Over two months after its previous 1.9 release, the popular open-source video transcoder HandBrake has just rolled out version 1.9.1, delivering improvements and fixes that avid video encoders will appreciate.
The update rectifies an issue with FFV1 pixel format selection that could occur when using a hardware decoder. It also resolves a chapter title mishandling problem triggered when titles are not encoded in UTF-8.
In addition, developers compiling on aarch64 platforms will be pleased to know that gcc14 build failures have been addressed.
Moreover, the HandBrake team continues to polish its subtitle support by improving the handling of SRT files featuring overlapping subtitles. For audio, the update corrects problems related to AC3 and EAC3 extra data within MKV containers.
In this release, the development team has also adopted a more cautious approach for nv-codec-headers by hardening DLL loading to use only the system32 search path on Windows. Several libraries have been upgraded:
- libdav1d 1.5.1 for enhanced AV1 video decoding
- HarfBuzz 10.2.0 for improved subtitle rendering
- libjpeg-turbo 3.1.0 for better image compression in previews
On the Windows platform, HandBrake 1.9.1 tackles a variety of nagging issues. Notably, the developers have fixed the autoname function so it updates properly when the title is the only chosen option.
Another important fix ensures the audio encoder now displays accurately following imported queue edits, preventing confusion during multi-job encoding.
Additionally, if you have ever found the title bar or taskbar progress bar misrepresenting multi-instance encodes, this problem is resolved. Other improvements include:
- A fix addressing crashes caused by chapter import mismatches.
- Corrections for the autoname pre/postfix feature to prevent unintended file path collisions.
- Restored functionality to crop controls, ensuring they were properly enabled when editing jobs.
Finally, an important note: Before you rush to install the update, check for any active or pending encodes in your queue. Furthermore, it is highly recommended that you back up your custom presets and application preferences, given that they may not be compatible with newer HandBrake versions.
For Windows users, an additional requirement involves installing the Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime version 8.0, which can be obtained in x64 or Arm64 variants from Microsoft’s website.
For more information about all the changes in the new version, refer to the changelog. HandBrake 1.9.1 open-source video transcoder is available for download across all platforms, as users are encouraged to update to take advantage of the latest improvements.
