Windows GUI Usage Guide

First things first. Handbrake on the Windows Platform does NOT decrypt Commercial DVDs. Let me repeat this. It does NOT decrypt commercial DVDs. There are other applications to handle this part of the process.

AnyDVD (Commercial – The best solution) and DVD43 (Free – Works for many DVD’s but not all) -tThese will decrypt DVD’s on the fly for  HandBrake .

DVD Decryptor (Free – Use in ISO Write Mode) will rip ISO images of a DVD to disk,

Please be aware that these applications are not legal in all countries. If you are concerned about this, you should consult the law in your own country. You are using the above tools at your own risk!

We do NOT provide any support for these applications!

This guide will talk you through how to use install and use Handbrake.

Let’s begin:

Stage 1 – Install Handbrake

Simply download the “Windows GUI” from the Handbrake download page then run the installer. It’s that simple. If you get a prompt telling you that you don’t have the correct version of .Net framework installed, then you’ll need to download this. Google will help you with this.

Windows Vista Users

Make sure the application is given Admin rights before trying to work with the GUI. The DVD scanning process will fail if you do not.

To do this simply right click the shortcut, Select Properties, Click the “Compatibility” Tab, Check “Run this program as an Administrator”, Press “Apply”, then “OK”

Remember: This has to be done for all shortcut’s of Handbrake. You could alternatively simply set admin rights on the exe itself (Under the Program Files Directory)

Stage 2 – Using Handbrake

When you launch the program you will be faced with the GUI interface. This is the point where you… DON’T run away in fear. It’s not as scary as it looks. So, you want to rip a video to your hard disk?

Stage 3 – Selecting a Source file

Firstly what you need to do is click the “Browse” button which is in the Source box. If you’re selecting a DVD source simply click “Browse”, however if you wish to select an ISO or TS/MPG file then first select the “File” radio selection.

Depending on what option you select, you will either see a file or folder selection window appear.

Assuming you have the DVD option selected, (Thats the default option) you will get a folder dialog box up on the screen. You’ll see the name of the DVD listed followed by a drive letter above. Click the + arrow and you’ll then see a “VIDEO_TS” folder appear below it. Select this and press ok.

If you selected the file option, simply browse to the location where your source input file is located and select it.

Once you’ve selected your source and clicked “OK” you’ll see another window appear. Read what it says then press the “OK” button.

You’ll see a command prompt window appear behind this window for around 10~60 seconds. Once the DVD has been scanned, you will be returned to the original Handbrake window (as per the first screenshot).

Stage 4 – Selecting a DVD Title

There is a drop-down menu named “DVD Title:”. You are given a list of Titles on the DVD. Select the one you wish to encode. (The one with the longest duration is usually the main movie.) You can either leave the DVD chapters dropdowns set to auto or select the range of chapters you’d like to encode.

Stage 5 – Setting up the Output File

Click the “Browse” button in the Destination box. Browse to where you wish to save the output video. Type in a file name. Click “Save”.

Stage 6 – Encoding Settings (using presets)

Choose a preset from the Preset list. This will automatically setup the all the required settings. All you need to do now is press the “Encode Video” button and wait for it to finish.

Stage 6.1 – Encoding Settings without presets

You’ll need to do some experimentation when setting options manually. I recommend you read:

http://handbrake.m0k.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=382
http://handbrake.m0k.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=382

This details settings other Handbrake users have used. You will probably find this very useful. There is alot of good information under the ” http://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/HandBrake HandBrake for Mac, Piece-by-Piece” section. Yes, it’s for the Mac platform, but the majority of the information will still be relevant.

Notes: Encode times will be anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours depending on the length of the video, the settings which are being used and finally the hardware of your PC.

Presets by Speed

See http://handbrake.m0k.org/trac/wiki/BuiltInPresets#speed for more information on how each preset performs.

Final Notes

• The query editor tab allows you to manually edit the query which is passed to the Handbrake CLI application. You probably won’t need to use this feature however it is there for advanced users wishing to fine tune their settings.
• If you have issues transferring a converted video to: iTunes/iPhone/iPod then read this http://handbrake.m0k.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3075]