x265 hme Level not displayed

[xanatos]

If I encode an mkv with x265 enabling hme there are two additional connected parameters that are enabled: Level (hme-search) and merange (hme-range).

You can create a test file with a command like:

ffmpeg -t 1s -i somesource.mkv -map 0 -c:v libx265 -profile:v main10 -x265-params "hme=1" -an -sn -dn -y testfile.mkv

Then opening the mkv file with, for example notepad++, you can easily find the encoding settings:

options: cpuid=1111039 frame-threads=3 numa-pools=12 wpp no-pmode no-pme no-psnr no-ssim log-level=2 bitdepth=8 input-csp=1 fps=30000/1001 input-res=1920x1080 interlace=0 total-frames=0 level-idc=0 high-tier=1 uhd-bd=0 ref=3 no-allow-non-conformance no-repeat-headers annexb no-aud no-eob no-eos no-hrd info hash=0 temporal-layers=0 open-gop min-keyint=25 keyint=250 gop-lookahead=0 bframes=4 b-adapt=2 b-pyramid bframe-bias=0 rc-lookahead=20 lookahead-slices=6 scenecut=40 no-hist-scenecut radl=0 no-splice no-intra-refresh ctu=64 min-cu-size=8 no-rect no-amp max-tu-size=32 tu-inter-depth=1 tu-intra-depth=1 limit-tu=0 rdoq-level=0 dynamic-rd=0.00 no-ssim-rd signhide no-tskip nr-intra=0 nr-inter=0 no-constrained-intra strong-intra-smoothing max-merge=3 limit-refs=1 no-limit-modes me=2 subme=2 merange=48 temporal-mvp no-frame-dup hme Level 0,1,2=1,2,2 merange L0,L1,L2=16,32,48 weightp no-weightb no-analyze-src-pics deblock=0:0 sao no-sao-non-deblock rd=3 selective-sao=4 early-skip rskip no-fast-intra no-tskip-fast no-cu-lossless b-intra no-splitrd-skip rdpenalty=0 psy-rd=2.00 psy-rdoq=0.00 no-rd-refine no-lossless cbqpoffs=0 crqpoffs=0 rc=crf crf=28.0 qcomp=0.60 qpstep=4 stats-write=0 stats-read=0 ipratio=1.40 pbratio=1.30 aq-mode=2 aq-strength=1.00 cutree zone-count=0 no-strict-cbr qg-size=32 no-rc-grain qpmax=69 qpmin=0 no-const-vbv sar=1 overscan=0 videoformat=5 range=0 colorprim=2 transfer=2 colormatrix=2 chromaloc=1 chromaloc-top=0 chromaloc-bottom=0 display-window=0 cll=0,0 min-luma=0 max-luma=255 log2-max-poc-lsb=8 vui-timing-info vui-hrd-info slices=1 no-opt-qp-pps no-opt-ref-list-length-pps no-multi-pass-opt-rps scenecut-bias=0.05 no-opt-cu-delta-qp no-aq-motion no-hdr10 no-hdr10-opt no-dhdr10-opt no-idr-recovery-sei analysis-reuse-level=0 analysis-save-reuse-level=0 analysis-load-reuse-level=0 scale-factor=0 refine-intra=0 refine-inter=0 refine-mv=1 refine-ctu-distortion=0 no-limit-sao ctu-info=0 no-lowpass-dct refine-analysis-type=0 copy-pic=1 max-ausize-factor=1.0 no-dynamic-refine no-single-sei no-hevc-aq no-svt no-field qp-adaptation-range=1.00 scenecut-aware-qp=0conformance-window-offsets right=0 bottom=0 decoder-max-rate=0 no-vbv-live-multi-pass no-mcstf no-sbrc

So

hme Level 0,1,2=1,2,2 merange L0,L1,L2=16,32,48

But Mediainfo 24.04 shows

Encoding settings: cpuid=1111039 / frame-threads=3 / numa-pools=12 / wpp / no-pmode / no-pme / no-psnr / no-ssim / log-level=2 / input-csp=1 / input-res=1920x1080 / interlace=0 / total-frames=0 / level-idc=0 / high-tier=1 / uhd-bd=0 / ref=3 / no-allow-non-conformance / no-repeat-headers / annexb / no-aud / no-eob / no-eos / no-hrd / info / hash=0 / temporal-layers=0 / open-gop / min-keyint=25 / keyint=250 / gop-lookahead=0 / bframes=4 / b-adapt=2 / b-pyramid / bframe-bias=0 / rc-lookahead=20 / lookahead-slices=6 / scenecut=40 / no-hist-scenecut / radl=0 / no-splice / no-intra-refresh / ctu=64 / min-cu-size=8 / no-rect / no-amp / max-tu-size=32 / tu-inter-depth=1 / tu-intra-depth=1 / limit-tu=0 / rdoq-level=0 / dynamic-rd=0.00 / no-ssim-rd / signhide / no-tskip / nr-intra=0 / nr-inter=0 / no-constrained-intra / strong-intra-smoothing / max-merge=3 / limit-refs=1 / no-limit-modes / me=2 / subme=2 / merange=48 / temporal-mvp / no-frame-dup / hme / Level / merange / L0,L1,L2=16,32,48 / weightp / no-weightb / no-analyze-src-pics / deblock=0:0 / sao / no-sao-non-deblock / rd=3 / selective-sao=4 / early-skip / rskip / no-fast-intra / no-tskip-fast / no-cu-lossless / b-intra / no-splitrd-skip / rdpenalty=0 / psy-rd=2.00 / psy-rdoq=0.00 / no-rd-refine / no-lossless / cbqpoffs=0 / crqpoffs=0 / rc=crf / crf=28.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpstep=4 / stats-write=0 / stats-read=0 / ipratio=1.40 / pbratio=1.30 / aq-mode=2 / aq-strength=1.00 / cutree / zone-count=0 / no-strict-cbr / qg-size=32 / no-rc-grain / qpmax=69 / qpmin=0 / no-const-vbv / sar=1 / overscan=0 / videoformat=5 / range=0 / colorprim=2 / transfer=2 / colormatrix=2 / chromaloc=1 / chromaloc-top=0 / chromaloc-bottom=0 / display-window=0 / cll=0,0 / min-luma=0 / max-luma=255 / log2-max-poc-lsb=8 / vui-timing-info / vui-hrd-info / slices=1 / no-opt-qp-pps / no-opt-ref-list-length-pps / no-multi-pass-opt-rps / scenecut-bias=0.05 / no-opt-cu-delta-qp / no-aq-motion / no-hdr10 / no-hdr10-opt / no-dhdr10-opt / no-idr-recovery-sei / analysis-reuse-level=0 / analysis-save-reuse-level=0 / analysis-load-reuse-level=0 / scale-factor=0 / refine-intra=0 / refine-inter=0 / refine-mv=1 / refine-ctu-distortion=0 / no-limit-sao / ctu-info=0 / no-lowpass-dct / refine-analysis-type=0 / copy-pic=1 / max-ausize-factor=1.0 / no-dynamic-refine / no-single-sei / no-hevc-aq / no-svt / no-field / qp-adaptation-range=1.00 / scenecut-aware-qp=0conformance-window-offsets / right=0 / bottom=0 / decoder-max-rate=0 / no-vbv-live-multi-pass / no-mcstf / no-sbrc

So

hme / Level / merange / L0,L1,L2=16,32,48

The Level 0,1,2=1,2,2 got lost.

As a sidenote, Level 0,1,2 is a fixed text, while 1,2,2 are the selected levels.

-x265-params "hme=1:hme-search=1,2,2:hme-range=24,36,48"