# Pass 1 (analysis) ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v libvpx-vp9 -b:v 0 -crf 30 \ -pass 1 -an -f null /dev/null

| Parameter | Recommended value for a 1080p TV episode (≈22 min) | Rationale | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------|-----------| | | Keep original (1920 × 1080) or downscale to 1280 × 720 for smaller files. | Maintains broadcast quality; 720p reduces file size 30‑40 % with minimal perceptual loss. | | Bitrate | 2 000 kbps (CBR) or 1 500 kbps (2‑pass VBR) for 1080p; 1 000 kbps for 720p. | Balances quality vs. storage; VP9’s efficiency allows lower bitrates than H.264. | | Profile/Level | -profile:v 0 (Baseline) or -profile:v 2 (Main) for VP9. | Main profile gives better compression with still wide compatibility. | | Tile Columns | -tile-columns 2 (for 4‑core CPUs) or -tile-columns 4 (8‑core). | Improves multi‑threaded performance. | | Speed | -speed 4 (default) or -speed 2 for higher quality, slower encode. | Speed 0‑4: 0 = best quality, 4 = fastest. | | Audio codec | Keep original (e.g., AAC) or re‑encode to Opus ( -c:a libopus -b:a 128k ). | Opus provides superior quality at lower bitrate; supported in WebM. | | Container | WebM ( .webm ). | Native for VP9/Opus; plays in browsers without plugins. |