your content:

from your pdf - you convert most things to AIC - and most files are normal SD resolutions 720x480 etc

dont convert using catalyst - it doesnt work with h264/mpeg type codecs - and doesnt do frame rate conversions

use one of the batch convertors out there like apples compressor - or episode - or others

use apple prores codecs - not AIC

there are 5 different ones

proxy - faster than AIC
LT - about same as AIC
422 - slower than AIC
422HQ - high quality - much slower than AIC
4444 - super high quality - much much slower than AIC

prores codecs dont use any interframe compression like h264 - and work very well -
https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/...hite_Paper.pdf