Parallel Media Encoder

Built for professionals

Everything you need for high-volume transcoding, designed for Apple Silicon from the ground up.

Parallel Encoding

Encode 2–10 files simultaneously — 39% faster in benchmarks. Hardware-aware scheduling adapts to your Apple Silicon chip, from MacBook Neo to M3 Ultra.

Professional Codecs

H.264, H.265, and the full ProRes family included free. DNxHR/DNxHD and camera RAW encoding with Pro.

Color Science

HDR pass-through and tone mapping included. 3D LUT application and RAW exposure control with Pro.

Why parallel encoding is faster

Your Apple Silicon Mac has dedicated hardware media engines built for video encoding. Traditional transcoders only use one at a time — the rest sit idle. Parallel Media Encoder keeps them all busy.

Traditional (Sequential)

Slow

File 1

File 2

File 3

File 4

File 5

File 6

File 7

File 8

Each file waits its turn. 197 seconds.

39% faster

File 1

File 2

File 3

File 4

File 5

File 6

File 7

File 8

All 8 files encode at once. 119 seconds.

197s

sequential, one at a time

119s

parallel, 8 at a time

78s saved

per 8-file batch on M4 Max

Measured on Apple M4 Max · 8 × 60s 4K MXF → H.265 · See full benchmark details

Complete control over every encode

Quality modes — Automatic, Manual Bitrate, or VBR Two-Pass encoding
Resolution scaling — keep source resolution or scale to custom dimensions
Frame rate conversion — match source or set a custom frame rate
HDR pass-through — preserve HDR metadata or tone map to SDR
Audio options — pass-through or re-encode to AAC, FLAC, Opus, and more

See how we compare

Parallel Media Encoder delivers features that other transcoders don't.

Feature	Parallel Media Encoder	HandBrake	EditReady
Parallel Encoding	2–10 simultaneous	No	Yes
Hardware Acceleration	Apple Silicon media engines	Limited (VideoToolbox)	Limited
ProRes Output	Full family (Proxy–4444 XQ)	No	Yes
DNxHR / DNxHD Output	Yes (Pro)	No	No
RAW Input (BRAW, R3D, ProRes RAW)	Yes (Pro)	No	No
H.264 / H.265 Output	Yes	Yes	Yes
3D LUT Support	Yes (Pro)	No	No
Custom Presets	Yes (Pro)	Yes	Limited
HDR Support	Pass-through + tone mapping	Limited	Limited
Two-Pass VBR	Yes	Yes	No
Price	Free / $39 Pro	Free	$49.99
Platform	macOS (Apple Silicon)	Cross-platform	macOS

Optimized for your chip

Parallel Media Encoder detects your Apple Silicon chip tier and automatically configures the optimal number of simultaneous encodes — no manual tuning required.

Learn more about parallel encoding

MacBook Neo A18 Pro

Up to 2 simultaneous encodes

M1–M5 Base / Pro

Up to 4 simultaneous encodes

M1–M5 Max

Up to 8 simultaneous encodes

M1–M3 Ultra

Up to 10 simultaneous encodes

Every codec you need

From camera RAW to delivery formats — Parallel Media Encoder handles your entire post-production pipeline.

Input Formats

ProRes H.264 H.265 / HEVC MXF Containers Blackmagic RAW Pro RED R3D RAW Pro ProRes RAW Pro

Output Codecs

H.264 H.265 / HEVC HEVC Main10 4:2:2 Pro ProRes 422 Proxy ProRes 422 LT ProRes 422 ProRes 422 HQ ProRes 4444 ProRes 4444 XQ DNxHR LB Pro DNxHR SQ Pro DNxHR HQ Pro DNxHR HQX Pro DNxHR 444 Pro DNxHD LB Pro DNxHD SQ Pro DNxHD HQ Pro DNxHD HQX Pro DNxHD 444 Pro

Frequently asked questions

Is Parallel Media Encoder free?

Yes. The free version includes H.264, HEVC, and ProRes encoding with full settings control. It encodes one file at a time. Upgrade to Pro ($39, one-time) to unlock parallel encoding, DNx output, camera RAW encoding, 3D LUTs, custom presets, and more.

What Apple Silicon chips are supported?

Parallel Media Encoder runs on all Apple Silicon Macs — from MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) through M1–M5 Base, Pro, Max, and Ultra chips. The app detects your chip and automatically sets the optimal number of simultaneous encodes.

How many files can I encode at once?

With Pro, you can encode 2–10 files simultaneously depending on your chip: MacBook Neo supports 2, M1–M5 Base/Pro supports 4, M1–M5 Max supports 8, and M1–M3 Ultra supports 10. In real benchmarks on an M4 Max, parallel encoding was 39% faster than sequential.

What codecs does Parallel Media Encoder support?

Output: H.264 (all profiles), H.265/HEVC, the full ProRes family (Proxy through 4444 XQ), and DNxHR/DNxHD (Pro). Input: ProRes, H.264, H.265, MXF containers, plus Blackmagic RAW, RED R3D, and ProRes RAW (Pro).

What's the difference between Free and Pro?

Free includes H.264, HEVC, ProRes output, built-in presets, and video preview — one encode at a time. Pro ($39, one-time purchase) adds parallel encoding, DNx output, HEVC Main10 4:2:2, ProRes alpha pass-through, camera RAW encoding, 3D LUT support, timecode/text overlays, custom presets, and RAW exposure control.

Start free, upgrade when you're ready

Download and start transcoding immediately. Unlock parallel encoding, DNx, RAW, and more with Pro.

Free

$0

H.264 / HEVC / ProRes output
Built-in presets
Video preview & drag-and-drop
Auto-updates
One encode at a time
No DNx, RAW encode, LUTs, or overlays

Download Free

Early Adopter Price

Pro

$39 $79

Everything in Free, plus:
Parallel encoding (2–10 simultaneous)
DNxHR & DNxHD output (all variants)
RAW encode (BRAW, R3D, ProRes RAW)
HEVC Main10 4:2:2 & ProRes alpha
3D LUT & overlay burn-in
Custom presets (save/edit/export/import)
RAW exposure control

Buy Now — $39

One-time purchase. No subscription.

Full feature comparison

Feature	Free	Pro
Single-file transcode	1 job at a time	Unlimited concurrent
H.264 (all profiles)
HEVC Main / Main10
HEVC Main10 4:2:2
ProRes (Proxy–4444 XQ)
ProRes alpha pass-through
DNx (all variants)
RAW codecs (BRAW, R3D, ProRes RAW)	Import & preview only
LUT support
Timecode/text overlay burn-in
Custom presets
Built-in presets
RAW exposure control
Auto-updates

Ready to encode faster?

Download Parallel Media Encoder for free and upgrade when you need parallel power.