HC Encoder is a freeware MPEG-2 encoder. It offers quality comparable to commercial alternatives and the development has a strong focus on DVD compliancy.

Features:

• Input via Avisynth or DGIndex/DGDecode projects
• 2-pass variable bitrate (VBR) encoding
• Three quality modes: BEST, NORMAL and FAST
• User controllable GOP structure
• Scene change detection
• User configurable quantization matrices
• Fast encoding speed

HC Encoder is fully supported by DVD ReBuilder, together they make high quality DVD to DVD-R backups, while being a totally free solution.