I can add in x264 pretty easily if you really want it before the next release. I’ve already implemented just about everything other people suggested. Was planning on releasing it soon. I’ll look into it more tomorrow/later today. But yeah, in general, most devices support x265 these days, with the main advantage being lower bandwidth usage for uploading streams, and the secondary advantage being file size.
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Alright guys, Snacks v1.0.3 is released. Lots of new features have been implemented. Ramdisk encode directory support, stop button, better keyframe intervals, significantly better surround to stereo encoding/mapping, better subtitle mapping, etc. I’ve implemented MOST of what people have asked for, with just a few more features to go. I figured I’d go ahead and release all of the new stuff I’ve been working on, as I’m done testing it with numerous types of files.
As always, let me know what you think, or if you want anything else included that hasn’t already been mentioned, feel free to let me know and I’ll get to implementing.
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Very cool, thanks for the new features!
I especially love the tmp folder!!!
I can also add a new folder of files to encode DURING another encoding request has already been started now!
Using my RAM drive for transcodes definitely speeds up my encoding as well as preserves the life of my SSD.
The addition of “strict” is really nice to see too.
You’ve added quite a few ‘little’ improvements that really add to the usability of your app. I’m really enjoying the changes so far.
Also, Intel/Quicksync is working better on this version and all encodes seem to be finishing properly now.
Thanks!
Another feature I would appreciate having.
- Auto-cropping letterboxed video
How are interlaced files handled? I’ve tried a couple of interlaced videos and it doesn’t appear to decomb the files…
I haven’t added de-interlacing at all, but I’ll add an option for it in the next version.
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Snacks-v1.0.3
Wouldn’t honor default Encode directory
Output directory worked for a few encodes but then gave an error and I had to delete it for videos to start
Now no video will start at all
I tried it on 3 different computers. 1 using Nvidia and 2 using software and none will start
On the last run I did a few days ago it did not appear to follow the bitrate setting. The last 2 I completed were set at 2000 and the output files remained at over 5000. Almost identical to the original file
Version 1.0.1 appeared to strip out all the HDR metadata. I didn’t get a chance to try it with the latest version. Is that expected?
I’ve tested it rigorously against thousands of file types, and haven’t had any issues. There is a log folder that will show you problems with any individual files. Sounds like a permission issue to me. That’s not something I can work around in code without pointlessly elevated privileges.
Make sure you have .NET 4.8 installed and all directories are readable and writable without permissions. It definitely honors bitrate. By default, it allows -200 and +500 of the target bitrate, so that busy scenes have more headroom. “Strict” will force it to always be the target bitrate, though you may see more visible compression in action scenes if you set a low bitrate.
The logs folder will be in the same directory as snacks. You can see the flags used and the ffmpeg output for each individual file.
For future reference, the error is something you should consider posting, otherwise I have no idea what is going wrong.
Also, jfreiman, I’ll add in letterbox cropping in the next version.
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hank you, that (and eventual mp4 output) will be very helpful and assist in my switching to use Snacks for 90%+ of my transcodes. 
I have been using Snacks 1.0 - 1.3 and have not had any issues with either the Encode directory or the Output directory as you have described.
The only issue I had with the Encode directory setting was that it appeared to revert to the default directory shortly after installing it. But once I re-entered the Encode directory, it remained set to my RAM disk (ImDisk), and have had no issues - even after rebooting my system.
I have access to and used both 1.2? and current 1.3 on two computers running Windows 11 x64 (one is Canary and the other is Release) both Intel A380 and integrated Ryzen 5000G APU.
I have a 3rd device and will try it a few times on that to see if I encounter the same issue(s) you are experiencing.
Re bitrate - I use the MediaInfo app on Windows (not the Microsoft Store app) to check on bitrates, codecs, tracks etc.
I will say that MediaInfo does NOT always report accurate video bitrates with FFmpeg content. I have my default set to 2000 and output from Snacks/FFmpeg will show bitrates of 5xx-7xxx when Plex shows that the bitrate is 2133 - the file size when compared to the same file encoded with A’s Video Converter is nearly the same size - and reports ~2000 bitrate.
Configurations HW and SW
System 1:
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Ryzen 7 5600G APU
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Snacks 1.3 using AMD/Radeon Encoder
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Windows 11 x64 Canary 25936
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Snacks Program Folder C:\Programs\Snacks\ (SSD)
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NTFS RAM Drive (ImDisk) 11GB (for encoding) R:\
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Source Videos are on drive D: (SSD)
System 2 (Plex Server)
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Windows 11 x64 (Latest release via Windows Updates)
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Plex Media Sever
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Ryzen 7 5600G APU (Graphics Disabled in UEFI)
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Intel A380 (Aug 23, 2023) 31.0.101
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Snacks 1.3 using Intel Quick Sync Encoder
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Snacks Program Folder C:\Programs\Snacks\ (SSD)
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NTFS RAM Drive (ImDisk) 18GB (for encoding) R:\
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Source Videos are on drive D: (SSD)
What version of Windows are you running? Are you using the Windows Security App? I do have Controlled Folder Access enabled, but I do not have any exclusions for FFmpeg or Snacks.exe – so I don’t think that could be related.
I hope this helps to narrow down what your issue(s) could be related to… Where do you have the Snacks program folder located?
@ElderEmo - I know I’m not having any issues at the time of this writing, but if you would like access to my Logs for comparison, I would be happy to share/upload them.
Just to chime in here, I did some testing before release, and the only time I could get it to not use the directories and error out is if they didn’t allow reading/writing as permissions. It should mention the error in the log box on the app though. You should be able to bypass this by running it as administrator. I’d personally just add read/write permissions for “Everyone” on your temp folders. All of the settings are saved to a file now, so it should remember them as long as you don’t alt+f4 the app. I save them every time the form closes.
And, jfreiman, I’ll add mp4 support soon. A lot of the behind the scenes work I did last patch was preparing for allowing different formats and x264 for the other guy.
Does Snacks have any issues with history tracking? I’m assuming it will take “uncrompessed_movie_file.mp4” and convert it to “compressed_movie_file.hevc” which will most likely make Plex think it’s a whole new movie.
I would hate to convert my 60TB collection I lose the watch history on Plex/Tautulli.
Any information on this would be great!
In my experience, watch history transfers regardless of the format of anything. I’ve deleted and re-encoded new versions of things and it has always remembered my positions. You can always test it on a single file first just to make sure.
If you aren’t using advanced settings, it currently appends -OG to the original filename and makes a new one in mkv format, retaining the original file structure and name, then deletes the original if you selected that option.
I’ll be adding in some additional features in the next version, like choosing output format or retaining the original format/extension.
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Hey ElderEmo,
I’m just wondering if you are continuing on this project or have put it on hold.
Hope all is well,
-John
Yep, I’ll be making an update soon. Just started a new software engineering job, so I’ve been a little busier than I was before. I’ll try to add in the rest of the feature requests before the end of the week.
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No worries, take care of you job first. I’m not going anywhere.
Good luck
Hey guys! Finally released what I’ve been working on lately. Added mp4 support, x264 support, improved the encoding logic and file handling, added black bar detection and automatic cropping. As always, if you have any other feature requests, feel free to hit me up and I’ll implement them as soon as I can. The updated link is above. Happy encoding!
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