Elgato Turbo.264 Video Encoder

Reviewed by Wayne LeFevre

Introduction

Turbo.264 is a powerful video encoder in the form of a compact USB 2.0 stick. Use the included software to convert your Mac videos one at a time or in a batch; The application drops the converted file(s) into iTunes for you, ready to synch automatically with your iPod, Apple TV or Sony PSP.

Alternatively, plug in Turbo.264 while you use the iPod or Apple TV export command of popular Macintosh video applications. Turbo.264’s hardware encoder jumps in to take over for your Mac’s processor, and does the hard work of encoding the videos to an H.264 format. Not only does Turbo.264 help get the job done faster, it frees up your processor for other tasks. Think of it as a “co-processor” for your Mac. 

Getting Started

Installation was quick and easy. Truly, the older PowerPCs take huge advantage of the turbo.264. It will take approximately the same amount of time to encode a video with an older PPC as a new Intel Core 2 Duo. Unfortunately, my PowerBook Titanium has a USB 1.1 on it, so the turbo.264 is basically useless. Had it a USB 2.0, I would have been a great platform for encoding.

Using the Hardware

After plugging in the turbo.264 and installing the software, the actual encoding is as simple and quick as you can get. Simply drag and drop a video or videos into the interface window, pick Apple TV, iPod Standard, iPod High or Sony PSP, then press start. There are no other options to choose, and you cannot change the name, nor change or add to the queue once it has started.

Apple TV will encode to H.264 Main Profile, 3 Mbps max., 800×600 max.,( No HD.) 30 fps max. Audio: AAC-LC, stereo, 128 Kbps, 48 kHz. If the source movie is larger than 800×600 it will be scaled to fit within 800×600 preserving aspect ratio. Resolution is maintained if 800×600 or smaller. Frame rate is maintained when 30 fps and smaller.

iPod Best will encode to H.264 Baseline Profile Low-Complexity, 1.5 Mbps max., 640×480 max.,( No HD.) 30 fps max. Audio: AAC-LC, stereo, 128 Kbps, 48 kHz. Same scale down as Apple TV if larger than 640×480.

iPod Smallest will encode to H.264 Baseline Profile up to level 1.3, 768 kbps max., 320×240 max.,( No HD.) 30 fps max. Audio: AAC-LC, stereo, 128 Kbps, 48 kHz. Same scale down as Apple TV if larger than 320×240.

Sony PSP will encode to H.264 Main Profile, 512 Kbps, 368×208/320×240, 30 fps. Audio: AAC-LC. Stereo. 128Kbps, 48 kHz.

Conclusion

The turbo.264 works as advertised, quickly converting all your video that would convert with QuickTime and QuickTime applications, (iMovie, FCP, QuickTime Pro, etc.) with little strain on your processor. Average fps encoding was anywhere from 40 to 50, with speeds reaching well over 100. In this episode I reached 136 fps and the next reaching 105 fps, not too shabby. Processor never went over 40%. For ease of use, it’s definitely a 5 star product. However, because you cannot change any options, you cannot convert .mkv files, and it’s not quite up to snuff with cheaper alternatives, I’m dropping the rating down a bit.

Recommendation

The show on the left was encoded with VisualHub 1.24 with the one on the right encoded with Elgato turbo.264. Both took approximately the same time on an Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. I would have to give a slight edge to VisualHub, one for its quality, two for being approximately $100 cheaper. VisualHub using ffmpeg for encoding seems to have slightly smoother gradations, with the Elgato making the movie slightly darker than the original.

Elgato has beta software in the works for this encoder, as they have for months now. No difference I can tell using beta 1.0.2b9 from the latest release of 1.0.1 on the website. I truly hope they can improve a bit on their software, making it more interactive and encode better. Otherwise, unless you are still using a PowerPC, I see no reason to stop using VisualHub and jump to the more expensive Elgato.