Sometimes I have to convert files to MP4 for Plex to play properly with my Apple TV 4 (new files I get, I’ve already converted all of my media that was not MP4) MP4 works really well with Apple TV so that’s what I went with. Anyways on to the question…
When encoding a video to MP4 format with Handbrake, do I need to have “Web Optimized” checked before I start the encoding process? I ask because I only use my files LOCALLY on my home server, these files are not being used for the web/streaming purposes. So far, I have left it unchecked because I figure if I’m only streaming locally, why would I need that checked?
Can anyone confirm if I’m correct or if it even really matters?
I recommend to always optimize the files.
The checkbox should read ‘optimize for streaming’, IMHO.
Keep in mind that you may have to re-optimize if you later change anything in the file (e.g. add or remove meta data).
You can optimize mp4 files without re-compressing them with Handbrake (which is not recommended, because it will reduce the quality further).
On Windows, you can use mp3tag for this, which allows you to optimize several files at once.
When you “web optimize” a video in handbrake, etc, it doesn’t seem to change the file size compared to if you don’t “web optimize”, I assumed optimizing it would add to the file size but I guess I was wrong? Just wanted to double check with you that’s the case for any video file?
Web optimization means simply that the meta data of the file are positioned at the beginning of the file, instead of attaching them at the end.
That’s why even a software which doesn’t have a transcoder (like mp3tag) can do it.
