Ripping DVDs Using HandBrake

If you have DVDs that you want to copy to your iTunes Media Folder, so you can watch the DVD within iTunes, you can use an application called HandBrake which is a free download. HandBrake now requires you to also have the VLC Media Player installed and it is also a free download.

The HandBrake application is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows. It can take any DVD-like source, a VIDEO_TS folder, DVD image or real DVD and outputs to the file formats MP4 and MKV. HandBrake converts your DVD to a video file, it does not rip your DVD byte by byte. It also does not crack or decrypt the latest DVD copy protection schemes created by studios. If you need to rip your DVD byte by byte to first create a decrypted version to feed HandBrake I recommend using MacTheRipper.

The VLC Media Player is a portable multimedia player and multimedia framework capable of reading most audio and video formats (MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DivX, MPEG-1, mp3, ogg, aac ...) as well as DVDs, Audio CDs VCDs and various streaming protocols. HandBrake uses VLC for reading a DVD and then creates a copy to a file. I copied a DVD last night using HandBrake and these are the basic steps you need to follow:

Download and Install HandBrake

• Go to the HandBrake downloads page and download the HandBrake version for your Mac.
• If you have an Intel Core 2 Duo / Core i5 or i7, you should download the 64-bit Intel release as this version will speed up the ripping process
• If you have the older Core Duo or Core Solo processors, you should download the 32-bit Intel release.
• Install the HandBrake Application by copying the HandBrake.app file to your Applications folder.

Download and Install the VLC Media Player

• Go to the VLC downloads media page and download the VLC version for your Mac
• If you have Intel-based Mac download the 32-bit Intel version of VLC. There is not currently a 64-bit version.
• If you have a PowerPC-Based Mac download the Power-PC version of VLC.
• There is also a Universal Binary Version of VLC which contains both the Intel and PowerPC versions of VLC but it's double the size. If you know what processor is in your Mac why waste the space on your hard drive.
• Install the VLC Media Player by copying the VLC.app file to your Applications folder. Ensure it's copied to the Applications folder as Handbrake looks for VLC in this folder.

Set the Source to Your DVD

• First, insert your DVD into your Mac. The default DVD Player will be launched. Simply quit out of the DVD Player application.
• Launch the HandBrake application.
• HandBrake will automatically prompt you to point it to the DVD you would like to rip.
• Select your DVD from the DEVICES menu and select the 'Open' button.
• HandBrake will then scan through the titles on the DVD. This may take a few minutes.
• The Title field will default to the longest title e.g. 24 - 0130m24s. Usually, the longest title is the movie on the DVD whereas the shorter titles are the extras.
• If you not sure which of the titles to rip you can click on the 'Picture Settings' icon at the top of the HandBrake window and then click on Preview to view a short preview of the title.
• If several of the longest titles are of the same length, HandBrake usually defaults to the first and I have found you can select any of them as they will all rip the main movie.
• Handbrake will also default the Angle and Chapters fields and provide you with a duration for the rip.

Set the Destination Folder and File Name

• Next you will need to specify a destination folder for the ripped file. I usually specify my movies folder on my Mac, that is /Users/YourUsername/Movies/. You can use the 'Browse' button.
• You also need to specify the file name of the ripped file. This is in the format FileName.m4v.

Select an Output Preset Value

• The Output Preset helps you to default all the various Output Settings depending on the output device you will be viewing the DVD.
• By default, HandBrake will set the output preset to 'Regular Normal'. This preset works for most devices but is not optimized for a specific device
• You can change the preset by selecting the 'Toggle Presets' icon at the top of the HandBrake window. The current version of Handbrake has presets for Apple's iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, Apple TV and some of the legacy Apple products.
• Changing the Output Settings requires some advanced knowledge of video production. I'll write a future post on creating a custom set of output settings. HandBrake has a large number of output settings that can be tweaked.

Start Ripping Your DVD

• After choosing your source, destination and preset, the only thing left to do is start the ripping process.
• Select the 'Start' button at the top of the HandBrake Window.
• The ETA for completion of the ripping is shown in the Encoding information at the bottom of the screen. Once complete HandBrake will notify you.

Import the Output File to iTunes

• When the DVD is finished being ripped the output movie file can be found in the destination folder.
• To import the movie file into iTunes, you can drag the file into iTunes, double-click on the file or within iTunes select File | Add to Library.
• The movie will be automatically imported into iTunes into your iTunes Media Folder.
• The movie will appear under Library Movies in iTunes.
• To play the movie double-click the movie image or select play.
• Now that your DVD is imported into iTunes, you can sync it to your iPhone or iPod.

I hope this outline of how to rip your DVDs using HandBrake is easy enough for you to follow. Enjoy Watching your DVDs in iTunes or on your iPhone and Apple TV.