Handbrake just got a rather large update that includes several new features that should make Handbrake fans jump for joy. For those of you not familiar, Handbrake is a freeware application that allows you to transcode video. I use Handbrake religiously in order to put my hard copy DVDs in my iTunes library for playback on my iOS devices. This release version is numbered at 0.9.5. They’re also only offering support for Intel-based Macs going forward.

Handbrake 0.9.5 adds support for the iPhone 4, iPad, and 2nd generation AppleTV. It’s also added support for BluRay as well (note this is only structure support, not decryption). This is great news for a lot of us that want to re-encode our media for use on new AppleTVs and iPhone 4s.

Click through for a full list of feature changes from Handbrake’s release notes.

List of changes in Handbrake version 0.9.5 are as follows –

Core Library
-BluRay disc structure support. (No decryption support)
-Updated Libraries (x264, ffmpeg)
-SSA Subtitle support. (Including burn-in)
-MP3 audio now supported in MP4 files (Note: Limited Player compatibility)
-VOBSUB subtitle now supported in MP4 files (Note: Limited Player compatibility)
-Updated Presets for newer devices and better quality
-AC3 encoding support.
-Many Bug Fixes and other small improvements
-Improved DVD Main Feature detection (when using dvdnav)
-Universal audio downmix support (all audio types can be downmixed)
-PointtoPoint encoding (second or frame start and end times)
-Peak framerate option (Capped VFR)

All GUIs
-Updated x264 Advanced Panel
-Video Quality Slider drops % value and only shows RF for x264
-Batch Scan (Scan Multiple files at once. N.B: Does not include multiple VIDEO_TS folders / Image files)
-Many Bug fixes
-Many Tweaks to improve usability.
-Ability to edit queue jobs

Mac GUI
-New Audio Panel supporting >4 Audio Tracks
-VLC detection in /Applications and ~/Applications
-Multiple instance support

Windows GUI
-Encode Status in GUI. (CLI window is now always hidden)
-Improved Auto-Naming for Destination file name.
-Drag / Drop Video onto Main Window to scan.

Linux GUI
-Multiple instance support (run multiple copies of ghb at once)
-Many Bug fixes and UI improvements.

Notices -Power PC (PPC) is no longer officially supported. Given limited resources and time, it simply isn’t feasible for this project to support minority platforms. For those of you still using older hardware, we recommend you stick with 0.9.4.

via MacWorld

A year to the day after the previous version was released, Handbrake has hit 0.9.4, and boy is it faaaaaaaaast:

There’s an old proverb in the video encoding world: “Speed, size, quality: pick two.” It means that you always have to make a trade-off between the time it takes to encode a video, the amount of compression used, and the picture quality. Well, this release of HandBrake refuses to compromise. It picks all three.

If you have video you want to get onto your iPhone, Handbrake is the way to go — and it’s free. New, streamlined presets still include Apple Universal, iPod, iPhone & iPod touch, and Apple TV (as well as others if you’re rocking the Xbox, PS3, Zune, or whatever floats your video boat).

Improvements include much better H.264 encoding via the x264 project, a new build system, new soft subtitles, live preview, and constant quality encoding. As can be seen by the list above, they’re all about x264 now, so they’re also winding down support for AVI, OGG/OGM, and XviD — they’ll tell you why via the link above, but basically they want to pull you kicking and screaming into the better looking future. Love them.

Here’s the direct link to downloads for Mac OS, WIndows, and Linux.

Note to 64-bit Mac users: If you decide to go with Handbrake 64-bit for OS X, and intend to rip DVDs, know that Handbrake uses VLC for the task and VLC 1.0.3 doesn’t yet have a 64-bit version, so you’ll have to stick to 32-bit Handbrake, or downgrade your VLC to 1.0.2 64-bit.

If you give it a spin, let us know how it transcodes for you!

[via TUAW]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb, bloggers and forum crew alike, will bring you our current favorite, funnest, most useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone (or iPod touch) related, they’re fair game.

So who’s on deck this week and what are our picks? Find out after the break!

Chad’s Pick: Pandemonium

Pandemonium was just release for the iPhone for $4.99. This game was originally published on the PSone and has stood the test of time very well. The game plays like a 2D action platformer, but with 3D environments. Check it out on the App Store, the game is a lot of fun! [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Chris’ Pick: Handbrake

I have been using Handbrake upon the recommendation of our illustrious leader to convert some of my DVD’s to iPhone format. Easy to use, settings already determined, I am slowly building up my iPhone movie collection. [Free - Website link]

James’ Pick: Taxi Magic

Have you ever been stranded somewhere and needed a taxi? Well, there’s an app for that. Actually, there are dozens of apps for that. However, most are a glorified directory of search results that one could obtain from Google Maps. Enter Taxi Magic. With a push of a few buttons, you can have a cab dispatched directly to your location. What Taxi Magic does is bypass the (human) operator and send a message to the dispatch system to direct a taxi your way. Taxi Magic uses GPS to determine your location and allows you to edit the location before sending the request. Also included is the ability to pay for the taxi using a stored credit card. Magic yes indeedy! [Free - iTunes link]

Jeremy’s Pick: NBA Game Time

With the NBA playoffs in full swing it’s nice to be able use this free application for when I can’t watch the games from the comfort of my home. Did I mention it’s free? [Free - iTunes link]

Leanna’s Pick: Geek Jokes

Ever looking for some good, cheesy, geeky jokes? – Geek Jokes provides just that. It has jokes in various categories of science, computers, and video games. Although the main screen UI is quite terrible, Geek Jokes will provide you and your friends with some free giggles – and giggles are good for the heart! [ Free - iTunes link]

Matt’s Pick: 3D Gallery

3D Gallery allows you to create your very own virtual art gallery. There are controls on screen that allow you to manuveur through two virtual galleries with photos on the walls. The really great feature here, is that you can customize the photos on the walls with your own art. You can also resize or move the photos on the wall. The application also allows you to save multiple layouts (gallery customizations.) [$2.99 - iTunes Link]

Rene’s Pick: QuickOffice Files

I’ve been using this app since it was called Mobile Files in order to access and view my iDisk (MobileMe’s online storage) files remotely on my iPhone. When I travel, I store PDFs of all my plane and hotel information on my iDisk and QuickOffice Files lets me reference them at the airport or at check-in — just when I need them the most. Locally, I get the same ease-of-access for all important docs of the day. Invaluable. [$1.99 - iTunes link]

Your Pick?

You’re part of team TiPb too, so what’s your pick? What app was your absolute fav last week? Let us — and everyone — know in the comments!

It’s late at night and you can’t sleep. Your significant other has already called it a night and you’re bored out of your mind.

In both scenarios above, you desperately want to catch up on your DVD backlog, but who has the time? Well, read on for this week’s Tip on how to turn your iPhone into your very own silver screen!

You are probably well aware of the ability to watch videos on your iPhone. You can connect to iTunes and rent movies, download to your iPhone, and enjoy. You may not know, however, that you can squeeze your own DVD collection (or at least several titles from your collection) onto your iPhone to watch whenever you wish.

In order to watch movies on your iPhone, the video file needs to be compressed. There are numerous applications out their on the web that you can purchase for a nominal fee and start “ripping”, or compressing, your movie collection. However, one app that I’m fond of that just so happens to be free of charge is Handbrake. 

Handbrake is easy to use. Just load your DVD, start up Handbrake, and it scans your DVD for the files it needs to compress. Just make sure you select the proper format for your movie; Handbrake will rip your DVD in the format you preset, i.e. iPhone or iPod Touch, iPod Classic, etc., depending on the screen size. Once the scan is done, you click “Start” and your movie file will be compressed in about an hour or so. Once compressed, just copy the file to the “Movies” section of your iTunes Library and then sync your movies to your iPhone. You are now ready to take your DVD library with you wherever you go!

Keep in mind that you should only compress movies that you OWN (ahem). Now you can plug in your headphones and watch a movie on your plane ride or with your head propped up on a pillow in bed without disturbing anyone. The sound quality is great with the headphones and the picture quality is surprisingly good too. Whether it’s your favorite movie or television series, try it out today!

That’s it for this week’s Tip. If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o’ the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and please only watch movies on your iPhone when in a seated position — and NO, driving a car doesn’t count as a “seated position”).