Intel AV1 Video Transcoding Script

Warning

This bash (Linux) script is designed for convenience and has undergone minimal testing. Use it at your own risk.

About

This bash script provides a command-line interface for transcoding video files to the AV1 format using FFMPEG on Intel Arc Hardware. It supports both single-file and batch processing modes. The script is currently incompatible with NVIDIA or AMD cards, but future versions may include support.

This script relies on Lisa Melton's Other Video Transcoding tool and requires it to be installed and accessible via your PATH.

This means it also shares the requirements of Lisa's tool:

• ffprobe
• ffmpeg
• mkvpropedit

Current Features

Implemented.

• Intel Arc AV1 Transcoding
• Single-File Mode: Transcode a single video file to AV1.
• Batch Mode: Transcode all .mkv files in a specified directory to AV1.
• Bitrate Adjustment: Optionally adjust the bitrate and maxrate by a specified percentage.
• Audio and Subtitle Copying: Retains all audio tracks, subtitles, and metadata from the original file.
• Deinterlace Detection / BWDIF

BWDIF interlacing generally delivers superior results compared to YADIF, as discussed in detail here. However, it's worth noting that BWDIF is not the preferred choice for animated content.

Upcoming Features

Not yet implemented.

• Use NVIDIA/AMD encoders
• Selected output folder

Purpose

This script builds upon Lisa Melton's work by optimizing rate control values for AV1 encoding. It uses other-transcode in dry-run mode and makes the following adjustments:

• Switches from HEVC to AV1 for potentially higher quality and smaller file sizes.
• Copies all audio and subtitle tracks from the original file.
• Copies compatible metadata from the original file.
• Uses bwdif for deinterlacing if media is detected as interlaced (not recommended for interlaced animation).

Prerequisites

• FFMPEG with AV1 encoding support (av1_qsv).
• The other-transcode script for initial processing.
• mkvpropedit, part of the mkvtoolnix package.

Usage

Give script permission to be executable. Then run script.

chmod +x ./av1_transcode_script

1. Choose Mode: Select either single-file mode (1) or batch mode (2) when prompted.
2. Input File/Folder: For single-file mode, provide the path to the video file. For batch mode, provide the path to the folder containing .mkv files.
3. Ratecontrol Adjustment (Optional, see below): Enter a percentage to adjust the bitrate and maxrate. Leave blank for default values.
4. Transcoding: The script will process the file(s) and display the final FFMPEG command before execution.

Output file will be located from the directory you ran the script.

Ratecontrol adjustment

The script will give you an opportunity to adjust the rate control values by percentage. These adjustments are relative to Lisa's values.

Enter the percentage to adjust ratecontrol  by. This can be negative. Hit enter for default values:

Example Usage

./av1_transcode_script.sh