Convert *MANY* MPEG-2 files to Mac-readable formats?

My video camera saves video files as MPEG-2. These apparently can't be played in QuickTime without some $20 add-on - which I have no interest in paying - so I'd like to convert them to a Mac-readable format like M4V (or MOV, etc.).

I've had success doing this with Handbrake, but it's too difficult to add all the files (there's something like 40 of them) to the queue one-by-one. Is there an application that will allow me to quickly and easily convert an entire folder of MPEG-2 files to something like MOV or M4V in one fell swoop?

I think this might work:
Evom - Convert and Download Videos to iTunes

Without buying the MPEG-2 playback component, you're pretty much out of luck.

WITH the MPEG-2 playback component, there are a number of utilities (most of them free) that can batch-convert these files for you overnight.

Is that worth $20 to you or not?

I think the benchmark application for doing what you want was Visual Hub, no longer developed or supported - most unfortunately. It still works though!

There's Video Converter for Mac, and a quick check of the available formats shows a staggering selection.

Both have a drag-and-drop window for ease of use, but how many conversions either of them will handle at once I don't know.

hughvane:

Neither of your options will work on MPEG-2 files without the MPEG-2 component from Apple TTBOMK.

Handbrake might do it.

Do you HAVE to play these back in Quicktime? If not, consider using VLC. I'm fairly certain that you don't need a plug-in for it. Transcoding your videos to another format will result in loss of detail, even if it is subtle.

Oh wait... just grab Perian. Adds support for MPEG-2 video to Quicktime. It's free.
Perian - The swiss-army knife of QuickTime components