I've been encoding recorded TV to 250-500kbps H.264/MKV files so I can download them when I'm on site if there's something I've missed.

With the video bit rate set around 350kbps, I get a problem with regular pauses in the video footage, which seem to be more prominent on fast moving scenes or scene changes. It generally lasts for several seconds and doesn't interrupt the audio.

I'm currently using settings that lean towards the speedy side of things (subq=3, frameref =3, q=0.8).

Can anyone suggest settings that might be causing the video to pause?