HandBrake 1.7 Release: A Meaningful Update for This Year
======
The video converter tool comes with much-needed improvements.
HandBrake, the popular open-source video transcoder, has received a new major release with some important upgrades. This release comes almost a year after the release of [HandBrake 1.6][1],
Being one of the [best open-source video converters for Linux][2], HandBrake is a neat option preferred by many for their video conversion/transcoding needs.
Let's take a look at what this release has to offer.
## 🆕 HandBrake 1.7: What's New?
![][3]
HandBrake 1.7 features plenty of updates across the board.
Some **key highlights** include:
* **Linux-Specific Improvements**
* **New AV1 Encoders**
* **Improved Performance**
### Linux-Specific Improvements
Support for **bit depth and HDR information** was added to the video summary, there is also a **new option to pause the encoding of a video** when switching to battery power or a power saving mode.
Then there's the added **support for native file choosers** , **drag/drop support for video scanning** , the ability to **set automatic file naming options** , the r **emoval of the obsolete update checker** , and more.
### New AV1 Encoders
This has been the **major highlight of this release** , HandBrake now has support for two new AV1 encoders, **AMD VCN AV1** and **NVIDIA NVENC AV1**.
Even **existing AV1 encoding support sees a boost** thanks to the implementation of multi-pass ABR mode for SVT-AV1.
### Improved Performance
The **performance of HandBrake sees a major boost** on CPU architectures such as **ARM64/AArch64** and **Apple Silicon**.
Now, users can take advantage of the **new SVT-AV1 assembly optimizations** , **faster HEVC decoding** with the latest [FFmpeg][4] libraries and **30% faster bwdif filtering**.
### 🛠️ Other Changes and Improvements
As for the other refinements, here are some notable ones:
* Many third-party libraries were updated.
* The presets for Creator and Social were updated.
* New [Apple VideoToolbox][5] hardware presets were added.
* The dynamic range metadata pass through for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ were improved.
It's been some time since I last used HandBrake. But, I am glad to see that it is still receiving the care it deserves.
For complete technical details on this release, you may go through the [release notes][6].
## 📥 Download HandBrake 1.7
HandBrake is available for **Linux** , **Windows** , and **macOS**. You can head over to the [official website][7] to grab the package of your choice.
[HandBrake][7]
If you are unsure how to install it; then you can go through our [installation guide][8] to learn more.
![][9]
### How to Upgrade?
HandBrake usually lets you know if there is a new update on Windows and macOS. The developers suggest you **back up any custom presets and app preferences** that you have set before performing the upgrade.
**For Windows users** , the devs recommend installing Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime [version 6.0.x][10] to be able to run this release properly.
However, for **Linux users** , they will have to update it via the Flathub store, or reinstall it with the updated Flatpak bundles provided on the official site or the [GitHub repo][11].
📋
At the time of writing, the [Flathub store][12] version does not feature 1.7 release. You can expect it sooner.
💬 _Will you be trying out this new release of HandBrake?_
