Overview Elgato Turbo.264 HD Software Edition
Makradar Technologies / / December 19, 2019
Company Elgato known Russian Mac users primarily due to EyeTV, A compact TV tuner and the eponymous application allows you to watch and record live TV directly from your computer. Meanwhile Elgato product line is not limited to only one tuner and includes an entire family of software and hardware solutions.
One of them is Turbo.264 HD, A hardware codec for fast video conversion to native "apple" (and not only) format devices H.264. Not so long ago the company released a standalone software component of a product called Turbo.264 HD Software Edition, Which we have tested.
The main feature Turbo.264 HD was a possibility to shift operation from the CPU to Sided iron, which allowed not only to reduce the load on the system, but in many cases, significantly accelerate the process of convert. However, as the developers say, Turbo.264 HD Software Edition is able to show good results and without additional "iron".
In addition to the stated high speed in the arsenal of applications to support a large number of readable formats (including AVCHD, QuickTime, AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Xvid, DVD rips CDs and MKV) and a good set of basic profiles (iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, PSP, YouTube SD and HD, HD 720p and 1080p). As a bonus - the metadata editing functions, encoding a fragment of the film and the ability to combine multiple clips into one.
Turbo.264 interface is extremely simple: you simply drag and drop the desired files to the application window, specify output format (in the case of the film of multiple audio tracks have to choose one) and press Start. Next is just wait for the completion of encoding, as the app will notify beep.
Frankly, no additional configuration alarmed at first, the benefit of external simplicity video converters repeatedly hiding a terrible result: Miro Video Converter consistently produces a nightmarish quality of the picture, working with Evom like a "Russian roulette", and even reminisce about Permute scary. There are Handbrake, interface which clearly created under the impression of the cockpit Boeing, but, excuse me, use Handbrake for problems "to throw a movie on iPhone» is equivalent to shooting a gun on mosquitoes.
The first field tests to dispel fears: DVD drive successfully converted for viewing on your AppleTV, Full HD trailer for Avatar on the iPhone filled in an appropriate format. The quality of the image claims there: single-frame compared to the results issued by QuickTime on the same presets, showed minimal differences in the dynamics of the difference between catch and even impossible. Moreover, Turbo.264 coped with the task of encoding a DVD with DTS sound track and interlaced video. If you strongly want to be safe - please use the ability to create user profiles, but then again, the available presets provide an excellent result.
And now the most interesting performance.
In our tests on standard profiles the difference in speed between Turbo.264 HD Software Edition and QuickTime reached 30% in favor of the first, although in some cases the gain in speed was almost imperceptible. As explained in the Elgato, the difference in speed strongly depends on the original file format and in the case of, for example, MPEG-2, Turbo.264 HD benefits from its own decoder.
Usually, the developers of video converter for Mac are two options: either they use the QuickTime and the "native" Apple's H.264 codec, or involve FFmpeg possible to "understand" a huge amount of audio and video formats. The Elgato chose a different path - licensed MainConcept codecs. As you can see - not for nothing.
What we have in the end? Quickly, efficiently and, most importantly, easy to use video converter that allows you to effortlessly convert video files in H.264 format. In our opinion Turbo.264 HD Software Edition - the best at this point solution for home users who value their time.
P.S.: licensing cost of Turbo.264 HD Software Edition is 49.95 dollars, the hardware version will cost twice as much.