8KDVD Encode Profiles: HQ Plus, HQ, Standard and LP

Video File Maker exposes four named encode profiles – HQ Plus, HQ, Standard, and LP – so authors can match VP9 Profile 2 bitstreams (with Opus audio) to disc capacity and runtime instead of guessing CRF values in a vacuum. Pick the profile before you spend overnight GPU time; the menu and the blank must agree with that choice.

Shared rules

  • Output family: VP9 Profile 2; audio Opus as required by the format body of standards.
  • Batches: separate SDR and HDR10 scripts – HDR preserves metadata when the source carries it; SDR batches will not invent a grade.
  • Source: export SOURCE.mp4 at full 8K (7680×4320) when the project truly is 8K; lesser masters should not wear an 8K badge on the box.
  • Media: plan against 25 GB and 50 GB BD-R, or BD-XL when you need more than a single-layer/dual-layer pair can hold.

HQ Plus

Short premium 8K. Use it for demos, shorts, and showpiece reels where bitrate beats runtime. Sister-site guidance cites roughly seventy minutes near the ~22 GB class for the 8K tier as a planning ballpark – treat that as capacity intuition, then measure your own encode. If your “feature” is two hours, HQ Plus is the wrong button.

HQ

High-bitrate mastering for 8K/4K when you want headroom without the ultra-short constraint of HQ Plus. Suitable for prestige shorts-to-mid features and for keeping 4K fallbacks looking expensive. Expect to lean on 50 GB or BD-XL blanks once runtime climbs.

Standard

The workhorse: about a 100-minute movie on 50 GB-class media. First commercial-style titles and most fan restorations should start here. Standard is also the profile you use to teach the rest of the toolchain – if Standard will not burn and play cleanly, chasing HQ Plus will only hide the same folder or UDF mistakes under prettier pixels.

LP (Long Play)

Pack longer programmes onto 25 GB blanks (or stretch capacity when you refuse a second disc). Detail and high-motion scenes take the hit first. LP is honest engineering for lectures, long concerts, or archive dumps – label the case so nobody expects HQ Plus sharpness.

Choosing quickly

  1. Measure runtime and whether you need true 8K on-disc.
  2. If ~100 minutes and one 50 GB blank → Standard.
  3. If short and showpiece 8K → HQ Plus.
  4. If long and stuck on 25 GB → LP.
  5. If mid-length with quality priority and larger blanks → HQ.

Batch discipline

Run the profile batch that matches the blank you bought. Confirm file sizes before Menu Maker; oversized HQ Plus outputs will not “fit if we omit the menu.” Multi-resolution discs often keep a hero tier at one profile and lighter 4K/HD companions – the menu must list only what exists. After encode, verify VP9 Profile 2 / Opus with your usual media inspector, then assemble UDF 2.60.

After the burn, spot-check a high-motion scene and a dark static scene at the hero resolution. Profile names will not save a bad master – soft focus stays soft – but they will stop you from promising eighty minutes of HQ Plus on a single 25 GB blank. Log the profile on an internal README next to the ISO so remasters six months later use the same contract.

Profile tables, Video File Maker releases, and the authoring guide live on 8kdvd.hddvd-revived.com. Profiles are capacity tools; use them that way and the red box will match the bits inside.