31 Tagged date : UTC 2010-10-07 12:59:44 Text ID : 3 Format : Apple text Codec ID : text Duration : 1h 33mn Bit rate mode : Constant Bit rate : 0 Stream size : 138 Bytes (0%) Encoded date : UTC 2010-10-06 23:39:31 Tagged date : UTC 2010-10-07 12:59:44 [Note: I put it in a spolier box because it’s a lot of info and I figured those who don’t want to read it won’t have to crawl through the space and it won’t make the thread as long. I found these setting, given to me by someone, make really high quality MKV files from my DVDs. I already encoded the DVDs using these settings, so it’s no real big deal. I was really more interested in why when you use the same settings does it take so long for these DVD and not all the others I did. I’m guessing it’s the B&W and the source material isn’t the greatest. I’m sure most of you have already seen this, it’s in the public domain. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/7 "2010-10-09T23:18:43Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Now I got a copy set of the DVD series _[Why We Fight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight)_. This was a series of propaganda films made by the US government to demonstrate the need for US involvment in WWII. > > OK I rip the files to my hard drive, like I do with all the DVDs, but instead of 6 or 7 hours it takes TWENTY TWO HOURS to encode these. Each of the DVDs, four in all took twenty two hours to encode. These films are available for download at the Internet Archive. If you’ve got a reasonably fast connection, it might be quicker to download the files. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/8 "2010-10-10T03:57:53Z")
Yeah I know since it’s in public domain, but I checked it out of the library I think I found the answer from another source: Certain DVD sources, like old films with a lot of noise and grain, will result in long encode times because noise is demanding to encode well (e.g. your encode ends up at 3GB, or at \>45% of the source DVD size/bitrate). In such cases, you can choose to re-encode with a higher RF value (probably going no higher than 21), do a 2-pass encode with a specified bitrate (probably between 2000-3000kbps; please be generous), or do careful corrective filtering with Avisynth if you know how (far beyond the scope of this guide). ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/9 "2010-10-10T07:00:13Z")
Try setting Trellis = 1, that should significantly decrease encoding time. You won’t lose any quality since you’re using CRF encoding, but it will slightly increase the bitrate (and thus file size). ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/10 "2010-10-12T07:16:05Z")
Are you using Handbrake to both rip and transcode? Handbrake could be doing a lot of churning because it’s having trouble reading the data. A 6-7 hour “normal” time period implies that you’re using Handbrake for the ripping. A faster way would be to use a stand-alone ripper (such as AnyDVD), rip the entire DVDs to unencrypted images, and then use Handbrake to encode. I actually rip on my Windows box, because AnyDVD is a very good tool, but then I copy the files to my Mac Pro, which uses Handbrake to encode at ridiculous rates (less than 40 minutes for a feature film if I’m not doing deinterlacing). ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/11 "2010-10-12T07:48:55Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Also - anyone know why it’s taking so damned long to scan my True Blood Season 2 discs? I’ve been waiting over 2 hours just to get it ready. Disc 1 and 2 were no problem. Discs 3 and 4 (no luck on either) have been scanning for over 2 hours. Scans can take an awfully long time if the discs are damaged, either because they’re scratched or warped, or because the publisher deliberately put lots of errors on them as a copyright protection measure. Though the latter doesn’t seem to make sense for only two discs out of a four-disc set… ---
**Author:** ![dflinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@dflinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dflinga)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/12 "2010-12-15T14:29:13Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Also - anyone know why it’s taking so damned long to scan my True Blood Season 2 discs? I’ve been waiting over 2 hours just to get it ready. Disc 1 and 2 were no problem. Discs 3 and 4 (no luck on either) have been scanning for over 2 hours. I am having this same exact problem. I’ve tried using the disc as a source, as well as a rip. Disc 3 always get stuck on title 13. Did you ever figure it out? Did it ever finish if you left it sit long enough? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-encode-this-on-handbrake/556636/13 "2010-12-15T15:09:43Z")
My problem was definately caused by the grainy noise in the B&W images on the film. Try using DVD Decrypter to rip the DVD to your hard drive, THEN use Handbrake. DVD Decrypter is not legal every where so I won’t provide a direct link, but you can google it to find it.