A significant update has been released for HandBrake, the popular open-source video converter, with version 1.9 bringing a range of new features and improvements. Since the previous version 1.8, which included a transition to a GTK4 GUI for Linux, the development team has introduced exciting enhancements across all platforms—Windows, macOS, and Linux.
One of the standout features in HandBrake 1.9 is the support for lossless VP9 encoding. While HandBrake previously offered VP9 conversion, the lossless capability allows users to convert videos while maintaining the original quality, resulting in notably larger file sizes. Additionally, the update now supports Intel QSV VVC hardware video decoding, also known as H.266, and includes an option for AV1 screen content coding in the Intel Lunar Lake QSV AV1 encoder.
For those interested in backing up their optical media, there are new options available, including the ability to keep duplicated Blu-Ray titles and set the maximum duration for titles during scanning. This feature complements HandBrake’s existing function to set a minimum title duration, allowing users to bypass scans of titles that exceed a specified length. This is particularly useful for quickly extracting shorter video clips, such as special features.
HandBrake 1.9 also introduces several additional features:
- ALAC encoder for Apple Lossless Audio Codec.
- Vorbis passthrough for audio.
- Improved DTS audio profile scanning.
- Higher quality subtitle burn-in options.
- Updated libraries including FFmpeg 7.1 and SVT-AV1 2.3.
- Enhanced Swedish translation for the Windows and macOS applications.
- Range Limit controls in the Add to Queue dialog on macOS and Windows.
- DirectX video decoding with the Media Foundation encoder on Windows ARM.
Linux users can expect various fixes, such as resolving issues with the queue stopping when removing completed items and correcting problems with chapter names not saving properly. Additional tweaks have been made to improve usability and functionality.
For those looking to install HandBrake 1.9 on Ubuntu, it’s recommended to use the version from Flathub, which offers timely updates. While there are unofficial PPAs and a snap version, they may not be as current. For guidance on using this powerful tool, refer to the HandBrake Docs.
For more information on this release, the official release notes provide detailed insights into all the new features and changes.