Hardware h.264 Video Encoder - Turbo.264 by Elgato

One of the most arduous tasks iPhone owners likely face is video conversion. Most of the video content ripped from DVDs or downloaded from the internet is in a format that isn't iPhone or iPod friendly. This is because the iPhone and iPod only support MPEG4 and h.264 formats, with h.264 being arguably superior. iTunes and QuickTime make it relatively easy to convert these videos, but it takes time and renders your computer nearly inoperable until the conversion has finished. This is where Elgato's Turbo.264 comes in. This handy little gadget plugs in via USB and speeds up the conversion process while leaving your Mac's CPU available for other things.

So how does it all work? The Turbo.264 is a hardware video encoder, about the size of a USB flash drive. Traditionally when you convert videos on your Mac, it's done inefficiently using software. This method works well, but it takes time and uses a lot of CPU power to get the job done. Using a hardware video encoder like the Turbo.264 speeds up the process by doing most of the conversion, requiring much less time and help from your Mac's CPU. This is because hardware encoders are specially designed for the task of encoding video.

Performance: What kind of benefits are we talking? On older Macs, the Turbo.264 has a dramatic effect. In my testing on a PowerBook G4, using the Turbo.264 can speed up the conversion by nearly 300%. Newer Intel-based Macs will benefit as well. Conversion times will again be faster, but you won't see as great of a change. However, usability of your Mac will increase because conversion requires less from your CPU and RAM.

To test the Turbo.264, I tried it on two separate Mac portables, both with and without the Turbo.264. The first machine was a PowerBook G4 with a 1.25GHz G4 and 2GB of DDR memory. The second machine was a MacBook Pro with a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 2GB of DDR2 memory. The PowerBook converted "Pirates of Silicon Valley" (1h36m) and the MacBook Pro converted "Who Killed the Electric Car" (1h32m). Results:

Pros: The device itself does exactly what it's supposed to do: convert videos extremely fast without bogging down your Mac. Not only that, but I've found that less memory is consumed during the conversion process, meaning that applications can continue using RAM without any lag. It's also quite compact, which means you can keep it with your Mac wherever it happens to go. Video produced by the device looks good, too. I found that video converted using the Turbo.264 had slightly better color and contrast than video converted using QuickTime.

The software which comes with the Turbo is also quite nice. The interface is extremely simple. To convert a video, plug in the Turbo, drop your video onto the application, select the device you want to convert for and click start. It doesn't get much simpler than that. Go back to what you were doing and the application will let you know when it's done. If you have more than one video to convert, it also supports batch conversions with the ability to specify a conversion type for each video.

Cons: The Turbo.264 is a godsend for most people but it does have its fair share of disadvantages. The biggest is that it currently cannot be used with popular DVD ripping software such as HandBrake. The Turbo only converts unencrypted video. If you want to rip a DVD, you must first remove the DRM before it can be converted, although home movies don't apply. I got around this by using MacTheRipper to extract the main title from DVDs which I then fed into the Turbo.264 software with no extra hassle. I also found that files tend to be a tad larger (about 8%) than files converted with QuickTime. A small price to pay for fast conversions, though. One other drawback is that the software won't allow additions to the queue once it has begun converting. It's also Mac only.

Conclusion: In short, Elgato's Turbo.264 is an amazing device that every video-watching iPhone owner should have. Its ability to convert video with lightning-fast speeds without detrimentally affecting your workflow is indispensable. Macs that take days to convert video or become inoperable while doing so will benefit greatly from this little gadget. If you want to save your sanity and your time, I highly recommend the Turbo.264.

The Elgato Turbo.264 is available from Elgato's website for $99.95.