What You Need to Know about HandBrake 1.8.0 Release
HandBrake 1.8 is out and packed with new features and enhancements. Here’s what you need to know!
Before upgrading, ensure there are no pending encodes and back up any custom presets. Windows users must install the Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0.x (DESKTOP version).
Among the general improvements, VP9 and FLAC are now supported in the MP4 container.
The update removes timestamp jitters when using a constant NTSC frame rate in MP4 and drops support for legacy plist-based presets. The iso639 language codes list has also been updated.
Video enhancements include the addition of the FFV1 encoder, along with a new "Preservation FFV1" preset.
VP9 has been upgraded to support multi-pass CQ and VP9 tunes.
Dolby Vision now supports pass-through for dynamic metadata in SVT-AV1.
Additionally, the update improves Decomb speed and framerate shaper metrics.
For the command line interface (CLI), there are improved handling of subtitle and audio overrides.
Audio enhancements feature a new TrueHD encoder and support for higher sample rates. The selection of audio tracks has been improved by better tracking of "linked" audio tracks.
Subtitles see fixes for VobSub passthrough and decoding issues, and the burn-in problems for SSA/ASS subtitles in MKV files have been resolved.
The build system has received enhanced compiler optimizations and an improved libdovi package. Key libraries have been updated, including FFmpeg 7.0 and libvpx 1.14.0, while libxml2 has been removed.
Linux users will notice the UI has migrated to GTK 4. New features include recursive file scan, drag/drop support, and new icons, alongside various bug fixes.
On Mac, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support have been added, along with Metal acceleration for filters. The update also brings drag-and-drop support for subtitles and new batch mode exclusions. The UI has been improved for better performance, and the toolbar has been redesigned to match macOS style.
Windows users need to ensure they have the .NET Runtime 8.0.x installed. The update introduces an Invert Queue option, supports recursive folder scanning, and includes various bug fixes and new translations, such as Catalan.
