x264 is a free AVC encoder that is best-in-class and thanks to compliance testing from the Criterion Collection now supports Blu-ray Disc encoding.
GDMX has also vetted x264 for BD use using the Eclipse Verifier in 1080p24 and 1080p/i30.
This page deals with the most common scenarios for Blu-ray authoring. Many commercial discs from well known names have been made using the guides here.
You should also know your desired bitrate beforehand.
x264 can be downloaded here: http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/x264/binaries/
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The easiest way to customise x264's encoding time is to use the following presets:
superfast
veryfast
faster
fast
medium
slow
slower
veryslow
placebo
It is also possible to tune for various content types:
film
animation
grain
Output .264 files can then be imported successfully into mastering applications such as Sonic Scenarist and Sony Blu-Print.
The Blu-ray spec allows a variety of different configurations but all the settings on this site are chosen to maximise quality.
NB: These settings are all 2-pass encodes. If you wish to run a single-pass encode make sure that "--pass 1" is NOT included
in your command line.
It is strongly recommended to inverse telecine any telecined material.
NB: If your source file is not natively the correct framerate you will have to add the following settings (example for 23.976):
--fps 24000/1001 --force-cfr
You can also post feedback or ask questions regarding x264 Blu-ray authoring using the following form:
Questions regarding x264 for authoring commercial releases will be kept confidential if requested. This has been done on many occasions.
More detailed information about x264's settings can be found here:
More information about x264 can be found here: