In the post, we will help you get a head start about HEVC/H.265 encoding, how to encode video to HEVC with the best handbrake settings, together with the solutions to solve Handbrake H.265/HEVC encoding errors.

The release of Handbrake 1.3.2 makes the phrase - Handbrake HEVC encoder a hot search, because Handbrake updated its encoders with support for HEVC/H.265 and VP9 by leveraging x265. Many users are curious about the video quality and size about the output HEVC video, but most of them encounter various problems during HEVC encoding with Handbrake, such as Handbrake can't encode AVC H.264 to H.265, the converted HEVC video won't play, etc. Follow to get how to encode video to HEVC with the best handbrake settings, together with the solutions to solve Handbrake H.265/HEVC encoding errors.

Handbrake Failed to Encode HEVC/H.265, Here's the Solution

Recommend 3 popular H.265 encoders:. Brorsoft Video Converter: This software is available for both operating system windows and MAC. It is an all in one type of tool including an encoder, decoder, player, and converter. Cinemartin Cinec: This is multi video encoder, which performs as a video converter for windows operating system. Last Updated on October 7, 2017 by admin. H265 Converter Pro – HEVC Tool 3.1.1. X265 Encoder is a free software library and application for encoding video streams into the H265/MPEG-H HEVC compression format, and is released under the terms of the GNU GPL. X265 Encoder 3.4 / 3.5 RC1 Free Download - VideoHelp.

If you get 'No valid source or title found' or 'encode failed' error when importing or encoding H.265 (HEVC) file, fix it with Handbrake alternative - MacX Video Converter Pro. It fully takes advantages of GPU acceleration to decode and re-encode HEVC video to/from H.264 MP4, MKV, MOV, or other formats with dramastically less CPU usage yet deliver fast speed and high visual quality.

Table of Contents

Part 1: How to Encode H.265/HEVC with Handbrake Best Settings

Note: To ensure a sound H.265/x265 video encoding on Handbrake, free download Handbrake 1.0.0 or later version on your PC as it added full support for 4K codecs H265 and VP9. Then follow the Handbrake guide to create high-quality and small H.265/HEVC for 4K UHD or Full HD videos.

Step 1: Install and run Handbrake. Load input video file by clicking the File button on the top left side. Or you can tap the Folder to batch import multiple files at a time. It will take a few minutes to scan the title.

Step 2: Click the Browse button to set the destination folder you want.

Step 3: Since Handbrake adds the profile for H.265 MKV on the version 1.0.0 and above, please go to the presets on the right side -> scroll down to find the Matroska profile -> choose H.265 MKV 1080p30, 720p30, 576p25 or 480p30 at your desire. Or you can choose video container format as MP4 and manually choose codec as 'H265' in the video encoder option.

Step 4: Tweak settings. Generally, please leave the settings unchanged if you're a newbie. You can freely customize your video if you're a salted user.

Video:
4.1) Change the Constant Quality value to 23 for HD 1080p videos and 22 for HD 720p videos. Generally, the smaller the RF value is, the better quality and higher bitrates are, and vice versa. Please don't go any lower than 30 or higher than 15 in order to get good quality with acceptable size.

4.2) Frame rate stands for the video smoothness. Higher the frame rate is, smoother the video will be. In general, we human being watch video smoothly enough at 24fps. You can properly improve your frame rate to 30fps or 60fps according to the video resolution. There is no meaning if you turn up the frame rate too high.

Audio:
4.3) Leave the audio codec unchanged in the Audio tab -> properly improve audio bitrate to 128 or 256kbps (no real difference between 256kbps and 320kbps to our hearing).
4.4) Change Mixdown from Mono or Stereo to 5.1 Channels for better audio effects.
4.5) Convert audio codec to AAC, AC3, MP3, Vorbis, FLAC, etc. or add external tracks to your video.

Subtitles:
4.6) Import SRT subtitles to HEVC MP4 or HEVC MKV video if the dialogue is in foreign language, etc. See also the best Handbrake setting >>

Step 5: Click Start button to begin to free encode and convert video to H265 with Handbrake after finishing all the settings. Then you will get the high-quality H.265 video in small size. BTW, you can also apply Handbrake to convert H265 video to H264 with the same steps.

Handbrake H.265/HEVC Video Encoding Errors and Solutions

Error 1. 'I downloaded the latest version of H.265 encoder Handbrake which includes both H.264 & H.265 video encoding and try to run an MKV file for comparing the difference. It is true that the size of H.265 encoded video is the half of H.264 video. But, the transcoded H.265 video can't play on any video players including VLC and QuickTime. Is there something wrong? Can someone help me?'

Solution: 1. update your media player (VLC) and install x265 video codec packs (K-Lite codec pack, libde265, etc.) or download better H.265 player (X265, DivX, 5KPlayer, etc). 2. check your computer or device hardware configurations to see if they support hardware HEVC decoding. If not, upgrade your computer or device to latest model. 3. upgrade to macOS High Sierra, Windows 10 or iOS 11, for operating system is also a big part in the whole HEVC video playback process.

Error 2. 'It takes me much time to convert H.265 video with Handbrake 1.0.0. Is there any practical H.265 video encoder or HEVC converter recommendation? BTW, I also don't want to come up against any Handbrake H.265 playback issue. Thanks in advance.'

Solution: Download Handbrake alternative (HEVC video converter) to encode H.265 video file at Intel QSV, multiple CPU cores and hyper-threading tech accelerated speed, up to 5X faster than Handbrake HEVC encoding speed. What's more, it also converts video to HEVC 4K, HEVC 2K/1080p/720p with best quality.

Part 2: Encode Video to HEVC/H.265 with Handbrake Alternative

Admittedly, Handbrake, as a free open source HEVC encoder, has already performed quite well. Yet, on account of its free attribute, it can't be constantly upgraded to satisfy user's growing needs like higher demands on video settings or untimely error fixes. And that's why HEVC converter shareware comes into being. MacX Video Converter Pro comes as the best Handbrake alternative that is keeping upgrades on its HEVC encoding algorithm. It fully utilizes nvidia nvenc, Intel QSV and AMD to decode and encode HEVC video with 5X faster speed, greatly offloading CPU for other tasks.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. The HEVC converter also has the edge over handbrake in video quality settings, letting you compress and resize larger 4K video to smaller files in 1080p/720p, change frame rate from 24fps to 60fps, adjust video bit rate, tweak audio settings (codec, mixdown, sample rate, bit rate), add external subtitles to HEVC, merge videos into one, rotate HEVC 90/180/270 degrees, trim HEVC to shorten video length, add watermarks and remove HEVC unwanted black borders, etc.

How to Use Handbrake Alternative to Encode H.265/HEVC Videos

Step 1: Free download this HEVC/H.265 decoder & encoder on your Mac; if you are a Windows user, you should head to Windows version of H.265 encoder/converter. Launch this stellar HEVC video converter and click '+ Video' button to load the video file you want to convert.

Step 2: Go to the output profile to choose 'HEVC Video' under category 'PC General Video' as the output video format.

Step 3: Set a destination folder to store the converted H.265/HEVC video file.

Step 4: Hit 'RUN' button to start the H.265 video converting.

Warm tips: This all-around best Handbrake H265 decoder alternative also is able to get H.265 4K/8K video download from YouTube, Vimeo, Vevo and other 1000+ video sharing sites for offline enjoyment.

As x265 is often used to store HD or 4K UHD videos, you won't want a HEVC h.265/x265 to mp4 video converter that may lower the image quality. Here's how to get that.

X265 is a H.265 / HEVC video encoder application library designed to encode video or images into an H.265 / HEVC encoded bitstream. While X265 has 40%-50% lower bit rate than MP4 H.264 at the same quality, it has downsides that make you want to convert X265 to MP4.

1. X265 is not widely accepted - 'I downloaded some TV series that use x265 but it won't play on a flash drive, a newer Sony player or smart TV, ONLY on a computer with specific HEVC video players.' HEVC x265 is rapidly adopted by iPhone, Samsung, Amzon, Netflix and other companies, but not rapid enough. Compared to the almost-everywhere mp4, x265 is very limited in compatibility.
2. X265 requires more CPU - 'My player has begun to choke and stutter when trying to playback a HEVC x265 1080p video. What is the minimum requirement for playback of mkv x265 video at 1080p or 4K?' X265's better compression ratio comes at a price: more demanding on hardware. Play or decode hevc X265 video, more amount of CPU will be required to work well, which means a hotter device and shorter battery usage.

Anyway, you may need to convert MKV X265 to MP4 h.264/MPEG4. Follow the guide below.

H265 Converter Pro Hevc Tool 3 3

Convert X265 to MP4, Fastest Speed & Same Quality

Try MacX Video Converter Pro - convert 4K HEVC h.265/x265 to MP4, h.264, mov, avi, mts, flv, wmv, and 1000 more formats. It has the fastest x265 to h.264 conversion speed, 5x faster than others, and excellent output quality at acceptable file size.

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How to Use FFmpeg to Convert X265 to MP4

When I input the question 'how to convert mkv x265 to mp4' and search in Google, I notice that there are many people asking how to use ffmpeg to convert hevc x265 to mp4. As we all know, FFmpeg is a command line tool which will be quite challenging for some novice users. Before we start the way that I want to recommend to you guys, I will show you how to use FFmpeg to do this.

H265 Converter Pro Hevc Tool 3 3 Download

1. Open a terminal and direct it to the directory containing the h.265/x.265 files, assuming you have ffmpeg and the appropriate libraries installed and assuming x.265 files are in MKV format. Copy and paste the following command into the terminal window.

2. Input the command line below:
#!/bin/bash
audioformat=$(ffprobe -loglevel error -select_streams a:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name -of default=nw=1:nk=1 '$f')
mkdir h264vids
for f in *.mkv
do
if [ '$audioformat' = 'aac' ]; then
ffmpeg -i '$f' -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy -movflags +faststart h264vids/'${f%.*}.mp4'
else ffmpeg -i '$f' -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a aac -movflags +faststart h264vids/'${f%.*}.mp4'
fidone

Then the FFmpeg will start to convert MKV x265 to mp4 h.264 and the free hevc to mp4 converter will start the job.

Convert X265 to MP4 with MacX Video Converter Pro

Potplayer Hevc H265

OK, FFmpeg is convenient, but complicated and it gives less control on the conversion. After address the question about how to use FFmpeg to convert hevc x265 to h264 mp4, now I will recommend a faster hevc x265 to mp4 video converter-MacX Video Converter Pro. You can choose either way as you like.

  • User rating: ★★★★★
  • OS: macOS High Sierra, Sierra, or earlier/Windows 10/8/7 or earlier (32 & 64 bit)
  • HEVC x265 to MP4 coverter free download:
  • For Mac: https://www.macxdvd.com/download/macx-video-converter-pro-setup.dmg
  • For Windows: https://www.macxdvd.com/download/macx-hd-video-converter-pro-for-windows-setup.exe

▶ Main features:
1. Freely convert HD 1080P/720P, 8K, 4K HEVC x265 to MP4, H.264, MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, WMV, 3GP and 370+ digital formats.
2. It can convert x265 to mp4 x265 with smaller size but the same compatibility.
3. Its 1080p to 4K upscale feature will convert SD, HD 720P, 1080P x.265 to MP4 H.264 in 4K quality.
4. Intel's QSV ensures No.1 fast speed, 5X faster to convert H.265 to H.264 MP4. And the Auto Copy has 10x faster speed.
5. Freely download online HEVC x.265 videos and convert to MP4 H.264 from YouTube, Vimeo, FaceBook, and 1000 more sites.
6. Advanced editing features, parameter adjustments will compress 4K UHD videos in 40% to 70% smaller size with no quality loss.

[3 Steps] How to Convert X265 to MP4 in A Flash

Free download the 4K mkv x265 to mp4 video converter on computer. Get the Mac version or Windows version based on your needs.

Step 1: Launch the HEVC X265 to mp4 converter and click the Video import button on the inferface with a + icon to add the MKV X265 video. You can freely add as many 4K, HD or SD videos as you want.

H265 Converter To Mp4

Step 2: To convert X265 (HEVC/H265) to MP4 for free, there are two MP4 options to go (as shown in the figure above):
▶ You can convert HEVC x265 to mp4 h.264, then enable the QSV hardware tech to drive the conversion to 5x faster;
▶ You can convert x265 to mp4 x265, it has the same compatibility as MP4 H.264, but with the same compression efficiency as x265.
(with this feature, you can convert other files into hevc h.265 to reduce the file size, like flv, wmv, avi to HEVC.)
In addition to mp4 output, you can convert HEVC H265 to other formats like mov, avi, flv, wmv, mkv, 3gp etc, popular devices and online site profiles built-in.

Step 3 (optional): Click Edit if you want to make necessary editing. There are also options to further adjust the parameters with which you can used to reduce and compress the converted MP4 H.264 file size.

Step 4: Click Browser and set an output folder. Then click Run to start to convert MKV x265 to MP4.