Splash of Style...Macs, Photography, Design, and other Passions

Using Handbrake to Copy DVD to Hard Drive, iPod & iPad

April 15, 2010 by debbie T | iTunes & iPhone

Disclaimer: I do not advocate illegal copying any DVDs that you do not rightfully own. Please respect the copyright of all DVDs.

This tutorial was written on a Mac, so the screenshots will be Mac, but it should be fairly easy for Windows users to follow along as well. It would be very helpful if you understand how to save files to your computer and other basic computer tasks.

Please don’t be afraid to try this. It might look very confusing and difficult with so many steps; but I tried to add as many details as possible, so it might look more overwhelming than it really is. Once you get started, it will hopefully be easy to follow along. Print out the tutorial for better comprehension.

Encoding is the process of transforming information from one format into another. So, we’re going to "encode" the files from a DVD into a format that can be played on your on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or iPod. This is also a great process to make a backup copy of your favorite DVDs.

The program Handbrake does all the encoding work for you! Easy!

Download & Install Handbrake

First, download Handbrake from http://handbrake.fr/ – it’s free!

There are versions for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. Make sure you are downloading the correct file for your operating system.

Install Handbrake to your computer.

If you need further help with Handbrake (beyond this tutorial), then please check out their Guide.

Once Handbrake is installed, insert a DVD movie into your computer’s DVD drive, and start up Handbrake. If your computer’s DVD Player also launches automatically when you insert the DVD, just close the player for now.

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TextExpander for iPhone

February 11, 2010 by debbie T | Mac Software • iTunes & iPhone

I am still using TextPander (old old old version that was originally free) on my Mac, and I find myself missing the functionality when typing on my iPhone.

Good news, I found out that TextExpander is available for the iPhone! I just downloaded for only $2, BARGAIN!

For those that are not familiar with the app, it uses keystroke abbreviations to add snippets of text to your content. On my Mac, I use it a lot for signatures and even html coding. I find a lot of uses for it!

I will probably use it for signatures on the iPhone.

I haven’t installed on my iPhone yet, but I will post again after I have used it for a little while.

Cool Song from the Palm Pixi Commercial

November 30, 2009 by debbie T | Ramblings • iTunes & iPhone

I just love that new Palm Pixi commercial. The song rocks.

So, of course I googled and found that it’s “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit. I am so out of the loop, I didn’t even know who Passion Pit was, but I love the song, and bought it on Amazon tonight (woot! only .89)

Lyrics

Do I Love the iPhone?

July 2, 2009 by debbie T | Digital Photography • Wireless • iTunes & iPhone

So, I did pick up my new iPhone 3GS last weekend. Black, 32gb.

And I adore it! I love love love that I am able to have internet where ever I am. I loved the iPod Touch, but it was limited to only wifi, so I missed out on a lot. But the iPhone, oh I am in heaven!

I really love the camera, both still photographs and video are wonderful. And again, being able to upload or email immediately is so cool. (Can you guess this is my first Smart Phone? My husband has had a Blackberry for awhile, but this is MINE!)

iphone 3GS - photo of Mindy

The true test will be when we travel up north to New Hampshire or Maine. Don’t know how the AT&T service will fair in the boonies. I have a feeling I won’t be connecting on 3G, but it’ll be okay. My expectations are low, so I hope they will surprise me!

New iPhone?

June 27, 2009 by debbie T | Mac Corner • iTunes & iPhone

I am just about ready to leave, heading to the Applestore to pick up a new iPhone. Thinking black 32gb. I will have to see both colors in person. The store told me they had both in stock.

I will also look at cases.

Gosh, this is exciting! Filled out the whole pre-authorization thing online so we’ll see how long it actually takes in store! whoo whooooo!

Song from the New Bud Light Lime Commercial (2009)

May 21, 2009 by debbie T | iTunes & iPhone

I have watched the new Bud Light Lime commercial a couple of times, and I love the song…googling only brought up findings for an older commercial from last year – the song “creator” from santogold.

I finally found the song on the Bud Light Lime web site; it’s also by Santogold, and the song is “Lights Out (Remix)” – get the free download! Grab it while it’s hot! Cool song!

UStream Now Available for iPhone & iTouch

January 20, 2009 by debbie T | Mac Corner • iTunes & iPhone

Yay, UStream is offering an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Cool. Hmm, I wonder if the UStream Chat will work as well. Even though it’s not my favorite thing to type on the touch keyboard, it would be cool!

Allison, this is something we are going to have to test!

New iPod Touch yay

October 3, 2008 by debbie T | iTunes & iPhone

My dear sweet husband brought home a 32gb iPod Touch last weekend for me. I was thrilled. I downloaded a bunch of free apps, and loaded up my podcasts (video and audio) and I even paid .99 to purchase the cool koi pond app.

I was really thrilled about the 2g iPod Touch because of the built in speakers, but those turned out to be a drag for listening to podcasts or audio unless the room is very quiet. Not so great for the car or work. It’s great for games though.

I am not thrilled w/ the keyboard, and I am hoping I just need to get used to it. My fingers are not large, but it is so easy to hit the wrong key. I tried all day to gain access to our home’s WPA wifi network, and finally, I had to change our WPA passkey to something w/ no capital letters. No matter what I did, it would not accept my passkey. I also wish there was an option to “view” password instead of hiding it, so I could see if I was typing it correctly.

I don’t know if I will be doing much typing on it. I think it could be cool for browsing and reading though.

The screen rocks! I love it. And my photos look wonderful on it, although it took me a bit to figure out how to change from portrait to landscape view. I was holding the iTouch flat instead of upward. Once it’s held upward, changing to landscape view is quick.

I love it, and am very happy that I have one now…and the 32gb was a nice surprise. I would have been happy w/ an 8 or 16gb, but the 32gb will be awesome! Can’t wait to mess around more w/ the cool games and apps.

iPod Shuffle Not Able to Play Podcasts

September 22, 2008 by debbie T | Mac Corner • iTunes & iPhone

I was having difficulty with my iPod Shuffle (bought refurbished a couple of months ago). I could not play podcasts. It would play music, but when I tried to play a podcast, the little yellow light would flash, and nothing.

I reset several times (which by the way, doesn’t seem to work on my Shuffle anyway) and I tried deleting and adding several different files in iTunes.

I was all set to call Applecare and request a replacement, when I realized the “random shuffle” switch was on. I clicked it back on “normal” and voila, it now worked. sigh. I wonder why podcasts cannot be randomly played, and why it makes the shuffle choke.

As a whole, the iPod Shuffle is a bit buggy, and I probably wouldn’t ever recommend it to anyone. I only purchased mine because I needed a cheap replacement for my 20gb iPod until I decided on an iPhone or iTouch. But they are cute and small, and it does the job. It is a little irritating that there is no screen and I still don’t know why it won’t reset properly either. (Something for google another day)

At least I got it working again~

Untrained Applestore Salespeople

June 29, 2008 by debbie T | Mac Corner • Mac Software • iPhoto • iTunes & iPhone

We went into the Applestore in Salem, NH this afternoon to possibly purchase a new iPod Touch for my husband.

When we walked in the store, I asked the greeter if someone could help us with iPod Touch questions. She sent us over to what she thought was the iPod area, and I found a Touch. My husband had been previously been playing around with one, but I thought it might be nice to have someone officially show us around before we purchased.

The first salesperson (male) came over and he seemed knowledgeable enough, until I asked him about syncing photos, bookmarks, address book, etc. He didn’t know the answers, so he brought over another salesperson (female), and she started to push the new Mobile Me (dot Mac) service, telling me that I needed to use that to sync anything. I told her I have never been a fan of dot Mac, and that I was surprised that it couldn’t be done through iTunes.

She wasn’t too sure of the answer, so she went off to find someone that might know.

Another older gentleman came over. I assumed (wrongly) that he would perhaps have an answer about syncing. nope, more Mobile Me sales pitches. In fact, he took me over to a nearby iMac, and started to browse the apple.com website so he could show me more about Mobile Me. Again, I told the that I didn’t want to use dot mac or Mobile Me.

I spoke to no less than 4 sales people, and no one could tell me answers to simple questions, like syncing photos, address book, and iCal. Would you believe that no one actually knew the sales return policy either!!! That had to be figured out by asking another sales person as well.

I should have just went over to a Mac myself, and searched for the syncing answers on google (which is what I did when I got home). Truth is, you do NOT need Mobile Me or Dot Mac to sync your iPod. You can do it all through iTunes, which is what I originally thought, but no one in the store could confirm it.

Seems the Applestores have a lot of new sales staff, probably in anticipation of the iPhone release on July 11). But you would think they would go through a little bit of training. It’s almost like they were told if anyone asks about the iPhone or iPod Touch, just play stupid and push the Mobile Me sales crap.

I was really discouraged and disappointed. I expected more knowledge from the sales staff. The Applestores have always seemed to be a step above the Best Buys and Walmarts, in that they know their products. If we were an uninformed customer, we might have possibly been talked into purchasing a Mobile Me account, when it wasn’t even necessary! Very disheartening!

We left the store w/out an iTouch. My husband isn’t sure he wants one anymore. I told him that he should wait until July 11, just in case something (like a price drop) happens. Who knows, I have been eyeing an iPod Touch for awhile. I might get one after July 11!