The timeline environment enhances the editing process by providing tools that allow you to work with all the video and audio elements of your sequence without leaving the Batch module.
When editing to the timeline, you are not restricted to using video or images of a particular frame rate or resolution. When you record a clip in a non-native project resolution to the timeline, the clip is automatically resized. You can continue to apply Resize options such as letterbox or cropping. When creating Batch FX, the output resolution is based on the timeline resolution and not the project resolution.
Also see Working with Audio in the Timeline.