handbrake
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Handbrake 0.9 released with speed, quality enhancements and more
Handbrake, the reigning king of effortless DVD conversion software, has received a major update to v0.9.0. New in this version is a "re-envisioned" interface for the Mac OS X version (as well as a completely rebuilt UI for Windows), and picture quality has been improved quite a bit through new effects, filters and deinterlacing techniques. Overall speed has also been boosted, and you no longer have to customize your encoding settings for the iPhone, thanks to new presets that simplify the process.Altogether, nearly 300 changes were made for this new version, so head on over and give it a spin.Thanks Jim
HandBrake gets some major press
When your open-source project is the focus of a New York Times article, that's a big news day for you (at least it would be if not for those meddling kids in line to buy iPhones). Thursday's NYT article discussing the technical hurdles, legal haziness and other challenges to ripping DVDs for personal use leads off with the example of HandBrake dev lead Eric Petit ('titer') using his very own tool to convert a movie so it'll play on his PSP. The article goes on to mention VisualHub and VideoLan, and quickly dives into an acronym soup of MP4, OGG, AVI and more.What I found most interesting about the story was what it failed to say about the software it featured so prominently: neither HandBrake nor VisualHub were described as Macintosh apps. VisualHub is of course Mac-only, and HandBrake has been historically a Mac tool (after beginning life on BeOS) before forking and unforking as MediaFork with a Windows version in the mix. It's pleasantly surprising to me that this sort of article can be platform-agnostic.
Return of the pineapple: HandBrake 0.8.5b1
First there was HandBrake, then MediaFork... and now, well, just don't call it a comeback: HandBrake 0.8.5b1 is out, incorporating all the library updates from the MediaFork build of the free, open source DVD converter/compressor and adding some new goodies:• User presets • AppleTV and PS3 support • Anamorphic video, even in QuickTime • Surround sound (both AAC 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic II) • Chapter markers (QuickTime-style) • Official support for the Windows GUI • PPC Linux support • High profile H.264What better way to spend a weekend than converting all your DVDs to show on your AppleTV? Just note that this is a beta version, and the last stable rev of HandBrake (0.7.1) may be more reliable.
Care and feeding of open source programmers
[Update: Brian Ganninger of Growl and Adium fame has posted on his strong disagreement with the HandBrake manifesto.]Since HandBrake got back under one open-source roof, the attention to everyone's favorite Mac DVD 'archiving' tool has heated up, and with said attention the volume of end-user feature requests has apparently risen. Over at the HandBrake forums, back on March 6, Rodney posted a manifesto called "HandBrake and Open Source - an end-user must-read," pointing out what he sees as the differences between F/OSS and commercial software when it comes to user-driven feature priorities. I quote:"Open source software is exactly what it sounds like: It's software written by a (usually small) group of highly-dedicated people that solved particular problems they themselves had and thought others might find useful as well. Like most things that are free, it comes with no warranty: If it does what you want, that's great - that's exactly why it was offered to you. If not, you have the freedom of choice to either modify it to suit your desires or find another software package that more closely meets your needs."The core of Rodney's message, as I read it: if you want something weird or customized, either pay someone for it or code it yourself -- don't knock on the glass with your crazy "why doesn't HandBrake do X?" requests, unless you're willing to pull your weight, 'cause everyone here is a volunteer. I don't agree with him on all fronts -- certainly, 'big kahuna' open source projects like Firefox, Webkit or OpenOffice are highly focused on the needs of the end user -- but for apps like HandBrake with a small core of developers, it definitely pays to ask very politely if there's something you desire, and to accept the fact that your priorities may not sync up with the developers' areas of interest. Now, off to learn C -- where did I leave that copy of Kernighan and Ritchie?
MediaFork to 'unfork' back into HandBrake
As Erica noted back on the 12th, a contributed branch of the HandBrake DVD ripping tool was released as MediaFork, including plenty of updated library goodness and new features for conversion to iPod video formats. The development team on MediaFork had tried to contact HandBrake developer "titer" prior to splitting off a version, but hadn't been able to reach him.Well, titer has returned, made contact with the new team, and given his official stamp of approval to the MediaFork efforts -- meaning that the next beta of MediaFork will return to the HandBrake name and website. It's wonderful to see everyone working together for justice, and for... the safety of puppies... and Christmas, right? Let's rip those DVDs!thanks Mike![via MacApper]
MediaFork: Stick a fork in HandBrake
Not much has happened on the HandBrake front for quite some time, so some developers decided to fork the open source development and create their own nonofficial version. MediaFork is the open-source community-contributed HandBrake fork they developed. Like its parent, it's a DVD ripping application that allows you to create iPod compatible MPEG-4 video from any commercial DVD. The 0.8.0 Beta 1 software is available as a 10.3.9-or-later Universal Binary. I just downloaded my copy and can't wait to give it a spin.
Easy iPod/PSP movies with Instant Handbrake
When it comes to turning a DVD into a movie file, Handbrake's name is hailed far and wide for its ease of use, speed and overall quality. Recently, Handbrake's developer took these praised aspects and raised the bar by releasing Instant Handbrake (beta), a one-stop, brain-dead-easy app for converting a DVD to iPod/PSP-compatible video.By default it's set to crop the video when necessary (4:3 for iPod, 16:9 for PSP), depending on which device you specify, but you can elect to maintain the video in its original size. Video formats are MPEG-4 or H.264 for the iPod, and MPEG-4 for the PSP.Like its big brother, Instant Handbrake is free and available here.
Turn that Mac mini into a media center - finally
When the mini was announced, about the only person NOT thinking "media center Mac" was Bill Gates. I immediately bought one, and I bought the then-new El Gato EyeTV with that ATI logo on it (the full name escapes me). That El Gato box is ugly, gets hot, and didn't really do what I wanted... So now El Gato has a new version of their baseline TV input device out, and this time it has a remote! So, between a big hard drive, the El Gato EyeTV EZ, and a Mac mini Core Duo, you finally have a nearly-perfect Mac-based media center. And to help you set it all up, there's Chris Hamady's excellent page on his Media Center Macintosh Project. Great. So what the heck am I going to do with my old rig?Chris sets up his EZ with the mini, and it works great, in no small part because of that nifty remote (curse you El Gato!). He adds a big honkin' hard drive for all that sweet, sweet pep. Then he rips his DVD's using Handbrake, so his collection is accessible using Front Row. To top it all off, he puts XP on there (complete with some security measures). I guess he can use his Windows boot for watching those nifty CNN videos...
Handbrake Lite
The fine folks who brought us iSquint, now give us Handbrake Lite. You may remember Handbrake as that super cool app that rips DVD's into tons of different formats. Handbrake Lite is just like that, only it rips your DVD's into an iPod ready format (320x* MPEG-4 SP, ffmpeg, 1000kbps avg, 48000KHz 128kbps audio) and that's all it does.What if you want more options? Use Handbrake.Thanks, Tony.
