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Optimizing Video with HandBrake

Large video files consume server storage, slow down publishing, and take longer to download to devices. Before uploading video content, it is worth re-encoding it to a suitable size and quality. HandBrake is a free, open-source video transcoder that handles this well.

HandBrake reads almost any common video format — camera footage, phone recordings, screen captures, disc rips — and produces new MP4 or MKV files using encoders such as x264 and x265. Along the way it can:

  • Convert nearly any video to MP4 or MKV
  • Crop and resize the picture
  • Remove combing artifacts caused by interlacing and telecine
  • Remove, pass through, or downmix audio tracks
  • Adjust audio volume levels and dynamic range for certain audio types
  • Preserve, add, or remove soft subtitles

The result is typically a much smaller file with little visible quality loss.

Re-encode a video​

  1. Download HandBrake from handbrake.fr, install it, and open it.
  2. On the Source Selection screen, click File and pick the video, or drag and drop the file into the window.

HandBrake Source Selection screen with File and drag-and-drop options

  1. In the Save As field at the bottom of the window, choose the destination folder and give the output file a new name so it does not overwrite the original.

HandBrake Summary tab with the Save As output path highlighted

  1. Open the Video tab and adjust the output settings: the video encoder (for example H.264 (x264)), the frame rate, and the Constant Quality slider, which trades picture quality against file size.

Video tab with encoder and framerate settings highlighted

  1. If the content will play without sound, open the Audio tab and remove the audio track — this saves additional space.

Audio tab showing the control that removes the audio track, with Start Encode above

  1. Click Start Encode and wait for the encode to finish.

Check the result​

Compare the output file with the original in the destination folder. In a short 1080p test clip, the difference looked like this:

FileSize
Original video~30.5 MB
HandBrake output~9.5 MB
tip

Signage screens usually play video without sound. Deleting the audio track in HandBrake is a quick win that shrinks the file with no visible difference on screen.

Once you are happy with the output, upload it to the server as usual — see Step 2: Upload Content from Your Computer.

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