2023-11-17 21:01:31
HandBrake, a software open source extremely convenient for encoding videos, is getting better. The new features of version 1.7.0 are quite numerous, and some improve performance under macOS.
The list of corrections is quite long. In general improvements, it is worth noting that the program supports AV1 encoders from AMD and Nvidia, integrated into modern graphics cards. This is an important point: if Apple (finally) supports AV1 recently, the brand has only integrated a decoder in its A17 Pro and M3 chips.
Decoding and encoding for Macs
In macOS, there are two interesting new features. The first concerns the presets: HandBrake now offers the possibility of directly choosing the hardware encoder of your device. The option was already possible by rummaging through the settings, but there is now direct access to hardware encoding (Apple VideoToolbox). This encoder is generally fast and does not go through the processor for encoding, but has the drawback of offering relatively few adjustments. If you are looking the pixel that was encoded incorrectly, this option is not for you, but if you need to quickly encode a video, it is a good choice. Macs have had an H.264 encoder and an H.265 encoder for many years, and performance depends on the device: that of Apple Silicon Macs is fast, while that of Intel Macs will depend on your GPU.
New presets.
The second option is related to hardware decoding: HandBrake can now decode the video upstream (which is necessary before encoding) with the hardware decoder. This option mechanically accelerates encoding in some cases: the CPU should not perform this task. However, this is not systematic: on certain types of video, software decoding may be more efficient.
The option to check, in the middle.
The changelog indicates that H.264, H.264, ProRes and VP9 are compatible, but we can assume that this is also the case for AV1 on compatible Macs. The option requires macOS Ventura and must be enabled explicitly in HandBrake > Settings > Advance. You must then check the box Enable VideoToolbox hardware decoders and possibly the linked box which allows the hardware decoder to be used in parallel with a software encoder.
Latest interesting new feature for Macs, the SVT-AV1 encoder is announced as up to four times faster with an Apple Silicon Mac.
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