2025-03-12, 10:28 PM
That's not exactly how transcoding works.
You cannot make a video look better with simple transcoding.
A transcode will always look worse than the original as you're throwing out data to make the new transcode.
You can increase the bitrate to compensate, but it's wasteful and you will still be losing data in the end.
Jellyfin will only show available bitrates to transcode to that are no larger than the video's actual bitrate.
That said, it will show an option that's larger than the video bitrate because the original bitrate could be just enough past one limit and into the next.
As an example, if you have a video that's 11Mbps, Jellyfin may show you an option to transcode up to 20Mbps.
Jellyfin would not stop at 10Mbps because the original is past it, so in an attempt to allow you to transcode with the original bitrate, it gives you an option of 20Mbps.
If the original bitrate was 10Mbps or less, it would cap the options to 10Mbps and lower.
You cannot make a video look better with simple transcoding.
A transcode will always look worse than the original as you're throwing out data to make the new transcode.
You can increase the bitrate to compensate, but it's wasteful and you will still be losing data in the end.
Jellyfin will only show available bitrates to transcode to that are no larger than the video's actual bitrate.
That said, it will show an option that's larger than the video bitrate because the original bitrate could be just enough past one limit and into the next.
As an example, if you have a video that's 11Mbps, Jellyfin may show you an option to transcode up to 20Mbps.
Jellyfin would not stop at 10Mbps because the original is past it, so in an attempt to allow you to transcode with the original bitrate, it gives you an option of 20Mbps.
If the original bitrate was 10Mbps or less, it would cap the options to 10Mbps and lower.