Video Converter 'Handbrake 1.0' Released for Mac After 13 Years in Beta

Cross-platform video transcoder Handbrake reached a milestone over the holiday break with the release of version 1.0.0 of the app after over 13 years in beta.

Despite the lengthy beta-test format and the demise of the built-in DVD drive in Apple’s Mac line-up, the free open source transcoder has remained the go-to application for converting video files for playback on iOS devices and Apple TVs.

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The program has stood the test of time thanks to its ease of use, vast array of options for more advanced users, and extensive video format support.

Version 1 brings a raft of new tools to the Mac version of the app, with updated presets for the latest devices and a number of interface improvements and added settings to keep the app relevant and broaden its appeal. The new features include:

– 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