Instant Handbrake - A quick and easy DVD to iPod conversion utility
November 28th, 2006 - Mac OS X, OS X Apps, Utilities
Instant HandBrake is a slimmed down, no frills version of the popular open source video conversion utility, HandBrake. Built from the development branch of the HandBrake source code, Instant HandBrake makes taking any DVD you own and placing it on your iPod easier than ever before. And of course, I should mention that Instant Handbrake can also convert your DVD Videos to a format Sony’s PSP can understand. When converting DVD Videos to your iPod, you can choose from the standard MPEG-4 format (perfect for pocket viewing), or if you plan on hooking your iPod up to a television, H.264 encoded video is also supported.
1. Open HandBrake
2. Choose your DVD drive, or Video_TS Folder
3. Pick iPod or PSP output.
4. Click convert.
Depending on the speed of your Macintosh’s Processor, you will wait from as little as 45 minutes to well over 2 hours. The wait is well worth it, as you will receive a video file which you can simply drag onto your iTunes icon, ready for your next sync.
Developer home
Download now for Mac OS X 10.5
Download now for Linux
Download now for Windows
Other downloads available here
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Comments:
Comments: 51
Comment from anonymous
Time: November 28, 2006, 10:43 am
Another great application that I’ve been using recently. It doesn’t do PSP H.264, which is too bad, so some have found that a second step using ffmpegx does the trick (I haven’t had any luck with that, however).
Not to mention, I think this is a GNU/GPL license, so think freedom.
From what I understand, development on this is more of a personal endeavor for the developer, so it’s not like it’s constantly updated, etc. Please correct me if I’m wrong (as always)
Comment from anonymous
Time: November 28, 2006, 11:59 am
Yup, I don’t think this program is frequently updated.
Fortunately its GPL’d and just waiting for someone to pick it up, Market it, and run with it.
Comment from muchmore
Time: November 28, 2006, 2:26 pm
Does it encode at 320×240 or 640×480?
Comment from brad
Time: November 28, 2006, 2:32 pm
Works great. Nearly idiot proof. Author considers it beta software. I have an old iMac dedicated to Instant Handbrake (converting DVD’s to iPod files)
The web site has been dormant since 04/21/2006. Since that time Apple doubled the resolution of the iPod (from 320 lines to 640 lines). Instant Handbrake doesn’t support the higher resolution (yet).
Comment from anonymous
Time: November 28, 2006, 3:18 pm
is the 5g ipod the 320×240 ? How do I know which resolutions my iPod can support?
Comment from Jay
Time: November 28, 2006, 3:38 pm
If your 5G iPod is updated with current firmware, it can support 640×480 H.264.
Comment from anonymous
Time: November 28, 2006, 3:41 pm
Well in that case lets figure out a way to make this puppy output 640×480
One more question: how long ago did this firmware update get rolled out?
Can I store video on my ipod thats higher resolution than 640×480 strictly for tv output?
Comment from Chad
Time: November 28, 2006, 3:43 pm
If this program is open source it wouldn’t be that hard to implement a new setting that outputs 640×480….
Anyone feel like playing around with the source code?
Pingback from isteve » Blog Archive » DVD to ipod?
Time: November 28, 2006, 9:30 pm
[…] Instant Handbrake has got to be the easiest way to get your DVD to your ipod. It’s a total no brainer just choose the DVD and click convert. That it all there is to it. As of now it’s Mac only. […]
Pingback from » Instant Handbrake - A quick and easy DVD to iPod conversion utility - Zune media player
Time: November 29, 2006, 12:02 am
[…] Instant HandBrake lets you easily convert any DVD to iPod and PSP friendly formats. Convert and drag the resulting file into iTunes, it’s that easy! Now I know what to do with all those NetFlix rentals…read more | digg story All media playerAll media player Social Bookmark Thisdel.icio.us Digg it Earthlink Furl iFeedReaders ma.gnolia Maple.nu Netvouz Netscape RawSugar reddit Scuttle Shadows Simpy Spurl StumbleUpon Wink Yahoo MyWeb […]
Comment from Johnny Appleseed
Time: November 29, 2006, 2:41 am
The latest beta of the full version of Handbrake will convert to the new 640x baseline low-complexity codec.
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Time: November 29, 2006, 5:53 am
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Time: November 29, 2006, 8:20 am
[…] Instant HandBrake lets you easily convert any DVD to iPod and PSP friendly formats. Convert and drag the resulting file into iTunes, it’s that easy! Now I know what to do with all those NetFlix rentals…read more | digg story […]
Comment from jack
Time: November 29, 2006, 12:14 pm
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Pingback from TechTxt.Org » Blog Archive » Instant Handbrake - A quick and easy DVD to iPod conversion utility
Time: November 29, 2006, 12:15 pm
[…] Instant HandBrake lets you easily convert any DVD to iPod and PSP friendly formats. Convert and drag the resulting file into iTunes, it’s that easy! Now I know what to do with all those NetFlix rentals…read more | digg story […]
Comment from FruityNutcake
Time: November 29, 2006, 12:18 pm
Forget the fruity cocktail! Alternate (and better) icons for handbrake are here:
Comment from MyronAIII
Time: November 29, 2006, 12:42 pm
I read an earlier post that said Handbrake was only for mac; however, there are at least two versions for pc. Here is the best of the two versions:
http://www.sr88.co.uk/downloads/hb/hb10.rar
It is the best version out for PC and has many more options than the first PC Handbrake version that most people have. Also, you will need DVD43 as well, which you can find many places.
Here is the creator’s page (who made this PC version):
http://www.sr88.co.uk/projects.php
Comment from whatdoyaknow
Time: November 29, 2006, 5:15 pm
Soooooo simple. Thanks, I’m gonna e-mail this article to a few of my friends!
Comment from steve garfield
Time: November 29, 2006, 6:13 pm
When you select OTHER… as the destination, Handbrake puts it in to MOVIES anyway.
Comment from diggler
Time: December 4, 2006, 8:55 pm
Where is the best place to get memory for a G4 powerbook? I’m running 2 256 sticks.
Comment from Scott
Time: December 21, 2006, 8:20 am
Its amazin. 1 Month ago there were 2 users of my applicaiton
(I wrote the windows GUI for handbrake)
Now i’ve had 275 downloads in the last 72 hrs :/ Bandwidth bill shotting through the roof.
Comment from lee
Time: January 7, 2007, 10:50 pm
I have a Mac G4 desktop - after the software scans I select iPod 5G(h.264), Orginal picture format, English Audio and select concert. I continue to get a message - “The application Instant HandBrake has unexpectedly quit. The system and other applications have not been afected…….” Not sure what is causing the process to quit. Any thoughts?
Comment from j
Time: January 12, 2007, 2:53 pm
i ripped a dvd with the instant hand break and i converted it to a quicktime file i can watch it but i cant get it into my itunes what did i f up?
Comment from Andy Berry
Time: January 17, 2007, 12:59 pm
Is there a pc version of this does anyone know ?
Comment from balligerant
Time: February 16, 2007, 11:50 am
“Depending on the speed of your Macintosh’s Processor, you will wait from as little as 45 minutes to well over 2 hours. ”
Ummm, I don’t think so. For a DVD movie?…more like 5-6 hours. And that’s on a G4 1.8 Ghz Powerbook.
“The wait is well worth it, as you will receive a video file which you can simply drag onto your iTunes icon, ready for your next sync.”
This part I agree with. The output quality is good.
Comment from Chad Garrett
Time: March 5, 2007, 2:38 pm
I just had to post and say something to that guy who considers a 1.8GHz G4 the latest in technology. Sir, you simply fit into the “well over 2 hours” category. Faster computers do exist. 45 minutes is NOT crazy.
Comment from Vladimir
Time: March 7, 2007, 4:05 pm
Couldn’t agree more with Chad,
also, just use MediaFork since it is the new direction
Comment from Darrell
Time: March 21, 2007, 6:03 pm
For windows you can try DVD Decrypter
Comment from MichaelH
Time: March 22, 2007, 10:48 am
Some of the movies I try to rip (Underworld Evolution and DaVinci Code…so far) start out converting just fine and then suddenly say “Done”. If I play the file it gets about 30 seconds to 1 minute through the movie and then stops. I have rebooted, closed and reopened the app but still nothing fixes the problem. Any ideas?
Comment from sharewareguide
Time: March 27, 2007, 10:16 pm
I here have read an article about rip dvd to ipod, and fllowing the instruction, that really works well: here is the link:
http://www.sharewareguide.net/article/Tip/how-to-rip-and-convert-dvd-to-ipod-video-mp4.html
guys who like it can have a look.
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Comment from Bockscar
Time: May 12, 2007, 2:34 pm
I just burned a copy of my favourite movie ‘Fandango’ to my PSP, i made sure i named the file for use on it but it reads as incompatible data… any advice would be great.
Comment from Jen
Time: May 17, 2007, 7:06 am
After it converts my DVD for about 2 hours, it says “Done.” But there is no converted file. Not in Movies folder or anywhere else. Could it be done and I just can’t find the converted file? I’ve done this repeatedly and haven’t yet been able to get a completed file at the end.
Comment from dkb
Time: May 29, 2007, 12:09 pm
It looks great, but I am having the same problems with both Handbrake and the beta instant, same as MichaelH. HB runs as normal. Selects the right file, auto configures (or I do the settings myself in HB), it runs for a minute–though it says it will take about 5 hours–then says done with only a brief capture. Powerbook G4, 10.3.9. I also tried changing the file format, anything I could think of. Same thing, just a 30 second title capture. I’ll check back for comments.
Comment from dnj
Time: June 7, 2007, 1:04 pm
I’m having the dame problem as MichaelH and dkb. I just tried to rip “Casino Royale” with Instant Handbrake and it would work fine for about 1 min then say done..but the resulting file was only about 23 seconds long. Could this be because the DVDs have very new DRM encrypting or some security software that Handbrake can’t crack. With Da vinci Code and Casino Royale, they are both very new so there may be new restricitons.
i am running a fairly new Macbook 1.83 ghz with Mac os 10.4.9
Comment from DNJ
Time: June 7, 2007, 1:10 pm
In relation to the problem experienced by “dkb” and “MichaelH”…………..Check on Wikipedia for Handbrake (software)…..it says there that……….. “As of March 3rd, 2007; HandBrake’s programs are no longer able to convert movies to iPod format because of impending legal issues.”…………My guess is that if you downloaded handbrake after this date….you’re out of luck. I say this simply because i downloaded handbrake prior to this date and have ripped DVDs to iPod format after March 3rd, 2007. However, I was unsuccessful when i tried to rip “Casino Royale” last night. Maybe the new restriction has been put in place even on my version of handbrake which i downloaded 6 months ago.
Comment from michael
Time: July 11, 2007, 12:25 pm
everything is fine exept the sound, picture working fine when I use handbrake and play in quicktime but the sound is strange…any help mac os x quad
Comment from Rick Yazzolino
Time: August 6, 2007, 6:46 pm
Hi,
I’m trying and trying to encode my copy of Underworld Evolution and it just isn’t working. It keeps stopping about 2 minutes in to it. Very frustrating. I’ve tried other copies and get the same results. Any tips?
Rick y
Comment from Rick Yazzolino
Time: August 6, 2007, 6:51 pm
Hi,
I’m trying to encode Underworld Evolution for my ipod and it continues to stop about 2 minutes into it, and then says it’s done. Help anyone!
Rick Y
Comment from Ritch
Time: August 22, 2007, 8:49 am
I must be the idiot from the idiot proof but after I convert the DVD to the H.264 for an iPod using Handbrake and try to import the file into iTunes I get an error that iTunes could not sync .
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Time: September 21, 2007, 1:33 pm
[…] C) Per il caricamento delle foto basta posizionarle in una cartella del nostro pc e poi sincronizzarlo nelle preferenze di iTunes con quella cartella specifica. I video vanno prima convertiti in formato .mp4 o .mov. Per fare questo ci sono diversi software anche gratuiti che ci permettono di scegliere la qualità e le dimensioni del filmato. Per convertire i Dvd consiglio Instant Handbrake che è disponibile sia per gli utenti mac che windows. Per convertire invece i filmati (divx, avi, ecc…) gli utenti mac hanno a disposizione iSquint mentre gli utenti windows possono usare Videora per il quale è disponibile anche una guida. […]
Pingback from Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy » More Great Mac Apps
Time: October 7, 2007, 2:28 pm
[…] Handbrake: Handbrake is a free, multi-platform, DVD to MPEG-4 converter. This will rip DVDs to a number of formats. But if you are looking for something just does DVD to iPod specifically, check out Instant Handbrake or iSquint. […]
Comment from PolarBear
Time: October 27, 2007, 2:20 pm
Kind of misleading to show a screenshot of instant HandBrake beneath a link to the full Handbrake. Either remove all reference to instant handbrake or change the download link so that it actually downloads instant handbrake. Either way but some consistency would be nice.
Comment from Praveen
Time: December 19, 2007, 8:43 pm
I found this site very useful and recommend it highly
Cucusoft iPod Video Converter Suite is an all-in-one iPod video Conversion solution. This Suite includes 2 software products — ” Cucusoft iPod Video Converter” and ” Cucusoft DVD to iPod Converter”. With this iPod Video Converter Suite, you can convert both DVD media and video file media to iPod video/iPod movie. You can enjoy your favorite DVD and video clips on your iPod as a portable DVD Player.
Other software requires two steps:
1.convert DVD to AVI
2.convert AVI to iPod
Cucusoft iPod Video Converter Suite only needs one step, it can directly convert DVD to iPod video!
Comment from APlace
Time: January 9, 2008, 10:28 pm
I’ve been using Instant Handbrake for about a month with no problems, until recently. Sometimes the main title (with the actual movie on it) doesn’t appear as a choice. Any ideas?
Comment from mike turner
Time: January 30, 2008, 7:54 pm
the page dosnt come up when i hit the “Download now for Windows” button any suggestions?
Comment from bob
Time: February 4, 2008, 7:22 pm
make sure your source is correct… like make sure your desktop is selected or w/e file you want to put the file in
Comment from tyler durden
Time: February 11, 2008, 8:08 pm
i cant get you instant handbrake to down load on to my new hp pavlion slimline please help me i realy need it
Comment from tyler durden
Time: February 11, 2008, 8:11 pm
i cant get your instant handbrake to down load on to my new hp pavlion slimline please help me i realy need it my emaul is andrewburton90@hotmail.com
Comment from carson
Time: February 24, 2008, 12:07 pm
i want a easy handbrake downlaodtibol dvd thanks


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