{"id":7074,"date":"2024-08-23T01:33:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T05:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=7074"},"modified":"2024-08-15T21:35:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T01:35:02","slug":"getting-a-hand-from-handbrake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=7074","title":{"rendered":"Getting a hand from Handbrake"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pld-like-dislike-wrap pld-template-1\">\r\n    <div class=\"pld-like-wrap  pld-common-wrap\">\r\n    <a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" class=\"pld-like-trigger pld-like-dislike-trigger  \" title=\"\" data-post-id=\"7074\" data-trigger-type=\"like\" data-restriction=\"cookie\" data-already-liked=\"0\">\r\n                        <i class=\"fas fa-thumbs-up\"><\/i>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n    <span class=\"pld-like-count-wrap pld-count-wrap\">    <\/span>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Image by Opensource.com: CC-by-SA 4.0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have dozens of VHS tapes recorded, in some cases nearly 30 years ago, of our children when they were young. About ten years ago, I used a Linux computer and <strong>dvgrab<\/strong> to capture the video using a Firewire port on the computer and an aging digital video camera. The setup worked quite well. I could convert many of the analog tape videos to MP4s using this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was eager to share some video clips with our grandson recently. I wanted him to see what his Mom looked and acted like when she was his age. The videos, converted to digital format and residing in a folder on my Linux computer, were ready to be transferred to my iPhone for sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My usual file transfer method, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=4082\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">QRCP<\/a>, has been reliable for moving files between my Linux desktop and iOS devices. However, I was left disheartened this time when the video transferred seamlessly, but the audio track was mysteriously absent. This disappointment led me to consider using <a href=\"https:\/\/handbrake.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Handbrake<\/a> as a potential solution. I have used Handbrake in the past to convert video files to a format compatible with iOS and other modern digital playback devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I installed Handbrake as a <a href=\"https:\/\/flathub.org\/apps\/fr.handbrake.ghb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">flatpack<\/a> on my Linux desktop, but you can install it as easily as a system package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Debian-based systems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>$ sudo apt install handbrake<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>RPM-based systems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>$ sudo dnf install handbrake<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Once installed, I launched the program<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/donwatkins.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4678\" style=\"width:516px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At the &#8216;File&#8217; menu, I selected &#8216;Open Source&#8217;, which opens a dialog box where I can select the video file that I want to convert. I select the one-hundred-twenty-eight megabyte MP4 and then click &#8216;Open&#8217; at the bottom of the program window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/donwatkins.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image-1-1024x314.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4679\" style=\"width:567px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking again at the Handbrake program display I have some choices to make to ensure that the converted video is in the format that will display properly on an iPhone or other iOS device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/donwatkins.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4680\" style=\"width:596px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Referring to the screenshot above, it is important to choose the particular format in which you want to save the video.  There are three choices: MPEG-4, Matroska, and WebM. I chose MPEG-4, and within that, I also chose &#8216;Web Optimized&#8217;, which will ensure that the converted video will be a smaller file and more easily shared on the web or from a mobile device. At the bottom of the program window, you can choose what you will name the completed file. The default is the original name, but I would suggest a different name so that you don&#8217;t overwrite the original, which would be important for archival purposes. The default &#8216;Save&#8217; location is your &#8216;Video&#8217; folder but you can easily choose some other folder on your system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you are sure you have made all the proper menu selections, you will use your mouse pointer to click the &#8216;Start&#8217; button at the top of the program window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/donwatkins.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4681\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This begins with converting and transcoding the larger MP4 file to a smaller compatible file for iOS devices. The process takes a brief period of time and will depend in part on your processor&#8217;s speed. The new video is 42 megabytes, a reduction from its original size, and can be replayed and reshared on a mobile device. Handbrake has excellent <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/HandBrake\/HandBrake-docs\">documentation<\/a>. It is open source and is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows, licensed under the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/HandBrake\/HandBrake\/blob\/master\/LICENSE\">GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 2<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have dozens of VHS tapes recorded, in some cases nearly 30 years ago, of our children when they were young. About ten years ago, I used a Linux computer and dvgrab to capture the video using a Firewire port on the computer and an aging digital video camera. <\/p>\n<p>My usual file transfer method, QRCP, has been reliable for moving files between my Linux desktop and iOS devices. Disappointment with that method led me to consider using Handbrake as a potential solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":7080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,538],"tags":[540,539],"class_list":["post-7074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-linux","category-video","tag-handbrake","tag-video-conversion"],"modified_by":"David Both","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7074"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7082,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7074\/revisions\/7082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}