For my birthday this year I received an Elgato Turbo.264 HD. I’ve been using the non-HD version for over a year and have enjoyed it’s ability to quickly convert video to an Apple TV or iPhone-friendly format. The older Turbo.264 was fast but the HD version blows it out of the water.

With the Turbo.264 HD I’ve been able to convert a full two hour TV show into the “iPod High” preset in under 40 minutes. That’s about three times faster than the non-HD Turbo.264 and even faster than converting it without either.

I have an interesting media setup in my house and plan on doing a full rundown of all of my gear and how they work together. But, for now I simply wanted to recommend the Turbo.264 HD to anybody who converts a lot of video. It’s a vital part of my setup and gets nearly as much use as my HDTV does.

The Turbo.264 HD goes for $149.95 on Elgato’s online store but it’s currently priced at $130 on Amazon.