It takes the HandBrake team a long time to deliver stable versions of the popular transcoding app. They’re all unpaid volunteers, so it’s understandable. That said, we’re often left using year-old technology when there are developer builds available that take advantage of the latest and greatest in the world of video compression.
Nightly builds allow you to download newer versions of HandBrake, but they are likely to be unstable. You’ll get to test out the new features before anybody else. Be warned, though – nightly builds are not for the unexperienced. Sometimes you’ll be dealing with an unpolished feature. In fact, you’ll often be left with an unfinished encode after a crash. That said, I’ve been using the nightly builds of HandBrake for a few months now, and I’ve found it to be more stable than not. Don’t rely on it for mission critical work, and you’ll be fine.
So, what do you think about trying out early-stage software like HandBrake? Are you brave enough to jump in head first? Sound off in the comment section of this post. We here at Macgasm want to know what you have to say. If you’re so inclined, you can hit me up on Twitter. I’d be more than happy to read your comments there.
