elgato turbo.264
Product Review
Price: $99.95, check for user group discounts
Pros: Hardware encoder for iPod, Apple Tv and PSP
Cons: relatively new product, some encoding issues causing lost frames
Product Rating
Impressive
by David Enders, AAUG Member
elgato is probably best known for their EyeTV hardware and software products. They have supported the Mac platform since 1992. This is not surprising since the founder Markus Fest is the creator of the Toast software all Mac users know and love.
Newly released elgato turbo.264 is a hardware encoder that converts video to the H.264 format used by the iPod, Apple TV and Sony PSP. Installing turbo.264 could not be easier, pop in the CD and install the software to your applications folder. The hardware encoder connects via an available usb 2.0 port. When I installed it on my MacBook, the size of the turbo.264 blocks the second usb port. To fix this situation , elgato supplies a short usb extension cable so that this becomes a non-issue. With the encoder connected directly to the usb port it felt a bit loose. It never fell out or came disconnected , I would have just preferred a tighter fitting connector. Converting video whether it be a Quicktime movie or an unprotected DVD movie to a format suitable for your 5G iPod or Apple TV is easy. The turbo.264 will also convert the video for the Sony PSP.
If you have ever exported video to any of these formats within Quicktime, you will know it takes a longtime to complete this task. (more…)
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