What is are some good mac programs that convert AVI to H.264

[VidHunter]

I was wondering which mac programs are good at converting AVI to H.264 in regarding how efficient the quality is retained while reducing the size as much as possible. I've been using iSquint for my H.264 needs, but I was wondering if there are better programs for converting to H.264.


Thanks for your time.

[Case]

iSquint uses the ffmpeg encoder engine, so I presume it would do the same as many other video converter programs that also use ffmpeg.
Apps that do 2-pass encoding (like iSquint's big brother VisualHub) can afford to use a bit lower bitrate for the same quality, at the cost of double the encoding time.

[Frobozz]

I use Popcorn 3 with El Gato's Turbo.264.

[VidHunter]

Thanks for the suggestions. VisualHub sounds interesting. I have always liked how iSquint worked. The thing you said about lower bit-rate, does it mean the resulting file will become smaller? Im not too sure what effect the bit-rate has on the finished product. Also, what bit-rate speed do you recommend when I am using VisualHub for converting AVI files with the size range about 170-200mb to H.264 while making the file as small as possible while retaining as much quality as possible?

One more question about VisualHub, is it efficient in converting MP4 to MPEG-2? I sometimes like to make my own DVDs.

[KeepItSimple]

I like ffmpegX

[panhype]

I'm using MPEG Streamclip (freeware) and even prefer it over VisualHub which is shareware. For my liking it provides a better interface, particularly when you want to play with your settings.

The bitrate is the most relevant factor when you make filesize vs quality decisions (lower bitrate = smaller filesize and lower quality)

MPEG Streamclip instantly allows you to set up a maximum bitrate and it will show you directly the expected file size of your output file.

What is the best setting? Depends on your source material. And requires some testing. I found that limiting the bitrate to 2400 Kb/s (and using AAC at 128 Kb/s) will give you very good quality. Limiting the bitrate to 1300 Kb/s might be good compromise if you don't want such a big file. Etc. Its preview however only works when you have 2-pass encoding unchecked...

MPEG Streamclip also gives you 2 different H.264 encoding options: mp4 or Quicktime.

Okay, just providing another perspective here.