Using Handbreak to convert a video on DVD for online streaming delivery

Before you begin:

• You'll need access to a DVD/CD drive (either built-in to your computer, or as an external drive). If you don’t have access to DVD/CD drive, you’ll need to purchase or borrow one to convert your DVD to an online format.
• There are pedagogical, technical, and copyright implications when using entire films. This resource provides some guidance about copyright and best practices for online video: http://uwmltc.org/?p=6246.
• If your video clip is less than 20 minutes, you can use VLC to digitize the clips. Here is a tutorial for capturing a video from DVD using VLC for Mac: http://uwmltc.org/?p=12634 -or- for PC: http://uwmltc.org/?p=6229.
• Copy Protection is built into most commercial DVDs in order to prevent the reproduction of copyrighted material. This includes film and TV shows and any other video material that has been distributed widely on DVD. If a DVD is copyright protected, you will not be able to digitize the film using Handbreak. The video image will appear distorted, with a block or random dot pixel pattern. Copyright protected video is usually labeled as such on the packaging material. If you have a DVD that was created by a video camera or on a computer, it is likely that this material is not copy protected.

For longer clips, Handbrake can be used for non-copyright protected films (download here: https://handbrake.fr/)

1. Download, install, and open Handbreak.
2. Open the DVD file by clicking on [Source] and browsing for the disc. HandBrake scans the DVD for the titles it contains. Once the scan is complete, HandBrake chooses what it thinks is the main title, but you can click the pop-up menu next to Title and choose the item you want to encode. Generally speaking, the title with the longest duration is the DVD’s main feature, or the full film.
3. Next, select the location where the converted file will be saved by clicking on [Browse] under “Destination.”
4. Select the “Output Settings” by pulling down the window to the right of [Format] and selecting [MP4].
5. In the “Picture” tab, enter 1024 for the [Width]. The height should automatically size the the correct aspect ration (for HD aspect ration of 16:9, the height is 576).
6. Finally, click the [Start] button.
7. HandBreak will show a progress bar for completion status.

Once digitized, you can upload the video file to your Canvas course site using the My Media tool. My Media will display video (or audio files) in the browser with controls. Students do not need special hardware or software to view the videos. Here are the instructions for uploading a video file to a Canvas Page using My Media: https://kb.uwm.edu/cetl/96088