POTW: Handbrake February 24th-March 1st, 2008
Handbrake is a free software which allows you to take Video_TS files(you know, the files that contain the data on a DVD) and combine them into a complete video file. The main reason I chose this software specifically is its range of capability. It allows you to create files optimized for playback on an iPod or any other range of common video capable products. The interface is simple and easy to use to help you find the ideal preset. Not only can you use presets, but you can also choose to customize the output file. I use the highest quality sampling since space is not a concern, but most of the files from this level ended up somewhere around the 12GB mark, using h.264 encoding into a matroska video (.mkv) file. However this is unnecessary and you can really settle for the PS3 preset which keeps the quality incredibly high. However, playing around with the settings until you find something you like is always a good idea. I think one of the great things about this software is that you can queue several files and the desired location to put the final product. This means that if you copy the Video_TS files to your hard drive and then encode them from there instead of off of the DVD, you can set it up before you go to work in the morning and have it work on the movies until they are done. This makes for a great way to move your movies onto your computer, iPod, or any other device you want to watch them on.
The one drawback is that you need to have access to the Video_TS file, which most DVDs have some kind of encryption preventing access. Any-DVD does an excellent job of removing this encryption and providing you access to the file components of any DVD, and coupled with Handbrake make for an excellent tool for backing up your movies, or simply moving them to a device you want to use it on.
Also, it is available for Windows, OSX, and Linux, so everyone can enjoy it.
Official Handbrake Site || More Info on MKV
Copyright © Kyle Diedrick and Graphics Unplugged 2008, All Rights Reserved
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