A method for determining optimal video encoding parameters is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) storing a plurality of configurable parameters each comprising a respective trial value, (B) generating a bitstream by encoding a test sequence of pictures using (i) a plurality of non-configurable parameters fixed in a design of the encoder, (ii) the configurable parameters and (iii) a plurality of dynamic parameters adjustable in real time by the encoder, (C) generating a reconstructed sequence of pictures by decoding the bitstream, (D) generating a quality metric based on the reconstructed sequence of pictures compared with the test sequence of pictures and (E) adjusting the respective trial values to optimize the quality metric.