So, for some time now I have been using my own custom HandBrake settings when encoding for the AppleTV. I have two eSata modded AppleTV’s and by and large these HandBrake settings have been stellar. They have also been used by other HandBrake testers and fervent users on stock AppleTv’s with much success. So I figured I would post them here now.

Having said that though, I suggest these settings be used with one of the snapshots posted on the HandBrake forums. HandBrake 0.9.3 is almost a year old and the current HandBrake snapshots produce much smaller files with better quality than the older 0.9.3 public release.

1. To start, pick the Apple > AppleTV preset in HandBrake which is built in.

2. Instead of the built in presets constant quality of RF 20, slide the slider up so you get RF 19.25 ( RF goes lower as your quality gets higher, much like in golf ). One word of warning: constant quality is determined based on the source file. 19.25 is proven for SD DVD. Now if you are doing HD sources like say a 720P or 1080p mkv or whatever, then try more like RF 23 or so as 19.25 on HD sources will give you a pretty high bitrate depending on the source file.

3. Click on the Advanced panel and paste this string into the ” Advanced Options String ” textbox at the bottom (note the crappy code box.. gotta work on it but functions just fine):

Here’s our original post on optimizing HandBrake settings for the best quality.

Unfortunately, as of this writing, I can’t seem to get the new HDTV shows to stream to my Apple TV.  There are ongoing discussions in the support forum on Apple’s website.  I’m sure they will fix this soon.

Other new features of iTunes are the Genius Sidebar, where you can get recommendations to new music based on your tastes, not unlike Pandora without the streaming. Also included is enhanced accessibility, the grid view, and a new visualizer that’s really cool.

One click modding for your Apple TV.  It mods, then installs the latest plugins and applications for your Apple TV.  It’s fully compatible with Apple TV v.2.1.  No modifications or coding is necessary. The installer goes on a flash drive and is run when the software reboots.

Here’s what you get:

From the Apple Core website: The aTV Flash is back, now available in a downloadable “bring your own flash drive” form. This software upgrade will greatly enhance the functionality of your Apple TV. The software installs automatically, and no modification or coding is required. Also, it will NOT void your warranty.

Key Features:
- Play most video formats (DivX, Xvid, AVI, WMV, RMVB + more)
- Play DVD files WITHOUT converting them (includes DVD menu support)
- Surf the web with a Safari based web browser
- Easily enable external USB hard drive storage
- Enable FTP, SFTP and SSH access
- View local weather forecasts
- All original Apple TV features remain intact
- And much, much more…

The install process now features a graphical interface, that requires no technical knowledge whatsoever.

You might be unhappy with the the video quality of the DVD rips you’re getting from Handbrake. Don’t fret.  Almost all the devices you are ripping files for can handle higher bitrates.

How to:

Lets take for example, the Apple TV.  When you currently rip a DVD using the built in preset for Apple TV, you’ll notice that the standard average bitrate (kbps) is set to 2,000.  What does this mean?  It means the compression rating is set to allow only 2,000 kbps of data throughput per second.  If you up that rate, there is more data, less compression, hence more quality in the image.  The Apple TV can actually handle around 5,000 kpbs, but begins to lock up with any more.  In most of my DVD rips for the Apple TV, I usually change the setting to around 4,500 kbps.  This is more than twice the quality of the default setting, and provides an image that looks almost indistinguishable from the original DVD.

DVD’s are typically encoded at around 8,000 kbps bitrate.  Despite the fact that my Apple TV setting is not quite half that, the quality appears to be just as good.  This is due to the type of compression used in the Apple TV.  Compression algorithms have become extremely efficient compared to the days of DVD. DVD’s are encoded with MPEG2 compression, and the Apple TV files are encoded with .h264, which is an extremely efficient high quality compression algorithm.  As a result you can compress more data into a smaller bitrate.

The second setting we can look at changing would be the 2-pass encoding section.  You will want to check mark this setting. Since a VBR (variable bit rate) encoder will vary the bitrate depending on the complexity of the images, it tends to make mistakes from time to time. Handbrake can do two passes to correct for the compression mistakes. The encoder will make a first pass at encoding the video, then start from the top and do it again. When finished, the encoder analyzes the results before finalizing. By using 2 passes and analysis, the encoder is less likely to make a mistake in choosing the appropriate bit rates.

Due to the fact that you are now essentially encoding the disk twice, it will obviously take twice as long, and due to the higher bit rate, more space is required on your hard drive. But you can be assured that high motion scenes in your DVD’s don’t lose any quality due to abrupt motion artifacts.

Take one afternoon, and experiment with the bitrate and your end device.  You might find that your PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or other device can also handle a lot more data than the default settings lead you to believe.

Hacked Apple TV’s can offer a few advantages over a non-hacked ATV.  With certain plugins installed you’re able to watch DVD Video_TS files directly on the unit, sort of like a DVD jukebox, but no DVD’s necessary. You can install OS X on the unit and use it as a computer.  There are even web browsers available as plugins too. The biggest advantage yet might be that you can install extra video and audio codecs onto the ATV and avoid having to convert every video file you download.

Most movies you download from the internet will be in .MKV container format with .h264 video and DTS Surround audio. While the Apple TV can play .h264 video, it cannot play DTS sound, nor can it do this from an .MKV container format. This post will show you how to convert an .MKV into a format that will play on a non-hacked Apple TV maintaining the surround sound.

Prerequisites:

• An Intel Mac
• Apple TV
• CrossOver (Allows you to run Windows applications without Windows)
• MKV Audio Converter (Set of Windows conversion tools)
• Perian (audio/video codecs for the Mac)
• Visual Hub (audio/video encoder for the Mac)