Battles Record uses FFmpeg for post-processing recorded streams. Configure how recordings are processed after capture.
Processing Modes
Concatenate (Fastest)
Joins HLS segments directly without re-encoding:
Segment 1 + Segment 2 + ... → Output.ts
- Pros: Fastest, no quality loss, minimal CPU usage
- Cons: Output is TS format, larger file size
- Use when: You need recordings quickly or will process later
Copy (Recommended)
Remuxes segments into a container without re-encoding:
Segments → FFmpeg (copy codec) → Output.mp4
- Pros: Fast, no quality loss, MP4 output
- Cons: Slightly slower than concatenate
- Use when: You want MP4 files without re-encoding
Re-encode
Transcodes the recording to a different format or quality:
Segments → FFmpeg (encode) → Output.mp4
- Pros: Smaller files, consistent quality, custom settings
- Cons: CPU/GPU intensive, takes longer
- Use when: You need smaller files or specific format requirements
Configuration
Navigate to Settings → Post-Processing to configure:
| Format | Extension | Description |
|---|
| MP4 | .mp4 | Most compatible, recommended for sharing |
| MKV | .mkv | Better metadata support, good for archiving |
| TS | .ts | Raw transport stream, fastest processing |
Video Codec
When re-encoding:
| Codec | Description | GPU Support |
|---|
| H.264 | Universal compatibility | NVENC, QSV, AMF |
| H.265/HEVC | Better compression, smaller files | NVENC, QSV, AMF |
| VP9 | Open format, good compression | None |
| AV1 | Best compression, newer | NVENC (40-series+) |
Audio Codec
| Codec | Description |
|---|
| AAC | Standard, compatible everywhere |
| Opus | Better quality at low bitrates |
| Copy | Keep original audio unchanged |
GPU Acceleration
Enable hardware acceleration for faster encoding:
NVIDIA (NVENC)
Requirements
NVIDIA GPU with NVENC support (most GTX 900 series and newer)
Enable in Settings
Go to Settings → Post-Processing → Hardware Acceleration and select NVENC
Verify
Check the post-processing logs to confirm NVENC is being used
Intel Quick Sync (QSV)
Requirements
Intel CPU with integrated graphics (most 6th gen and newer)
Enable in Settings
Go to Settings → Post-Processing → Hardware Acceleration and select QSV
AMD (AMF)
Requirements
AMD GPU with VCE/VCN support (most RX 400 series and newer)
Enable in Settings
Go to Settings → Post-Processing → Hardware Acceleration and select AMF
Docker users need to pass through GPU devices. See the installation
guide for GPU passthrough configuration. Quality Presets
When re-encoding, choose a quality preset:
| Preset | CRF | Description |
|---|
| Lossless | 0 | No quality loss, large files |
| High | 18 | Visually lossless, recommended |
| Medium | 23 | Good balance of quality and size |
| Low | 28 | Smaller files, some quality loss |
| Tiny | 35 | Minimum size, noticeable quality loss |
For archiving, use High or Lossless. For sharing, Medium provides good results with
reasonable file sizes.
CRF Quality Guide
| CRF Range | Quality | Recommended Use Case |
|---|
| 0-17 | Visually lossless | Archival, video editing source material |
| 18-23 | High quality | General viewing, recommended for most users |
| 24-28 | Medium quality | Space-constrained storage, sharing |
| 29-51 | Low quality | Preview files, mobile viewing |
Lower CRF values produce larger files with better quality. A CRF of 0 is truly lossless and can
produce very large files. For most users, CRF 18-23 provides an excellent balance.
Custom FFmpeg Arguments
For advanced users, specify custom FFmpeg arguments:
-c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 20 -c:a aac -b:a 192k
Custom arguments override preset settings. Make sure you understand FFmpeg syntax before using
this feature.
Custom FFmpeg Path
By default, the daemon uses whichever ffmpeg is found on the system PATH. To use a specific FFmpeg binary:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|
| ffmpeg_path | System PATH | Path to a custom FFmpeg binary |
[post_processing]
ffmpeg_path = "/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg"
Segment Handling
Configure how segments are handled after processing:
| Option | Description |
|---|
| Delete | Remove segments after successful processing |
| Keep | Retain segments for potential reprocessing |
| Archive | Move segments to an archive directory |
Processing Queue
When multiple recordings finish simultaneously:
- Recordings are queued for processing
- Process one at a time to avoid CPU overload
- View queue status in Recordings → Processing Queue
Queue Priority
Higher priority channels are processed first. Adjust priority in channel settings.
Concurrent Processing
For powerful systems, enable concurrent processing:
| Concurrent | Description |
|---|
| 1 | Process one at a time (default) |
| 2 | Process two simultaneously |
| 3+ | For high-end systems only |
High concurrent processing requires significant CPU/GPU resources. Monitor system performance and
reduce if needed.
Background Reconciliation
A background worker periodically scans for recordings that need post-processing:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|
| Check Interval | 15 minutes | How often to scan for unprocessed recordings |
- Runs an initial scan on daemon startup, then periodically at the configured interval
- Finds recordings in
completed status and queues them for processing
- Updates missing stats (duration, size) for processed recordings by probing output files with FFmpeg
- Retries failed recordings up to 5 attempts before permanently giving up
- Skips recordings for channels that are currently actively recording
- Estimates duration from segment count (~2 seconds per segment) when FFmpeg metadata is unavailable
This ensures recordings are never stuck in completed status - even if a processing job was
missed or the daemon was restarted.
Per-Channel Overrides
Individual channels can override the global post-processing settings:
| Setting | Description |
|---|
| Enable/Disable | Enable or disable post-processing for this channel |
| Output Format | Override the output format (re-encode, copy, concatenate) |
| Segment Handling | Override segment handling (delete, concatenate, keep) |
| Filename Template | Custom output filename template |
Per-channel settings take precedence over global settings. If a channel doesn’t have an override,
the global settings apply.
Troubleshooting
Processing Takes Too Long
- Enable GPU acceleration
- Use Copy mode instead of re-encoding
- Reduce concurrent recording count
- Lower quality preset
Output File Is Corrupted
- Check FFmpeg logs for errors
- Try re-processing with Copy mode
- Ensure segments weren’t deleted prematurely
- Verify sufficient disk space
GPU Encoding Fails
- Verify GPU driver is up to date
- Check GPU is supported
- Try software encoding as fallback
- Review FFmpeg error output
