ffmpeg: -vcodec copy vs. -sameq

[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

What is the difference between using -vcodec copy and -sameq with ffmpeg? Do they do the same thing?

-vcodec copy allows to copy video losslessly.

-sameq is almost lossless. It uses the same quality factor in the encoder as in the decoder. When using this option of ffmpeg sometimes you get video files that are several times bigger than the source ones. "-sameq" doesn't force you to use the same video codec.