Discussion Why are the downloads so large?

[BuyAlotOfStarTrek]

I am trying to figure out why many of the downloads are so large. I googled how large one hour of 1080p video should be and it reported at the largest it should be 1.4GB. I downloaded Oppenheimer from peacock and it was 10GB, the movie is 3 hours long, so with the google results, it should be no larger than 4.2 GB. I downloaded a 42 minute episode of a tv show and it is 1.5, I feel like 42 minutes of video should not be 1.5 GB even at 1080p. It there anything I can do to reduce the size of these video files? I much prefer video at 1080. Is there is any freeware or paidware I can use simply point to the folder of video files to reduce the video file size? Am I overlooking a AnyStream feature? I have a fairly powerful computer with a lot of ram and cpu cores, so I feel like it should be able to do any work to reduce the file sizes. I can run windows or linux software. Thanks.

 

[RedFox 1]

peacock and it was 10GB,

It's a 3-hour movie in 1080p FHD. The average download in FHD is about 3.5GB/s give or take. Use the HEVC codec to minimize the file size when available. It is not available on Peacock but it is available on HBO Hulu and Amazon.

 

[tectpro]

The size of a video file can vary significantly depending on various factors such as the codec used (e.g., H.264, H.265), the bit rate, frame rate, and even the complexity of the video content itself. Higher bit rates generally result in better quality but also larger file sizes. It's possible that the videos you downloaded have been encoded at a very high bit rate, which explains their large size.

To reduce the size of video files while maintaining 1080p resolution, you can re-encode them using video compression software.


Example: HandBrake: A very popular open-source video transcoder that can reduce file sizes significantly while maintaining good quality. It offers presets and allows for advanced customization if needed.

Reducing File Size Tips:​

• Lower the Bit Rate: This is the most effective way to reduce file sizes. Use a lower bit rate than the original file, but be mindful that reducing it too much can affect video quality.
• Consider H.265/HEVC: If compatibility is not an issue, using H.265 (HEVC) instead of H.264 can provide better compression, resulting in smaller files with similar quality.

Keep in mind that re-encoding video files, can be time-consuming and might slightly degrade the video quality, so it's a balance between file size and quality.

 

[Lowpro]

Oppenheimer on physical media. No download required.
4K Ultra HD (UHD-100): 92 GB (98,888,581,120 bytes)
Blu-ray (BD-50): 46 GB (49,389,043,712 bytes)

 

[filmgal]

If on Amazon make sure to deselect the various dialogue boost options

 

[Foxymac74]

or simply download with h264 and then re-encode at best levels with Handbrake in h265 with hardware aceleration.... (including all aludio and subs tracks and so on).....

 

[cartman0208]

If you set your encoder software to encode two movies from the same length with the same quality settings, the one with
- more overall motion
- brighter scenes
- more noise
will always be bigger as the one without those characteristics, as more bits (and thus a higher bitrate) are needed to keep the same quality.

Anyway, AnyStream itself only downloads what is provided.
On Amazon Prime you can switch codecs in the AnyStream settings.

Apart from that, if you want smaller videos, you have to reencode yourself.

Guide - Reencoding videos via free command-line tools and GPU

Hello everyone, I created this new topic to share some " basic scripts" to compress videos already on your PC. The scripts are mostly for Anime/Cartoon but can also be used for normal Movies and Series. Kindly note that you might need to adjust certain settings of the scripts to your...

forum.redfox.bz

 

[gdc333]

I googled how large one hour of 1080p video should be and it reported at the largest it should be 1.4GB.

Maybe don't rely on the first link in google results?
Math is clearly off.

Downloaded from PBS: NOVA - s50e04 - New Eye on the Universe 53 minutes = 2.51 GB
Downloaded from MAX: Succession (S3E6): What It Takes 58 minutes = 3.41 GB
Downloaded from Netflix: Our Planet (S2E4): Chapter 4: Freedom to Roam 51 minutes = 2.98 GB

It looks like google is wrong again

 

[RedFox 1]

@gdc333 You are spot on. Google is only a compilation of information, not facts.

 

[Neil Wilkes]

I am trying to figure out why many of the downloads are so large. I googled how large one hour of 1080p video should be and it reported at the largest it should be 1.4GB. I downloaded Oppenheimer from peacock and it was 10GB, the movie is 3 hours long, so with the google results, it should be no larger than 4.2 GB. I downloaded a 42 minute episode of a tv show and it is 1.5, I feel like 42 minutes of video should not be 1.5 GB even at 1080p. It there anything I can do to reduce the size of these video files? I much prefer video at 1080. Is there is any freeware or paidware I can use simply point to the folder of video files to reduce the video file size? Am I overlooking a AnyStream feature? I have a fairly powerful computer with a lot of ram and cpu cores, so I feel like it should be able to do any work to reduce the file sizes. I can run windows or linux software. Thanks.

So we are now at the point where some are actually complaining about the quality being too good!
What a clown world we live in!!

 

[BCloud]

If it's too large, just download the same in 720p. I don't see the point to reencode in 1080p.
But I'm sure it will be more than 1.4GB.

 

[RedFox 1]

If it's too large, just download the same in 720p. I don't see the point to reencode in 1080p.
But I'm sure it will be more than 1.4GB.

Correct.

 

[fretzke]

just download the same in 720p

Well as the OP stated, he'd prefer 1080p resolution, so telling him to go lower doesn't really match the problem.

May I offer some advice from someone who does a lot of encoding daily? There were already many good suggestions here.

1. Go for realistic expactations. Ca. 1.5 GB can be achieved, but this is more on the low end, than on the high. Video size depends mainly on the video's complexity and the encoder. If you get a larger video from a provider, that's mostly a good sign.
2. As you probably are looking not at the video size, but at the total file, keep in mind it also contains audio. If you have multiple audio tracks, that can contribute a fair amount to the overall size. So deselect all unnecessary languages first.
3. Switch for to the most advanced codec available. Newer codecs can generelly produce more efficient videos (=same quality at smaller size). If there's h265, the video will be much smaller than in h264. Also I don't know why the myth of incompatibility still comes up. That was true 10 years ago, but nowadays – no issue!
4. If h265 is not available or still too large for your liking, there's no way around reencoding. But be carefull with the encoder settings, as you can easily mess things up and create an inefficient video. Handbrake as mentioned is a good start and also is capable of batch encoding. Much like the point and click you asked for. Also it got some pretty decent presets.
   1. As settings choose to copy all audio. Don't reencode that!
   2. Choose SOFTWARE encoding with at least "medium" preset. Hardware encoding is much less efficient and will produce video roughly of the efficiency you'd get with a mediocre software h264 encoding. If you tune the preset up, you can get even better efficiency, but at the price of heavily decreased encoding speed. Every step up in the presets will approx. double the encoding time while gaining only a few percent of efficiency. Even if you crave for best compression, going beyond "slow" doesn't make much sense.
   3. Choose the right quality setting. For beginners it's best to not set a bitrate, but instead use the encoders quality algorithm: CRF! Just define the target quality and let the software do it's magic. Finding the best setting for you needs a bit of experimenting, but once you've found your sweet spot, you can pretty much stick to it.
   4. Pick your first video and select just a short scene of it. Then encode it with different crf settings. The best setting is usually in the range 20-27, with lower numbers meaning higher quality and larger file size. Once you've chosen your preferred crf, you can apply it to the full video and all others from the same provider.
   5. Expect some really long encoding time. Even the most powerfull PCs can't compress h265 in much more than real time. Meaning to compress a 3 hour movie you'll need somewhere around 3 hours of compression.

This way you can get the file sizes down while maintaining nearly the original quality.

 

[zanetti]

So we are now at the point where some are actually complaining about the quality being too good!

i was dying for AS to introduce HEVC only to ditch it a few weeks/months later and go back to AVC. lol. and just to be clear. streaming never was and never will be 'too good'. maaaybe AP in early days with AVC CBR, but thats long gone.

 

[zanetti]

This way you can get the file sizes down while maintaining nearly the original quality.

everything said holds water, but 7gb movie will never look the same @ 1.4gb. maaaybe new stuff thats been recorded with streaming in mind, but older stuff with any sort of grain or visually complex and low light scenes? yeah, no chance. i used to care about files taking less space, but ever since HEVC dissapointed me on quite a few occassions, im back to 7-13gb per movie, AVC CBR preferably. but hey, to each his own.

 

[KidJoe]

... It there anything I can do to reduce the size of these video files? I much prefer video at 1080. Is there is any freeware or paidware I can use simply point to the folder of video files to reduce the video file size? Am I overlooking a AnyStream feature? I have a fairly powerful computer with a lot of ram and cpu cores, so I feel like it should be able to do any work to reduce the file sizes. I can run windows or linux software. Thanks.

PJMI,
Anystream allows for downloading the files as they exist on the streaming service site in the same size and quality. It does not alter them. Most of us want the best quality we can get as we already know that streaming is a compromise to the quality of a movie on disk.

The length, complexity (more motion, etc), noise/grain, and to some extent audio characteristics all impact file size, however its resolution, bit rate, variable vs constant bit rate, and codec used that has the most impact.

As an example:
The Martian 2015 Extended Edition UHD Disc = 43.4GB 3840x2160, HEVC HDR10, Overall bit rate: 41.1 Mb/s
The Martian 2015 Extended Edition Bluray Disc = 35.6 GB 1920x180 AVC, Overall bit rate: 33.7 Mb/s
The Martian 2015 Extended Edition Download from Amazon using Anystream = 5.25GB 1920x800 HEVC, Overall bit rate: 4 972 kb/s

While both the blueray disc and download from Amazon using Anystream are both 1080p, the bluray still looks way better due to the higher bit rate. Now AVC/H264 is less efficient than HEVC/H265 taking the Disc MKV and running it through NVEncC to re-encode to HEVC/H265, it results in 10.2GB 1920x1080, Overall bit rate: 9 616 kb/s BUT this is using constatnt bit rate, and CQ 28, if I changed that to say 24 or 21, that will likely make the resulting file bigger.

That being said, due to the higher bitrates using the same codec (HEVC/H265), the Disc and even the NVEncC re-encoded Bluray will look much better than the download copy.


I guess what I'm saying is, If you think the downloaded files are "too big" then when downloading select HEVC (if available), and select a lower resolution. Or if 1080 is a must, then do your own post processing with something like Handbrake, NVENC, or such. Just keep in mind that if you compress them smaller the quality will suffer.

If you're looking at animations, then lowering the bit rate or resolution likely wont have much of a visual impact.

 

[RobinD42]

It would be nice if the streaming service offers the video in various bit rates that AS would give us the choice to download them. They have the processing power and expertise to make a more compressed stream that still has quality that is good enough for many people.

 

[psig33]

It would be nice if the streaming service offers the video in various bit rates that AS would give us the choice to download them.

Amazon, Max, Netflix, Disney and a few others already offer various bitrates per resolution. For good reason Anystream always chooses the highest, except Netflix (it only gets the high profile which sometimes may the highest and other times the lowest). Here's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3" on Prime:

CBR [H.264]           | CVBR [H.264]          | HEVC [H.265]
1920x800 @ 10000 kb/s | 1920x800 @ 15000 kb/s | 1920x800 @ 9000 kb/s
                      | 1920x800 @ 8000 kb/s  | 1920x800 @ 4000 kb/s
                      | 1920x800 @ 4000 kb/s  | 1920x800 @ 2200 kb/s
                      | 1280x528 @ 3000 kb/s  | 1280x528 @ 1500 kb/s
                      | 1280x528 @ 2000 kb/s  | 1280x528 @ 1001 kb/s
1248x520 @ 4000 kb/s  |                       |
1248x520 @ 2500 kb/s  |                       |
                      | 960x400 @ 1500 kb/s   | 960x400 @ 720 kb/s
                      | 960x400 @ 1001 kb/s   | 960x400 @ 440 kb/s
712x296 @ 2000 kb/s   |                       |
712x296 @ 1350 kb/s   |                       |
712x296 @ 600 kb/s    |                       |
                      | 704x296 @ 800 kb/s    |
                      | 704x296 @ 501 kb/s    |
                      | 640x272 @ 300 kb/s    | 640x272 @ 250 kb/s
                      |                       | 640x272 @ 120 kb/s
                      | 512x208 @ 150 kb/s    | 512x208 @ 60 kb/s
480x200 @ 450 kb/s    | 480x200 @ 100 kb/s    |
480x200 @ 200 kb/s    |                       |
480x200 @ 150 kb/s    |                       |

One thing to note is that the lower bitrates are there to act as a buffer when the connection is not stable or insufficient speed. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them look like crap.

 

[RobinD42]

Yeah, I get that. What I'm saying is that for me, at least, 1920x800 @ 4000 kb/s is good enough and takes tons less bandwidth and disk space than 15000 kb/s, so it would be nice if we had the choice to just download that one, or any one of the others.

 

[pingili]

Quick question - any downside downloading in H265 versus H264 if file size is a non-issue? Any degradation in video quality with the more efficient H265 format? What about audio quality?