How works two-pass encoding AVC in VideoStudio X8?

[Radim]

In html help after installation there is nothing?

Can someone tell me more detailes about how it works and how to setup it correctly?

[BrianCee]

Two pass encoding works by making a first pass through your video making a detailed analysis of it content

it then makes a second pass actually rendering using the information obtained from the first pass to change the bit rate throughout to make the smallest file possible with the best quality by changing the bit rate according to the images in each frame. (variable bitrate)

wasn't aware of any setting up - I have always just enabled it - or not as the case may be when creating a DVD - tick a box or not as far as I know

[Ken Berry]

Just to expand a tiny bit on Brian's reply, just in case it is not obvious. But if the first pass detects there is not much movement or action in a particular scene, it will drop the bitrate as a high bitrate is not necessary when there is not much movement on screen. Conversely, it will use a higher bitrate if there is a lot of action. Using a lower bitrate when there is a lot of action can result in a jerky or hazy look to those scenes.

People often ask how come commercially produced DVDs (and BD discs) seem to be able to fit much more on a disc that you get from programs like Video Studio. That's because movie studios and commercial disc companies have much more sophisticated programs and equipment and can do multiple passes to ensure the video is squeezed down to the absolute minimum size required for a desired quality output. They also press the discs rather than burning them as we do.