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Video Quality & Codecs

Yes. BitBonsai fully supports 4K and HDR encoding.HDR Metadata Preservation:
  • HDR10 (PQ/ST.2084) → ✅ Preserved
  • HDR10+ → ✅ Preserved (HEVC only)
  • Dolby Vision → ⚠️ Converted to HDR10 (AV1/HEVC)
  • HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) → ✅ Preserved
Codec Support:
Codec4KHDR10HDR10+Dolby Vision
HEVC✅✅✅Profile 5 only
AV1✅✅❌❌
Configuration: When encoding HDR content, use:
  • CRF 18-22 (lower = higher quality)
  • Preset: slow (better compression)
  • Color space: Auto-detected from source
Example FFmpeg Command (Auto-Generated):
ffmpeg -i input.mkv \
  -c:v libx265 \
  -crf 20 -preset slow \
  -color_primaries bt2020 \
  -color_trc smpte2084 \
  -colorspace bt2020nc \
  -x265-params "hdr-opt=1:repeat-headers=1" \
  output.mkv
Playback Compatibility:
  • Ensure media player supports HDR (VLC, Plex, Jellyfin)
  • HDR displays required for proper viewing
  • SDR tone-mapping handled by player
See Codec Selection for quality settings.
Both are modern video codecs. Key differences:
FeatureHEVC (H.265)AV1
Compression40-50% better than H.26450-70% better than H.264
Encoding SpeedFast (HW accelerated)Slow (CPU only)
Hardware SupportWide (2015+ devices)Limited (2020+ devices)
LicensingPaid (patent-encumbered)Free (royalty-free)
QualityExcellentSlightly better
When to Use HEVC:
  • Need fast encoding (NVENC, QSV)
  • Wide device compatibility (TVs, phones)
  • Hardware decoding available
When to Use AV1:
  • Maximum compression (archival)
  • Don’t care about encoding time
  • Modern playback devices only
Encoding Time Comparison (1080p movie):
  • H.264 CPU: 1 hour
  • HEVC CPU: 2 hours
  • HEVC NVENC: 15 minutes
  • AV1 CPU: 6 hours
Recommendation:
  • Most users: HEVC with hardware encoding
  • Archival/storage priority: AV1 (set and forget)
  • Compatibility priority: Stick with H.264
See Codec Selection for detailed comparison.