Turbo.264 update brings iPhone formats, customizable encoding settings

Are there alternatives to handbrake and visualhub that do work with the turbo.264? I would hate to try to rip a DVD or transcode an episode of Divx encoded Babylon 5 only to find out there is no handbrake equivalent that works with my hundred dollar magic stick.

Vishal, do you have a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo? I could see it improving a Core Duo, but does it give an improvement to Core 2's as well?

I use it with my 2.4GHZ macbook pro, and it is amazing. It is about 66% faster than running handbrake directly, and it makes watching videos on my iPhone quite manageable. The settings can now be customized, and the only missing feature is subtitles...

#8: For that powerful of a machine, I would be skeptical. On my iMac G5 a turbo.264 I tested was an absolute dream. Cut encoding a full DVD in at least half, if not 1/4 the time. But Mac Pros have CPU cycles to throw away... I wonder if Elgato has even done any testing to see if it would help.

#7
Thats, at least for HandBrake, probably never gonna happen.
1. HandBrake relies on open source software. There is no open source implantation for turbo.264
2. HandBrake doesn't use QuickTime
3. At least before this update encoding quailty wasn't as good as that of the current HandBrake encoder.
4. The developers want it to be a software solution.

Same comment as last time this was featured: the day it works with Handbrake and/or VisualHub is the day they get my $100. Hell, they should bundle those apps with it.

My solution to encoding time wait was to buy another computer. I was looking for an excuse to get a MacBook anyway.

Obviously, the slower the computer, the bigger the encoding speed boost. So would it improve encoding times for people who have dual or quad core MacPros?

when i first bought the turbo.264 i almost returned it. there were too few options/settings. however, it has quickly become something i cherish.

first, you can take divx videos of say a tv show, and covert them to ipod/iphone format in a very short amount of time.

also, if it is connected, and you do automatic ipod export from eyeTV it will use the turbo.

finally, the new settings really add some more functionalty to the device.

i am glad i didn't return it.

hi,
i saved the $99 and just hacked my appletv (without breaking the warranty using awkwardtv's instructions with an external usb drive), installed nitotv and i'm now watching mpeg2 videos on my appletv with no encoding necessary (you can export using program streams in eyetv or you can even use the mpg2 video hidden in the eyetv recording directly).
works like a charm, took me all in all two evenings. and there is no wait for encoding now.
caveat: i can't watch it on an ipod or iphone (yet!). ;-)
cheers
jw

I second Ted's emotion.
The point is often missed that you can be using the stick while ALSO encoding in visualhub or handbrake. Your mileage may vary but on my mini I regularly get 50fps for 640w content, while handbrake is still pushing at 12fps. When the Turbo.264 finishes, the handbrake encode jumps back up to its normal speed.

The only thing that interests me in this over visuablhub is that I've always thought quicktime could squeeze better quality video than visualhub at the same settings - especially when re-encoding stuff from other sources that may not be reference quality in the first place. QT being as slow as a very slow thing typically negated that benefit though.