HandBrake – Open Source Video Transcoder

What is HandBrake?

HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoder available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Originally developed in 2003, HandBrake has become the go-to tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. Whether you’re ripping DVDs, converting videos for mobile devices, or compressing files for web distribution, HandBrake provides professional-quality results without the complexity of professional tools.

The software excels at taking video sources and converting them to MP4, MKV, or WebM containers using codecs like H.264, H.265 (HEVC), VP9, and AV1. Built-in presets optimize output for specific devices and platforms, from iPhones and Android devices to gaming consoles and streaming services. Advanced users can customize every aspect of encoding for precise control over quality and file size.

HandBrake’s batch processing capabilities make it ideal for converting entire video libraries. Hardware acceleration support leverages GPU encoding for significantly faster processing on compatible systems. Despite its powerful features, HandBrake maintains an accessible interface suitable for users of all experience levels.

Key Features and Capabilities

Wide Format Support

HandBrake accepts virtually any video source, including DVD and Blu-ray disc structures, common video files (MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV), broadcast recordings, and various professional formats. Output options include MP4, MKV, and WebM containers with modern codec support.

Built-in Presets

Extensive preset library covers common use cases: devices (Apple, Android, PlayStation, Xbox), web optimization, production masters, and legacy compatibility. Presets handle codec selection, resolution, bitrate, and container settings automatically.

Video Encoding

Support for modern codecs includes H.264 (x264), H.265/HEVC (x265), VP9, AV1, and MPEG-4. Constant quality and average bitrate modes provide flexibility. Two-pass encoding improves quality at target file sizes.

Audio Processing

Multiple audio track handling with codec conversion (AAC, MP3, Opus, FLAC, AC3, E-AC3) and passthrough options. Mixdown capabilities convert surround sound to stereo or mono. Audio gain and dynamic range compression available.

Subtitles

Burn-in or soft subtitle support for SRT, SSA, VobSub, and closed captions. Foreign audio scan automatically detects and includes forced subtitles. Multiple subtitle track inclusion supported.

Filters

Video filters include deinterlacing, detelecine, decomb, denoise, deblock, sharpen, rotation, cropping, and scaling. Filters process in optimal order for quality preservation.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

HandBrake requires a 64-bit operating system: Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.13 or later, or Linux. Minimum 4 GB RAM (16 GB recommended for 4K content). Multi-core processor strongly recommended—encoding is CPU-intensive.

Hardware Acceleration

GPU acceleration supported via Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE/VCN, and Apple VideoToolbox. Hardware encoding dramatically reduces encoding time with minimal quality impact for most content.

Installation Guide

Installing on Windows

# Download from handbrake.fr
# Run installer

# Using Chocolatey
choco install handbrake

# Using Winget
winget install HandBrake.HandBrake

# Using Scoop
scoop install handbrake

Installing on macOS

# Download from handbrake.fr
# Open DMG and drag to Applications

# Using Homebrew
brew install --cask handbrake

Installing on Linux

# Ubuntu/Debian (via PPA)
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases
sudo apt update
sudo apt install handbrake-gtk handbrake-cli

# Flatpak (recommended)
flatpak install flathub fr.handbrake.ghb

# Fedora
sudo dnf install handbrake handbrake-cli

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S handbrake

Basic Usage

Converting a Video File

Basic Workflow:
1. Click "Open Source" or drag file
2. Wait for source scan
3. Select preset from right panel
4. Choose destination file
5. Click "Start Encode"

Quick Convert:
1. Open video file
2. Select "Fast 1080p30" preset
3. Set save location
4. Start encoding

Understanding Presets

Preset Categories:
General:
- Very Fast (low quality, fast)
- Fast (balanced)
- HQ (higher quality)
- Super HQ (maximum quality)

Web:
- Gmail, Discord, Vimeo YouTube
- Optimized for streaming

Devices:
- Apple (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV)
- Android
- PlayStation
- Xbox
- Roku
- Amazon Fire

Matroska (MKV):
- H.264, H.265, VP9 options
- Better for archival

Production:
- Proxy and editing workflows

Command Line Interface

HandBrakeCLI Usage

# Basic encode with preset
HandBrakeCLI -i input.mkv -o output.mp4 --preset="Fast 1080p30"

# List available presets
HandBrakeCLI --preset-list

# Custom encoding settings
HandBrakeCLI -i input.mkv -o output.mp4 \
  -e x264 \
  -q 22 \
  --encoder-preset medium \
  -a 1 \
  -E aac \
  -B 160

# H.265 encoding
HandBrakeCLI -i input.mkv -o output.mp4 \
  -e x265 \
  -q 24 \
  --encoder-preset medium

# Hardware acceleration (NVENC)
HandBrakeCLI -i input.mkv -o output.mp4 \
  -e nvenc_h264 \
  -q 22

# Batch encoding (Linux/macOS)
for f in *.mkv; do
  HandBrakeCLI -i "$f" -o "${f%.mkv}.mp4" --preset="Fast 1080p30"
done

# Batch encoding (Windows PowerShell)
Get-ChildItem *.mkv | ForEach-Object {
  HandBrakeCLI -i $_.FullName -o "$($_.BaseName).mp4" --preset="Fast 1080p30"
}

Common CLI Options

# Input/Output
-i, --input         - Source file or directory
-o, --output        - Destination file
--preset            - Use named preset
--preset-import-file - Import custom preset

# Video
-e, --encoder       - Video encoder (x264, x265, nvenc_h264, etc.)
-q, --quality       - Constant quality (RF value)
-b, --vb            - Average video bitrate (kbps)
--encoder-preset    - Speed/quality tradeoff
--encoder-tune      - Content-specific tuning
-r, --rate          - Frame rate
-2, --two-pass      - Two-pass encoding

# Audio
-a, --audio         - Audio track selection
-E, --aencoder      - Audio encoder
-B, --ab            - Audio bitrate
-R, --arate         - Audio sample rate
--audio-copy-mask   - Allowed passthrough codecs

# Subtitles
-s, --subtitle      - Subtitle track selection
--subtitle-burned   - Burn subtitle into video

# Picture
-w, --width         - Output width
-l, --height        - Output height
--crop              - Crop values (top:bottom:left:right)
--auto-anamorphic   - Automatic anamorphic settings

# Filters
-d, --deinterlace   - Deinterlace filter
--detelecine        - Detelecine filter
--denoise           - Denoise filter

Video Settings

Quality Settings

Constant Quality (RF):
- Lower number = higher quality, larger file
- x264 recommended: RF 18-22
- x265 recommended: RF 20-24
- NVENC recommended: RF 20-24

Quality Guidelines:
RF 18-20: Visually lossless
RF 20-22: High quality, reasonable size
RF 22-24: Good quality, smaller files
RF 24-26: Lower quality, smallest files

Average Bitrate:
- More predictable file sizes
- May waste bits on simple scenes
- Use two-pass for better quality

Encoder Settings

Encoder Presets (x264/x265):
ultrafast - Fastest, lowest quality
superfast
veryfast
faster
fast
medium (default)
slow
slower
veryslow
placebo - Slowest, marginal gains

Encoder Tune:
film - High-detail film content
animation - Cartoons, anime
grain - Preserve film grain
stillimage - Static content
fastdecode - Playback optimization
zerolatency - Real-time streaming

Audio Configuration

Audio Tracks

Track Selection:
- Select multiple audio tracks
- Choose different codecs per track
- Set mixdown and bitrate

Passthrough Codecs:
- AC3 (Dolby Digital)
- E-AC3 (Dolby Digital Plus)
- TrueHD
- DTS
- DTS-HD
- AAC
- MP3
- FLAC

Encoding Options:
AAC:
- 128 kbps: Acceptable quality
- 160 kbps: Good quality
- 192+ kbps: High quality

Audio Mixdown:
- Stereo: 2.0 channels
- Dolby Surround
- Dolby Pro Logic II
- 5.1 Channels
- 6.1 Channels
- 7.1 Channels
- Mono

Filters

Available Filters

Detelecine:
- Removes telecine artifacts
- For content converted from 24fps to 30fps

Interlace Detection:
- Auto-detect interlaced content
- Apply appropriate deinterlacing

Deinterlace:
- Yadif: Fast, good quality
- Decomb: Selective deinterlacing
- Bwdif: High quality

Denoise:
- NLMeans: High quality, slow
- hqdn3d: Fast, effective

Sharpen:
- Unsharp mask
- Lapsharp

Rotate/Flip:
- 90, 180, 270 degrees
- Horizontal/vertical flip

Grayscale:
- Convert to black and white

Colorspace:
- BT.601 ? BT.709 conversion

Batch Processing

Queue Management

Adding to Queue:
1. Configure encode settings
2. Click "Add to Queue"
3. Repeat for additional files
4. Click "Start Queue"

Queue Features:
- Save/load queue
- Pause/resume
- Priority ordering
- Post-encode actions (shutdown, sleep)

Batch from Folder:
1. Open Source > Folder
2. Select title(s) to queue
3. Configure and add each

Advanced Features

Chapters

Chapter Options:
- Preserve source chapters
- Import chapter names from CSV
- Custom chapter markers

CSV Format:
1,Chapter 1
2,Chapter 2
3,Chapter 3

Subtitles

Subtitle Types:
- Burned-in: Permanent, always visible
- Soft: Selectable, can be disabled
- Foreign audio scan: Auto-detect forced

Import External:
- SRT files
- SSA/ASS files
- Offset timing supported

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

No Source Found:
- Check file permissions
- Verify source isn't corrupted
- Try HandBrakeCLI for error details

Poor Quality Output:
- Lower RF value (e.g., 20 ? 18)
- Use slower encoder preset
- Disable auto-crop if inappropriate

Audio Out of Sync:
- Check constant frame rate setting
- Verify source audio track

Encoding Too Slow:
- Use faster encoder preset
- Enable hardware acceleration
- Reduce resolution for preview

Best Practices

Optimization Tips

Quality vs Size:
1. Start with RF 22 for testing
2. Adjust based on results
3. Use slower preset for better compression
4. Match resolution to source

Archival:
1. Use MKV container
2. RF 18-20 for high quality
3. Preserve original audio (passthrough)
4. Include all subtitle tracks

Mobile/Streaming:
1. Use device-specific presets
2. H.264 for compatibility
3. AAC audio for broad support
4. Web-optimized MP4

Conclusion

HandBrake provides professional-grade video transcoding capabilities in an accessible, free package. Its combination of powerful encoding options, extensive preset library, and hardware acceleration support makes it suitable for casual users converting occasional videos and professionals processing large libraries alike.

Whether converting for device compatibility, web distribution, or archival purposes, HandBrake delivers consistent, high-quality results across platforms.