Settings Reference
RVZStudio exposes a small set of settings that control output size, conversion speed and how files are organized. All settings are per-run; the application does not persist them between sessions.
Conversion settings
These options live under Compression Settings on the Convert to RVZ tab.
Compression method
| Method | Level range | Engine | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
zstd (default) |
1 – 22 | RVZSharp | Best overall balance of speed and size |
zlib |
1 – 9 | DolphinTool only | Maximum compatibility |
lzma |
1 – 9 | RVZSharp | Excellent compression, slow |
lzma2 |
1 – 9 | RVZSharp | Excellent compression, slow |
bzip2 |
1 – 9 | RVZSharp | Alternative to zlib/lzma |
lz4 |
1 – 12 | DolphinTool only | Fastest conversion, larger files |
When a method that RVZSharp cannot write is selected (zlib, lz4), the conversion always uses
DolphinTool. For the other methods RVZStudio first tries the native engine and transparently falls
back to DolphinTool if the library reports a problem.
Compression level
The slider range adapts to the selected method (see the table above). Higher levels compress better but take longer. If you switch to a method with a smaller range, the level is clamped automatically.
Block size
The block size is the granularity at which the RVZ container stores compressed data.
| Block size | Notes |
|---|---|
| 32 KB | Best random access, slightly worse compression |
| 64 KB | |
| 128 KB (default) | Recommended balance |
| 256 KB | |
| 512 KB | |
| 1 MB | Better compression |
| 2 MB | Best compression, coarser random access |
Recommended presets
| Goal | Method | Level | Block size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced (default) | zstd |
5 | 128 KB |
| Smallest files | lzma2 |
9 | 2 MB |
| Fastest conversion | lz4 |
1 | 32 KB |
| Maximum compatibility | zlib |
9 | 128 KB |
General settings — Convert tab
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Delete original files after conversion | Off | Permanently deletes each source file (including archives) after it converts successfully. Use with caution. |
| Scrub non-game Wii partitions (update/channel) | Off | Zeroes the data of non-game Wii partitions before encoding, making RVZ files smaller. Ignored for GameCube discs. |
General settings — Verify tab
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Move failed RVZ files to '_Failed' subfolder | Off | Moves files that fail verification into _Failed. |
| Move successful RVZ files to '_Success' subfolder | Off | Moves verified files into _Success. |
| Include subfolders | Off | Searches for RVZ files recursively and refreshes the list when toggled. |
General settings — Extract tab
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Delete original RVZ files after extraction | Off | Deletes the source RVZ after a successful extraction. |
| Output Format | ISO |
Target format: ISO, WBFS, GCZ, WIA, CISO or TGC. |
All output formats are written natively by RVZSharp. DolphinTool is used as a fallback for the
formats it supports (ISO, WBFS, GCZ, WIA); CISO and TGC are RVZSharp-only.
Behavior that is always on
Some safeguards are not configurable:
- Same-folder protection — input and output folders must differ and must not be nested.
- Existing output handling — conversions skip files whose RVZ output already exists.
- Disc header pre-validation — before the native encoder runs, RVZStudio checks the GameCube/Wii disc magic on ISO/GCM files and the real container magic on WBFS/GCZ/WIA/CISO/ TGC/NFS files. Unrecognized data is routed to DolphinTool instead of producing a broken RVZ.
- Automatic fallback — any RVZSharp failure falls back to DolphinTool for that file (where DolphinTool supports the operation) and the batch continues.
Related pages
- User Guide — where to find each option.
- Architecture — how the engines and fallback work internally.