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.

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