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BD Encoders
Valid BD Video Streams
Update - June 2008
There are still a number of encoding solutions offering "Blu-ray" encoding that unfortunately continue to produce invalid streams for muxing in a professional authoring environment such as NetBlender's DoStudio.
NetBlender continues to favor Inlet Technologies' Fathom encoder. It is producing high quality VC-1, and Mpeg2 streams for professional Blu-ray applications. With the June 30th release of Fathom 3.6, full AVC support for Blu-ray will be added. With new pricing starting at $7,995 (U.S.), Fathom offers a powerful encoding solution at a reasonable price point.
This paper is the result of our own testing and the collective feedback from the community. Please contact us with updated information if you see an error in this document. Feel free to recommend an encoding solution if we have not included it in this list.
A Quick Introduction to Blu-ray Codecs
Blu-ray Disc supports three video codecs: Mpeg-2, SMPTE VC-1 and h.264/AVC.
Mpeg-2 is the venerable codec that we have worked with in standard DVD for over a decade. There are many reliable Mpeg-2 encoders that can output a compliant HD stream. The downside of Mpeg-2 is that it is not nearly as efficient as VC-1 or AVC, so it requires higher data rates (and larger file sizes) to achieve similar quality results. Most of the initial Blu-ray releases were Mpeg2.
SMPTE VC-1 is a new standard that is based on the Windows Media 9 codec from Microsoft. VC-1 is more efficient than Mpeg-2 and can achieve high quality results in the 15mbs range. There are numerous licensing entities involved in the VC-1 standard which has lead to the greatest number of encoders falsely claiming BD output. Most HD DVD titles were VC-1, however very few Blu-ray titles have used this codec.
AVC is the newest of the three codecs and is the most advanced. It is also the favored codec for Blu-ray Discs. AVC encoded streams can often achieve the same quality of Mpeg-2 at one half the data rate. The relative complexity of the codec compared to VC-1 and Mpeg-2 and the fact that it is new means there are not as many encoding options for AVC.
Snapshot of Encoders/Transcoders
Encoders/Transcoders Currently Available on the Market
Inlet Fathom
Product Website
VC-1 / AVC / Mpeg-2 - $7995 (software only) - $35k (turnkey 1080p workstation with real time tape capture)
With the release of version 3.5 last fall, Fathom moves to the top of the list in terms of multiformat encoding for BD. Coupling VC-1, AVC and Mpeg-2 output (in addition to WMV and Flash) with Quicktime input, Fathom is a powerful multi-use encoder/transcoder with professional analysis and QC capabilities.
Cinemacraft HD Encoder
Product Website
AVC - $75k
Commonly referred to as CC-HDe, this is a high quality, high end encoder.
Sonic Cinevision
Product Website
VC-1 - $30k / AVC - $30k / Mpeg-2 $20k
Cinevision is a high quality encoder that outputs all three formats. You can purchase the output options a-la-carte or as a package.
Optibase Mpeg-2 HD
Product Website
Mpeg-2 - $25k
Optibase encoders are well known in standard DVD production. Their Mpeg-2 HD card is a real-time HD solution. The company is focused on the IPTV landscape more than discs these days, but the card produces reliable results.
Rhozet Carbon Coder
Product Website
Mpeg-2 / VC-1 $4995
Rhozet Carbon Coder is the big brother of Canopus ProCoder. They share the same interface but Carbon Coder offers many more output options. The Mpeg-2 is good quality and valid for HD DVD. The VC-1 output in v.2 is not a valid elementary stream. V.3 releases in September and Rhozet says it will create valid VC-1 for HD DVD. Carbon Coder is also quite useful for generating YUV files from other sources for use with the PEP encoder.
MainConcept Reference
Product Website
AVC - $2,500
Many DoStudio customers are trying MainConcept Reference due to its attractive price. MC Reference creates AVC strems that will mux in DSA but we have discovered that there are errors in the video streams that cause faulty playback behavior such as video stuttering, sync issues with audio and sometimes the video will be squished to only a fraction of the screen size. At this time, NetBlender can not support the use of the MainConcept Reference Encoder.
PixelTools
Product Website
Mpeg-2 – Expert RepairHD $4995 / AVC – Expert-H264 - $995
PixelTools MpegRepair is a powerful Mpeg-2 encoder that features segment re-encoding and other high-end features. Their AVC component now creates valid BD streams.
Apple Compressor
Product Website
Mpeg-2 / AVC Included in the Final Cut Pro suite ($1199)
Apple Compressor is a good, fast, affordable Mpeg-2 solution. Compressor has templates for HD DVD, but the templates are “AVC for DVD Studio Pro” and “AVC for Apple Devices”. Compressor wraps the AVC stream in a Quicktime wrapper that can only be used by its own product. It does not output an AVC stream that will mux in a professional application. There is rampant speculation about when Apple will announce its plans for Blu-ray authoring.
Telestream Episode
Product Website
VC-1 – Episode - $395, Episode Pro - $895
The Telestream Episode Encoder can be integrated with Apple Compressor or used as a standalone application. Unfortunately, the VC-1 output is not a valid elementary stream and is therefore useless for professional BD production.
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