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1

I update the MP4 HVEC profile to use NVIDIA gpu and to added skip ahead values. With ffmpeg being the first in the order I was surprised that it use HandbrakeCLI? Why is that.

[MP4 HEVC]
Description=HEVC in MP4 (H.265/AAC) – NVENC + Force 720p + Fixed ~2s GOP (matches PS script v7)
order=ffmpeg,handbrake

ffmpeg-general=-threads 0 -fflags +genpts+igndts -analyzeduration 100M -probesize 100M
ffmpeg-video=-ss 0 -c:v hevc_nvenc -preset p4 -tune ll -rc constqp -qp 28 -bf 0 -rc-lookahead 0 -spatial_aq 0 -temporal_aq 0 -g 60 -keyint_min 60 -sc_threshold 0 -strict_gop 1 -tag:v hvc1 -vf yadif=0:-1:1,hqdn3d,scale=w=‘min(1280,iw)’:h=‘min(720,ih)’:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease:force_divisible_by=2 -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a? -c:a aac -b:a 160k -pix_fmt yuv420p -movflags +faststart -y
ffmpeg-audio=-acodec aac -ab 160k -map 0:a
ffmpeg-audioac3=-acodec aac -ab 160k -map 0:a
ffmpeg-ext=.mp4
ffmpeg-audiodelay=skip

handbrake-general=–decomb --loose-anamorphic --verbose=2 -f mp4
handbrake-video=–start-at duration:0 -e x265 --encoder-preset medium -q 26 --encopts “keyint=60:min-keyint=60:scenecut=0:bframes=0”
handbrake-audio=-E faac -R auto -B 160 -D 0 -a 1,2,3,4,5
handbrake-audioac3=-E faac -R auto -B 160 -D 0 -a 1,2,3,4,5
handbrake-ext=.mp4
handbrake-audiodelay=skip

PreConversionCommercialRemover=true

On Patrol Live S04E69 2026-04-17-2058.mpg-Convert to MP4-2026-04-18T11-14-04.log (1.7 MB)

2

It looks like MCEBuddy is falling back to Handbrake because your ffmpeg command is failing. In MCEBuddy, the order= parameter tells the engine which tool to try first, but if that tool returns an error code, it automatically tries the next one in the list.

Based on your configuration and the common behavior of the NVENC encoder, here are the likely reasons why ffmpeg is failing:

1. Hardware Encoding Failure (NVENC)

You are using -c:v hevc_nvenc. If your NVIDIA drivers are outdated, or if another process is using all available NVENC sessions (consumer cards are usually limited to 3-5 simultaneous sessions), ffmpeg will exit with an error.

2. Invalid -ss 0 placement

In your ffmpeg-video line, you have -ss 0 at the very beginning. While usually okay, MCEBuddy often handles seeking internally. If ffmpeg encounters an issue mapping the streams or seeking with those specific flags, it will fail.

3. Filter Chain Issues

You have a complex filter string:
yadif=0:-1:1,hqdn3d,scale=w='min(1280,iw)':h='min(720,ih)':force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease:force_divisible_by=2

If the source file has an unusual pixel format or if yadif fails to initialize on a specific stream, ffmpeg will crash and MCEBuddy will move to handbrake.

How to verify:

  1. Check the Log: Open the log file you attached and search for the string FFMPEG failed or Return code. It will show exactly what error ffmpeg threw before it switched to Handbrake.
  2. Test Command: Try removing -ss 0 and simplifying the -vf filters to see if ffmpeg starts successfully.
  3. Driver Check: Ensure you have the latest NVIDIA drivers installed to support the -preset p4 and -tune ll flags, as these are part of the newer NVENC API.

If you can paste the section of the log where it says Running Task: FFMPEG Conversion, I can tell you the exact error code!