I recently lost a bunch of videos (mostly concerts) to a disk encryption mis-understanding., so needed to rip them again from their Blu-Ray sources. Having previously done video decoding/encoding on my daughter’s Mac, I was curious to know how the Mac Mini M2 Pro would compare when doing video decoding & encoding.
I used the trusty app Handbrake for this task.
1080p Recode
I started with the Blu-Ray disc for Hell Freezes Over.
Video/Audio specifications
Source : Blu Ray Disc, Duration 1:38:45
Video : 1426×1080, 30fps, SDR, H.264 to H.265, 8-bit
Preset : Quality, 60 CQ
Audio 1 : BD-LPCM to AAC, 320kbps, Stereo, 48KHz
Audio 2 : DTS to AAC, 320kbps, 5.1, 48KHz
Audio 3 : AC3 to AAC, 160kbps, Stereo, 48KHz
The first pass was using the default H.265 option, which was noticeable faster than the Macbook Air M1. But then I found the H.265 with Apple VideoToolBox option, which allows the video decode/encode process to be handled on the GPU.
| Parameter | Baseline | Regular Encoding | Apple VideoToolbox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Power Consumption | 8W | 52W | 18W |
| Average CPU | 5% | 99% | 22% |
| Average Fan Speed | 1600 RPM | 2950 RPM | 1700 RPM |
| Average CPU Temp | 55C | 101C | 63C |
| Average GPU Temp | 44C | 95C | 68C |
| Average Frame Rate | — | 58 fps | 131 fps |
| Total Encoding time | — | 58 mins | 23 mins |
As you can see, the performance difference is quite noticeable. With Apple VideoToolBox, the entire process is not only much faster (taking almost 70% less time), the CPU utilisation is much lower and the computer runs cooler, drawing much less power.
2160p Recode
I decided to push the computer further, so decided to document a 4K HDR file next.
Video specifications
Source : MKV File downloaded from here, Duration 00:00:30
Video : 3840×2160, 60fps, HDR, AV1 to H.265, 10-bit
Preset : Slow, RF 51
| Parameter | Regular Encoding | Apple VideoToolbox |
|---|---|---|
| Average Frame Rate | 7.6 fps | 53.7fps |
| Total Encoding Time | 3 mins, 55 secs | 35 secs |
With a higher bitrate file, the difference is even more stark. The entire process completed in 85% less time.
Overall, I regret not knowing about Apple VideoToolBox earlier.
Looking forward to pushing the mac for more intense tasks.