Handbrake is a powerful, free software tool that easily converts videos from one format to another. It can alter their size, video and audio quality and includes helpful presets for many portable devices. This is especially useful for Zune users who want to rip DVDs or optimize existing video files for their player.
Instructions
1. Download and install Handbrake (see Resources). Familiarize yourself with its features. You can edit nearly any aspect of a video, including file type, size, bit rate, encoding method, audio quality, subtitle options, and many more. You will also see the preset settings for existing portable devices in the right-hand window. These offer a more user-friendly approach by selecting the appropriate settings for you.
2. Once you are familiar with Handbrake's features, select a video to encode by clicking "Source" in the upper left-hand corner. For a video already on your hard drive, select "Video File". For a DVD video, select "VIDEO_TS Folder".
3. If you've selected a DVD video file, you may edit the title and specific chapters to be encoded. The longest chapter is usually the movie file.
4. Select a destination video file by clicking "Browse" under "Destination." This is where the finished video will be saved.
5. If you want to reduce the output video file size so you can store more video content on your Zune, select the "iPod" preset. This will instruct Handbrake to reduce the video to fit the Zune's screen resolution. If you will be watching the movie in full-screen mode, select the "Normal," "Classic" or "Film" preset.
6. If you want to reduce the file size even more, select the "Video" tab and enter a number in the "Target Size" box. This will instruct Handbrake to automatically adjust the quality to match the target file size. The smaller the number, the lower-quality the video. A full-length movie in decent quality is around 300 MB. Experiment with this number to satisfy your personal viewing preferences.
7. If you are encoding directly from a DVD, keep in mind that many DVDs are copy-protected and will not encode correctly through Handbrake. To use Handbrake successfully in this manner you will need to download a third-party application, such as Slysoft's AnyDVD, to run in the background and remove the copy protection (see Resources).
8. Click "Start" when you are ready to encode. A box will appear with information about the encoding process. It can take a long time (sometimes hours), so be patient. Use the "Queue" feature to encode multiple videos automatically.
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