diff --git a/examples/TEMPLATE.yml b/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
index f3a39b0a167d25e3cfca38fd05c54e6a36b1a71f..8bdb62206dd55bdf8139e9bac6748a26957780a8 100755
--- a/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
+++ b/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
@@ -240,6 +240,10 @@ conditions_to_generate:
           # fs: 32000
           ### Additional commandline options; default = null
           # opts: ["-q", "-dtx", 4]
+          ### Input format conversion, if encoding a different format
+          # fmt: "FOA"
+          ### Optional use of IVAS_rend for prerendering; can be True (default search) or a path to the binary
+          # ivas_prerend: false
       ### Decoder options
       dec:
           ### Path to decoder binary; default search for IVAS_dec in bin folder (primary) and PATH (secondary)
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
index 2ecac3da00995587e676728a60ac13e2ac99d78d..b58ab4a91811773f0f575134fbd0862a0d3c80d3 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #
 
 from pathlib import Path
+from platform import system
 from shutil import copyfile, rmtree
 from typing import Optional
 from warnings import warn
@@ -50,7 +51,12 @@ from ivas_processing_scripts.processing.processing_splitting_scaling import (
     Processing_splitting_scaling,
 )
 from ivas_processing_scripts.processing.tx import get_tx_cfg
-from ivas_processing_scripts.utils import get_abs_path, list_audio, parse_gain
+from ivas_processing_scripts.utils import (
+    find_binary,
+    get_abs_path,
+    list_audio,
+    parse_gain,
+)
 
 
 def init_processing_chains(cfg: TestConfig) -> None:
@@ -219,6 +225,34 @@ def get_preprocessing_2(cfg: TestConfig) -> dict:
     return chain
 
 
+def get_prerend(
+    rend_cfg: dict = None,
+    name="prerend",
+    use_windows_codec_binaries: bool = False,
+    attrs: dict = None,
+):
+    if rend_cfg:
+        # set to dict; if the user didn't configure anything and wants defaults
+        # Workaround since processing:TestConfig:_validate_file_cfg() removes keys with None values
+        if isinstance(rend_cfg, bool):
+            rend_cfg = {
+                "bin": find_binary(
+                    f"IVAS_rend{ '.exe' if system() == 'Linux' and use_windows_codec_binaries else '' }"
+                )
+            }
+        attrs.setdefault("bin", get_abs_path(rend_cfg.get("bin")))
+        attrs.setdefault("opts", rend_cfg.get("opts"))
+        attrs.setdefault("use_windows_codec_binaries", use_windows_codec_binaries)
+        return IVAS_rend(
+            attrs,
+        )
+    else:
+        return Postprocessing(
+            attrs,
+            name=name,
+        )
+
+
 def get_processing_chain(
     condition: str,
     cfg: TestConfig,
@@ -335,8 +369,11 @@ def get_processing_chain(
         # if the encoding format differs from the format after the preprocessing, add format conversion stuff
         if (cod_fmt := cod_cfg.get("fmt", tmp_in_fmt)) != tmp_in_fmt:
             chain["processes"].append(
-                Postprocessing(
-                    {
+                get_prerend(
+                    cod_cfg.get("ivas_prerend"),
+                    name="cod_fmt",
+                    use_windows_codec_binaries=cfg.use_windows_codec_binaries,
+                    attrs={
                         "in_fs": tmp_in_fs,
                         "in_fmt": tmp_in_fmt,
                         "out_fs": tmp_in_fs,
@@ -344,7 +381,6 @@ def get_processing_chain(
                         "multiprocessing": cfg.multiprocessing,
                         "tx_condition": False,
                     },
-                    name="cod_fmt",
                 )
             )
             tmp_in_fmt = cod_fmt
@@ -412,8 +448,11 @@ def get_processing_chain(
         # if the encoding format differs from the format after the preprocessing, add format conversion
         if (cod_fmt := cod_cfg.get("fmt", tmp_in_fmt)) != tmp_in_fmt:
             chain["processes"].append(
-                Postprocessing(
-                    {
+                get_prerend(
+                    cod_cfg.get("ivas_prerend"),
+                    name="cod_fmt",
+                    use_windows_codec_binaries=cfg.use_windows_codec_binaries,
+                    attrs={
                         "in_fs": tmp_in_fs,
                         "in_fmt": tmp_in_fmt,
                         "out_fs": tmp_in_fs,
@@ -421,7 +460,6 @@ def get_processing_chain(
                         "multiprocessing": cfg.multiprocessing,
                         "tx_condition": False,
                     },
-                    name="cod_fmt",
                 )
             )
             tmp_in_fmt = cod_fmt