H.265 · Linux · Adaptive
The H.265 encoder that doesn't break your Dolby Vision.
Frame-by-frame adaptive analysis. Full preservation of grain, Profile 5, 7, 8.x, HDR10 and HLG. Built for 1080p Blu-rays and 4K UHD rips alike. Designed for serious Plex and Jellyfin libraries on Linux.
The problem
You've already tried it. It didn't work.
Re-encoding a library without breaking everything — whether it's 1080p Blu-ray remuxes with film grain or 4K Dolby Vision rips — is exactly the kind of task consumer encoders fail at.
HandBrake breaks Profile 7 and smooths grain
HandBrake doesn't properly preserve Dolby Vision Profile 7 (FEL/MEL) metadata, and smooths film grain by default. Your Blu-ray remuxes lose their visual identity on re-encode.
Manual ffmpeg: hours of testing
Finding the right x265 parameters takes 1 to 3 hours per film. And those parameters change with each source — grain, noise, motion, complexity.
Fixed presets vs varying content
A universal preset gives mediocre results everywhere. A grainy film and a smooth animation don't have the same encoding needs.
Positioning
Who it's built for. And who it isn't.
We'd rather be honest upfront. Adaptive Encoder prioritizes near-remux quality over maximum compression — it's an intentional design choice.
✓ Excellent for…
1080p Blu-ray remuxes with film grain — classics, horror, 35mm auteur films.
4K UHD rips with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG.
Mixed libraries where you don't want to calibrate each film by hand.
Long-term archival — encode once, watch 100 times.
⚠ Less suited for…
Recently shot clean digital content without grain — indoor comedies, smooth animation, talking heads.
On those sources, HandBrake CRF18-20 slow often gives a better size/quality ratio.
Maximum compression — if saving every GB is your top priority, this isn't the right tool.
💡 The philosophy
The algorithm aggressively preserves detail, grain and HDR metadata — even when it could compress more.
For archiving, 8 GB of near-remux beats 5 GB of "acceptable". Storage gets cheaper every year — image quality, however, is final.
Comparison
What changes, concretely.
The tool handles what no consumer encoder gets right today.
| HandBrake | Manual ffmpeg | Adaptive Video Encoder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolby Vision Profile 7 | ✗ Broken | ~ With scripts | ✓ Automatic |
| Grain preservation | ✗ Smoothed | ~ If you know what to flag | ✓ Automatic |
| Settings adapted per video | ✗ Fixed presets | ~ If you test yourself | ✓ Frame by frame |
| HDR10 / HLG preserved | ~ Sometimes | ~ If properly flagged | ✓ Always |
| Black bar detection | ✓ | ~ Manual | ✓ Automatic |
| Setup time | 5 min | 1–3 h per film | 0 min |
CPU vs GPU
Why not NVENC?
The first question RTX owners ask. The answer explains the whole product.
NVENC, QuickSync and AMF are designed for speed, not quality. Excellent for streaming Twitch or recording gameplay. Mediocre for archiving a library you'll watch on OLED for the next 10 years.
At equal bitrate, x265 (preset slower or veryslow) produces visually better files than NVENC HEVC — especially on grain, dark scenes, and complex motion.
At equal quality, x265 produces significantly smaller files. Every gigabyte saved is saved forever.
NVENC is frozen in silicon. x265 has been receiving psychovisual optimizations for over 10 years.
For archiving a library, speed doesn't matter — you encode once, watch 100 times. This tool is built for exactly that.
Features
What the tool does, exactly.
Built for serious libraries. No gimmicks.
Adaptive analysis
Detects noise, grain, complexity and edge density to automatically tune x265 parameters per source.
Dolby Vision 5, 7, 8.x
Metadata extracted with dovi_tool, preserved and reinjected without loss.
HDR10 and HLG
Color primaries, transfers, master display, MaxCLL and MaxFALL fully preserved.
Smart crop
Automatic black bar detection without risking accidentally cutting actual content.
Audio and subtitles
All tracks copied by default. TrueHD Atmos, DTS-HD MA, PGS subs — zero loss.
All formats, 480p to 8K
MKV, MP4, MOV, AVI, MXF, WebM, M4V, TS. Single binary, no Python dependencies.
Pricing
One price. For life.
- No subscription. Pay once, own it forever.
- One machine. Free transfer if you change computers.
- No aggressive DRM. A clean binary, not a SaaS that watches you.
- Direct support. Active Discord, fast replies.
7-day free trial · request on Discord
No Linux?
No problem. Really.
The tool runs on Linux, but you don't need to replace your OS. Three paths depending on your machine — the fastest takes 5 minutes.
WSL2
Built into Windows. Ubuntu runs at near-native performance with direct disk access. One PowerShell command and you're done.
Multipass
Ubuntu VM optimized for Apple Silicon. A single Homebrew command, and you have a performant Linux environment.
VirtualBox
Classic VM with Ubuntu 22.04 ISO. Most universal — works on Windows, macOS and Linux. Allocate 8 CPU cores minimum.
Questions
What people often ask.
No, the tool is excellent for 1080p too. Particularly on Blu-ray remuxes with film grain (classics, horror, 35mm auteur films) or complex scenes (action, sci-fi).
HandBrake smooths grain by default. Adaptive Encoder detects and preserves it automatically, regardless of resolution.
It's an intentional design choice. Adaptive Encoder is calibrated to maximally preserve detail, grain and HDR metadata — even when the algorithm could compress more.
For archiving a library, 8 GB of near-remux beats 5 GB of "acceptable". If you still want to cap file size, use --max-bitrate 5000.
Yes. It's the default conversion in the tool. Profile 7 (FEL/MEL) is extracted with dovi_tool and reinjected as 8.1 in the output file.
Compatible with Plex, recent Kodi, Apple TV, and most modern Dolby Vision players.
The current version is Linux-only. macOS and Windows will likely come later depending on demand.
Meanwhile, WSL2 on Windows and Multipass on macOS deliver excellent native experience — see the section above.
Yes — by choice. The tool defaults to x265 slower or veryslow presets to maximize quality.
This isn't a fast encoder, it's a good one. If you want speed, NVENC is free. But it's not the same product.
If you change computers, email osx300@gmail.com or message us on Discord — transfer is free and fast.
That's exactly what the 7-day free trial is for. Request your trial key on Discord or by email before you buy, test on your own files, and decide afterwards.
Gumroad emails you the binary and your license key immediately after payment. No Python install, no complicated dependencies — just a single executable to chmod +x.
Ready?
Re-encode your library. No compromise.
$49.99 USD, one-time payment, lifetime license. 7-day free trial on Discord before purchase if you want to test on your own files.
Buy — $49.99