How to Encode Home DVDs w/ Handbrake For ZuneHD

[oppizzippo]

First off I don't support illegal activities so please use this information responsibly.

Things you'll Need:
Handbrake 0.9.4 or Newer
A folder containing the "VIDEO_TS" folder from a DVD (I used Big Buck Bunny that is open source and freely available(Read Legal))
NOTE: You can also convert many other video files using handbrake but this how-to is for DVDs specifically.

First install Handbrake

After it is installed open it up, we will first setup the software's options.
At the top under Tools choose Options
Next place a check mark in the box for "Automatically Name Output Files". Then set a Default Path for Output Files, this will put all videos in the same folder, this allows you to set the Zune software to find the videos more easily.


Next Click "Source" and then "DVD/ VIDEO_TS folder" then find the folder containing the "VIDEO_TS" folder from the DVD.

Next You'll need to select the "Title" or video from the DVD you want to encode.
NOTE: For most DVDs the longest title is the movie, for me the 2nd title is the movie.


Then select the "iPhone & iPod Touch" Preset on the right
Now we will change some settings and then start the encode.

Under the Picture Tab:
Check "Keep Aspect Ratio"


Under the Audio Tab:
At the bottom click on the track 1 Audio and change the settings to: Mixdown: Stereo and Bitrate: 160


Subtitles Tab:
Click on the Track "Foreign Audio Search(Bi..." and remove it with the "Remove" button


After you have Done all of this setup I suggest you save the Preset by clicking "Add" at the bottom right and naming it what ever you wish, I used ZuneHD(SD). When you use this preset be sure to check "Keep Aspect Ratio" each time you encode.


Now you are ready to encode the video by clicking the "Start" button at the top. The handbrake CLI will popup and run in the background. When handbrake is done upload your new video to your ZuneHD and start enjoying.


Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to post them.
Cory

Links/Sources:
Handbrake: http://handbrake.fr/
Big Buck Bunny: http://www.bigbuckbunny.org/

Disclamer: AnythingButiPod, Crowd Gather, third parties, and first parties are not responsible for how the above tutorial is used by the reader. The tutorial is meant for used on non copyrighted DVDs and/or video files. Users follow it at their own risk.

[CrowdAds]

[weedalin]

I say sticky. This is a great guide on how to easily and quickly convert videos for your viewing pleasure on the HD and any other portable media device.

[Vzard]

Nice tips!

I used the Handbrake before but it didn't run well on my Windoes desktop, then I switched to the Media Converter Ultimate, which is an all-in-one solution that can remove DRM, decrypt DVD, convert media format, burn video to DVD, and even supports making ringtone for my mobilephone.

Personally I score it higer than the Handbrake, the only drawback is that it is not free of charge as Handbrake. But the pack-solution worth it anyway for me.

[rotorrocket]

Anyone know if the settings work for the Zune30 and/or Zune16? I own all 3 generations.

[Cruleworld]

Nope, neither of those devices will work. Zune 30 only works with WMV and the Zune 16 needs a smaller resolution.

[Briankealing]

Is there a way to set the bitrate higher (around 300)? My HD videos' audio tracks are screwed up at 160. Handbrake doesn't let me go higher...

[oppizzippo]

Originally Posted by Briankealing

Is there a way to set the bitrate higher (around 300)? My HD videos' audio tracks are screwed up at 160. Handbrake doesn't let me go higher...

I don't believe so. What kind of videos are you attempting to convert? Its possible the audio codec used on the source video is not being transcoded correctly. I have had no issues with a DVD as a source. Do you have this issue with other videos?

Cory

[Briankealing]

How high does an audio bitrate does the Zune HD support anyway? If it only hits 160 then that's not very high, is it...

[McDougal]

Would it be okay if I did this for one of my home DVD movies? Such as Star Trek, Nacho Libre, etc?

[Cruleworld]

Originally Posted by McDougal

Would it be okay if I did this for one of my home DVD movies? Such as Star Trek, Nacho Libre, etc?

I don't care, but technically it would be illegal so we aren't going to promote that here...

[zaner123]

Is it necessary to set the audio mixdown to stereo? Stereo sound for movies doesn't sound very good, since the dialogue all comes from the sides...

I haven't tried any of the other options yet.

Wondering if anyone else has?

Thanks

[dfkt]

The dialogue still comes from the middle in a downmix.

[Matthias]

I haven't used this before. should i be worried if in the activity window during the scan it keeps saying "dvdnav: Read Error, error reading from DVD" after everything it tries to scan?

[FallenArms3]

Originally Posted by Matthias

I haven't used this before. should i be worried if in the activity window during the scan it keeps saying "dvdnav: Read Error, error reading from DVD" after everything it tries to scan?

Sounds like... it's not working

Try using another program like DVD Decrypt to rip the DVD, then use the Source> Video_TS Folder option in Handbrake and navigate to DVD Decrypt's output folder (Default C:\, but I would change that).

Not that you necessarily need DVD Decrypt's... decrypting abilities (), but perhaps you just need to try a different ripper?

[Desertway]

I have used the settings in Handbrake mentioned in the first post. For some of my videos, the Zune software directly syncs the video, for others, it converts. When it converts the videos there is a loss of quality and sometimes the audio track is off. Why would the same settings result in some videos requiring conversion and some not?

[BlindBandit]

For all of those who want to encode video on the Zune HD, try this http://www.freemake.com/free_video_converter/ it's very fast, very easy & even has subtitles support.

[steinburger1109]

I used that a couple times to convert from .flv because handbrake can't do .flv. It's a decent program. I use handbrake for everything else, though, because now that I saved oppizzippo's settings as a preset, I'm good to go.

[steinburger1109]

Alright guys, I'm about to ask what I'm sure is a really bonehead question. Does format make a lot of difference in size of file? Here's my issue: I just transcoded a video from avi to m4v with pretty much the same settings as described in this guide. I'm attaching a side by side of the details of the files. The original is on the right, converted one on the left. Why is the video bitrate higher on the converted video than original when I reduced the resolution? It's resulting in a near 1 GB file when I started with a 766 MB file and I was hoping this would decrease the size of the file as it does with every other file I've ever converted like this. Any input is appreciated!

PS, I know I upped the bitrate on the audio a bit. It was inadvertent, and I'm sure that that isn't the cause of the massive increase in size.