Discussing streaming means talking about how content is delivered over the internet for on-demand viewing.
Discussing streaming means talking about how content is delivered over the internet for on-demand viewing.
NVENC and QuickSync can't match X264 quality at identical bitrates.
Here you go. Since I don't have an Nvidia GPU I used QuickSync instead. This is a comparison of QuickSync vs x264 veryfast at 3500 Kbps. Screenshot Comparison 1 Screenshot Comparison 2 Screenshot Comparison 3 The files where the screenshots were taken from can be found here (QuickSync) and here (x264) . How I tested it: 1) Record a little video with FRAPS. I used that because the video is completely uncompressed and I can do a fair comparison by comparing the exact same frames. 2) Play the video in MPC-HC and record the screen with QuickSync and x264, using the default settings for both (except setting it to CBR and set the bit rate to 3500Kbps). This is why the videos are slightly different length and start/stop at different times. I also covered my username. 3) Find the exact same frame in both videos and take a lossless screenshot. Upload them to Screenshot Comparison. I will give x264 the edge in terms of quality, but I would say QuickSync is close. For archival purposes I would go with x264 (and placebo instead of veryfast) any day, but we are talking about live streaming here... The huge performance boost is well worth the slight quality degradation.
Bitrate relates to how much data is transferred per second. The idea that you need a lower bit rate for better quality is not always true, especially when comparing different codecs. In the examples from Anandtech, the results showed QuickSync often outperformed faster x264 versions, even with more motion in the video. This suggests that choosing the right bitrate and codec can significantly impact performance and quality.
Bitrate plays a crucial role in streaming since it allows higher quality and more detail compared to lower bitrates. Transforming video differs significantly, and the Anand article suggests that QS performs worse than x264. It seems every streamer's experience may be limited by Twitch's 3500kbps cap. This is supported by my own testing a few years back: using QS at 3500kbps with x264 at the same rate.
What are you trying to say here? I get what bitrate means, but you seem to be focusing on it just to appear knowledgeable. Why are you bringing up technical details when all the files match exactly? You’re talking about things like color depth and compression rates, but they don’t really matter in this case. Are we discussing the same topic? The summary I got was about using Quick Sync for fast conversion, and it’s been improved a lot since then. It turns out quality is nearly as good as x264 for much better speed. That’s quite different from what you claimed earlier. What does that really mean? Why keep mentioning bitrate when it seems like you’re ignoring the bigger picture? Your comments about limits on platforms like Twitch are confusing, especially with files close to those thresholds. It feels like you’re relying on vague numbers instead of real data. I don’t think any random forum user has any real insight here. If I’d said “x264 is terrible,” would you accept it as true? Or do you only trust what supports your opinion? Before you respond, yes, the average person on forums tends to misunderstand what they’re saying. They just repeat what others say without understanding. Wow, that’s a solid test. I really appreciate you not using the same video and uploading it online, which lets us compare frame by frame. Plus, the website you used adds extra compression, making even identical videos look slightly different. That makes your test much more meaningful. /sarcasm
The process focuses on streaming to OBS rather than converting video files, which handles your initial requirements. Three random posters are enough if you need more, just search for x264 vs Quick Sync stream online. The results differ: x264 tends to look better, while Quick Sync struggles with bitrate and detail during action. I uploaded both to YouTube, targeting a viewer without a gaming audience. I didn’t compare the source videos beforehand or know about the -multi option for OBS until later testing. Both uploads were made for a friend overseas to highlight the differences. When I began streaming, I experimented thoroughly and received live feedback on quality. QuickSync consistently fails, losing 100% of playback regardless of settings.