iTunes 1080p and 720p size comparison

This was already discussed and I think the general consensus is that Apple's 1080p files are using a higher profile of h264. Something like 4.1 vs. 4.0 for 720p.

The results is that Apple is able to get better looking video at lower bitrates.

I guess if Apple were to re-encode the 720p files using a higher profile, they could use lower bitrates and achieve equal (or better) video quality. Not sure if going to a higher profile 720p file would break compatibility with older devices.

ftaok said:

I guess if Apple were to re-encode the 720p files using a higher profile, they could use lower bitrates and achieve equal (or better) video quality. Not sure if going to a higher profile 720p file would break compatibility with older devices.

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Do you mean like blowing up the 720p to 1080p? I would hope that they create new files from some master source file... Otherwise, what's the point?

GenesisST said:

Do you mean like blowing up the 720p to 1080p? I would hope that they create new files from some master source file... Otherwise, what's the point?

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He means that if Apple were to recreate the 720p files (from the master source) using the same settings they are using for the 1080p, the new 720p files would be smaller than the old 720p files, but the same quality.

At the end of the day, iTMS 1080p looks better than iTMS 720p (at least in all the videos I've tested), so complaining about the file size is pretty meaningless.

stordoff said:

He means that if Apple were to recreate the 720p files (from the master source) using the same settings they are using for the 1080p, the new 720p files would be smaller than the old 720p files, but the same quality.

At the end of the day, iTMS 1080p looks better than iTMS 720p (at least in all the videos I've tested), so complaining about the file size is pretty meaningless.

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Makes way more sense when I understand it properly!

Thanks

I've only done two discs so far.

We Were Soldiers
720p - 5gb
1080p - 15gb

Speed Racer
720p - 4gb
1080p - 12gb

I'm seeing about a 3x increase in file size. I used the same general settings for each. I start with the ATV2 setting in Handbrake; then for 720p set constant quality to 18. For 1080p I took the 720p setting and increased the frame size to 1920x1080, every thing else the same.

I haven't yet played back the 1080p video, so I don't know how much worse / better it is than the 720 one.

Use High Profile instead with "Web Optomized" checked. You should see smaller file sizes with equal or better quality compared to the modified "AppleTV 2" preset. I've done two movies so far and they're around 8 GBs with bitrates of about 10 mb/s.

If you lower the constant quality setting I'm sure you can get similar results like the iTunes versions.

Los said:

Use High Profile instead with "Web Optomized" checked. You should see smaller file sizes with equal or better quality compared to the modified "AppleTV 2" preset. I've done two movies so far and they're around 8 GBs with bitrates of about 10 mb/s.

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8 GBs? That seems larger than the iTunes 1080P movies. But that also seems like the size most people on these forums are reporting. Personally, since I consider 64gigs as limited space, I'd like to see my 1080P encodes stay the same size as my 720P encodes.

cwazytech said:

8 GBs? That seems larger than the iTunes 1080P movies. But that also seems like the size most people on these forums are reporting. Personally, since I consider 64gigs as limited space, I'd like to see my 1080P encodes stay the same size as my 720P encodes.

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Oh no, that's my own personal preference. Not to mention that I have two language tracks and the AAC is at 320 kb/s and the AC3 is at 640 kb/s which add up to the file size. But using the High Profile will get you results closer to the iTunes 1080p files, you just need to find the proper RF.

cwazytech said:

8 GBs? That seems larger than the iTunes 1080P movies. But that also seems like the size most people on these forums are reporting. Personally, since I consider 64gigs as limited space, I'd like to see my 1080P encodes stay the same size as my 720P encodes.

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That's not going to happen with current sources unless you sacrifice quality. The higher quality the source, the better it will compress.