Do
you have a ton of DVD's? Want to watch them on your
iPod, iPhone or Apple TV? Here's a tutorial that explains how to use an awesome program called
Handbrake to rip DVD's into MPEG-4 video files.
Requirements:
An
iPod, iPhone or Apple TV
500 MHz processor or better with at least 16MB of video RAM
QuickTime 7.0.3 or later
iTunes 6.0.1 or later
VLC player (Handbrake 0.9.3 and higher)
This video below will walk you through ripping a DVD using Handbrake. Step by step text instructions can also be found below.
1) Download Handbrake
Download Handbrake from one
of the sites listed below and install it. Handbrake is free.
If you already have Handbrake installed, please check to see if your
version is out of date. Several new improvements have been made recently
to the program, specifically for the
iPod and iPhone.
You can download Handbrake
using any of the links listed below:
NERD NOTE: HandBrake
is a GPL'd multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 ripper/converter.
HandBrake was originally available on the BeOS, but now has
been ported over to Mac OS X and to GNU/Linux.
2) Insert DVD
Grab
a video DVD and put it into your computer. Handbrake can only convert
standard video DVD's that you would normally play in a DVD player. If you have a DVD-ROM with video files saved on it as individual files (AVI, MPG,
WMV, MOV, etc), Handbrake will NOT be able to convert these files.
Handbrake only wants standard video DVD's.
Depending on your computer's preferences, the DVD Player application
might automatically open. If it does, just quit it. Only one application
should be accessing the DVD at a time.
Launch Handbrake. A screen asking you to select a DVD will appear. Select the DVD you've inserted into your computer and press the Open button.
3) VLC
What version of Handbrake are you using? As of version 0.9.3, Handbrake will no longer natively rip DVDs. Weird right? They were getting some pressure from the movie industry. But don't give up on Handbrake just yet. You can still use Handbrake 0.9.3 to rip DVDs, you just need to install VLC on your machine first.
If you see the VLC warning screen like the one shown to the right, then you need to download and install VLC.
The VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, etc.) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. Handbrake now uses some components of the VLC player and it must be installed if you want Handbrake to read DVDs.
After you download VLC, you need to install it. Directions are below for both Mac and PC.
How to install VLC - Macintosh
VLC for Mac OS X is distributed as a disk image. Download the .dmg file, open it, and copy VLC to your hard drive (for instance the /Applications folder). Open VLC by double-clicking on it.
How to install VLC - PC After you download VLC, the installer will walk you through the install.
3) Source Settings
Handbrake will now scan your DVD. This make take up to a minute or two depending on the contents of the DVD and the speed of your optical drive.
Title: By default, Handbrake will select the longest title in the list. However, this may not be the content you want.
Movies: If you are ripping a movie, the longest title is usually the main feature.
TV Shows: If you are ripping a DVD containing TV shows, you should see a list of several titles all about the same length.
The shorter titles on the DVD are usually the video backgrounds used
in the DVD menu screens and DVD extras like movie trailers. Unless you are a graphic artist, you probably
don't want these tracks.
If
you only want to rip one title but aren't sure which one, you can click
on the Picture Settings button (bottom right of the Handbrake
interface) and manually step through several frames of the title to
see what you're ripping looks like.
NERD
NOTE: Sometimes
Handbrake is unable to see every track on a DVD. We've noticed
issues with very old DVD's from the mid-1990s (before the days
of fancy menus and Bonus features) and some newer DVD's like
Stealth.
There are different techniques and methods to authoring DVD's
Sometimes the tracks get nested in weird ways that prevents
Handbrake from seeing them. Other DVD ripping applications
like Mac The Ripper and OSex might be able to see these tracks.
Look for the longest track. That is probably the main feature.
4) Destination Settings
The Destination section has 3 settings you can modify: file format, codec and file destination.
File Destination: You can name your file and choose its destination using this box. Try to pick a location that has sufficient disk space to store the ripped file. On average, you need about 1 GB per full length movie.
5) Select A Preset
Handbrake a a variety of handy DVD ripping presets for iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Xbox, Sony PSP and many more. Just select a preset and Handbrake will automatically fill in all the settings for you.
If you plan on watching this DVD on your iPod, iPhone or even Apple TV, we suggest you select iPod High-Rez and drop the average bitrate to 900 kbps. This will give you a nice high quality file that will work on both big (HDTVs) and small screens (iPod/iPhone) and won't take up a ton of hard drive space.
Click on the Picture Settings button
to launch a separate window. The only thing you really want to do here is to compensate for interlaced or grainy, compressed looking video. Handbrake will have adjusted everything here for you based on the preset you selected.
Sometimes video files will have horizontal lines in them. This is called interlacing. To get rid of interlacing, try turning on the Deinterlace option and select "Fast." The image below is animated and will toggle between when the deinterlace option is turned on or off. You can really see the difference around the edge of the flipper.
Denoise will help get rid of graininess and Deblock will help clean up blocky or compressed looking video. Experiment and try to make your video clip look the best possible.
NERD
NOTE: Your iPod
really only wants video files that are 320 pixels wide by 240 wide. If you don't plan on watching this ripped DVD on anything else, you can mess around with the settings. Turn on the "Keep
aspect ratio button" and decrease the Width until
it says 320. Handbrake will auto-adjust the height to match the width.
If your video source is 3:4 (full-screen), the height will be 240.
For wide-screen content, the height will be a lower number. This
is fine and isn't something to worry about.
But if you plan on watching
this video on your TV with an Apple TV or an iPod Video dock, then
you should keep the video size big. If you don't have the money for an Apple TV, there's this amazing iPod video dock called the Keyspan TuneView. If
you want to hook your iPod Video up to your TV, you should check out the TuneView.
Can you guess what movie this
still is from in the image below? Here's a hint: this scene was shot
in Central Park and the guy in the Kabuki outfit is the hero of the
film. Please impress
us with your film knowledge.
5) Rip
Finally! Click on the Rip button
and stand back. The encoding time will depend on several variables
including: the duration of the video file, the speed of your computer,
what other activity your computer is currently doing, the codec you
selected (H264 or MP4) and if you decided to do a 2-pass encoding or
not.
Handbrake will attempt to
provide you with an ETA. The time will increase if you Pause the encode
or do anything that will hog the processor like start a 3D render in
Maya. We suggest you do your DVD ripping overnight or at a time when you don't need to use your computer.
When encoding is finished,
quit Handbrake.
Using Handbrake to rip the classic adult film Debbie Does Dallas.
6) Import Into iTunes
Connect
your iPod Video or iPhone to your computer using the cable it came with and
open iTunes (Applications > iTunes).
Drag and drop the video
file into your iTunes library, or select Add
to Library... from
the File menu.
Make sure the video file
you just added to iTunes is in a Playlist that will get synced to
your device.
Select "Sync"
The sync may take a few minutes. Once completed, the file should
now be on your iPod or iPhone.
6) Questions?
If you run into any issues or have questions, please check out the Handbrake
Forum pages. Is Handbrake too complicated for you? PC users looking for a super
easy DVD-to-iPod solution should use
DVD Copy
by
InterVideo.
Copy
Videos Off YouTube YouTube
prevents viewers from downloading files off their site. But there are
ways around this. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to rip video
files off YouTube.com and convert them for your Video iPod.
Mac
Mini RAM Upgrade Tutorial Want
to upgrade the RAM in your
Mac Mini? You can definitely save a few bucks by buying a stripped
down Mac Mini and upgrading the RAM yourself. But before you
can install that extra RAM, you'll need to take a walk down to
your local hardware store and grab a couple putty knives.
Hack Your Apple TV with Boxee Boxee is a free open source cross-platform media center and entertainment hub that can play movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr. All you need to hack your Apple TV so it can use Boxee is a USB stick. If you own an Apple TV, then you need Boxee. Install Boxee and set your Apple TV free.
How to Auto Follow People on Twitter
There's a way to auto follow your followers on Twitter. This auto follow Twitter trick can be pretty useful if you find yourself managing a Twitter account for a public figure, company or celebrity.
How to Explain Twitter
to Your Grandma As Twitter continues to gain in popularity and users, those of us already on Twitter might find ourselves in a position where we have to explain Twitter to a non-techie type person. So what do you say when someone asks you something silly like "What is the Twitter?" or "Are you taking the Twitter?"
iPod
Alarm Clock Whether
you prefer to be woken by the scream of a rock star or the
French horn in a classical symphony, the iPod's Alarm Clock
can help you open your eyes every morning with style!
Rip
DVD's to iPod Video Need
something to watch on your iPod Video? Here's a tutorial that explains
how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iPod compatible
MPEG-4 video files.
Install
Free PSP Games Think
PSP games are overpriced? Us too. Here's a tutorial on how to download
free games off the Internet and install them on your PSP.
Copy
Videos onto a PSP Can't
get enough of your favorite TV show or movie? Here's a short tutorial
that expalins how to add videos to your Sony PSP.
Format
a PSP Memory Stick When
you first purchase a Memory Stick for your PSP, you need to format
it before you can use it. Here's how.
iPod
World Clock
iPod owners might have noticed the World
Clock. Seemingly trivial but helpful at the same time.
Remove
iPod Scratches Got
a scratched up iPod Nano? Me too. After a few failed attempts to
get Apple to help me out, I decided to fix the scratches myself.
Here's how to remove the scratched from your iPod Nano for only
$4.
Search
Engine Submit
If you have a web site, then you know how important it is to get
listed in the search engines. Here's a collection of direct links
to the submission pages of all the best free search engines
on the net.
Add
GPS Info to Your Blog You
probably know what your zip code or area code is (at least I hope
so) but what about the GPS of your house? Here's how to find out
and add it to the metadata on your web site
Expose
the Exposé Blob Like
using Exposé but hate hot corners and function keys? Why
not unleash the hidden Exposé Blob built into Mac
OS X? You can even make your blob look like Eric Cartman.
Play
Commodore 64 Games Again Want
to play those old Commodore 64 games from the early 1980's? All
you need is the game ROM and an emulator. Here's a tutorial to
get you started.
Reset
iTunes Play Count Has
a crappy song crept its way into your ‘Most Listened To' playlist?
This tutorial explains how to reset the Play Count of one or more songs
in your iTunes library.
Email or 
feed.
Do
you have a ton of DVD's? Want to watch them on your
iPod, iPhone or Apple TV? Here's a tutorial that explains how to use an awesome program called
Handbrake to rip DVD's into MPEG-4 video files.
Grab
a video DVD and put it into your computer. Handbrake can only convert
standard video DVD's that you would normally play in a DVD player. If you have a DVD-ROM with video files saved on it as individual files (AVI, MPG,
WMV, MOV, etc), Handbrake will NOT be able to convert these files.
Handbrake only wants standard video DVD's.
What version of Handbrake are you using? As of version 0.9.3, Handbrake will no longer natively rip DVDs. Weird right? They were getting some pressure from the movie industry. But don't give up on Handbrake just yet. You can still use Handbrake 0.9.3 to rip DVDs, you just need to install 
![[Handbrake title selection menu]](3-scanning.png)
Handbrake will now scan your DVD. This make take up to a minute or two depending on the contents of the DVD and the speed of your optical drive.![[Handbrake title selection menu]](3-titles.png)
If
you only want to rip one title but aren't sure which one, you can click
on the Picture Settings button (bottom right of the Handbrake
interface) and manually step through several frames of the title to
see what you're ripping looks like.
4) Destination Settings
Handbrake a a variety of handy DVD ripping presets for iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Xbox, Sony PSP and many more. Just select a preset and Handbrake will automatically fill in all the settings for you.
![[Handbrake resize picture settings]](320x240.jpg)
Handbrake will attempt to
provide you with an ETA. The time will increase if you Pause the encode
or do anything that will hog the processor like start a 3D render in
Maya. We suggest you do your DVD ripping overnight or at a time when you don't need to use your computer.
Where to Find Free Mp3s
YouTube
prevents viewers from downloading files off their site. But there are
ways around this. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to rip video
files off YouTube.com and convert them for your Video iPod.
Want
to upgrade the RAM in your
Mac Mini? You can definitely save a few bucks by buying a stripped
down Mac Mini and upgrading the RAM yourself. But before you
can install that extra RAM, you'll need to take a walk down to
your local hardware store and grab a couple putty knives.
As Twitter continues to gain in popularity and users, those of us already on Twitter might find ourselves in a position where we have to explain Twitter to a non-techie type person. So what do you say when someone asks you something silly like "What is the Twitter?" or "Are you taking the Twitter?"
Whether
you prefer to be woken by the scream of a rock star or the
French horn in a classical symphony, the iPod's Alarm Clock
can help you open your eyes every morning with style!
Need
something to watch on your iPod Video? Here's a tutorial that explains
how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iPod compatible
MPEG-4 video files.
Think
PSP games are overpriced? Us too. Here's a tutorial on how to download
free games off the Internet and install them on your PSP.
When
you first purchase a Memory Stick for your PSP, you need to format
it before you can use it. Here's how. 
Got
a scratched up iPod Nano? Me too. After a few failed attempts to
get Apple to help me out, I decided to fix the scratches myself.
Here's how to remove the scratched from your iPod Nano for only
$4.
You
probably know what your zip code or area code is (at least I hope
so) but what about the GPS of your house? Here's how to find out
and add it to the metadata on your web site 
Like
using Exposé but hate hot corners and function keys? Why
not unleash the hidden Exposé Blob built into Mac
OS X? You can even make your blob look like Eric Cartman. 
Want
to play those old Commodore 64 games from the early 1980's? All
you need is the game ROM and an emulator. Here's a tutorial to
get you started. 
