What is h264?

[n00blike]

what is h264?
there are these H264 versions going around but what are they?
what is the differance between this to anyother eps?

[NoSanninWa]

This is actually a question for the Playback Help Forum. There are tons of other threads on this subject there, but since it is so topical to Bleach all of a sudden, I am going to answer it here. Please note that this thread will not be allowed to live indefinitely. Once it is no longer topical I will close this thread and refer all future questions to the Playback Help Forum.

h264 is a video codec. Like XviD or DivX it encodes the anime so that you can download it. It is also refered to by the names AVC or x264. (Those aren't identicle, but the differences are unimportant to you.) What you care about, is how to watch these videos. There are basically three different options for watching h264. Choose one of the following:

1. Use the CCCP. This will require you to use a DirectShow player, MPC and ZoomPlayer are the preferred choices both of which come with the pack. If you have problems you can post on the CCCP forum or go to #cccp on irc.chatsociety.net.
   
   
2. Do what it says on the AnimeSuki Playback Guide. It is largely identical to the CCCP, but it does give greater control over the installation and allows you to avoid using a codec pack.
   
   
3. Download VLC's newest nightly/daily build. Doing this is not assured to work, because VLC is still working out it's new h.264 decoding problems, but most anime videos will play quite well.

[NoSanninWa]

Ah. Just realized that I forgot to answer one of your questions:

Originally Posted by n00blike

what is the differance between this to anyother eps?

The difference between this and other eps is filesize and quality. h264 is a more advanced codec than XviD or DivX. That means that the encoder is able to make a smaller video with a level of quality that is the same or higher. For instance, DB's recent encode of Bleach 62 is only 75 MB large. You might expect this to look like something your dog does on the curb. Actually it looks nearly as good as their regular encodes. I think that they pushed the filesize a bit too low though, it would have been more reasonable for them to release a filesize of 120-130MB. By comparison, XviD doesn't look good in less than 170 MB.

One marvelous example of h264 encoding is Arenai's Pretty Cure. They have been releasing both XviD and h64 versions of episodes 42-49 from DVD raws. Their XviD version in 220 MB while their h264 version is only 140 MB. Both releases have the same level of quality!

That's why fansubbers have been switching over to use h264. I'd suggest that you start getting used to it because by this time next year the vast majority of fansubs will be released in h264. Right now, many shows are released ONLY in h264. By next year you'll only be able to watch very few shows unless you fix your codecs to allow playback for this new standard.

[Seras]

does this require a newer system to play well without loss of sync in audio and video?

[LytHka]

Originally Posted by Seras

does this require a newer system to play well without loss of sync in audio and video?

Not necessarily. If it doesn't play very well for you, you can try MPlayer and VideoLan Player and see which one works best for you. They are players with their own decoding filters and THEY ARE FASTER than AnimeSuki's Playback Help suggestions, CCCP or anything else. If you need to play a h.264/x264/AVC hardsub, then MPlayer is probably the most stable and fastest player out there. However, if even those two players won't be able to play it right (with most of your system background programs closed), then you must upgrade your computer in order to play them.

[Guido]

I downloaded the CCCP pack, however, I'm still not unpacking because watching certain shows in Xvid codec.

What I need to know is before installing the CCCP pack what should I do first?

1. I read I need to uninstall, no exceptions, all previous codecs installed in my computer.

2. Most videos, if not all, I'm playing via Windows Media Player 10. Should uninstall it too and switch to WMP Classic?

3. Does WMP Classic comes along in CCCP pack?

4. What do I need for the installation to support h264 codec and not Xvid?

[Uruz7]

Originally Posted by Guido

I downloaded the CCCP pack, however, I'm still not unpacking because watching certain shows in Xvid codec.

What I need to know is before installing the CCCP pack what should I do first?

1. I read I need to uninstall, no exceptions, all previous codecs installed in my computer.

2. Most videos, if not all, I'm playing via Windows Media Player 10. Should uninstall it too and switch to WMP Classic?

3. Does WMP Classic comes along in CCCP pack?

4. What do I need for the installation to support h264 codec and not Xvid?

1. Definitely. Except for RealMedia and Quicktime if you have them, but if you're making the switch to Media Player Classic, you could go ahead and get Real Alternative and QuickTime Alternative which allow you to play those types of files in MPC (those come with a version of MPC themselves but you shouldn't install that portion since CCCP comes with the latest version).

2. Uninstalling Windows Media Player isn't necessary. Personally, I have both installed because I like WMP's browser plug-in better. I had problems with only having MPC installed.

3. Yes, as noted above. It also comes with Zoom Player which is an alternative that is just as good. I don't use it myself, but many others prefer it over the "simplicity" of MPC.

4. Not sure exactly what you're asking. CCCP supports h264/AVC and Xvid (and anything else being used in the fansub community, to my knowledge)

*Disclaimer: I'm a relative noob compared to many others here when talking about encodes/codecs/players/etc, so take any opinions from me with a grain of salt.

[NoSanninWa]

1. It is best to do so. Don't leave anything installed unless you really know what you're doing. If you don't uninstall a codec, then it might cause conflict with the CCCP instalation.

2. Just to clarify, Windows Media Player 10 is not a codec. It is a media player. Media Players (i.e., WMP10, MPC, Core Media Player, Winamp, Zoom Player) use codecs to decode the video and audio. You can leave all media players installed.

4. CCCP supports XviD and other codecs as well as h264, but if you don't want it to do so, you can always uncheck the box on the first page of configuration when you install it. If you do this, you'll need to have XviD separately installed. There is only small advantage to doing this and some would argue that there is no advantage.

[Last_Hope]

I´ve always wondered if there would be coming out DVD Players that can handle h264 and x264. One can always hope.


CCCP solved all problems for me, I can play everything without worries.

[NoSanninWa]

Originally Posted by Last_Hope

I´ve always wondered if there would be coming out DVD Players that can handle h264 and x264. One can always hope.

Possible, but more likely you'll have to wait for HD-TV or Blu-ray players that will handle it since they've got AVC chips.

[Last_Hope]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Possible, but more likely you'll have to wait for HD-TV or Blu-ray players that will handle it since they've got AVC chips.

Ah, my father has been talking about that, didn´t really know what it was earlier. I have read a little on what it says on the homepage (www.blu-ray.com) but it will take some more reading to grasp it and understand the differences and all technical stuff.

But for the time being I guess Tv-out suffice. Even though I can´t get it to work for the time being. When I first got my new computer I forgot to install an antivirus program.

[wingdarkness]

It's that monkey that's gonna be jumping on all our backs and staying there for a loooong time...

@NSW

[Willmatic]

I THINK QuickTime Pro has h.264 encoder that will help play the videos. I have yet to try since i don't have pro. just though i'd like to throw a few more options in the air. If any1 has pro try it and see it if it works. thanks.

[NoSanninWa]

QuickTime does have an h264 encoder, but quite frankly, it sucks. It will mess up on some fansubs. That is why I don't recomment it in post #2. Nobody who is releasing h264 fansubs wants you to use it either.

Originally Posted by Last_Hope

Ah, my father has been talking about that, didn´t really know what it was earlier. I have read a little on what it says on the homepage (www.blu-ray.com) but it will take some more reading to grasp it and understand the differences and all technical stuff.

If you'd like, I'll sum up the important things about h264 development and what it has to do with Blu-ray/HD-DVD. If it gets too boring you can skip this post. It won't change your life, but it might tell you why h264 exists.

This goes back to High Definition TV (HDTV). The increased picture resolution is so high that playing a movie requires more space than a normal DVD has. In order to contain an entire movie in high definition they needed a larger storage capacity. That is why they were developing Blu-ray and HD-DVD. (Currently those two formats are preparing to war like VHS and Betamax.)

In addition, they created a new method of encoding video that will make large videos into eensy-weensy videos. Since they figured that they'd need even more space to hold high definition video, this seemed like a really good idea. They named this encoding standard h.264, but the name wasn't catchy, so for marketing reasons they decided to give it another name: AVC, which stands for Advanced Video Coding. Presumably AVC is intended to match AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and so both AVC and AAC are the standards for encoding video and audio on HD-DVD/Blu-ray. (In case you care, the standard container is mp4)

While we use codecs to decode h264 fansubs, players for the new HDTV/Blu-ray formats have video decoding chips to handle it. Since those players are designed to decode AVC, it would require only a little bit more work for them to play fansubs encoded in AVC. (Surely those players will appear just like we now have DVD players that can play fansubs.)

[Last_Hope]

@NoSanninWa

Ah, thanks for the explanation it clear things up. As for mp4 it surely can´t be bad to know about it.

Time to start putting some money under the bed .

[Whitemoon648]

How can i make MPC make a shortcut on the Desktop?. If i want to use it do i have to keep on running the proggram to get to it?.

[ccardoso]

In future HD-DVD/Blue-Ray player there will be heavy DRM systems and I doubt we will be able to play "unauthorized" video such as a fansub. Am I wrong?

[NoSanninWa]

Originally Posted by Whitemoon648

How can i make MPC make a shortcut on the Desktop?. If i want to use it do i have to keep on running the proggram to get to it?.

Do you know how to drag a file? Just hold down the ALT key while you drag MPC to the desktop. Then drop the file onto the desktop while still holding the ALT key. If you do this, it will create a shortcut instead of moving the actual file.

Originally Posted by ccardoso

In future HD-DVD/Blue-Ray player there will be heavy DRM systems and I doubt we will be able to play "unauthorized" video such as a fansub. Am I wrong?

I doubt it. Someone will eventually release a player that can play avis and mp4s (and maybe mkvs) just because there is a market for it, just as we now have DVD players that can play DivX and XviD encoded avis. Manufacturers will try to sell anything that they think will make a profit.

It is possible that they will refuse to license AVC decoding technology to anyone that makes a player that will allow r0 or non-standard disks, but I doubt it. They want to make money after all!

[Whitemoon648]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Do you know how to drag a file? Just hold down the ALT key while you drag MPC to the desktop. Then drop the file onto the desktop while still holding the ALT key. If you do this, it will create a shortcut instead of moving the actual file.

Thanks alot NosanninWa. i didnt know it would work that way. It was just the file that would help to install , but the way you told me now it worked.

[leetsauce]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Someone will eventually release a player that can play avis and mp4s (and maybe mkvs) just because there is a market for it, just as we now have DVD players that can play DivX and XviD encoded avis. Manufacturers will try to sell anything that they think will make a profit.

I just wanted to point out that both AVI and MKV are actually video containers, not codecs. It is possible for someone to come up with an "avi/mkv player", but such player would need to be able to decode quite a lot of codecs, and isn't very likely to be seen anytime soon. You'd be better off by installing one of those media center PCs in your living room if you really wanted to watch fansubs in your living room.