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monsoco

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 5, 2007
17
0
I have an older computer that I am trying to turn into a media pc. Right now I am in the process of ripping DVD's to an ISO on the computer, and then using Handbrake to convert them into a format that I can import into iTunes so I can share the movies with the other computers/devices in my house.

However, right now my computer is saying that Handbrake is going to take about 9 hours to do the conversion for 1 ISO (and from the looks of the actual file, I think it really will take that long).

Will something like Elgato's turbo.264 help with this? Can it be used to take an ISO, or DVD and turn it into an mp4? Or is it intended for converting other video types to mp4?

Also, I have a Windows PC that I could turn into a media pc as well, but it is also slow. Does anyone know of something (like the turbo.264) that will do what I explained above on a Windows box?

Thanks for the help.
 
don't use h.264, it takes for ever without really nice hardware. use a different setting in handbreak, also just do it from the dvd, don't make an iso of it, unless you need it for something special.
 
don't use h.264, it takes for ever without really nice hardware. use a different setting in handbreak, also just do it from the dvd, don't make an iso of it, unless you need it for something special.

Actually the best thing to do is rip multiple DVDs via Mac the Ripper and set them up in a queue in Handbrake and just leave it too crunch its way through them.
 
Using the queue on Handbrake is def the way to go. Just be sure to use 2-pass encoding while you're at it.

How important is file size to you? Video quality? Play around with a few settings until you get a compromise that works for you. I prefer to lower the resolution a bit for lower-bitrate (ie: less than 500k/s) encodings. Setting audio bitrate to something like 80k/s is a good way to lower file size too. Maybe not for for an audio experience like Forrest Gump or The Matrix, but 80k/s audio is probably just fine for Harold and Kumar.:D
 
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