HandBrake, the free video format converter, is finally out of beta

Ben Lovejoy from 9 to 5 Mac announces the HandBrake is out of beta after over a decade

HandBrake, the ultimate video format converter, finally out of beta after 13 years

It’s common practice for apps to launch first in beta-test format for a few weeks or months, to allow early users to provide feedback before the official release. Video conversion utility HandBrake must, though, have set a new record: after 13 years in beta, the app has finally officially launched as version 1.0.0… Originally created for ripping DVDs, HandBrake is the go-to tool for those who want to convert existing video footage into space-efficient formats for watching on iOS devices, with presets for everything from iPhone to Apple TV. It’s free, multi-platform – running on Mac, Windows and Linux – and open-source. In version 1, the presets have been updated to support later devices, a whole bunch of third-party libraries have been updated and the Mac app has a number of improvements, many of them designed to make the app more convenient to use.

• Updated all tooltips
• Added undo/redo support to the graphical interface
• Improved drag and drop support
• Added Open Recent to the File menu
• Added Add Titles to Queue… to the File menu (batch queueing)
• Preview prompts to open in an external application when the internal player does not support the format
• Preview now displays volume and audio/subtitles language selection during playback
• Picture and Filters settings are now part of the main window
• Settings are preserved when selecting a new title (instead of reloading the last selected preset)
• Improved support for importing/exporting comma-separated (.csv) chapter markers
• Queue is now automatically paused when available disk space is low
• When Done action can now be changed directly from the Queue window
• When Done notification is now interactive (reveals the encoded file in Finder)
• Activity Log window is now searchable (press “?”+”f” to activate)
• XQuartz is no longer required for subtitle burn-in
• Updated Sparkle software update library
• Enabled DSA signature checking for improved security
• Usability improvements
• Miscellaneous bug fixes

You should always download HandBrake directly from the source site.