[FFmpeg-user] Question about video codecs : libx264 vs libx265

[Nicolas George]

Hervé ANSELME (12024-03-31):
> I have a question about re-encoding a source video having libx264 video codec.
> 
> Is there any advantage(s) to re-encode with the libx265, which is supposed to give better result than libx264 ?
> 
> In other words, re-encoding with the x265 codec for the final video :
> can it improve the final video quality, compared to the source video,
> when the source video is encoded with x264 ?

You will never have a better quality than the original, of course.¹

Transcoding with a different codec that makes different compression
decisions will not even let you get exactly the quality of the original
content, but if you throw enough computing power you can get almost it
with a smaller size.

What you can get, and where it makes sense to transcode, is a smaller
file with lower quality where the lost of quality is much smaller than
the gain in size.

1: You might think you can get it with AI, but it only seems better
quality. If you do it too much, like if you are trying to catch the face
of a replicant reflected on a whisky glass, what you will get is bits of
series from Amazon Studios in your videos.

Regards,

-- 
  Nicolas George