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HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

handbrake.fr

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Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#12
post #9

Why was this posted? Doesn't seem to be any recent news.

https://twitter.com/lego_operator/status/1461077353476628488 This seems to be why.

To expand:

It was discussed extensively in the Rittenhouse court case today that the prosecution provided the defense with a much lower quality of a particular video file (one that was also possibly cropped) than what the prosecution possessed. The prosecution contends this was an accident and the transcoding occurred when they AirDropped it from one phone to another and then emailed it from their personal Gmail account.

Internet sleuths then spotted Handbrake on the prosecutor's laptop as he was preparing to show one of the videos. Those same sleuths are now speculating that the prosecutors deliberately transcoded/cropped the video that they provided to the defense, as Handbrake could possibly be used for that purpose.

Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#13
post #9

Why was this posted? Doesn't seem to be any recent news.

https://twitter.com/lego_operator/status/1461077353476628488 This seems to be why.

My immediate thought. The context to that, is that the prosecutors sent a low quality video to the defense, and then late in the trial introduced a high quality video, which the defense couldn't prepare for; and there was a whole argument as to whether it was willful or not. One of the prosecutors claimed the defense's email client might have compressed the video automatically (not how it works), and claimed not to have the knowledge to compress a video, then people started showing screenshots of his personal laptop with Handbrake on the desktop. Now the prosecution is saying this tampering might have happened at the crime lab that sent the compressed video by email to the prosecutors, who forwarded it to the defense, and also gave the full video to the prosecutors on a flash drive.

Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#16
post #11

Doesn't ffmpeg provide similar functionality?

Yes, but Handbrake provides a GUI. Ffmpeg is fantastic, and I believe supports a wider range of formats than Handbrake, so it's the power user's tool of choice. But Handbrake is way more accessible for the average user, and is very high quality in its own way.

Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#17

Vague vibes of VLC! Great tools, both of them!

I remember using a version that had ads embedded in the app in my teenage years, and so avoided it for years afterwards, but then I had reason to use it 3-4 years ago and there are none. I don't know if this was something in an official build at one stage, or if I ran into one of the cases of someone rebuilding an open source app with ads in that happened in the mid 2000s (the paint.net author dubbed this "backspaceware" when he cited it as a reason he would no longer release source code).

Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#18

I remember using this to rip every DVD I received in the mail from Netflix, and then copying the file to my iPod Video so I could watch it on the bus ride to school. Man have times changed...

I did the same! Except for my now spouse's iPod Video. And it was for a train, not a bus. But wow has Handbrake delivered for me. A great piece of software.

Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#19

I remember using this to rip every DVD I received in the mail from Netflix, and then copying the file to my iPod Video so I could watch it on the bus ride to school. Man have times changed...

My Dad did this all the time when he wasn't so busy with work.

Re: HandBrake – An open source video transcoder

#20
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://twitter.com/lego_operator/status/1461077353476628488 This seems to be why.

My immediate thought. The context to that, is that the prosecutors sent a low quality video to the defense, and then late in the trial introduced a high quality video, which the defense couldn't prepare for; and there was a whole argument as to whether it was willful or not. One of the prosecutors claimed the defense's email client might have compressed the video automatically (not how it works), and claimed not to h…

> defense's email client might have compressed the video automatically (not how it works)

I'm not familiar with all email clients, I mostly use Thunderbird, but almost all messaging clients, social media and similar service do compression when you upload media to them today. It's not super far off that an email client would do the same.

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