Which settings should I use for CloneBD?

[TheAviator7]

I used to convert all of my movies to .ISO (mostly just do an image dump with AnyDVD HD and no settings changes). However, as my KDLINKS HD700 media player started to get older it started having more problems picking the correct title/track for newer movies. I started to look for other solutions and settled on just using my computers connected to my TVs to watch my movies. I didn't want to pay for Cyberlink PowerDVD anymore and liked features of Kodi better (cover art and viewing my entire collection were easier). However, Kodi still struggles with .ISO formats and not knowing which title/track to use for some newer movies (mostly Lionsgate movies). I am looking to convert about 340 movies from .ISO and I only want to have to do this process once. I also don't want it to take forever per movie to convert, but not at the sacrifice of quality.

tl;dr all of my movies are in .ISO and I want to get them into a more compatible format, but prefer not to sacrifice quality. Which settings should I use for CloneBD (I only want to do this once)?

MP4 Containter
Resulting size: Max High quality
Video codec:

• H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
• H.265/HEVC
• Copy Original (lossless)

Audio codec:

• AAC Advanced Audio Codec
• Dolby Digital AC3

Audio channels:

• AAC Advanced Audio Codec
  • Surround (5.1) 128 kbps
  • Surround (5.1) 224 kbps
  • Surround (5.1) 384 kbps
• Dolby Digital AC3
  • Surround (5.1) 128 kbps
  • Surround (5.1) 256 kbps
  • Surround (5.1) 448 kbps
  • Surround (5.1) 640 kbps

1. Which settings should I use for the best picture and sound? How compatible with players and devices are these settings for playback?
2. MKV vs MPEG-4 benefits and compatibility
3. "Copy Original (lossless)" vs H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (at max quality setting)
4. When selecting a title/track from an .ISO does CloneBD automatically know which track is the correct track for the movie? Most specifically an issue with Lionsgate movies which have multiple titles/tracks.
5. Why can't I take a "Lossless" version and make a new copy using CloneBD with lower settings such as for my iPhone or something?
6. Why can't ClondBD do DVD's? I know the structure is different and I know I could use CloneDVD mobile, but it takes forever.
7. When do I need to worry about Cinavia as I am not familiar with it?

I also made a post about settings for CloneDVD mobile.
https://forum.redfox.bz/threads/which-settings-should-i-use-for-clonedvd-mobile.71275/

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ch3vr0n]

There are no "fixed" settings. The quality that may be acceptable to me may be unacceptable to you. You need to experiment. As to cinavia, most players don't care if it's from portable file playback like mp4

 

[TheAviator7]

I know and understand that what I like and what you like may be different. I am simply trying to figure out what the different settings mean and how they relate to quality. I was hoping to open it up more like a discussion. I will of course experiment and I have been but I am not sure what the differences are. For example, I have played with the quality settings for MPEG-4 and selected H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and max quality on the slider. It takes about 30 minutes and apparently is transcoding it. However, when I do copy original (lossless) it takes about 15 mins since it isn't transcoding it. However, what is the difference between these two settings? So as you can see I would like more of a discussion to get opinions so that I can make a more informed decision when testing. This way I hopefully won't regret something later and have to do 340 movies all over again or worse what if I no longer have the original .ISO.

 

[Ch3vr0n]

• Copy Original (lossless): means exactly what it sais. You keep the original video, which is why it takes less time. The video doesn't get touched, but if you change the audio then there's still audio recoding being done, hence the 15min. H264 is a video codec, high quality at low bitrates. Which is why they use it on blu-ray. H265 is it's successor and used on UHD

Honestly just try a set of settings and convert 1 title. Don't like the output, try a different set until you find one you like. Then use that one for all the rest. Much of it all depends on your target device for playback, how you're going to play it, what codec types the device supports... there's just too many variables to give you a specific set. It's all a matter of trial and error

 

[TheAviator7]

Thanks! I understand what you mean.

So is there a reason there is not a "Copy Original (lossless)" for the audio as well when using the MPEG-4 Container option? I am forced to use AAC or Dolby Digital AC3. Also, have you ever noticed a difference between AAC and Dolby Digital AC3?

Why can't I take a "Lossless" version and down convert it with CloneBD later? Such as if I wanted to take something for mobile or decide I am okay with a lower quality later.


In case this helps.

I have tried several different versions on the quality slider and found that the max was the only one that didn't make the picture look terrible on my uncle's 4k Sony TV. His viewing angles are terrible and you can see too much pixelation in the black colors (shadows and clothing, etc). Other 4K TV's that my friends have were indistinguishable at the different quality scales. I built my uncle a low-end custom computer (only for playback not converting). I have already converted his entire collection to .ISO and given the issues with newer movies in Kodi I wish I would have just put them in a different format to begin with. Now I am having to do this all over again.

 

[Ch3vr0n]

dno, probably some officially supported codec stuff. The thing is, 4K upscales the compression again, which is why pixels that are invisible on standard HD start to show up on 4K. On the other hand, you're not responsible for someone else's conversion. Show him what to do, which set of settings to use and he'll be able to do it by himself

 

[TheAviator7]

I totally forgot about 4K upscaling it again, thanks for that! His TV upscaling is terrible then, mostly when viewing at an angle. He is not tech savvy and won't do it regardless of if I show him. I am probably only going to convert the Lionsgate movies that he is having problems with and leave the rest in ISO. I also have to do my collection. Maybe I will also just do the titles I have issues with and only convert the new movies I get into MP4 going forward instead of converting all of my old ones. The only thing is that it saves a lot more space when in MP4.