Video Re-Encoder GUI

A desktop application for re-encoding video files using ffmpeg with hardware-accelerated encoding support.

Features

• Drag & Drop Interface - Simply drag video files into the window (supports MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, and more)
• Video Information - Shows detailed metadata using ffprobe (resolution, codec, bitrate, duration)
• Multi-Encoder Support - Automatic detection and selection of hardware encoders (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD AMF, Intel QSV, Apple VideoToolbox) with software fallback
• Hardware Acceleration - Optimized encoding using available GPU acceleration
• Multi-Track Audio - Select which audio tracks to include, with options to copy or re-encode to AAC/Opus/AC3
• Multi-Track Subtitles - Select subtitle tracks with options to copy or convert to SRT/ASS
• Progress Tracking - Real-time progress bar with percentage, ETA, FPS, and speed
• File Comparison - Shows size difference between original and encoded file
• Codec Selection - Choose between H.264 and HEVC (H.265) codecs
• Custom Binary Configuration - Configure custom ffmpeg and ffprobe paths

Encoding Settings

The application automatically detects available encoders and uses optimized ffmpeg settings:

• Video Codec: H.264 or HEVC (H.265)
• Encoders Supported:
  • NVIDIA NVENC - HEVC and H.264 acceleration
  • AMD AMF - HEVC and H.264 acceleration
  • Intel QSV - HEVC and H.264 acceleration
  • Apple VideoToolbox - HEVC and H.264 acceleration (macOS)
  • Software Fallback - libx264 (H.264) and libx265 (HEVC)
• Quality: Configurable (CQ 22 default for hardware encoders)
• Preset: Configurable speed/quality tradeoff
• Audio Options: Copy, AAC (192k), Opus (128k), AC3 (384k)
• Subtitle Options: Copy, SRT, ASS, MOV Text

Audio & Subtitle Track Options

Audio Re-encoding

Option	Description
Copy	No re-encoding, preserves original quality
AAC	Re-encode to AAC at 192kbps (best compatibility)
Opus	Re-encode to Opus at 128kbps (best quality/size)
AC3	Re-encode to AC3 at 384kbps (Dolby Digital)

Subtitle Conversion

Option	Description
Copy	Keep original format
SRT	Convert to SubRip (text-based only)
ASS	Convert to Advanced SubStation (text-based only)
MOV Text	Convert for MP4/MOV compatibility

Requirements

ffmpeg and ffprobe

The application requires ffmpeg and ffprobe to be installed and available in your system PATH, or you can configure custom paths via the Binary Paths menu.

Option 1: Install pre-built ffmpeg (recommended)

• Download from: https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases
• For best hardware acceleration support, ensure your ffmpeg build includes:
  • NVIDIA NVENC support (for NVIDIA GPUs)
  • AMD AMF support (for AMD GPUs)
  • Intel QSV support (for Intel GPUs)
  • Apple VideoToolbox support (for macOS)
• Extract and add to your PATH

Option 2: Using Chocolatey (Windows)

choco install ffmpeg

Option 3: Using Homebrew (macOS)

brew install ffmpeg

Hardware Support

The application will work with the following hardware (in order of priority):

• NVIDIA GPUs - Requires NVIDIA driver with NVENC support (most modern NVIDIA cards)
• AMD GPUs - Requires AMD driver with AMF support
• Intel GPUs - Requires Intel driver with QSV support
• Apple Silicon/Intel Macs - VideoToolbox support (built into macOS)
• Software Fallback - Will automatically fall back to software encoding (slower) if no hardware acceleration is available

Installation

1. Install dependencies:

npm install

2. Run the application:

npm start

For development with DevTools:

npm run dev

Usage

1. Launch the app - Run npm start
2. Configure binaries (optional) - Click Binary Paths in the header, set custom ffmpeg / ffprobe executable paths, and use Check Paths to verify both tools
3. Add video - Drag and drop a video file into the window (or click to browse)
4. Review info - Check the video details and detected encoders
5. Configure encoding - Select your preferred encoder, codec (H.264 or HEVC), quality, and preset
6. Select tracks - Choose which audio and subtitle tracks to include and how to encode them
7. Start encoding - Click the Start Encoding button
8. Monitor progress - Watch real-time progress with ETA and speed
9. Done! - Encoded file is saved as [filename]_encoded.mkv in the same directory

Supported Formats

The application supports any video format that ffmpeg can read:

• MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, WebM, and more

Output is always saved as MKV to preserve all streams (video, audio, subtitles).

Troubleshooting

"ffmpeg not found" or "ffprobe not found" error

1. Make sure ffmpeg and ffprobe are installed and in your system PATH
2. Test by running:

   ffmpeg -version
   ffprobe -version

3. If not installed, download from: https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases
4. Alternatively, use the Binary Paths menu to set custom paths to your ffmpeg and ffprobe binaries

No hardware encoders detected

The application will display a warning if no hardware encoders are found and will fall back to software encoding.

To fix this:

• NVIDIA Users: Ensure you have the latest NVIDIA drivers installed
• AMD Users: Ensure you have AMD drivers installed and your ffmpeg build includes AMF support
• Intel Users: Ensure Intel GPU drivers are installed and your ffmpeg build includes QSV support
• macOS Users: VideoToolbox is built-in; ensure you're using a compatible ffmpeg build

Encoding is slow

• If using software encoding (no hardware accelerators available), this is normal
• Ensure you have the correct hardware drivers installed for your GPU
• Use the Binary Paths menu to verify ffmpeg is the correct build with hardware acceleration support
• Try adjusting the quality and preset settings for faster encoding

Project Structure

recodr/
├── main.js          # Electron main process (handles ffmpeg operations)
├── renderer.js      # UI logic and event handlers
├── index.html       # Application layout
├── styles.css       # Styling
└── package.json     # Dependencies and scripts

License

GNU General Public License v2.0