Whats the fastest and best video converter for Mac?

[MrMister111]

hi

Looking to encode all my video DVDs etc, for my library. I have an Apple TV, PS3, iMac (2Ghz Core 2 Duo) and iPhone.

I have been using Handbrake which is great, use the Apple TV preset which plays on all the devices listed I have.

However I'm just wondering if there is a paid for, or free program that is faster or better in any respect for converting?

I know H264 is CPU intensive, so is Handbrake going to be the best and fastest anyway?

cheers

 

[GadgetGeek71]

I have searched this topic since I first bought my Mac. I believe that Handbrake is one of the best conversion apps there is. I use MacRipper Pro along with Handbrake, and I never have any issues. I agree that it takes a while longer, but that doesn't bother me.

 

[MrMister111]

I have searched this topic since I first bought my Mac. I believe that Handbrake is one of the best conversion apps there is. I use MacRipper Pro along with Handbrake, and I never have any issues. I agree that it takes a while longer, but that doesn't bother me.

Can you tell me what is shorter then please? which way I mean?

Which apps/programs did you test? any commercial programs? any faster than others? any recommendations?

cheers

 

[lucifiel]

conversion time is likely a hardware issue, i.e. if you want to go faster you need a better CPU, rather than a software issue, i.e. it doesnt really matter how much you pay, you'll wind up with similar times.

This is not to say there aren't more efficient ways of encoding, just saying that the current apps out there all perform in similar speeds.

 

[happygareth]

Overall I think Handbrake has the best balance of speed and quality. I have tried several other apps which do encode/transcode faster but either the quality is noticeably worse and/or the lack of configuration options result in video which is not acceptable to me. IMO Handbrake is the best solution right now for my needs.

 

[michaelk242]

conversion time is likely a hardware issue, i.e. if you want to go faster you need a better CPU, rather than a software issue, i.e. it doesnt really matter how much you pay, you'll wind up with similar times.

This is not to say there aren't more efficient ways of encoding, just saying that the current apps out there all perform in similar speeds.

Although your logic in saying this is sane, it isn't right. Their are many many many methods of converting videos, and all affect the video differently. Theirs quality issues among many of them, and to top all of this off many video formats are good only for a few types of videos.

Overall, handbrake is most peoples option. It is free, reliable, constantly updated with new codecs, and has a very unique yet browsable interface. The speed varies greatly, but handbrake does give you the options to make a speedy conversion, as long as you know what your doing. Personally, Id strongly suggest handbrake. It is the only app I've tried (commercial, open, or free) that accepts almost any video format, and has almost lossless conversions with a reasonable speed and cut in video size (if wanted ofcourse).

Although their are many other apps out their, handbrake makes it easy to pick what kind of video you want, be it for ipod, iphone, psp, dvd, etc.

If you want to check it out go to: http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php

 

[Jonnyfive]

I know this is an old post but I was searching for fastest converters and damn Hand brake is pretty fast, faster than what I was using before.

 

[MrMister111]

I know this is an old post but I was searching for fastest converters and damn Hand brake is pretty fast, faster than what I was using before.

Again can I ask for examples of what you were using, and what speed your getting now (fps), on what preset in HandBrake, and on what hardware please. Really fast encoding is relative to the person.

I'm really struggling with encoding speeds wit Handbrake at the moment, I only get 12-14fps, on Apple TV preset, on my iMac Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 2Gb RAM, using Handbrake and VLC 64bit version. I'm really disappointed with my speed conversion, and wondering what is wrong really.

cheers

 

[ksmith80209]

Using Handbrake on a MBP i7, I get encode speeds of about 35-40 fps.

 

[tahoeroscoe]

I'm really struggling with encoding speeds wit Handbrake at the moment, I only get 12-14fps, on Apple TV preset, on my iMac Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 2Gb RAM, using Handbrake and VLC 64bit version. I'm really disappointed with my speed conversion, and wondering what is wrong really.

cheers

you're using technology that is half a decade old, thats a long time in tech years when you consider moore's law. Thats about what i would expect. consider that none of us even knew what an iphone was when C2D was released. And C2D is the MINIMUM to even be able to run os x lion. I'm still running on a C2D because it fills my needs, but i'm also running at 2.66ghz which is 33% more cpu cycles than your 2ghz. you're running a slow CPU by todays standards.

edit: damn didn't notice the OP was more than a year old.