HandBrake hits 1.0
Veteran video transcoder HandBrake has finally hit version 1.0.0, more than 13 years after development began.
The most obvious change is in the pile of new presets. Whether you’re after a quick general-purpose option (HQ 720p30 Surround) or something more device-specific (now including Chromecast, Fire TV and Roku), it’s only a click away.
Video improvements include Auto anamorphic mode, a smarter and more efficient replacement for Strict anamorphic mode. The Rotate filter is now available from HandBrake’s GUI, and the Decomb/ Deinterlace filter has new defaults and extra settings.
Under-the-hood changes bring extended standards support, including VP9 video encoding via libvpx and Opus audio encoding/ decoding via libopus.
The Windows build now has the option to pause and resume encoding. Sounds good to us, but that’s not all: if you stop encoding part way through, HandBrake now finalizes the partial file to make it playable.
Performance enhancements include support for Intel QuickSync Video H.265/HEVC encoder, although you’ll need a compatible Skylake or later CPU to use it.
There are hundreds of other bug fixes and usability tweaks, and just about every third-party library gets an update.
HandBrake 1.0.0 is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.