How-to: Use HandBrake to copy your DVDs
August 21st, 2007 by Brendon Chase
In this quick tip we'll introduce you to a nifty free tool called HandBrake to copy your favourite DVDs easily to your computer or favourite portable device.
Backing up or copying the DVDs you own to other formats can be a cumbersome process. Previously most users had to have knowledge of encoders, output file formats, frame rates, codecs, and file sizes before using two or three programs to do this task. Things have thankfully moved forward recently with programs that will copy DVDs to the file formats you want with the click of a button.
HandBrake is a free tool which comes with plenty of features for beginners and intermediate users alike. The open source software can decrypt and convert a DVD into formats that can be consumed on your Mac, PC, iPod, PSP, Apple TV, Television, iPhone, or mobile phone.
To get started you'll have to install the software. At the time of writing the software was up to version 0.9 and available free at the HandBrake Web site. For the purposes of this tutorial we'll be following the Mac installation and use, but PC and Linux users can also use this program.
Download: http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=8
Once installed open the HandBrake application. The application should default to a simple interface like the screenshot below.
Once you've selected the DVD you want to copy or back up insert it into your Mac. Now click on the icon that says "Source" and click your DVD drive. This should gather some information about the DVD you want to copy.
Once this is done you'll need to decide what type of format you should export the DVD to. To do this easily there are some presets which can be found on the "Presets Toggle" bar as shown in the screenshot below.
These presets should be for most beginners wanting to backup their DVDs. If you're not sure which preset to use then the rule of thumb is the larger the screen size intended the larger the file format will be and the longer it will take to copy your DVD. As an example, copying a DVD to Television output will take up more room on your hard drive than copying a DVD to iPod quality output.
Once you've decided which preset you'd like to use then simply click on the start button. The program will take care of the rest. The program might take a while depending on how long the DVD you want to copy is and the output quality.
Once finished you can check the file by opening it on your Mac to where the file was saved. By default the program saves files to the Desktop. Once saved you can move the file to wherever you want to play the content.
This should conclude our first look at HandBrake. We'll go through some of the more advanced features of the program in a later tutorial.
Note: AppleSource strongly recommends you check the copyright notices on the DVDs you plan to copy and check local laws before following this tutorial and using HandBrake. AppleSource does not support piracy of copyright material.
very good 
bigb6456
October 1st, 2007 at 12:29pm
Why is it so slow it takes forever 3-10 hours??
Jeff
October 8th, 2007 at 5:58am
Handbrake too slow on Powerbook G4. Ripped DVD (VIDEO_TS) ETA 23h18m4s to rip to iPod High Rez setting.
rubaiyat
January 8th, 2008 at 12:47am
Video ripping takes quite a bit of computing power. On my iMac G5 2.0Ghz a movie with 2 pass encoding can take 4-5 hrs. On an iMac Intel 2.1Ghz this comes down to under 2 hrs. Make sure you use the ffmpeg encoder as the Apple QuickTime encoder is very slow, for no better quality.
mhat
March 21st, 2008 at 2:19am
I downloaded handbrake but it wont open to the interface page, how do I fix it?
rubaiyat
March 21st, 2008 at 5:20am
mhat A bit confusing as to what you are saying, but I'm taking a guess that you can't see the starting window. Hit cmd-1 or go to Menu > Window > Handbrake. When you see the main window select your source DVD [top left icon on toolbar] or source DVD folder of a RIPed DVD. I use MacTheRipper to RIP a series of DVDs to the HD and then source and queue those to run over night. This is an extra step which adds up to only a little extra time overall, but is much more efficient and avoids much of the bombs in HandBrake, which usually happen when just ending a RIP, which is most annoying and wastes a lot of time.
maclover
April 19th, 2008 at 10:47pm
finally when the program was done i draged it into the ipod movies and that when i went to sync it said that i couldnt be played on my 30gb ipod under ipod high rez whats wrong did i have to choose low rez?
Brian Harris
May 7th, 2008 at 3:33am
To load movies into the iPod after they have been converted to MP4 format, I had to IMPORT them into iTunes. Dragging did not work. Importing them did. I clicked the FILE menu tab and used the IMPORT command in that window.
Brian Harris
May 7th, 2008 at 3:36am
To play a movie on the 30 GB iPod, you may have to update the iPod software...there is no reason why a movie should not play on the 30 GB Pod.
Nikki
May 10th, 2008 at 12:02pm
Ripping DVDs with Handbrake is the best. It is the only thing I use on Mac. I have tried it on Windows, but performance is much slower. On a Macbook, it takes me about 20-25 mins to rip a DVD.
Valerie
May 27th, 2008 at 1:07pm
So... It works for me... it works fast and it looks great on my i[pod touch but the only problem is there is no sound! I don't know what I did worng.... I did a few movies and each of them, no sound.....
Kliment Krylovskiy
August 1st, 2008 at 4:03am
Once I've converted the DVD, what program can I use to edit it and upload to websites (for example YouTube)? CAN I do it in general? I've downloaded "easy MPEG editor", but it doesnt recognize the file at all~! Thanks for the help!
jimmy
August 1st, 2008 at 8:15pm
it always says invalid file or copy-protected, i cant work it out... novice
Connor
August 5th, 2008 at 11:48pm
I'm having the same issue as maclover. Strangely, it works for some movies, but, for others it gives me the "this movie cannot be copied because it cannot be played on this ipod" error. I tried using the import function and it didn't change anything. Any other suggestions?
simone
August 9th, 2008 at 12:26am
everything worked for me and all in 30 minutes but once i tried to locate the copy of the dvd i couldnt i have tried numerous things but cannot seem to find it does anyone have any ideas as to where it may be? it is driving me absolutley crazy
Lee Jameson-Krampp
August 29th, 2008 at 11:32am
I have Mac OS X 10.5.4 with the 2.4 GHx Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Is it easy to make a copy of a DVD? I am a novice and have never burned a CD even! I have a DVD of a concert I was in and want to make copies for the other singers. I do not know whether to try this myself or to go to a shop that provides that service. Thank you very much. Lee in Canada
max
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:32am
not working!! i select the DVD and it tells me it cant do a copy protected DVD... i thought that was the whole point!?!?!?! is there something i am doing wrong or not doing?
Ava
September 27th, 2008 at 10:14am
It keeps saying STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION and not letting me upload any movies.. I selected the iPod Touch Preset and cliced start, but it keeps giving me tha message..
karina
October 2nd, 2008 at 12:05pm
'm having the same issue as Max, i select the DVD and it tells me it cant do a copy protected DVD... little help please!
stewart gordon
October 9th, 2008 at 2:49am
don`t know
Jay
October 18th, 2008 at 9:53am
I am trying to get surfs up and national treasure on, but when i select it it says Copyright protected or something.
Solid Edge
November 10th, 2008 at 1:16pm
Yeah the STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION error is so annoying! Has anyone found a fix for this?
HandBrake updated
November 26th, 2008 at 1:48pm
Handbrake 0.9.3 released
phil
November 28th, 2008 at 8:16pm
why does it take so long
Brant
December 17th, 2008 at 1:53pm
Ok so I have a bunch of home made footage. But it is only on re-writable discs now and the original on a sony handycam on those little cassestes. I bought this imac to solve my problem of never being able to use the footage. and now I still can't. plugging in my video camera does nothing and I downloaded Handbrake and it seems that it was working but in the end no video was burnt onto the desktop what do I do.
Purple
December 24th, 2008 at 4:21am
Hi, so i downloaded the movie followed all the steps but, when it plays on my ipod its all blurry and discolored. Any ideas how I can fix it or what i did wrong?
Dan
January 4th, 2009 at 3:53pm
OK, back to the original question: Why does it take so long to encode a movie from DVD using Handbrake? I'll tell you why - encoding AAC (MP4) movies is VERY complex. It takes a CPU with a lot of horsepower to get it done quickly. To encode a two hour movie will take you 3-6 hours depending on many factors. The best (and cheapest) option to speed up your encoding is to install an NVIDIA video card with as many GPU (graphic processing units) as you can afford and encode your videos with a piece of software called BADABOOM ($30). I purchased a GeForce 9800 video card and I now encode the same two hour video in about 39 minutes.
winnie
January 5th, 2009 at 6:12pm
Handbrake is very nice. It also can Rip DVDs to iPod, iPhone, etc. http://www.iskysoft.com/article/how-to-rip-dvds-with-handbrake.html#119
mado
February 11th, 2009 at 4:40pm
i downloaded handbrake then it said i had to download VLC so i did and i tried to copy a dvd with it but it keeps coming up saying that i need VLC when i already have it!
digital mp3 players
March 14th, 2009 at 8:27pm
i guess too many bugs on handbreak, i got the problem like anyone else.
hellen
March 25th, 2009 at 1:12pm
I tried, it is not work, then I someone recommend me Nidesoft DVD Ripper. I tried it. it works very good.
Ahanu
April 12th, 2009 at 4:23am
I tried Handbrake on a pal DVD from India called, "Taare Zameen Par". I know it's region 5, but for some reason handbrake said it said it was done in 5 seconds. I know something is wrong. The file didn't work right-someone please help me!
Tom-on his iPod-touch
April 14th, 2009 at 6:55am
Remember it has to convert it frame by frame so it's bound to be slow lol
Jon Griffin
April 18th, 2009 at 3:25am
It take just soooooooooooooooo long to copy a dvd, totally shocking, its good in the fact you can copy them into many formats, but the time it take is really poor. not a happy bunny.
Hannah
April 27th, 2009 at 5:22pm
I have downloaded HandBrake but when I click on the icon, it does not open. Is there a reason why it is doing this?
Holly B
May 14th, 2009 at 10:42pm
Why does HandBrake take 7 HOURS to copy a 2 HOUR movie? VERY VERY BAD INDEED. BADBADBADBAD. soooooooo bad. i totally agree with 'Jon Griffin.' it sucks big time. because it takes long, it wastes loads of energy which is crap for U, Me AND the Environment.. TSK TSK TSK.
Holly B
May 14th, 2009 at 10:44pm
By the way, anyone know a better, FASTER, alternative??
Dan
May 17th, 2009 at 3:31am
mac the rpper
vitamin deficiency
May 17th, 2009 at 7:46pm
wow...wow..wow. it must be trying... nice info..
merso
June 16th, 2009 at 2:33pm
IIf you want to Remove DVD Protections and Copy DVD on Mac OS,I share you below website: http://www.mac-dvd-software.com/mac-dvd-copy-guide.html#131