So, I finished encoding the workprint of the first 65 minutes of ESB v2.0 at the AVCHD bitrate (6500Kbps) with the slower settings - the results are ok for an AVCHD sized file but I tried encoding a small chunk at the bitrate I'll be using for the MKV and it was of course much better.
I'll probably upload the AVCHD-sized (3GB for 65 minutes) workprint tomorrow. Meanwhile, here are some comparison screenshots between the v1.0 AVCHD and this AVCHD encode - the difference is quite staggering sometimes, especially considering that the bitrate is more or less the same for both files and you can clearly see, why I find v1.0 almost embarrassingly bad at this point:
http://uloz.to/xmzy5R6N/esb-1st-half-v1-0-vs-v2-0-rar
(The 1st picture is always v1.0 and the second picture is always the v2.0 workprint.)
EDIT: The workprint is now out. PM me if you want the links.