Leave me on a desert island with Handbrake
by Lisa Hoover - Mar. 03, 2008Comments (2)- Related Blog Posts
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Everyone has a list of "desert island" applications -- apps we'd have to have with us if we were stranded on a desert island. One that's on my list for sure is Handbrake, an open source DVD ripper for the Mac (it also works on Linux and Windows).Handbrake lets you convert DVDs to a variety of outputs, including MP4, AVI, and OGM. It also supports chapter selection and basic subtitling.
My favorite thing about Handbrake is the preset feature. The app's developers have thoughtfully provided several predetermined settings for optimum ripping, depending on which device you're planning to watch the converted file.
For example, I ripped my store-bought copy of Ratatouille for my kids using the AppleTV setting so I can sync it with that device to watch in the family room (and avoid having sticky kid-fingers touching the original DVD). When I bought the latest season of CSI, I used the iPod Touch preset so I could take Grissom and Stokes with me on the fly.
The latest version of Handbrake ships with a total of 17 presets, including animation, PSP, PS3, and high- and low-resolution iPod. In addition to the preset feature, this app is dead simple to use -- even for a novice. If you rip a lot of the DVDs you buy, have a look at Handbrake to see why it's on my list of apps I'd take to a desert island. Of course, if I were on a desert island, I'm not sure where I'd buy new DVDs to rip, but that's another story.
What are some of your desert island apps?
