Encoding Levels – Is more always better?

[Angelo Lorenzo]

No.

Consider levels the same as hardware power. If a piece of hardware like a TV with a memory card reader supports level 4 then it may not playback a file that is level 5. Higher levels usually mean more resolution, faster framerates, and higher bitrates – all of which need more powerful hardware.

The best way to keep your files as compatible as possible is to use the lowest level you can (level 3 or 4 for HD material).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264#Levels

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Angelo Lorenzo

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[Harley Ekelund]

Thanks for the great respond.
Even though it sounds like a very specific/rare problem, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to go higher than you have to.
I even did some testing and both a minimum and maximum level doesn’t seem to matter to encoding times nor quality.

With TV’s growing smarter, they will require more power to drive smart functions and apps, and will probably end up with integrated graphic-chips similar to tablets and mobile phones; making them more computer-like which hopefully render this issue nonexistent in the future.

/Harley

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I am a dyslectic and English is not my primary language and so I may have messed something up, if so, please correct me.