Those involved in any kind of video work will be able to relate to the grueling chore of long encoding sessions, especially if you’re not on an exceptionally quick Intel based machine. Video encoding takes time, hogs your machines resources, and is a long and tentative task.

I’m lucky enough to own a powerful dual-core MacBook Pro now which makes encoding videos for my show an easy process. However on my old Intel iMac this wasn’t the case. Videos took an age to encode into different formats, while the process left something to be desired. Enter the Elgato Turbo.264, saving your sanity, and your wallet from having to shell out for a quicker machine for faster video encodes.

The Turbo.264 can essentially be thought of as an extra processor which can be used externally on your Mac. It plugs into any free USB port and acts as a second (or third in the dual-core MacBook Pro’s case) processor solely for the purpose of video encoding. Once plugged in and installed it will show up when exporting in Quicktime, iMovie, iDVD, and the Final Cut suite. How much faster does this device process videos that than your current Mac, well, it all depends on what exactly your current Mac is.

If you’re running a newer and more powerful Intel based machine, results will not be as astonishing as when using the Turbo.264 on a G4 or a G5 based Mac. I’ve done a little testing a few different machines (Intel only).

When exporting a 2 minute, 19 second long MP4 clip from Quicktime to the Apple TV format without the device installed, I received these encoding results:

- Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz - 58 seconds.
- MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz - 61 seconds.
- iMac Core Duo 1.83Ghz - 74 seconds.

However when the device was plugged in and enabled, I was presented with these more than acceptable results:

- Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz - 53 seconds.
- MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz - 59 seconds.
- iMac Core Duo 1.83Ghz - 67 seconds

Michael Mistretta asked if the Turbo took the load off of the MBP’s processors while encoding. In answer, yes. The second advantage of the Turbo is not only faster encoding speeds, but the ability to free up your main CPU. This made the MacBook Pro run quicker, and cooler than it would have when not using the device.

Overall I’ve been very impressed with the Elgato Turbo.264. Will I miss it? Not terribly, because I feel my MacBook Pro is quick enough to export video in able time, but if I was stuck with any other slower Mac, I believe I’d miss the device a considerable amount more. My advice, if you do any video related work and don’t have a state of the art Intel Mac in your office, you couldn’t invest $100 in any better way.

Stopping in for a very short and brief message this evening - a message regarding topical content. What exactly would you like me to blog about? For the past year I’ve blogged about things on my mind and things happening in the general technology world.

Now I’ve decided to let you, the readers take a little more of a hands on approach and want you to leave your suggestions for topics you’d like to see me write about in the comments area below and I’ll begin to make my way through them.

Creating content you want to read, rather than the usual process of me picking something to write about. It’ll be the other way around for a while. Voice your opinion. What do you want to read about? I know many are keen on the Lightroom review, I best be working on it. It’s first on the list.

Credit: Flickr Photographer

Wow. I wish I felt like this all the time. I’ve just woken up after only heading to bed an hour ago, it’s eleven PM. I jumped out of bed feeling energized and motivated.

This happens to me quite frequently but I wish it stayed with me for longer than it usually does. I’ve just sat down with a pad and a pen and wrote down some goals for 2008. Not even specifically for 2008, but for now, for in a months time, for my future.

Over the course of the next 12 months there’s so much I want to do, so many experiences I want to be put through, and so many things I’d love to acquire. I’m planing to have much more fun in my life, to enjoy what I do and take it to the next level. To excel in everything I make a start on - first and foremost, my main projects online, this blog and my video show.

Tonight I’ve tried to make the most of the situation and grab the pad and pen to get some thoughts out of my head. I’m so glad I did, I feel I now have some focus in my life for the next 12 months. Is it just me or do you often get sudden rushes of excitement and motivation?

Last year I wrote a similar post, here’s the 2007 edition of what technology I’ve purchased this year. All-in-all, I spent more than I wish I had on technology this year, I’m expecting 2008 to be a slightly quieter year. I’m happy with my current setup and will be for some time.

Mac Pro (Then Sold)

Last years goal was to update my setup from a 17″ iMac to a more powerful machine. I achieved that earlier this year when I bought a brand new 2.66Ghz Mac Pro. The machine has now been sold as I’ve moved to a fully portable setup, the MacBook Pro + Apple Cinema Display.

30″ Apple Cinema Display

I remember a few years back when I first saw one of these massive displays, I told myself I wanted one, and would one day have one. I never thought that day would actually arrive, yet earlier this year in tandem with the Mac Pro, it did. I became the owner of my dream display. I’m fully aware the Apple Cinema Display line will be updated in the near future, but I have no plans to sell and update. The 30″ display is a perfect extension to the workspace on my 15″ notebook, and adds superb functionality.

MacBook Pro

When I sold my Mac Pro I needed a new machine, I decided to make the move to a portable computing platform - the MacBook Pro. To all those who’ve asked, the MacBook Pro was kindly sponsored by AdvertiseHereForever. Thanks Brendan!

Canon 50mm f/1.8 (Then Sold)

One item I singled out last year to buy in 2007, was this 50mm prime lens. I only recently made the purchase, then quickly sold (after a few thousand images..) to upgrade to its big brother, the f/1.4 version.

Canon 50mm f/1.4

I loved the lens listed above so much, I wanted to reap the benefits of the f/1.4 version. Faster and more accurate auto-focus, better build quality, and a wider aperture opening. This lens is a dream to own, it’s permanently attached to my Canon EOS 350D.

iPod touch 16GB

After selling all of my iPods, I picked up the 16Gb iPod touch the day of release. The iPod touch is the most exciting device I’ve ever owned. The touch based functionality leaves on-lookers stunned.

Other items purchased included the new Apple Wireless Keyboard, the Canon PowerShot TX1, and the Altec Lansing FX6021 Speakers.

Planned purchases for 2008? Possibly updating the MacBook Pro to a newer model later in the year (quad-core), an iPhone, and a various array of Canon lenses.

I’ve been very lucky to have owned these items this year, next year will be much quieter in the money spending department as I continue to save toward my future.

What technology items did you purchase in 2007, and what do you plan to purchase next year?

Each and every Friday I post a desktop wallpaper which I have taken personally on travels and outings with my Canon 350D. The wallpaper is sized at a resoultion big enough to be used on a 30 inch Apple Cinema Display, so no-one will miss out.

| This image was captured using these settings: f/1.4 | 50mm | 1/2500th | ISO 100|

Feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism about this wallpaper below - it helps me grow and learn the art of photography.

Get Desktop Version | Get iPhone Version

Want more? Check out the archives.

I’ve randomly selected the three winners for last weeks competition to win one of three copies of BitClamp, the excellent encryption application for Mac OSX.

BitClamp is a brand new $20 shareware application which allows you to encrypt files and folders to protect them from prying eyes. BitClamp is fast and easy to use. Simply drag and drop a bunch of files you’d like to encrypt onto the main application window (much like AppZapper), choose your encryption settings (Blowfish - 448Bit, AES - 256 Bit, Serpent - 256Bit), and click the encrypt button.

The three winners are Cloudyboy, Elliott Cost, and Joachim - please send me an email to claim your prize. For all those who didn’t win, use the code WOLSEY as you check out to receive a 15% discount on the application.

I recently set out on a mission to track down an excellent 2.1 speaker system to hook up to my MacBook Pro for continuous playback of music through iTunes, and other various entertainment requirements.

I’d heard a lot of good things about Altec Lansing’s FX6021 range, and had played with them a few times within the confines of an Apple Reseller. However the noisy and crammed environment is not necessarily the place to put speakers to the test, I had to make a ‘deaf’ decision.’

I decided to finish my long search for speakers and just purchase them, if they were awful, I could always sell them. Once they arrived, the word awful wasn’t even in my vocabulary, the speakers are outstanding, to the point that I would refer to them more as a ‘sound system’ than multimedia speakers.

Sound Quality & Density

When the FX6021s started pushing out audio the first thing which blew me away was the super high density and ‘punch’ of the music, it sounds very luxurious. The ability to fine tune the Bass and Treble setting to your liking is a much appreciated feature.

The system has 5 volume levels, I’m generally listening to music on the first level, occasionally kicking it up to the second. Anything past two and you’re getting into something I’d like to call the ‘party setting,’ ideal for blasting music through a large noisy area. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to have them accidentally turned up to level 4 or 5 when kicking up iTunes first thing in the morning, unless you’re sending out a wake up call for your neighbors.

I’ve been very impressed with how quickly I can change settings to adapt different styles of music. Generally I leave bass and treble two bars off the top - set to the mid level the bass it delivers is really thumping, I’ve been told time and time again to turn the bass down due to excessive thumping, not necessarily a bad thing.

Design & Overall Environment Blending

Residing next to a 30�? Apple Cinema Display the two speakers look impeccable. They match the ‘Apple environment’ very, very well. I assume these would look as amazing when hooked up to a MacBook or one of the newer aluminum iMac’s.

The subwoofer sits conveniently under my desk, it’s not massive, though it’s not small. I’d recommend checking if you have enough room on the ground near your workstation to place it, as you’ll get much better sound quality with it on the floor than sitting on top of your desk.

Included in the box is both a wireless remote, and a desktop controller. The desktop controller is used for controlling volume, treble, bass, and power - while also providing you with a headphone port to isolate your sound into a pair of headphones should the need arise. The desktop controller would be amazing if it was wireless, sadly, it’s not, meaning it’s a little restrictive to where you can place it on your desk - not a huge problem, just a little grudge. If Altec Lansing had anything they could improve on, that’d be the one thing I’d push forward.

The design of the speakers, sub, desktop controller, and remote are all perfectly in sync. The system is very well polished and looks very professional in any setting.

Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I’ve been more than impressed with the system. I would highly recommend these to anyone who is looking for a suitable and compact sound system to hook up to your system for music, DVDs, and other media playback.

They have been a dream since day one, I really didn’t know how bad the audio on any other sound product I own was until I was treated to these. A must have addition to your setup is a good sound system, make these your choice.

Just dropping in with a quick note this evening, a little giveaway - it’s been a while since I last ran one. I’ve been in contact with Daniel Greg recently, developer of a brand new application called BitClamp.

BitClamp is a brand new $20 shareware application which allows you to encrypt files and folders to protect them from prying eyes. BitClamp is fast and easy to use. Simply drag and drop a bunch of files you’d like to encrypt onto the main application window (much like AppZapper), choose your encryption settings (Blowfish - 448Bit, AES - 256 Bit, Serpent - 256Bit), and click the encrypt button.

I have three copies of BitClamp to give away thanks to Danny Greg, developer of the application and head of Crimson Sky Software. To be in-to-win, simply leave a comment below and I’ll announce three winners next week. Alternatively, use the code WOLSEY as you check out to receive a 15% discount.