how do i know which encoder are bad,good, and best to use? what is used in dvd rb? . i know very little on encoders. i did read the DVD-RB FAQ . that's what has me asking.
Among the free encoders, most people will tell you that HC encoder is the best, but it can be time consuming. As for the premium encoders, some prefer CCE while others prefer ProCoder 2. It is really up to you. I personally use CCE SP2 for all of my movies except animated movies, in which case I use Procoder 2. Check the link in my sig, you can see some screenshots of multiple encoders as well as transcoders. Hope this helps a little. edit: Tests I originally did were with an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ @ 2.3, so times will be slightly slower than what I would now get with my current setup.
CCE SP is generally considered the best, although some people prefer Canopus Procoder's output, particularly for low bitrates. HC is supposed to be on par with Procoder, particularly for low bitrates, but I haven't used it myself or gotten a chance to see what it can do so I can't give you an informed opinion. I use CCE Basic because it has the same encoding engine as CCE SP, just with fewer options to tweak and only 2 passes.