Product DescriptionAre you frustrated by the amount of time it takes to export video to the H.264 format? Are you unable to use your Mac for other purposes while you are converting videos to the H.264 format? Introduce yourself to El Gato Turbo 264 Video Encoder that converts videos for play on iPod, iPhone, AppleTV, and Sony PSP. Videos can take a surprisingly long time to encode to the H.264 format - sometimes longer than the actual playing time. What's more, H.264 video encoding can demand a sizeable chunk of system resources. How long and how much depends on: the processor speed of your Mac, the length and complexity of the source video, the size of the video file, and the amount of video compression required for the desired end result. Turbo.264 accelerates video encoding up to four times faster on Macs with Intel Core processors. On an older Mac like a PowerPC G4 or PowerPC G5, the acceleration is exponentially faster - some users report up to 10 and 15 times faster. Turbo.264 comes with an easy ''drag and drop'' application. The application converts unencrypted videos one at a time or in a batch, and drops the converted file(s) into iTunes, where they automatically synch with a connected iPod, Apple TV or iPhone. Turbo.264 also supports the H.264 (MPEG-4) export command of popular Macintosh video applications, including EyeTV's Wi-Fi Access feature. Not only does Turbo.264 get the job done faster, it frees up your Mac for other tasks while video encoding is in progress. Think of it as a ?co-processor? for your Mac. The software application that comes with Elgato Turbo.264 offers an easy-to-use choice of presets for the iPod, Sony PSP, Apple TV, and iPhone. For Apple TV content, the quality of videos encoded with Turbo.264 software is unrivaled: Turbo.264 converts standard definition television recordings without scaling so that recordings appear on Apple TV in the same resolution they were recorded.
What Others Say
Perfect for my needs
Here's my hardware software setup:
Computer: Mac Mini Core Duo 1.66GHZ, 1 GB of RAM
OS: OS X 10.5.5
QuickTime version: 7.5.5
TV software: Elgato EyeTV 3.x software
TV hardware: Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus hardware
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Conversion Test:
Method: Using Elgato EyeTV export function with the "Apple TV" profile
Source file: 1:08 1080i HDTV recorded with my Elgato EyeTV Plus
Video output: H.264/AVC, 800 x 540, Millions
Audio output: AAC, Stereo (L R), 48.000 kHz
Output FPS: 29.97
Output Normal Size: 960 x 540 pixels
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Results:
Time using Turbo.H264: 1:55 -- average CPU load of 25% (both processors)
Time using QuickTime ... Read More
Works Great for Me - 75% Increase in performance.
I have a Mac 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo. It has been taking me forever to convert TV shows using VisualHub. Even worse then the amount of time taken, is that it makes my computer pretty much unusable during the conversions. I am using the Apple TV setting (higher quality than I was using with VisualHub) and seeing times reduced 75%. I was getting average fps rates of 5-7 without the device and now am running at 20 fps. I also see no noticeable performance difference while the process is running.
I couldn't be happier. Great product.
Good when it works...if it works
Really erratic. I try batch converting files from a series (e.g., different episodes from the same TV source), and half of them get converted and the other half gets spit out because Turbo.264 claims it cant handle DivX files. Ive downloaded the "required" software using Turbos link, and the same problem recurs. Whether a single file or a batch of files, Turbo.264 just quits at different places when processing the same file at different times. So far, Ive given up using its software for conversions and have returned to opening an AVI file with QuickTime, then exporting to Apple TV format.
It works fine as an adjunct to EyeTV, but I find it easier to record programs using my cable box DVR. I think the software should be ... Read More
Does not work well for AppleTV
I got this for exporting eyeTV recording to appleTV format and first time a try at the end of the process it give an error message and does not create a file. After checking the web site it turns out it is a know bug. When it works it encodes video in a 1to1 speed (one hour recording takes one hour to encode in a mac mini). I am disappointed because my main use was Apple TV encoding. My other use is iPod encoding and that appears to work ok.
When using Turbo.264, some exports to the Apple TV format may fail
Solution
When using Turbo.264, some exports to the Apple TV format may fail before completing.
If you are exporting from within EyeTV, the error reported will be something like ... Read More
Multi-task away.
From what I've gathered about the Turbo.264 from other sites, the faster/newer your processor is, the less remarkable encoding speed you will see. That held true on my system; however, speed wasn't what drew me to Elgato Turbo.264 - Video H.264 (MP4) Encoder Hardware 10020500. What I desperately needed was something that would alleviate the strain on my processor from EyeTV encoding. By strain I mean 9 hours worth of encoding a day. What that translated into was 97% of the processor's capability and a subsequent jump in fan speed from 2000 to 4500 RPM.
Expecting Elgato's toy to just make it possible to passably multi-task, I was floored when I saw that it had in fact brought down the CPU back to the average functioning level (25%) and the fan down to a normal 200 RPM, which is ... Read More
