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Softonic Rating:
Good:7/10
License:
Free (GPL)
Added:
August 20, 2007
Updated:
February 20, 2008
Publisher:
Website
File size:
5.0 MB
Downloads:
7,245
James Thornton

“DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter”

by James Thornton

Forget paying for a program to rip your DVDs to your computer because thanks to the wonders of open source, HandBrake is here to convert disks to MPEG for free. Considering it doesn't cost a dime, the application delivers exceptional results. Converting any type of DVD through a simple-to-understand UI, the program whizzes through the process of producing an MPEG-4 file to save on your machine.

You'll need to have the right codec installed for the type of file you wish to convert (DivX, Xvid, OGM, 3ivx, etc.) but HandBrake lets you perform two-pass conversions and to codify a double soundtrack. Another great feature is the bitrate calculator, which alters the quality of the video according to the final file size you wish to achieve. You can even trim the black bands around a movie to maximise the size of the file. Although I experienced a couple of crashes with this version of HandBrake, it's nevertheless a great open source solution for ripping your DVDs.

Languages:

English

HandBrake supports the following formats:

MP4, AVI , OGM, MPEG-4,H.264, AAC, MP3, Vorbis, AC-3

Recent changes in HandBrake:

  • Impressive performance enhancements
  • Significant interface prettification
  • Color subtitles now show up in color
  • Changing dimensions in Picture Settings no longer causes a crash
  • Forced subtitle support
  • Closing the main window no longer causes HandBrake to crash
  • Using "Slow" deinterlacing no longer doubles the chapter count.
  • MPEG Stream support is now case-insensitive (.VOB as well as .vob, etc) and more compatible
  • No more error messages sent to standard out instead of standard error
  • Bigger buffer for the activity log
  • Proper display of fading subtitles
  • "Same as source FPS" now works correctly when the end-credits of a progressive film are interlaced.
  • Target size fixed for the umpteenth time

OS requirements for HandBrake:

  • OS: Mac OS X

Minimum requirements:

  • Processor: PPC/Intel MHz
  • Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Pros
  • Quick conversion
  • Alters video quality to suit required file size
  • Chops black bands around a video
Cons
  • Sometimes crashes
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From the publisher of HandBrake

HandBrake is a GPL'd multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter. It offers a certain number of features you should find useful if you need to take DVD content and rip it to another format.

Features:

  • Chapter selection
  • Basic subtitle support (burned into the picture)
  • Integrated bitrate calculator
  • Picture deinterlacing, cropping and scaling
  • Grayscale encoding

Posts about HandBrake in our blog

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Softonic Rating:Good
8/10

User Rating

5 ratings
Usability
  • Currently 8/10.
Stability
  • Currently 8/10.
Installation
  • Currently 8/10.
Functionality
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Appearance
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