If you are researching how to use handbrake, here is what actually matters before you commit any time to it. What is Handbrake? Handbrake is a free, open-source video compressor and transcoder. It is used by data hoarders to take massive, uncompressed video files (like raw Blu-ray rips) and shrink them down to a fraction of their original size without losing noticeable visual quality.
If you recently learned how to use MakeMKV to digitize your physical Blu-ray collection, you likely ran into a massive problem.
Raw Blu-ray rips are huge. A single 4K movie can easily take up 80GB of space. Even if you bought the best home NAS on the market, your hard drives will fill up in a matter of weeks.
To save terabytes of storage space, you need to compress those files. In this guide, we will explain exactly how to use Handbrake, the industry-standard Handbrake video compressor settings for a Plex server, and how to preserve your surround sound audio.
Why You Need a Video Compressor
When movie studios press a Blu-ray disc, they use very little compression. They want the absolute highest bitrate possible so the movie looks perfect on a massive home theater screen.
However, the human eye cannot actually process all of that data. A massive amount of the file size is effectively wasted space.
By using Handbrake, you can strip out that wasted data. You can take a 35GB 1080p Blu-ray rip and shrink it down to a 5GB .mp4 or .mkv file. When you stream that compressed file to your TV using Plex or Jellyfin, it will look nearly identical to the original disc.
The Best Handbrake Settings for Plex
When you open Handbrake, the massive wall of settings can be overwhelming. Do not use the default presets. Instead, manually adjust these three settings for the perfect balance of quality and file size.
1. Choose Your Video Codec (H.264 vs H.265)
Go to the Video tab. You need to choose a Video Encoder.
- H.264 (x264): This is the older, most universally compatible codec. Every TV, phone, and tablet in the world can play it smoothly. Use this for 1080p lossless media.
- H.265 (x265 / HEVC): This is the modern, highly efficient codec. It compresses files much smaller than H.264, but it is harder for older devices to play. Use this exclusively for 4K HDR archival media.
2. Set the Constant Quality (RF)
Do not set a specific target bitrate. Instead, use the “Constant Quality” slider. This allows Handbrake to dynamically adjust the compression based on how much action is happening on the screen.
- For 1080p (x264): Set the slider to RF 20 or 22.
- For 4K (x265): Set the slider to RF 22 or 24.
- Note: Lower numbers mean higher quality and larger file sizes. Higher numbers mean lower quality and smaller file sizes.
3. Audio Passthrough
Go to the Audio tab. By default, Handbrake will compress your audio into stereo AAC. If you have a nice surround sound system, you want to keep the original Dolby Digital or DTS track. Click the codec dropdown and select Auto Passthru. This tells Handbrake to compress the video but leave the high-quality audio completely untouched.
How to Use Handbrake (Step-by-Step)
Once you understand the settings above, the actual workflow is incredibly simple:
- Open Handbrake and drag your massive MKV file into the window.
- Select your output format (we recommend leaving it as MKV, though MP4 works fine).
- Apply your Video Codec, Constant Quality, and Audio Passthru settings.
- Click “Browse” at the bottom to choose where the compressed file will be saved.
- Click the green “Start Encode” button at the top.
Warning: Video compression is extremely CPU-intensive. If you are running Handbrake on an older computer or a Raspberry Pi NAS, it could take several hours to compress a single movie. We highly recommend running Handbrake on a powerful desktop PC.
Automating the Process
If converting large media files manually sounds tedious, there is a better way.
Data hoarders who download digital files directly from the internet do not need to use Handbrake. By using Sonarr and Radarr, you can tell these archival data organizers to automatically search for content that is already compressed in the x265 format.
When your automation software sends the request to your Usenet newsreader, it will download the small, perfectly optimized file directly to your NAS.