Faster way to convert to Mp4?

[#1]

Quote from: LukeAger

Currently using handbrake to convert any movies i have from avi to mp4 (simply so that i can add the movie to my itunes and then to ipad.) Handbrake seems to take a massive amount of time to convert these. About 45-50 mins to convert a 2 hours film. Does anyone know of a program which may speed up this process? Using 2006 Imac Processor  2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Graphics  ATI Radeon X1600 256 MB Memory  3 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

The OP is talking about iMac software so probably OSX, not Linux .... ie Handbrake.
See post #5...
I know it's available on various platforms
http://handbrake.fr/

[#2]

Possibly... I assumed that it was LINUX. being in this forum section... and as you say.. not mentioned which OS he is using... 

[#3]

Quote from: PlusComUK

For straight conversion from one file format to another, I find that opening a file in Quicktime 10 (10.8.2) and Export the file, does a fairly quick, and high quality conversion. You can also Export As, direct to iMovie compatible. It does it in the background, or I just go and do something else, having set Energy Saver to more than the calculated time to export. Test: Using QT10, I just exported a one minute .avi to .mov (iMovie compatible) ....... it took just TWO seconds. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have tried various software options to transcode from DVD, and have always come back to Handbrake. These are my Handbrake settings for conversion from DVD to a format suitable for iMovie. Note, only 5 minutes to convert per 30 minutes on DVD.

Of course, all of this may be irrelevant, my older 2007  iMac G5 White 17" Superdrive won't even run 10.7, let alone 10.8, so QT10 may be out of the question !!
It's supposed to work with 10.6.8 though
[color=red]What is QuickTime X?
QuickTime X is the next-generation media technology that powers the audio and video experience in Mac OS X v10.6 and later.
Having re-read post #5 with OP's iMac spec.[/color]


In which case, perhaps Quicktime Pro £20, is an option
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/D3380Z/A/quicktime-7-pro-for-mac-os-x

[#4]

Thanks guys. I am using iMac OSX. I have changed the output file to a lesser quality which had reduced the conversion time. Iv also found the iMac is overheating when the CPU is struggling. I have tweaked a few things in the fan control to improve cooling although having now read PlusComUK's latest post I may try using the Quicktime process. Thanks all for your suggestions. 

[#5]

I bet you find that you will exchange conversion speed for file size and/or for quality degradation.